Yarraville author Andrew Lyall, has been shortlisted for an Aurealis Award for his speculative fiction novel.
The Last to Go is dystopian fiction set in the sugarcane fields of Far North Queensland.
Lyall said it tells the story of a group of survivors trying to avoid predatorial scarecrows who have arisen after a virus decimates the world.
Lyall said this a dream come true for his debut book.
“I am so excited, these awards are the top speculative fiction awards for Australia, judged by a judging panel,” he said.
“They’ve been around since 2005, and I’ve followed them for a long time and have been really interested in the winners and the finalists.”
The book is one of six nominees for Best Science Fiction Novella 2023.
“The[other nominees] are pretty established, one of them is Garth Nix who is a very established Australian author, and Kaaron Warren is also an incredibly prolific and successful Australian author,” Lyall said.
“So to be up against those two is just a real privilege, to see my name against them.”
Lyall published the book in August, 2023, after focusing all his time on writing during COVID.
His next work is an illustrated science fiction short story, Laika’s Robot, aimed at young adults, which will be published in the second half of this year.
Winners of the Aurealis Awards will be announced at a ceremony at the Jasper Hotel in Melbourne in May.
The Last to Go can be purchased online from Yarraville’s The Sun Bookshop: www.sunbookshop.com.
