Terra Nullius (Coleman novel)

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Terra Nullius is a 2017 speculative fiction novel by Claire G. Coleman. Set in Australia, it imagines a society divided into “Natives” and “Settlers” to explore the country’s colonial history, racism, and discrimination. The book uses a future-or-alternate-history lens to question how power and injustice are formed and kept.

Publication history
- 2017, Australia: Hachette Australia. 294 pages. First edition ISBN 9780733638312.
- 2017, United States: Small Beer Press. ISBN 9781618731517.
- The novel has been discussed and reviewed widely in outlets such as Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Locus, Antipodes, Australian Book Review, Sydney Review of Books, The Adelaide Review, and Library Journal.

Reception
- Stella Prize judges called Terra Nullius an arresting and original novel.
- The Sydney Review of Books described it as a cleverly multiplicitous text and an ambitious mirror for settler Australia.
- It has been praised as a powerful, provocative work that tackles difficult histories and present realities.

Awards and nominations
- 2017 Aurealis Award for best science fiction novel: shortlist
- 2018 Ditmar Award: nomination
- 2018 Victorian Premier’s Prize for Fiction: highly commended
- 2018 Stella Prize: shortlisted
- 2018 Norma K. Hemming Award: Long Work winner
- 2018 MUD Literary Prize: finalist
- 2018 Australian Indie Book of the Year – Debut Fiction: longlist
- 2016 Black&Write! Indigenous Writers Fellowship: winner
- 2019 Neukom Institute Literary Arts Awards Debut: shortlist
- 2019 International Dublin Literary Award: longlist

See also
- The Old Lie (another work by Claire G. Coleman)