Review: Eat The Sky, Drink The Ocean

Eat The Sky, Drink The Ocean edited by Kirsty Murray, Payal Dhar and Anita Roy
Released: 1st January 2015
Published by: Allen and Unwin
Genre: YA Science Fiction/Speculative Fiction/Anthology
Source: Publisher
Pages: 240
My Rating:4.5 of 5 stars
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Be transported into dystopian cities and other-worldly societies. Be amazed and beguiled by a nursery story with a reverse twist, a futuristic take on TV cooking shows, a playscript with tentacles - and more, much more. Plunge in and enjoy!

A collection of sci-fi and fantasy writing, including six graphic stories, showcasing twenty stellar writers and artists from India and Australia: Isobelle Carmody, Kate Constable, Penni Russon, Margo Lanagan, Mandy Ord, to mention only a few.

Thank you to Allen and Unwin for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review 

Eat the Sky, Drink the Ocean holds a collection of stories just as captivating as its title. Compiled by a variety of authors from Australia and India, it is something that had a charm and allure from the very first pages. The graphic sections were just as fascinating to read into as the words on the page, and I can honestly say that each and every section was brilliantly done.

The book in itself is an inspiration, and challenging the role of young women in society. There were often subverted versions of the stereotypical patriarchal set-up in different situations, which was altogether fascinating. What's interesting about having short stories in an anthology like this is that even on their own they are so powerful. I could sense each author's different style coming through as I went along experiencing all the worlds they had created. That being said, within the plots themselves; the collaborations were seamless and it's wonderful to see such talented female writers pair up to bring their ideas together and weave something so special. While I wished that the graphic stories had been illustrated in colour in some places, I nonetheless found them engrossing, with a surreal edge.

Another lovely addition were perspectives from the authors themselves at the back of the book about how they felt about collaborating with each other. It's obviously a different experience from working solo, and it was interesting to read about how their original concepts were moulded into the finished product.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Phenomenally original, innovative and inspiring, Eat the Sky, Drink the Ocean was just as spectacular as I hoped it would be. It has brought speculative fiction into a whole new light, where the words, concepts and illustrations converge in a beautiful work which I'd recommend to everybody.