'The year is 1793 and having suffered at the hands of Tonga's evil King Tui'puloto for too long, the Island Nations of the South Pacific are poised on the brink of civil war.
When two heroic young warriors, Sevesi and Hiki, dare to challenge the King's absolute power, they incur his wrath, and only narrowly escape with their lives. The pair flee north, seeking sanctuary with the rebel tribes of Ha'apai. But instead of finding a safe haven, they are accused of being spies...
Meanwhile, as the British and French continue their relentless quest to colonise the South Pacific, one of their ships is hijacked and strays off course, inadvertently dragging both Empires into the greatest tribal war the Pacific has ever known.
As cultures collide, blood is shed, wrongs are righted and unlikely friendships are forged. Yet again, the British and French sorely underestimate the volatility and strength of their foes and the question remains: who will emerge as Lords of the Pacific?' (From the publisher's website.)
Islands of Gold
Sydney
:
Macmillan (Pan Macmillan Australia)
,
2011
Z1754402
2011
single work
novel
historical fiction
adventure
'The year is 1796, and three and a half years have passed since Captain Lightfoot and his crew helped restore justice and peace to Tonga. It is time for them to return to their colony in New Holland, and then on to Mother England.
'But fate plays strange tricks in this vast ocean, even on the true of heart, and Lightfoot and his Polynesian crew find themselves facing an old enemy.
'Meanwhile, far off in the Torres Strait, a Dutch East India merchant ship is wrecked on an uncharted reef. When the captain and officers are murdered by the mutinous crew, a fortune in gold and jewels locked away in the ship's belly goes up for grabs.
'As fate brings these two crews together, Lightfoot, Sevesi, Hurley and Hiki will encounter the ruthless Company men, warring Aborigines, brutal Portuguese authorities and man-eating crocodiles. With the odds stacked against them, will the crew of the Royal make it out alive?
'Islands of Gold is a mesmerising tale of greed, betrayal, gold and violence set in a world of savage beauty.' (From the publisher's website.)
