Jay Daniel Thompson

Jay Daniel Thompson reviews 'La Trobe Journal, No. 87' edited by John Arnold

October 2011, no. 335 • 27 September 2011

The most recent edition of La Trobe Journal is an exploration of Melbourne’s gay and lesbian past. Amusingly titled Queen City of the South, it investigates an aspect of this city’s history that has frequently been overlooked or ‘hidden’. In the Introduction, guest editor Graham Willett argues that the compilation will help bring to light ‘striking stories and deep insights’ about the ... (read more)

Jay Daniel Thompson reviews 'Griffith Review 33' by Julianne Schultz

September 2011, no. 334 • 23 August 2011

The decision to use Ned Kelly’s last words as the subtitle of Griffith Review 33 was most unwise. This well-worn line threatens to overshadow the journal’s contents, which are otherwise fresh and intelligent. ... (read more)

Jay Daniel Thompson reviews 'When We Have Wings' by Claire Corbett

July–August 2011, no. 333 • 29 June 2011

When We Have Wings, the first novel by Blue Mountains journalist Claire Corbett, offers an ambitious and politically engaged blend of detective narrative, family melodrama, and futuristic thriller. In the dystopian world that Corbett depicts, social élites are distinguished by their ability to fly. These elect ‘fliers’ soar through the air using genuine wings. One such flier is the affluent P ... (read more)

Jay Daniel Thompson reviews ' The Blood Countess' by Tara Moss

February 2011, no. 328 • 04 May 2011

The Blood Countess is the latest novel by author and media identity Tara Moss. The book promises to be the first in a series about Pandora English, a fashion journalist who socialises with the undead. The novel begins with the recently orphaned Pandora’s arrival at the New York apartment owned by her great-aunt Celia. The latter looks much younger than her eighty-plus years, never appears in th ... (read more)

Jay Daniel Thompson reviews 'The Indignities' by Graeme Aitken

May 2011, no. 331 • 21 April 2011

Applause Jay Daniel Thompson     The Indignities is the sequel to Vanity Fierce (1998). In this new book, Graeme Aitken provides another provocative perspective on love and other catastrophes in Sydney’s gay male community. ... (read more)

Jay Daniel Thompson reviews 'Prime Cut' by Alan Carter

April 2011, no. 330 • 24 March 2011

Prime Cut sounds like the title of a glossy Hollywood thriller. Fortunately, Alan Carter’s début novel is a gritty and engrossing look at crime and racism in a small Western Australian town. Cato Kwong is a Chinese-Australian detective who has been working in the lowly ‘Stock Squad’ since a disastrous arrest some years before. In the novel’s opening pages, Kwong is called to help investig ... (read more)