CMIS Evaluation Fiction Focus

As well as being in outer space, intreprid hero Hal Spacejock has gone into cyberspace. To coincide with the launch of Book 4 in the series, Hal Spacejock : No Free Lunch, the eponymous title, published in 2005, is now freely available online from the Fremantle Press website.

Many Australian readers know and love Hal, the bumbling, none-too-bright but well-meaning space pilot, but Perth author Simon Haynes is hoping that by making him Internet-accessible, he will reach a far wider audience.

It’s a great opportunity for teachers to plan a lesson around humour in writing and in viewing. Comparison with zany television space shows, such as Red Dwarf, could lead to some fun in the classroom with scriptwriting or drama activities based on Hal’s adventures.

Other titles in the series are Hal Spacejock : Second Course (2006) and Hal Spacejock : Just Desserts (2007).

The SciFi site SF Signal runs a weekly Mind Meld, where a panel of writers and readers brainstorms on a SciFi literature topic. This week they take a look at the best SciFi titles for young adults that will also appeal to older readers of the genre. It’s certainly worth a look to see what suggestions have been made. The panel includes our very own Simon Haynes - the creator of Hal Spacejock.

On a similar note, this post on the BoingBoing site from Cory Doctorow, author of the already highly acclaimed (but not yet available in Australia) Little Brother,  is worth reading.