Transported is the heart-stopping, Aurealis-finalist speculative fiction debut from a new Australian voice: Kate Fitzpatrick
In the 21st century, Australia has remained a penal colony of the United Kingdom...
In the 21st century, Australia remains a penal colony of the United Kingdom. As the British political system slips into fascism, anyone who breaches the government’s Principles is transported. The penalty for escape is death, yet a small but committed resistance movement thrives.
Clever, cosseted, 17-year-old Matilda suddenly finds herself a ward of the state, held at Chellingford Reform School. Her parents have been unmasked as traitors, and the encroaching press will do anything to catch a glimpse of her.
Matilda is abandoned to the savage flip side of the lacquered world she grew up in. Offered social rehabilitation within the regime by one man and equality on the wrong side of the law by another, Matilda is forced to question how she has been used and things she believes to be true about herself.
As the chains tighten, the press descend and she learns more about her parents’ horrifying choices, risks and sacrifices, Matilda must choose for herself which side she’s on, which man she loves and how far she’s willing to go to free the Australian colony. Not everyone is telling the truth and only a great atrocity will prompt the international support required for a convict revolution to succeed.
A heart-stopping and thought-provoking read, Transported explores what happens when a country builds walls around the things it’s afraid of.
Kate's Story
Kate Fitzpatrick is an Australian writer and mother. She’s a lifelong reader and book lover. She has served on the board of Surrogacy Australia, is Head of Product at Cura Education and is an investor at Scale Investors, supporting female start-up founders.
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Kate completed the 2017 Curtis Brown six-month novel writing course in London, where she lived for six years before returning to Australia in 2018. Her background is in digital consulting and marketing and her short stories can be found on Storgy.com. She lives in Melbourne with her husband, daughter, dog and cat.
In The Press
Transported is a finalist for the 2024 Aurealis Awards, in the Science Fiction category.
The winner will be announced on Sunday, May 4th, at 4pm AEST.