A new association has been set up to give Irish writers of speculative fiction a platform to showcase their work and attract publishers from home and abroad.
Speculative Fiction Ireland hopes to create a like minded community of readers, writers and artists to build upon a flourishing industry.
Irish speculative fiction is having a moment and taking ownership of a wide range of genres encompassing dystopian fiction, fantasy, horror, sci-fi and magical realism.
The umbrella term allows both readers and writers to move beyond what critics often dismissed as "low brow pulp fiction" into thought provoking narratives that don't fit neatly into existing categories.
The success of Paul Lynch's Booker Prize-winning novel Prophet Song has fired up a literary appetite for Irish speculative fiction alongside the popular appeal of these genres.
Ronald Geobey is a science fiction author based in Dublin and founder of Temple Dark Books. The niche publisher said it was in response to what he saw as a lack of recognition for Irish writers of genre fiction.
"Bookshops are filled with science fiction and fantasy from UK and US-based publishers, and only a tiny percentage of all such books sold here are published in Ireland," he says. "Since starting Temple Dark Books I've been inundated with submissions and queries from Irish writers".
Temple Dark Books have now launched Speculative Fiction Ireland to address the issue.
"SFI is a new association for readers, writers, and artists in the science fiction, fantasy and horror genres," says Geobey. "It aims to build an Irish community in this space, by providing online and in-person platforms for writers and artists to connect with audiences and reviewers, and for fans to contribute to regular blogs and e-zines. We are also hoping to collaborate on the Channel the Dark anthology series, a project that showcases stories of resilience and triumph through dystopian, sci-fi and fantasy fiction"
Temple Dark's latest release is the dystopian novel Lichtenberg, by debut author Tom O'Connell from Galway.
Set in a distant future, the novel transports the reader into a brutal and hedonistic citadel. Lichtenberg explores the dangers of nationalist ideology, state propaganda and the othering of the marginalised outsider.
The 26-year-old author says he was always an avid reader of science fiction and fantasy, but developed a passion for dystopia as a writer. "Over the years I came across some wonderful dystopian novels by Irish authors", he says, "Kevin Barry's 'City of Bohane, Niall Bourke’s Line, and post-apocalyptic works like Sarah Davis Goff’s Last Ones Left Alive. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg, and I hope to teach dystopian literature when I complete my Phd at the University of Galway. I am passionate about increasing the visibility and credibility of Ireland’s wealth of genre fiction. I know Temple Dark and SFI share this mission, and I’m incredibly grateful to have found a home for my book there".
Tom's novel will debut in November at the Irish Writers' Centre, as part of the Dublin Book Festival. He has also been invited to take part in a panel discussion about dystopian fiction at the World Fantasy Convention in Brighton next November.
Maura McHugh is an Irish/American writer living in Kilcolgan, County Galway and an established author of speculative fiction. Her collection, The Boughs Withered (When I Told Them My Dreams), was previously nominated for a British Fantasy Award, as was her book about David Lynch's iconic film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.
She has been shortlisted for a prestigious award at the forthcoming World Fantasy Convention in Brighton. Her story 'Raptor' has been nominated in the Best Short Fiction category.
"It's part of an anthology which revisits old pathways in the woods and cuts new tracks through the undergrowth," she says, "drawing ever closer to the mysteries of Lavondyss - the Old Forbidden Place at the heart of the wood".
Watch: Writer Maura McHugh interviewed
The World Fantasy Awards are one of most prestigious honours in the field of fantasy literature. Established in 1975, they are presented annually to recognise outstanding achievements in fantasy fiction and art published during the previous calendar year.
"I’m honoured to be one of the five nominees from an international field of literature selected by the jury for the World Fantasy Award for Best Short Fiction," says McHugh. "This nomination was a total surprise."
Find out more about Speculative Fiction Ireland here
