Brendan Ritchie at Dymocks Joondalup

YA Book Club at Dymocks Joondalup

Eta Draconis, Events 20.06.2023

“We can’t wait to welcome author Brendan Ritchie to our next YA Club on Tuesday, July 4th!

Brendan will be in-conversation to discuss his new book Eta Draconis, followed by a book signing.

Places are limited, book your (free!) spot here: Eventbrite

5:45pm – 7:00pm, Dymocks Joondalup

Eta Draconis book review in The West Australian

Sister tale shines bright: Eta Draconis book review in The West Australian

Eta Draconis, Press 20.06.2023

Gemma Nisbet has reviewed Eta Draconis in Saturday’s print issue of The West Australian. The review can also be found on The West’s website:

Book Review: Eta Draconis by Perth author Brendan Ritchie

Throughout, Ritchie ably builds both the authenticity of his world and the tension of his plot, but it’s the emotional acuity of this complex sisterly bond that’s the novel’s clear highlight.

Gemma Nisbet, The West Australian

Eta Draconis is Sydney Morning Herald’s Fiction Book of the Week

Eta Draconis, Press 10.06.2023

The Sydney Morning Herald book reviews are in, and Eta Draconis is their Fiction Book of the Week! You can read the review on The Sydney Morning Herald’s website:

A vital handbook on the Voice and unnerving dystopian fiction

It’s a tense tale of two young women coping with constant and implacable threat, daring to imagine a future for themselves in a world where precarity reigns.

Jason Steger, The Sydney Morning Herald

ArtsHub review Eta Draconis

Eta Draconis, Press 08.06.2023

Ned Hirst at ArtsHub has given Eta Draconis 4/5 stars, discussing the ‘cli-fi’ aspects of the book. You can read the full review on the ArtsHub website:

Book review: Eta Draconis, Brendan Ritchie

The novel’s most moving passages are those that vindicate what I take to be its central theme: a defence of the role of art in a world on the brink of catastrophe.

Ned Hirst, ArtsHub

Eta Draconis is out now

Eta Draconis 14.05.2023

Brendan Ritchie’s third novel Eta Draconis, winner of the 2022 Dororthy Hewett Award, is out now thanks to UWA Publishing.

Available through all good bookstores or online:

Brendan talks to Podstreet: the Writing WA podcast

Eta Draconis, Press 12.05.2023

This week, join us on Podstreet as host Will Yeoman catches up with WA author Brendan Ritchie, whose latest novel Eta Draconis, winner of the prestigious 2022 Dorothy Hewett Award for an Unpublished Manuscript, has just been published by UWAP.

Listen below, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Eta Draconis Book Tour

Eta Draconis, Events 05.05.2023

You can find Brendan Ritchie at the following events discussing his new novel Eta Draconis over the coming few months:


14 May 2023: Margaret River Readers and Writers Festival

More information:
Eta Draconis Book Launch at Margaret River Readers & Writers Festival


2 June 2023: The Literature Centre

More information: YA for WA at The Literature Centre


9 June 2023: City of Perth Library

More information: City of Perth Library: A conversation with author Brendan Ritchie


4 July 2023: Dymocks Joondalup

More information: YA Book Club at Dymocks Joondalup


27 July 2023: Margaret River Library

More information: Margaret River Library: Author Talk with Brendan Ritchie


Eta Draconis is released on the 14th of May, pre-order now from your local bookshop or online at:

YA for WA at The Literature Centre

Eta Draconis, Events 05.05.2023

If you’re a fan of YA, you’re in the right place. We’re celebrating local with host Bianca Breen in conversation with Brendan Ritchie about his new release novel, ETA DRACONIS. Then, test your knowledge of Australian YA in a fun, Jeopardy-style game. There’ll be snacks and refreshments provided, and plenty of bookish chatter.

Love to Read Local Week is a state-wide campaign by Writing WA showcasing and celebrating Western Australia’s wonderful writers and illustrators and the books they create. The mission is to connect Western Australian readers with Western Australian books through a program of events.

This event has been enabled by Writing WA’s Love to Read Local Week and the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

Date and time: Fri, 2 Jun 2023, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM

Location: The Literature Centre Hampton Road Fremantle, WA 6160

Cost: Free, but registrations are a must.

City of Perth Library: A conversation with author Brendan Ritchie

Eta Draconis, Events 05.05.2023

Join local author Brendan Ritchie as he tells us about his new book ‘Eta Draconis’.

Eta Draconis is an epic story about two resilient sisters who are determined to live their life in a world on the brink of destruction. Winner of the 2022 Dorothy Hewett Award, Brendan Ritchie’s Eta Draconis is timely, hopeful and full of suspense.

This event is supporting Writing WA’s Love to Read Local Week 2023.

Date: Friday 9 June 2023

Time: 6:30pm to 7:30pm

Venue: City of Perth Library, 573 Hay Street, Perth

Cost: Free, book now as places are limited.

Margaret River Readers & Writers Festival - Let's take a moment, 12-14 May 2023

Eta Draconis Book Launch at Margaret River Readers & Writers Festival

Eta Draconis, Events 29.03.2023

Sunday 14 May 2023
9:30am – 10:30am
Readers & Writers Room, Margaret River HEART – Nala Bardip Mia

Winner of the 2022 Dorothy Hewett Award

Life on earth undergoes a complex change as meteorites begin to rain down from the dying star Eta Draconis; the world does not collapse, but old certainties disappear. As two sisters journey to the city from their small coastal town in southwest Western Australia ahead of the coming semester, they are forced to confront their problems and recalibrate their hopes for the future. Join Brendan Ritchie for a poetic and compelling discussion of his award-winning novel.
Hosted by Barry Divola

Proudly supported by UWAP