The Witch Doctor's Opal

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. Tristan A. Smith is a mis-employed zoologist who has finally committed to be being an artist. He completed a Bachelor of Science with Honours in zoology at the University of Melbourne, but now works as a Workforce Manager in a call centre. As it turns out, there is not much call in the market for someone who can do heart surgery on cane toads. Tristan's original plan in life was to be a scientist. The problem was that whilst he enjoyed learning about science, he hated doing it. He marvels at those that persist in science and is awed by their collective accomplishments, but that path is not for him. Tristan has long left the lab and prefers to go into the wild, the Australian bush, where his imagination is fired by stories old and new. Bunyip is his debut novel. It will not be his last. A series by Tristan A. Smith.