On December 1, here,  I was shaking my head over the Nebula Awards nomination process for 2012 already being open—but I’m expecting the Sir Julius Vogel Awards to be open again very soon as well. The dates haven’t been posted yet, but the nomination period last year was 1 January to 31 March—and I’d like to make some nominations if I can, so I’m starting to get together some NZ authored fiction to read over the next few months.

So I’m really pleased that Joanna Orwin’s Sacrifice (a YA book) has just arrived, which means I’ll be able to get started. You may recall that Joanna and I were both guests at the Hurunui Friends of the Library’ Writers’ Tea Party in September.

Sacrifice is definitely speculative fiction, being a story in the post-apocalyptic tradition.  Here’s what the back cover says:

“Several generations after volcanic eruptions and tsunamis caused the onset of the Dark, the descendants of the few survivors are struggling to maintain their tenuous communities in swamplands at the far north of New Zealand. Now food and resources are dwindling, and the real hope for the future rests with the youths selected every five years as Travellers, their goal being to venture into the devastated mainland in search of other people and any remaining food sources. This time, however, as the Choosing approaches, the heavens themselves change, revealing dramatic portents that no one can ignore.”

Given the events of 2011, it sounds like a topical premise. I am looking forward to reading the book.