White Time
Margo Lanagan

Allen & Unwin 2000 

261p pbk $15.95

1-86508-182-5

White Time, written by Margo Lanagan, is a collection of ten short magical fantasy/sci-fi stories. Each story is set in a completely different surrounding, from the early medieval days to the future, where time travel is possible. Each story takes you on a thrilling roller coaster ride full of twists and turns.

White Time is a book of deep thinking. It is a book that allows you to enter into the characters minds and feel what they are feeling. A downside of this book is that the text tends to focus on the thought of the characters and not enough on their actions. It took me a while to figure out what was happening in each story.

The best thing about White Time is the way Margo Lanagan has been able to produce divine realism in an unreal world. She has been able to accomplish this by having a storyline that is full of thought and emotion. Every story had its own unique layout, which brought a special atmosphere to each and every story.

White Time is different from other novels in the sense that it has pictures within the book. I found that it added a more puzzling feeling to each story. All the pictures were abstract, so it was impossible to see what each picture was. I had to use my imagination.

This is a magnificent book filled with rage, sadness, hope, friendship, love and spirituality. I would recommend this book to young adults who love to read Sci-fi or fantasy stories.

Alex, aged 14, Canberra, ACT

White Time written by Margo Lanagan and published by Allen & Unwin books is a collection of short stories that range between drama and science fiction. White Time is a thought-provoking book that invokes different emotions and thoughts for each particular story. While the stories contain some drama they are directed to a more science fiction audience over 15 years.

The quality of text and its readability is quite good with a different style of font from Times New Roman to maybe make it more interesting. Its the type of book that you would read alone rather than out loud because each of the stories have different characters and names which can make it harder to follow.

My favourite short story was the Queens Notice, as it wasnt your traditional science fiction story with space ships and laser guns. Instead it went off in a different direction and focused on a small ant in a colony and how he rises in status and power through his deeds and selfless actions to protect the colony.

Even though I liked that story I found the rest of the novel less appealing to me because it was in fact a short story book rather than one full fledged novel. However I would recommend this book to those who are looking for something quick and easy to read before going to sleep or even while on vacation. Overall I give it a 6/10.

White Time is a collection of short stories intended for an older teenage audience, as there is an element of violence in some of the stories that may not be suitable for younger audiences.  The stories do not belong to any one genre, some verge on science fiction yet never quite get there, others taking a realistic teenage drama line yet ending with twists youd normally find in a completely different style.

 However, as good as the stories were, sometimes I felt there were a lot of new words used by the author which tended to disrupt the storyline as I tried to work out what they meant, but apart from this small problem, I thoroughly enjoyed reading White Time.  I would recommend it to readers who enjoy reading books that are a little different, and a little more shocking than any old book.

Damien, aged 15, Canberra, ACT