Omar Musa, Fierceland

- This novel, surprisingly, won the 2026 Miles Franklin Award, an award that focuses on novels that examine the Australian way of life. Most people, including me, were surprised by that decision, as Fierceland is only tangentially about Australia. While it's a deep dive into ugly colonialism and it’s destructive legacy, it doesn’t hold back on constantly immersing us in things Malaysian - the language, politics, towns, forests, trees, wildlife, beliefs, spirits, birds, and insects. It offers an incredibly rich tapestry of Borneo's political history and corruption. 

- It's a totally absorbing read, written in brilliant prose, thick with lush detail. Sure, it's often clogged, but it's poetic and throbbing with life. Read it slowly. Let it sink in. 

- The central focus is on two kids from a very wealthy family - the delightful and spunky Rozana, and her clever younger brother Harun. Their father, whom they love, has made a fortune from clearing forests to establish a palm-oil industry in Borneo. They're sent to Australia to attend high school and university. In later life they reflect on 'the horrors of high school in Australia' and its 'mediocre parochialism'. Both are frequently bullied at school for being Mussies and are questioned about their 'terrorism' by classmates after 9/11. They have to pretend to be real Aussies in dress and accent to be accepted. Roz, in particular, gets into weed and shoplifting.

- We follow them through the first two decades of the 2000's. Roz does well in Art and English at school (so her father buys her a Jaguar!). She eventually becomes an artist. Harun becomes a tech enthusiast who establishes his own successful company. 

- One character in the book is fascinating and breathes life into it - the distant relative 'Crazy Auntie'. She's a passionate critic of the wealthy palm oil parents and their destructive colonial operations. And the kids get persuaded by her - Roz in particular because they share a love of books and reading. 

- In 2018 the father, Abah, dies. After the funeral Crazy Auntie and other relatives indulge in rants about Old Malaysia, New Malaysia - ‘same old politics. Same kleptocracy, same ethno-nationalist fascism, same Malay Supremacy. The mainland using the Borneo states...As we watched the country crumble into corruption, mediocrity and madness…’ 

- Roz and Harun are finally awakened to reality. The final chapters of the novel see them walking through the magic forests and hearing the voices of those who've suffered from their destruction. 

- Borneo is neither a single country nor exclusively a region of Malaysia—it is the third-largest island in the world, and it is shared among three separate sovereign nations:

1. Malaysia: Occupies the northern portion of the island (East Malaysia), which consists of two states—Sabah and Sarawak—and the Federal Territory of Labuan.
2. Indonesia: Occupies the largest portion (roughly 73% of the island), known as Kalimantan, which is divided into five provinces.
3. Brunei: An independent sultanate located entirely on the northern coast of Borneo, surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak.

So while parts of Borneo belong to Malaysia, Borneo itself is an island shared by Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei. (Gemini).

Amy Remeikis, Screw Nice.

- This book is brilliant on every level. Amy Remeikis is easily one of Australia's best political journalists and cultural commentators. She's the Chief Political Analyst at  The Australia Institute and a contributing editor for The New Daily. 

- She's angry and she's a fighter. And she's very well informed. Screw Nice (or as I'm sure she would have preferred to call it, 'Fuck Nice') is a fascinating critique of our current social and political world - a mix of philosophical, psychological, and economic. She puts the bomb under so much bullshit. 

- What I found most appealing about the book is its reach. She ranges widely and takes us to the US, the UK and Europe, as well as Australia. She's excellent on the major post-World War 2 economic and political histories - neoliberalism, stagflation, oil shocks, wealth inequality, the destruction of labour unions, media power, hate speech, anti-immigration movements, women’s appeasement and submission for financial reasons, the general decline of liberal democracies and the current ‘autocratisation’ and growing authoritarianism in the Trump era. And of course the extraordinary growth and influence of powerful billionaires. 

- She also focuses on the individuals that are central to the madness we are forced to stomach, for instance Trump, the draft dodger, sexual predator and liar; Charlie Kirk and his lies and distortions; and Netanyahu. There are plenty of others. 

- She catalogues Australia’s dismal record on a host of important issues. 

- The book is full of statistics and details which enrich it enormously.  And quotes from influential thinkers, philosophers, politicians, and activists. Being 'nice' or 'civil' or 'centrist' or 'balanced' is just being captured and accomodating. 

- Her final words are:

'I am not a nice person. 

