Michael Earp and Alison Evans (eds.), Avast! Pirate Stories from Transgender Authors, Fremantle Press, 2024, 304 pp., RRP $29.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760993993
Avast! delivers the stories of seven transgender authors who have all been through their own unique experiences in identity transformations. These stories are compiled to present the first of its kind in the Australian YA space. Told through the lens of transgenders writers, this is a diverse and artistic approach to storytelling. While it does focus on characters at the top end of the young adult age bracket, there is much here for other age groups as well.
Michael Earp, recently seen attending Supernova, has brought an eclectic group of writers together, including Alison Evans, Maddison Staff, Maddison Godfrey, Vika Mana, Mia Nie and Alexander Te Pohe. Readers are invited to embark on pirate adventures filled with creative pirate languages and theatrical ideas. The word ‘pirate’ in the sub-heading reflects the themes of rebellion, adventure and freedom contained in the stories. Communities in the LGBTQIA+ world have long needed to highlight their concerns through unusual means, which certainly is highlighted here. Important concepts included found family and intersectionality.
My favourite story was Catgrrls to the Front! This short story had me laughing at some funny interpretations from android topics and characters. The android theme presented a fascinating story exploring ethical considerations, human/like interactions, technology, artificial intelligence, human culture, and evolution. This story had deep thoughts about androids with transgender themes which was extraordinary and highly original.
Another one of my favourite stories was Hunger by Vika Mania, told with a twist on climate crisis, embedding themes of Indigenous people, evolution, living species, governments, mining companies, colonies, technology and families. I liked that readers won’t guess where the stories are leading to with such unique pirate settings.
Reading Avast! took more focus, concentration and attention because of the diversity in the story settings, characters, emotions and events. Comprehending and envisioning the stories was a challenge. I recommend Avast! for readers seeking a challenging, artistic read with a twist on pirate genre and queer literature. Teaching notes are available on the publisher’s website, offering ways to incorporate stories into sections of the Australian curriculum.
Reviewed by Chantelle Ciccotosto
