To paraphrase one reviewer, if you have not heard of The Da Vinci Code, you have obviously been living under a rock for the last three years. Since the publication of Dan Brown’s novel in 2003, the literary world has talked of nothing else. While it started life as just another mystery novel, The Da Vinci Code soon moved into literary history, selling an unprecedented 60.5 million copies and propelling Dan Brown into literary superstardom. The numbers are related with undisguised glee by the popular media and unconcealed scorn by the literati and academics alike. But the fact remains thatThe Da Vinci Code has captured our imaginations, and, whether we love it or hate it, we’re still talking about it.

Through this feature, we wanted to explore this year's One Book One Brisbane competition by going straight to the source—the short list. We've included reviews for all of the nominated pieces, which cover various genres, subjects, and media. Not only will the books, and their subsequent reviews, promote discussion about the validity of the short-listed choices, but also raise questions about the requirements of a One Book winner.

Co-edited by Jodi Crome and Kate Cuthbert

Through “Objection or Obstruction”, we wanted to explore the concepts of the protest and the protestor: who they are, what they think, how they work, what they do. With the protests of the 60s and 70s still in living memory, has protest evolved as much as the ideals being protested? Can one person, or a group of people, affect the way governments are run? Can they change the way people think? Can they make a difference?

An on-going collection of articles on and interviews with the people involved in Brisbane's Writers' Festival.

An M/C Reviews "Events" and “Screens” feature

Co-edited by Emma Nelms and Kate Douglas

M/C Reviews feature no. 17
September 2003

An M/C Reviews “Words” Feature

Edited by Catriona Mills

Media tie-in fiction is the secret success story of modern publishing. Novels based on the Star Trek and Star Wars universes routinely top the New York Times best seller lists, but remain something of a covert pleasure. To many, they seem to occupy an uneasy position between genre fiction and pulp. But within the field there is a striking and vibrant diversity of style, form and content. Clearly, there is room for critical intervention into this phenomenon.

An M/C Reviews “Screens” feature

Co-edited by Kate Douglas and Kelly McWilliam

M/C Reviews feature no. 16
June-July 2002

To mark the new look interactive design of M/C: a Journal of Media and Culture’s review section, M/C Reviews, sought contributions in the form of media and cultural studies interventions on football’s World Cup.

What follows is a collection of short critiques, reviews and thought-pieces that respond to The World Cup and representations of this event.

Some of the issues covered in this feature include: global events -- “The World Game”, presences and absences, media coverage, talk-back, interactivity, nationalism, eurocentrism, Korea and Japan, football, pop culture and celebrity, masculinities, the commodification of sport, notions of “fair play”, supremacy and success.

M/C Reviews feature no. 8
18 Sep. 2000
6 audio files, 1 review article, and 1 photo essay
Edited by Guy Redden

This special feature issue is a tribute to the session of the World Economic Forum that was held in Melbourne between 11 and 13 September. More precisely it is a tribute to the voices that critiqued the agenda of the forum but were largely (with notable exceptions) overlooked by a mainstream media intent on constructing sensational images of the "S11" protesters who blockaded the conference for three days.

M/C Reviews feature no. 11
Ongoing Feature 27 Dec. 2000 - 1 Jan. 2001
65 review articles

For the first time the Woodford Folk Festival enjoyed an internet media presence, with reviews and commentary of the festival brought to you by the online journal team of M/C Reviews. M/C Reviews provided a continuous coverage of the events and activities happening around Woodford. On our Woodford Website you will find talks from the various forums, reviews of workshops and performances, and photos of Woodford in action. All reviews were edited by the M/C Reviews team on site at the Woodford Folk Festival (Jason Ensor, Carolyn Hughes, Guy Redden, Tanya Meek, Felicity Meakins, Laurie Johnson, Amanda Klee and Margaret McDonell). All images have been photographed by Tanya Meek, Toby and the odd shot by Amanda Klee. Online publishing as it happens!

We all have books that we love reading, that we treasure as volumes that may be falling apart, but are irreplaceable, that we recommend to our friends. But the term “best books of the century,” the term around which this special feature is based, is broader than personal preferences. Printed media and the retail environment abound in versions of this concept. We absorb “bestsellers” and “blockbusters,” as well as lists of books classified as “best” for any number of reasons; the “best books” of the century, the millennium, from male writers or female writers.