User blog:Ferox Entertainment/Life's Little Mysteries

It is strange how something which has been elusive can appear just at the moment it is most desperately required. For almost a year now— since belatedly learning of the release from Richard—  I have been searching for a copy of Outback, with little luck from the standard retailers. Just as I start putting together what I know of the company and its' publications, out of nowhere I get a phonecall (and yes, it is desperately sad that the majority of my calls are about books) which made me stop in my tracks.

A near-mint, signed copy of Outback was finally within my grasp.

But life wouldn't be easy if this was merely about finding a book. The asking price was over two hundred sterling, and I simply couldn't skip rent merely to purchase the title, no matter how great a need I had for the title. It took me three or four hours of pacing back and forward across a threadbare rug before I summoned up the nerve to ask Richard if he was willing to look and see if any copies of the book were still with Ferox, and the answer didn't hold out hope of me ever reading the story.

At least I know it is out there, somewhere. From the title, and what little I could coax out of Richard, it is an Australian X-Files-meets-Wake In Fright (I mentioned Torchwood, and got a huffy response, so I'm guessing that show is a touchy subject).

One intriguing element is the cover - from the various people I have spoken to about the book, there are at least two different covers. One has a mainly black background with a "sunset" logo, while the other is black and white, with no central design element (the one which is mentioned most often is the design with the Aboriginal art), so I'm wondering if the B&W cover is the prototype for the more familiar one...

Life would be so much easier if Ferox had bigger print runs.