''Underground'' is a novel by
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
n author
Andrew McGahan. It is set in a near-future right-wing governed Australia.
Reception
A review of ''Underground'' in ''
The Sydney Morning Herald
''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...
'' called it "McGahan's most nakedly political work so far, positioning itself as a comment on the "war on terror" generally and a broadside against the
Howard Government in particular." that it "suffers from a fatal equivocation: it is neither hilarious nor penetrating enough." and "The bombastic action and outrageous twists of fate (Leo is kidnapped three times, by three separate groups, in the first 50 pages) does not allow for the analysis that might have given the novel authority."
''Underground'' has also been reviewed by ''
Australian Quarterly'', ''
The Bulletin'', ''
Antipodes
In geography, the antipode () of any spot on Earth is the point on Earth's surface diametrically opposite to it. A pair of points ''antipodal'' () to each other are situated such that a straight line connecting the two would pass through Ear ...
'', and ''
Overland''.
Awards
*
International Dublin Literary Award
The International Dublin Literary Award ( ga, Duais Liteartha Idirnáisiúnta Bhaile Átha Chliath), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. ...
, 2008: longlisted
*Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA), Australian Literary Fiction Book of the Year, 2007: shortlisted
*
Queensland Premier's Literary Awards, Best Fiction Book, 2007: shortlisted
*
Aurealis Awards
The Aurealis Award for Excellence in Speculative Fiction is an annual literary award for Australian science fiction, fantasy and horror fiction. Only Australians are eligible for the award.
History
The Aurealis Award was established in 1995 b ...
for Excellence in Australian Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction Division, Novel, 2006: shortlisted
*FAW Christina Stead Award, 2006: highly commended
References
External links
Library holdings of ''Underground''*{{Isfdb title, id=1290954
2006 Australian novels
Australian science fiction novels
2006 science fiction novels
Novels set in Australia