Tristan A Smith

The Witch Doctor's Opal Tristan A Smith

Tristram Jones is given an opal by his dying grandfather. Little does he know its connection to an old aboriginal witch doctor with bright orange eyes. He is Dinewan - meaning Emu - taken from the Great Spirit of the Dreamtime. But is he just a wicked and bitter misfit, or something far more marvelous, and dangerous? The stories that swirl around Tristram and the opal stretch across generations, and are connected by both Dinewan and the fabled monster of the billabong: the Bunyip. Scottish highlanders, bushrangers, and an old Chinese goldminer each play their part in a family legend that seems doomed to end in blood. Bunyip is a modern tale influenced by much older stories and spiced with science, legend and sensual experiences. It is gruesome in places, funny in others and tender where it counts. This book is intended for a mature readership and is not suitable for readers under the age of 18.