The Courier's New Bicycle

The Courier's New Bicycle (2011) is a novel by Australian author Kim Westwood. It was shortlisted for the 2012 Ned Kelly Awards for Best First Crime Novel, and won the 2011 Aurealis Award and the 2012 Ditmar Award for Best Novel.

The Courier's New Bicycle
AuthorKim Westwood
LanguageEnglish
Genrenovel
PublisherVoyager, Australia
Publication date
2011
Publication placeAustralia
Media typePrint (Paperback)
Pages327
ISBN9780732289881
Preceded byThe Daughters of Moab 

Plot summary

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The novel is set in a Melbourne of the future, when the rate of human reproductive success has dropped markedly as a result of reactions to a hastily developed and widely distributed flu vaccine. A thriving black market in fertility treatments has arisen, facilitated by Salisbury Forth, the courier of the title.

Reviews

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Niall Harrison on Strange Horizons noted that the novel is "perhaps more than anything else a story about identity, about the tension between who you say you are and who they say you are".[1]

Awards and nominations

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In 2011, Locus included The Courier's New Bicycle on their list of recommended science fiction novels.[2]

Awards for The Courier's New Bicycle
Year Award Result Ref.
2011 Aurealis Award for Best Science Fiction Novel Winner [3]
James Tiptree Jr. Award Honor [4][5]
2012 Davitt Award for Best Adult Crime Novel Shortlist [citation needed]
Ditmar Award for Best Novel Winner [6]
Ned Kelly Award for Best First Novel Shortlist [7]

References

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  1. ^ ""The Courier's New Bicycle by Kim Westwood" by Niall Harrison". Strange Horizons. Archived from the original on 2015-09-06. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  2. ^ "2011 Recommended Reading List". Locus Online. 2012-02-01. Archived from the original on 2024-04-03. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  3. ^ "2011 Aurealis Award winners" (PDF). SpecFaction NSW. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 September 2013. Retrieved 2012-05-19.
  4. ^ "The James Tiptree, Jr. Award Database". James Tiptree, Jr. Literary Award. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  5. ^ "Hairston Wins Tiptree". Locus Online. 2012-03-12. Archived from the original on 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  6. ^ "2012 Ditmar Award Winners". Locus Online. 2012-06-13. Archived from the original on 2023-10-11. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  7. ^ "Ned Kelly 2012 shortlist announced". Books+Publishing. 2012-08-01. Archived from the original on 2022-08-11. Retrieved December 25, 2023.