Ahmed Ackbar, a thirteen-year-old Afghan and the youngest Afghan cameleer speaks Pashto and a very little English. He is the only surviving male in his immediate family. In late 1872 he sails into the prosperous city of Adelaide with three cameleers (Uncle Kamran, Alannah and Jemma Khan) to help look after four camels. But Ahmed has other things on his mind. What if his uncle isn't as innocent of his brother's (Ahmed's father) death as he seems? As the expedition treks into an unexplored interior, Ahmed must cope with Jemma Khan's enmity, his own homesickness, a very different culture and language, and the difficulties of exploration.
Between 1870 and 1920 as many as 2000 cameleers and 20,000 camels arrived in Australia from Afghanistan and northern India. Australia's Muslim Cameleers is a rich pictorial history of these men, their way of life and the vital role they played in pioneering transport and communication routes across outback Australia's vast expanses. Many of the images and artefacts in this fascinating account are published here for the first time, and this new edition contains additions to the biographical listing of more than 1200 cameleers.
"Julian Stockwin, a master of the historic novel, writes with a zeal, re-creating ancient times, with fast-paced prose, vivid characters, and matchless authenticity." - QUARTERDECK MAGAZINE Rome 549 AD. Forced to flee the city, merchant Nicander and legionary Marius escape to a new life in Constantinople. Determined to make their fortune, they plot a number of outrageous money-making schemes, until they chance upon their greatest idea yet. Armed with an audacious plan to steal precious silk seeds from the faraway land of Seres, Nicander and Marius must embark upon a terrifying and treacherous journey across unknown realms. But first they must deceive the powerful ruler Justinian and the rest of his formidable Byzantine Empire in order to begin their voyage into the unknown. In an adventurous tale of mischief and deception, Nicander and Marius face danger of the highest order, where nothing in the land of the Roman Empire is quite what it seems.
In 1954, Melbourne is still reeling from WWII; the Cold War sees suspicions running high and the threat of communism and spies hide in every shadow. Jewish schoolgirl, Ruth, is trying to navigate her own path, despite her strict upbringing and the past that haunts her family. It's a path that she wishes could include her first love, Patrick, but the rich Catholic boy is strictly off limits. When a mysterious woman moves in next door in the dead of night, Ruth is convinced she is none other than Eva or Evdokia Petrov, a Soviet spy and wife of the infamous Russian defector, Vladimir Petrov. Could Ruth's unlikely new friend really be the most sought-after woman in Australia? Will Ruth's own clandestine meetings with Patrick be discovered? How does the Petrov Affair, as it became known, impact the life of one ordinary girl and her family?
After attending college in Lebanon, Fawzia returns home to Jeddah and takes up secretly with her forbidden college sweetheart. When her reckless behavior leads to family tragedy, she is drawn into an unlikely friendship with a mysterious old storyteller, the niece of a legendary Bedouin chief. Narrated by Fawzia and the storyteller Salma, A Caravan of Brides celebrates the dangerous melody that love sings in each generation, as it brings the world of Saudi women, past and present, into focus with a tender touch. Travel with a host of memorable characters across Arabia, from the ancient cities of Jeddah and Mecca, to a peaceful mountain family, forbidding northern deserts, and a storied oasis town once known for tolerance and open-mindedness.
An ancient ocean roars under the red dirt. Hush. Be still for just a moment. Hear its thunder-ing waves crashing on unseen shores. Spanning four generations, with a focus on the 1960s and 70s, an era of rapid social change and burgeoning Aboriginal rights, Where the Fruit Falls is a re-imagining of the epic Australian novel. Brigid Devlin, a young Aboriginal woman, and her twin daughters navigate a troubled nation of First Peoples, settlers and refugees — all determined to shape a future on stolen land. Leaving the sanctuary of her family's apple orchard, Brigid sets off with no destination and a willy wagtail for company. As she moves through an everchanging landscape, Brigid unravels family secrets to recover what she'd lost — by facing the past, she finally accepts herself. Her twin daughters continue her journey with their own search for self-acceptance, truth and justice. 'In poetic and evocative storytelling, this writing celebrates the agency of Indigenous women to traverse ever-present landscapes of colonisation and intergenerational trauma. Country has an omniscient presence in their story lines, guiding the women across vivid desert and coastal landscapes. Where the Fruit Falls recognises both the open wounds of living histo-ries of colonisation and the healing power of belonging to Country.' — 2020 Dorothy Hewett Award judges 'This evocative family saga celebrates the strength and resilience of First Nation women, while touching on deeply traumatic aspects of Australian history. Threads of magic realism shimmer throughout the story, offering a deeper understanding of reality and challenging the reader to imagine a kinder, more just, more humane world.' — Sally Morgan
