Data theft, internet memes, advertising, terrorism, indigenous sovereignty, drone warfare, opium addiction, syphilis, the moon landing, mining, oil slicks, climate change, giant octopuses: nothing is spared in this collection. Nic Low's stories go beyond satire, aiming for the dark heart of our collective obsession with technology, power and image.
Set variously in London, an Indian village, remote Mongolia, the West Australian outback and mountainous New Zealand, these are prescient visions of the future and outlandish reimaginings of the past. Arms Race is an arresting debut from a fierce, playful new voice in Australian writing.
Nic Low is an author and artist of Ngai Tahu and European descent. Born in Christchurch, he now divides his time between Melbourne and a bush retreat near Castlemaine. Nic's fiction, essays and criticism have appeared in the Big Issue, Monthly, Griffith REVIEW, Lifted Brow, Art Monthly and Australian Book Review, and until recently he ran Asialink's international writing program. His second book, a literary exploration of New Zealand's Southern Alps, will be published by Text in 2016.
'I would not be surprised to rediscover these stories thirty, twenty, even ten years from now, and remark at their prescience.' Readings
'In addition to cleverly executed ideas and Low's pitch perfect balance of humour and humanity, core to the appeal and success of these alternate histories/realities are their strong links to the here and now, their plausibility. Rare is it that I feel compelled to give special mention to more than half of the stories within a short story collection – clear indication of the exceptionally high quality of Nic Low's Arms Race, and Other Stories. Highly recommended to those new to short fiction.' Book Lover Book Reviews
