This issue of Aurealis features Patrick Doerksen's 'Extracts from a Life of Science Fiction', a poetic meditation on the nature of science fiction and humanity, S G Larner's 'Searching for Cidalisa' which explores a near future society of implanted memories and rogue databases, and Annika Howells' eerie and lyrical 'Obsidian River' that will live with you long after you've finished reading. Dirk Strasser looks at the phenomenon of the Superstar Effect in publishing in his From the Cloud Editorial. In 'Ice Queens and Snow Maidens', Sarah Fallon explores the vilification of women and winter in folk and fairy tales, while Claire Fitzpatrick's examines mutations and metamorphosis, graphic violations of the human body in 'Body Horror and the Horror Aesthetic'. The Secret History of Australia reveals the life of Felicity Paraparap, Australia's only internationally accredited politician hunter. We review Gemina, the second book of The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, Swarm the second Zeroes book by Scott Westerfeld, Margo Lanagan, and Deborah Biancotti, Garth Nix's latest Old Kingdom book, Goldenhand, and recent releases by China Miéville, Juliet Marillier, Ian Irvine and Alex Scarrow. And in case you're running out of good books to read, the Aurealis Reviewers present their Aurealis Recommended Reading for 2016.