I try to be kind and compassionate. I like to think I am empathic and reasonable. I have an open mind, and I believe in equality. But niceness? Pretending a civil society is not tolerating abuse or hatred, or punching down on those already fighting for survival? I’m done with that. And I am hopeful for the sake of decency, for upholding the society we all should be fighting for. A tolerant society - intolerant of the intolerable - one that lays claims to actual civility and not the toxic civility we allow to oppress what we know is right. And I hope that you are too. 

Not being nice may be the only way we can create safe spaces for everyone, where equality and tolerance of difference is the standard, not the fight. 

And honestly, wouldn’t that be nice?'

 

Homer, The Odyssey

 

- This translation of Homer's classic by Emily Wilson was published by Norton in 2017. Wilson is a professor of classical studies at the University of Pennsylvania. 

- The book is unbelievably good - written in clear, modern and rhythmic English (iambic pentameter). There have been many translations over the last few hundred years, (including a new one by Daniel Mendelson published by Penguin this year). 

- The book contains a brilliant 90 page introduction which is a must read. It outlines all the details of Odysseus's journey from Troy back home to Attica after twenty years. Wilson also includes Notes at the end that summarise each of the 24 chapters and clarify many of the references.  

- The poem was written around 8-900 BC, nearly three thousand years ago. Odysseus was a 'complicated man'. He's aristocratic, wealthy and authoritative, but also a thinker, a plotter, and highly intelligent. And he's certainly not adverse to indulging in brutal savagery to get his way. Slaughter in those days was the way to achieve peace. (In 'those days'?!)

- This summary of the poem on the front flap is excellent: 

'Composed at the rosy-fingered dawn of world literature almost three millennia ago, The Odyssey is a poem about violence and the aftermath of war; about wealth, poverty, and power; about marriage and family; about travelers, hospitality, and the yearning for home. 

This fresh, authoritative translation captures the beauty of this ancient poem as well as the drama of its narrative. Its characters are unforgettable, none more so than the 'complicated' hero himself, a man of many disguises, many tricks, and many moods, who emerges in this version as a more fully rounded human being than ever before.

Written in iambic pentameter verse and a vivid, contemporary idiom, Emily Wilson’s Odyssey sings with a voice that echoes Homer’s music; matching the number of lines in the Greek original, the poem sails along at Homer’s swift, smooth pace.'

(According to Wilson in a recent interview Christopher Nolan’s film is 'long, lightweight and profoundly disappointing').

(The book is 582 pages long and beautifully designed. And the price in Australia is only $31.99)

Lars Svendsen, Stupid Idiots

 

- Easily the most pointless book I’ve ever read. 

- All sensible people know what a ‘stupid idiot’ is. We don’t need ancient and modern philosophers to enlighten us. 

- And we all know Trump is a stupid idiot.

Maggie Haberman, Jonathan Swan, Regime Change.

- Two very well respected journalists employed as White House correspondents by The New York Times have written a 'fly on the wall' account of the first fifteen months of Trump's 2024-2028 presidency. It's by far the best political book I've ever read - and I've read a lot of them. It's detailed and utterly absorbing. 

- It's a long 464 page immersion in the character and dynamics of Trump's regime. As readers we have a seat at every formal and informal meeting in the White House, and we're party to the debates, arguments and discussions of Trump's key players and their staff. How on earth Haberman and Swan got all these details is beyond me. There were obviously loads of leaks all the time. Their perspective is objective and descriptive and neither left wing nor right. (Though Trump has condemned the book as 'radical left'!). 

- The key players are by now well known to all of us: Stephen Miller, Elon Musk, Marco Rubio, Steve Witkoff, Scott Bessent, Howard Lutnick, Pete Hegseth, Laura Loomer, Mike Waltz, Karoline Leavitt, J. D. Vance, Mike Johnson, Jerome Powell, Kash Patel, Jared Kushner and others. Their contributions and opinions are all covered in detail. And their frequent disagreements (the word 'fucking' is common). 

- As well the regular Trump and Netanyahu meetings are described in detail. Netanyahu's expert sucking up to Trump is fascinating. 

- Trump loves power. He continually interferes to exercise it. His normal work day is described, and the issues that have become problematic are delved into - the Epstein Files, Jerome Powell and the Federal Reserve, Nvidia and AI, the aggressive use of the military in US cities, Venezuela and Maduro's capture and imprisonment, cryptocurrency, Trump's renaming of buildings and landmarks, the killing of innocent civilians by ICE agents, Trump's belief that he is the greatest President in US history, and others. 

