Wonders of a Godless World: Difference between revisions
Content deleted Content added
| (23 intermediate revisions by 17 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Short description|2009 novel by Andrew McGahan}} |
|||
{{Infobox |
{{Infobox book | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Novels or Wikipedia:WikiProject_Books --> |
||
| name = Wonders of a Godless World |
| name = Wonders of a Godless World |
||
| image = |
| image = McGahan - Wonders of a Godless World Coverart.png |
||
| |
| caption = First edition cover |
||
| author = [[Andrew McGahan]] |
| author = [[Andrew McGahan]] |
||
| cover_artist = |
| cover_artist = |
||
| country = |
| country = Australia |
||
| language = |
| language = English |
||
| genre = |
| genre = Science fiction |
||
| publisher = [[Allen & Unwin]] |
| publisher = [[Allen & Unwin]] |
||
| pub_date = October 2009 |
| pub_date = October 2009 |
||
| media_type = Print ( |
| media_type = Print (Paperback) |
||
| pages = 260 |
| pages = 260 ''(first edition)'' |
||
| isbn = |
| isbn = 978-1-74175-809-2 |
||
| oclc = |
| oclc = |
||
}} |
}} |
||
'''''Wonders of a Godless World''''' is a 2009 [[ |
'''''Wonders of a Godless World''''' is a 2009 novel by [[Andrew McGahan]]. Described as ''"a kind of modern fable"'' that ''"verges on fantasy"'', it won the 2009 [[Aurealis Award for best science fiction novel]]. |
||
It follows the story of an orphan girl who is working in the wards of the insane and incapable, but the inhabitants are thrown into turmoil after a series of strange murders following the arrival of a new patient.<ref name="AAU WOAGW">{{cite web | url = http://www.allenandunwin.com/default.aspx?page=94&book=9781741758092 | title = Wonders of a Godless World | publisher = [[Allen & Unwin]] | date = | accessdate = 2010-02-01}}</ref> |
|||
==Background== |
==Background== |
||
''Wonders of a Godless World'' was first published in Australia in October 2009 by [[Allen & Unwin]] in [[trade paperback]] format.<ref name="AAU WOAGW"/> It |
''Wonders of a Godless World'' was first published in Australia in October 2009 by [[Allen & Unwin]] in [[Paperback#Trade paperback|trade paperback]] format.<ref name="AAU WOAGW"/> It was released in the United Kingdom in May 2010 by [[Blue Door]].<ref name="FF WOAGW">{{cite web | url = http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/andrew-mcgahan/wonders-of-godless-world.htm | title = Wonders of a Godless World by Andrew McGahan | publisher = Fantastic Fiction | date = | accessdate = 2010-02-01}}</ref> ''Wonders of a Godless World'' won the 2009 [[Aurealis Award for best science fiction novel]].<ref name="AAJR 2009">{{cite web | url = http://aurealisawards.com/downloads/SFNovel.pdf | title = Aurealis Awards 2009: Science Fiction Novel Judges' Report | publisher = [[Aurealis Awards]] | date = | accessdate = 2010-02-01 }}</ref> |
||
==Synopsis== |
==Synopsis== |
||
{{Expand section|date=February 2010}} |
{{Expand section|date=February 2010}} |
||
<blockquote>''"Set on an unnamed island in the near present, it is told from the perspective of a simple young woman, an orphan, mute, reared in a mental hospital and an orderly there, who forms a bond with a mysterious coma patient, a man with telepathic powers who claims to be immortal..."''<ref>[http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/fine-but-mostly-clouded/story-e6frg8no-1225780490492 Geordie Williamson], chief literary critic, The Australian</ref></blockquote> |
<blockquote>''"Set on an unnamed island in the near present, it is told from the perspective of a simple young woman, an orphan, mute, reared in a mental hospital and an orderly there, who forms a bond with a mysterious coma patient, a man with telepathic powers who claims to be immortal..."''<ref>[http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/fine-but-mostly-clouded/story-e6frg8no-1225780490492 Geordie Williamson], chief literary critic, The Australian</ref></blockquote> |
||
Throughout the book the reader can never be sure that the mute orphan narrator is a [[Unreliable narrator|reliable narrator]]. The possibility that her telepathic bond with the patient is in fact a figment of her imagination is always left open. So rather than science fiction, the book could instead be read as an insight into delusion.<ref>[http://www.readings.com.au/interview/andrew-mcgahan Andrew McGahan], Interviewed by Jo Case, Readings</ref> |
|||
==References== |
==References== |
||
{{reflist}} |
{{reflist}} |
||
[[Category:2009 novels]] |
[[Category:2009 Australian novels]] |
||
[[Category: |
[[Category:Australian science fiction novels]] |
||
[[Category:2009 science fiction novels]] |
|||
[[Category:Novels about orphans]] |
|||
[[Category:Aurealis Award–winning works]] |
|||
[[Category:Allen & Unwin books]] |
|||
{{sf-novel-stub}} |
{{2000s-sf-novel-stub}} |
||
Revision as of 20:04, 2 November 2024
 First edition cover | |
| Author | Andrew McGahan |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publisher | Allen & Unwin |
Publication date | October 2009 |
| Publication place | Australia |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 260 (first edition) |
| ISBN | 978-1-74175-809-2 |
Wonders of a Godless World is a 2009 novel by Andrew McGahan. Described as "a kind of modern fable" that "verges on fantasy", it won the 2009 Aurealis Award for best science fiction novel.
It follows the story of an orphan girl who is working in the wards of the insane and incapable, but the inhabitants are thrown into turmoil after a series of strange murders following the arrival of a new patient.[1]
Background
Wonders of a Godless World was first published in Australia in October 2009 by Allen & Unwin in trade paperback format.[1] It was released in the United Kingdom in May 2010 by Blue Door.[2] Wonders of a Godless World won the 2009 Aurealis Award for best science fiction novel.[3]
Synopsis
![[icon]](/enwiki/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2010) |
"Set on an unnamed island in the near present, it is told from the perspective of a simple young woman, an orphan, mute, reared in a mental hospital and an orderly there, who forms a bond with a mysterious coma patient, a man with telepathic powers who claims to be immortal..."[4]
Throughout the book the reader can never be sure that the mute orphan narrator is a reliable narrator. The possibility that her telepathic bond with the patient is in fact a figment of her imagination is always left open. So rather than science fiction, the book could instead be read as an insight into delusion.[5]
References
- ^ a b "Wonders of a Godless World". Allen & Unwin. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
- ^ "Wonders of a Godless World by Andrew McGahan". Fantastic Fiction. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
- ^ "Aurealis Awards 2009: Science Fiction Novel Judges' Report" (PDF). Aurealis Awards. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
- ^ Geordie Williamson, chief literary critic, The Australian
- ^ Andrew McGahan, Interviewed by Jo Case, Readings
 | This article about a 2000s science fiction novel is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. See guidelines for writing about novels. Further suggestions might be found on the article's talk page. |