One girl, one alien, one time machine...the rest is history Seventeen-year-old Joss is a wild girl who can play a mean harmonica. A rebel with a famous mother and sperm-donor father, Joss is about to start a course in Time Travel at the University, much to the Board's disgust. When Mavkel -- the first alien to be allowed to attend a course at the University -- selects Joss to be his study partner, life changes completely. Overnight, Joss transforms from Black Sheep to VIP, attracting more attention than is comfortable -- she's met an assassin, confronted an anti-alien lobby and had her freewheeling lifestyle nipped in the bud by the high security which surrounds the Chorian. But Mavkel's health is in the balance and there's something stopping the bonding process between him and Joss. The key to the mystery seems to be the identity of Joss's father, which means a trip back to the petri dish where it all began...

Singing the Dogstar Blues is a mystery story, a thriller, and a family drama, told in a vivid, sardonic, constantly hilarious style that swings the reader straight into the middle of this future society without distracting us with uncomfortable lumps of science fictional explanations. It is an exhilarating novel that escapes the limitation of genre. Australian Book Review The strength of the book lies in the genuine depth given to the main characters. Despite the ever present technology this book is about people and their relationships. The characters are always more important then the gadgets. Magpies What lifts Singing the Dogstar Blues well out of the run-of-the-mill SF is Goodman's ironic and cheeky humour and her control over character development. Singing the Dogster Blues will appeal beyond the dedicated SF fans to other readers who want wit, action and some very inventive language. Viewpoint

Alison Goodman lives in Melbourne, Australia and likes to stomp up and down her local beach thinking up stories and murmuring bits of dialogue to herself which seems to frighten a lot of passing joggers. She has a degree in Professional Writing and is currently working on a comedy thriller novel (to be published in Australia in 2002) and a magical fantasy novel (to be published in Australia in 2004). Alison is allergic to chocolate and ate her last Mars Bar in 1980. She still has the wrapper.