If you’re after a dystopian series that rings true to the Australian setting without suffering from parochialism, I recommend picking up a copy of Lara Morgan’s excellent young adult series The Rosie Black Chronicles.

The second book, Equinox, has just been released, and like its predecessor, it holds firm to Terra Australis, breaking away from the trend towards geographic non-specificity in Australian young adult literature. In fact, Morgan feels that the Australian setting has helped give shape to her series.

“Despite the increasing movement of Australians out into the rest of the world, and the increased awareness of us, I think Australia as a place is still regarded as holding some degree of otherness,” says Morgan.

This otherness is makes for evocative reading, and it’s no surprise that Australia has been a favourite of creators of dystopian or postapocalyptic works: consider Mad Max or On The Beach for starters. Morgan believes that the isolation, sparseness and climate of the Australian setting all ensure that it is perfectly primed for dystopian imaginings.

“There’s still a huge amount of nothing in our centre with the masses of our populations clinging to the coast and the awareness that beyond our safe city borders is a very harsh natural world that is almost untamable. It’s easy to imagine the vast, wind scoured nothingness with bones bleached to white beside some deserted highway. Because we are still far away from those big urban centres of America and Europe, you can imagine us being cut off, adrift, from the rest of the world.”

Australia could well be, she adds, the perfect setting for a zombie apocalypse.

But there’s nary a zombie to be seen in Rosie Black, which though distinctly modern in feel–think the grit of cyberpunk rather than the older dystopian fictions of Orwell, Wyndham, Huxley or Dick–draws more on possibility rather than fantasy.

It’s distinct, too, in that rather than reading more like an alternate history, as many notionally “what if”-oriented dystopian novels do at the moment, it feels very much of this world–and is a clear response to the situations that we are facing or may face.

Research is key to creating a coherent setting and reality that rings true. “I read a lot of literature on global warming, watched documentaries and trolled university websites and places like NASA and the CSIRO for information.”

Some of these publications were so vital in the development of Rosie Black that they ended up in the acknowledgements: “Tim Flannery, author of The Weather Makers, was one major influence,” says Morgan.

Having an interest in the topic of climate change as well as a number of near-future scientific advances such as space travel, new technologies and even new fabrics also helped in the creation of the well-rounded, sophisticated world we become privy to in this series.

“I love theorising on how the technology we are creating today could be used tomorrow. I looked at what was happening or being created now and sort of exploded the idea out from it of what could happen.”

One example is the planet system called Gliese, which in Equinox is described as undergoing terraforming and colonisation. Gliese actually exists: called Gliese 581, it’s a red dwarf star about twenty light years away from Earth, and is orbited by a number of planets, some of which could be earth-like and hence habitable.

“When I read about that it was just too fantastic not to include in the book, so I worked it in. That’s how many of the elements of the world of Rosie Black were created: through my fascination and enthusiasm for what we have now projected into the future.”

It’s not just the science that has influenced Morgan’s work, however. The milieu of Rosie Black owes a lot to beloved pop culture icons such as Star Wars, ET, Close Encounters and Blade Runner. “Sometimes I think it is more the films of science fiction, rather than the literature, that has influenced me in creating The Rosie Black Chronicles,” she says, noting that the images from these iconic films have stayed in her mind.

“They held such great visual impact, evoked such emotion, that they’ve stayed with me and resonate greatly when I’m thinking about future worlds.  In fact, apart from 1984, I didn’t really start reading any science fiction until my thirties. Now I’m playing catch up with a vengeance.”

Morgan’s curiosity about what the future may bring means that the Rosie Black series, although certainly not without its dark moments, has a surprisingly hopeful feel overall–offering some welcome respite in a subgenre that can all too often be unremittingly bleak.

“Given the history of the twentieth century I don’t think it’s surprising that dystopian literature resonates so strongly,” says Morgan. “We’ve spent a lot of time dealing with the threat of nuclear war during the 80s and the current wars in the Middle East. And of course there’s the the increasing pressure on our planet due to population, climate, food and water issues–which have led to some horrific famines among the poorest people. I think people have lost faith in the politicians, in how our world is changing and our ability to solve these monumental problems.”

Because of this, says Morgan, it’s natural for people to be concerned about what the future might hold, and dystopian fiction helps give a voice to those concerns. “It sets a stage of what ifs that we can look at and talk about and feel like we’re not alone.”

Though she admits to having her moments of cynicism about the future of the human race, she can’t help but retain something resembling a positive outlook. “Surely some of us will slow down the apocalypse before we end up having to survive on cockroaches.”

This inherent optimism is borne out in the Rosie Black Chronicles, which despite their grit have strong underpinnings of hope.

“I did start out with a lot of strong ideas about how broken the world would be, but I think it’s the nature of Rosie, the story that there’s hope there. Or maybe it says more about me as a person: maybe it’s just not my style to write something that dark. But we’ll see–never say never.”

Giveaway: I have a copy of Equinox, Rosie Black Book 2 to give away to one lucky Australian reader. To enter, just leave a comment. You’ll receive an extra entry for tweeting, adding us on Facebook, or subscribing to the site. Winners will be drawn on the 4th of December.

Update: the winner of our Rosie Black giveaway is Bonnie from Bookish Ardour!  I’ll be in touch via email today, Bonnie.