- Covered in depth are the Iran ceasefire negotiations with Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff that created the 'Board of Peace', which as we now know was worse than useless. And Netanyahu’s visit to the White House in March this year to persuade Trump to go to war. Which he did. 

- The Vance/Rubio contest for the 2028 election is also described. Trump remains 'neutral', though there's no doubt that Rubio is smarter and more than likely to get Trump's support. 

-The book is also very well written and superbly edited. An absolute must-read.

Steve MinOn, First Name Second Name

- This wonderful and challenging novel is shortlisted for the 2026 Miles Franklin Award. The winner will be announced in August. I've read most of the nominees and can confidently predict this has a real chance of winning. (Along with Randa Abdel-Fattah's amazing Discipline. Both published by the deplorable UQP. And both written by immigrants!)

- Steve MinOn's surname, with the capital O in the middle, reflects the main character's surname in the book. It's two Chinese first names meshed together because this is Australia mate! In gold rush 1878 Pan Bo Lin married an Irish woman who named him Mr Pan Bolin. Thus the origin of the Bolin family over generations. 

- We're in rural Queensland. The Aussie males are blokey and racist, and fatherhood is challenging. And the women and wives are forced to obey. 

- The novel has a fantasy element called Jiangshi, a state in which a dead person is also mysteriously alive and walks around observing and commenting. The main character Stephen lives in today's world as he is Pan's great grandson. Now dead, experiencing his 'interminable trek', he reflects on the abject racism he suffered painfully throughout his life. He was also gay, something foreign to his family, and was forced to keep it secret, particularly from his conservative father, Willie, who liked the newly elected Pauline Hanson, even agreeing with her that ‘we are in danger of being swamped by Asians’! 

- Throughout the book as we learn of the lives of the Bolin family and their partners and kids, we are immersed in Queensland towns like Innisfail and Proserpine, and details of the politics of the times - Joh Bjelke-Petersen and Wayne Goss for example. The generational relationships are complex as there are so many brothers and sisters with children and grandchildren. (Thank god there is a dramatis personae at the beginning of the book which clarifies who's who). Despite the Bolin's Chinese heritage they all married white people. As Stephen's nephew asks at one point: 'Every marriage in a hundred years has been to someone of European or Anglo descent. Caucasian. Can you not see it? Nobody married anyone Chinese. Not even Asian, or First Nations of Pasifika or African, or...how can that be a coincidence?'  

- As the decades pass families and relationships change. Steven goes to London where he finds it hard to get work and hard to adjust. Edinburgh, however, his mother’s former home, is far more comfortable. He also gets captured by the gay scene and spends most nights partying, drinking and indulging in casual sex. While there his father is diagnosed with terminal cancer. He's reluctant to come home and attend the funeral. 

-Steve MinonOn has written an intriguing novel that explores so many dimensions of the complex Australian character. The prose is lucid and readable, and his observations deep and real. A novel that will stay with you for a long time.   

Haruo Yuki, The Ark.

 

- Haruo Yuki is a celebrated Japanese mystery writer. On publication in Japan in 2022 this novel became an instant bestseller. It sold over half a million copies in its first year. It's now been translated into English. 

- It's no surprise that it's a bestseller. It's an intriguing and very engaging story about a series of murders that take place in an abandoned three story building in a cave high in the mountains of Japan. Seven former university students and a small family discover it by accident when hiking. It has many bedrooms, and other rooms full of electrical and building equipment. For some strange reason, however, a huge rock lies close to the exit door on the upper floor. The lower floor is also full of water. 

- Unfortunately a major earthquake takes place and causes the rock to roll towards the upper floor's door, completely blocking the only exit. The middle floor is also starting to be flooded by the rise in water from the lower floor. The only way the students and family can escape is by winching the rock so it crashes down to the middle floor. However that would mean one of the students or parents would have to volunteer to do that from the middle floor and therefore be trapped and drown. Who would volunteer to do that? According to their estimates they have a week at the most to evacuate. 

- But the story is just beginning. One of the male students is found murdered by hanging. Then a popular female one and the father were brutally murdered. 

- So we have a classic who-dunnit. The story develops as one student in particular has a detective-like talent for examining all the elements in detail. Mobile phones become key to the resolution. Who is the murderer, and how will they escape? And why are they committing these horrific murders?

- The resolution is surprising in the extreme, right up to the final page. Is it satisfying? Or does the murderer win?

- A thrilling read.