Enhancement is a collection of short stories that consider what life would be like if humans drew energy directly from sunlight. Why have we not altered our bodies so we can photosynthesise?
How much of life would change if we could do so? Perhaps we would eat less, rest more, reduce our damage to the environment, maybe live far into our hundreds.
An Australian university student starts the world down this path by extracting algae from corals and implanting it into human skin cells.
After his success, the technology spreads around the globe until the number of people able to photosynthesise reaches the hundreds of millions, but the proliferation stalls when nations push back, claiming the enhancement is bringing about the end of humanity.
top of page

Australian Author
NED STEPHENSON
Shortlisted Newcastle Short Story Award 2025
Runner-up Newcastle Herald Short Story Competition 2025
Shortlisted (twice) - Sydney Hammond Memorial Short Story Competition 2024
Second Place - The Best of Times Short Story Competition 2024
Highly Commended - Stringybark Short Story Award 2024
Shortlisted - Ernestine Hill Short Story Award 2024
Winner - Stringybark Erotic Short Story Award 2023
Winner - Sydney Hammond Memorial Short Story Competition 2023
People's Choice Award - Newcastle Herald Short Story Competition 2023
Second Place - Alice Sinclair Memorial Short Story Competition 2022
Regional Prize - Newcastle Short Story Award 2019
Regional Prize - Grieve Project Anthology 2019

$19.99Price
bottom of page