The Mystical Swagman
by Gary Blinco

[Fantasy / Historical]

It is the 1860s and colonial Australia is no longer just a dumping ground for the pitiful throw-offs of harsh English justice. This cruel system has sent thousands off to the penal colony for the pettiest of crimes, and few will ever see their homeland again. The colony is rapidly taking on a new identity as a land of vast resources where land and opportunities abound for those who are up to the challenge. Many rise to the occasion and prosper, while others prefer to tramp the endless bush roads and tracks and enjoy what the land and the new settlers have to offer. Others turn to crime and the easy pickings of robbing coaches, trains and travelers on lonely bush tracks, remote settlements and farms.

Into this wild land of rare beauty and constant change comes a quiet young orphan boy named Brennan. He knows nothing of his origins and his only family is an old lady who nurtures him into his teenage years. When she can no longer care for him, he packs a modest swag and a little money and heads into the bush. On the track, he meets up with two old swagmen who quickly become his new family. Tramping the bush tracks around the brooding land of a million contrasts, they find many adventures. Set against the backdrop of the beautiful bush, they experience bushfires, floods, droughts, harsh winters, blistering summers, and the kindness and sometimes cruelty of the inhabitants.

As he grows, Brennan begins to develop strange mystical powers that come to him in moments of great fear or passion. He is excited and scared at the same time, and he longs to understand his origins and find the source of these mystical powers in the hope that he can learn to master them.

This story provides an insight into early Australian colonial history, the land, and its people, as seen through the eyes of a mystical young swagman.

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You may order this book now in advance of its publication. It will ship around September 1, 2008.