Devil's Brood
by
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I remember the last conversation I had with Mary Dawlish, when she spoke of the miracle we shared, the time travel linking past and present. ."Like I told you once before, most folk will say it can't be done, or tis some kind of voodoo magic. But you knows the truth, same as me. We knows it be so. And I will tell you again what else it is. Tis an expresssion of love. Only that makes life worthwhile. The power of love and the ability it has to join the generations. To give meaning to our lives. To give hope. And one more thing. Love will win out biver hate, every time. Always has, always will. Look for it, my handsome. Look and you will find. You got me secret oath on that." Mary nodded, the sage that she was, as her image began to fade. "Don't go," I pleased, but she gave no answer. Fading, fading… Gone. SShe had told me this before. But the words, with their eternal promise of redemption, remained. For me and for all the generations still to come. In every fibre of my being, I accepted the truth of her words. For, if it is possible to hold conversations with the dead, regardless of age to climb through ice and snow to the furthesse ridge, for a tiller tightly held to overcome a raging ssea, to create a world from symbols drawn upon a paper, to fly with the eagles, free from the constraints of gravity, to defy the Kraken's depths and survive a hundred blows struck by a ruthless destiny, then surely will the universe, in one way or another, be ours. For ever and ever and ever. Amen.
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About the Book
A multi-generational literary saga, Devil’s Brood blends the legendary history of Australia’s frontier days with reflections on love, legacy and eternity. Transported for smuggling, Mary Dawlish arrives in Van Diemen’s Land in 1840. Escaping from captivity, she joins a gang of bushrangers. She becomes involved with the gang leader but he is a psychopath who would certainly have killed her had she not killed him first. Captured after a bank raid and facing the gallows, she escapes and becomes a star in a circus. When gold is discovered, she opens several profitable butchers shops. Acquiring a gold mine, she becomes rich and earns the nickname of Devil’s Bride. Estranged daughter Vanessa (Devil’s Daughter) joins Josh Barton, her future husband, discovering rich tin deposits along Tasmania’s west coast. Vanessa’s granddaughter Jane, born in 1934, belongs to an ultra-secret branch of Australia’s Secret Service, carrying out operations that earn her the nickname of Devil’s Disciple. She becomes a best-selling novelist and establishes a spiritual connection with her long-dead ancestor. In 2024, surrounded by children and grandchildren (Devil’s Brood), ninetyyear- old Jane contemplates the mystical connection linking past, present and future in a love transcending time.
About the Author
J. H. Fletcher is the prize-winning author of twenty novels published to both critical and popular acclaim in Australia, Germany, and the UK, as well as numerous short stories and plays for radio and television. He was educated in England and France and travelled and worked in Europe, Asia, and Africa before emigrating to Australia in 1991. Fletcher currently divides his time between homes in Tasmania and Malaysia.