I have given Blood in the Dust a 2-star rating as very soon into the story, the employ of ‘stock’ characters both baddies and goodies and ‘can see it coming a long way off’ contrived situations made me groan and I did wonder if I would want to spend my time finishing the book. However, I did enjoy the second half of the book mainly due to the fictionalisation of the historical battle of the Eureka Stockade which I found interesting. Being of Australian origin, the colloquialisms and the description of the Australian ‘bush’ made me more than a little homesick. Overall, an ok read.

Really fine, heart felt historical fiction set in Australia .. intertwining lives of British settlers and local aborigines of several generations. A new family, having lost the patriarch on boat from England, link up with second generation settlers who have suffered their own tragedy. A rogue British settler dragoons aborigines to help him rob and murder other new locals .. and following diggers' uprising, is himself captured at last by family who he decimated... a complex and rich tale, rewarding because the good guys finally win through. Authentic and well written too.

Set during Australia’s gold rush, this is the story of Toby O’Rourke.

Toby and his younger brother, Paddy see their parents murdered...leaving them to struggle in this harsh world alone...they are then conned by a neighbour and lose their home…..now Toby vows his revenge….

There are many adventures, setbacks and even a romance for Toby but he’s a young man, so how is he going to get his revenge...

This is an easy read, due to Bill Swiggs writing style, a simple story brilliantly told. A real boys own, ripping yarn….excellent stuff.

Thank you to The Author, the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC. This is my honest and unbiased review.

This is a well written piece of historical fiction. Set in Australia in 1853 at the height of the Gold Rush, it tells the tale of two teenage brothers and their fight for survival when their parents are brutally murdered. The book is an easy read and would be perfect for reading on holiday. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Blood in the Dust was well written and gripping despite it being quite predictable. Frankly if Anderson, early on in the novel, was true to his character he would have slain Paddy and Toby O’Rourke and we wouldn’t have had a story.
Having been on an assisted passage, I liked the way Bill Swiggs described the Hocking’s looking out at their newly adopted country from the deck of the Charlotte Elizabeth. Brought back a few memories of me looking out at Table Mountain from the deck of Pendennis Castle.
A commendable debut novel and an author who may go on to be Australia's version of Wilbur Smith. He certainly has a similar writing style.

I could NOT. Put this book down! Toby and Paddy, two teenage boys in the Australia of the 1850’s are orphaned by the murder of their parents, Paddy, the youngest boy was also attacked and injured, but they determine to keep their fathers cattle business going. Then, their home and land are stolen from them by a ruthless business man who bought their father’s debt from the bank and subsequently they became homeless. They set out to mine gold, and to earn enough from this to buy back their home and land, and to search for their parent’s murderer, a notorious bushwhacker.
The boys meet up with a family, husband, wife and two daughters, and they agree to join forces in the goldfields.
There follows an adventure of extreme hardship, deprivation, and desperately hard work, but also uplifting relationships and friendships. The author brings to life, brilliantly, the landscape, the mining camps, the indigenous people, and the men desperately trying to find gold, plus the two boys and the family. Once you start this book you won’t want to stop, I totally recommend that you read it.

This book is certainly a worthy winner of the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize as it follows the fortunes and misfortunes of two Australian brothers, still in their teenage years. Toby and Patrick O'Rourke come from a decent hard-working family, gullible and not worldly-wise as most but with enough about them to learn quickly to survive the harsh, unforgiving Australian outback and outlaws that keep crossing their tracks. The brothers are determined that the men that tore their family apart will one day pay for what they did.
The two brothers set off to find their fortunes determined to return to their family home one day when the right time comes. They come across a family from England, seeking their fortunes looking for gold and they join together. Frank and Maree Hocking with their two daughters give the young men stability of being in a family and the Hockings the much-needed knowledge of the outback and how to survive.
This book brought to life the harsh realities of these pioneering settlers in the Australian outback. The frustrations and heartbreak brought about by greedy outlaws that put no value of their victims' lives. I loved the gold mine camps and the way the people came together for each other when it was needed. A much closer community than I thought it would have been.
This book has a bit of everything, like real life, as no-ones life just follows one path. There is heartache and laughter, death and birth, good and bad people. With stories of cattle drives, outlaws, the gold rush, fighting, and justice. Toby and Patrick's lives change so many times as they grow from boys to men. A perfect ending to a thrilling read.
I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

This is a rather formulaic story based in 19th century Australia, with gold fever at his height. The story reflects the Western tradition, with its rugged landscape, harsh conditions for settlers and the threat from outlaws and the dispossessed native population.

Events proceed at a rather glacial pace and there are few surprises in the plot with predictable turns in the story. The most interesting part of the book is when the story touches on real life events, particularly the Eureka Rebellion, the miners' revolt against colonial power which was brutally suppressed.

Characters tend towards the stereotypical and in the end fortune smiles fortuitously on our hero. More pace to the story and more of a local flavour would elevate this book from the standard adventure story that it is.

An epic story of the struggles of various people in early Australia at the time of the gold rush. Well written read that grips you till the end, twists and turns against a realistically decription of the early life of Australia. A genuine nice guy hero you want to win out in the end. The end was just a tad predictable but nonetheless believable

Set in 1800s Australia at the time of the Gold Rush. This is an adventure centred around two brothers, Paddy and Toby. They’ve faced some tragedy and hardship and meet another family who have also faced tragedy. Together they all support each other.

This type of story isn’t what I would normally read, I usually prefer thrillers or crime novels.

The opening of the book is quite dramatic and draws you in to the story. The characters are brilliantly developed and I found myself caring about what happened to them and hoping for the best for the brothers and their family.

Some events I had second guessed and found them unsurprising. I did find that some parts dragged on a little for me, but I still enjoyed the story and it was certainly different to my usual genre.

Dickens in the Desert

What an absolutely remarkable book and this deserves to win even more awards than it has already garnered.

It opens with a sense of impending dread. The reader just knows something awful is going to happen. I would almost encourage readers not to read the book jacket so that they can experience what happens as a genuine surprise. Either way, it’s both shocking and heartbreaking.

The novel follows brothers Toby and Paddy and their losses. The crude characters with whom they must deal are truly Dickensian. One can almost imagine Magwich in the goldfields of Ballarat with Toby and Paddy - everyone doing it tough in this hard new world.

I’m stunned I haven’t heard more about this author or this impending work. It’s so exciting to find a book of this calibre which truly captures not just story but time and place. It made me homesick for Australia with its beautiful turns of phrase describing the quality of the dust, the sunshine and the people of the Sunburnt Country.

I will be highly recommending this book.

One can almost guess the plot and the characters that will appear in this tale of the Australian Outback during the Gold Rush but do not under estimate the quality of the story. It really is a page turner and I completed my enjoyment in just two sittings and am now looking forward to what comes next. A nice easy read with characters to love or hate and just the book for a dark night curled up in front of the fire. Treat yourself, it will be money well spent!

Winner of Wilbur & Niso Smith Adventure Writing Prize for Best Unpublished Manuscript 2018

An Australian Adventure set during the Gold Rush.

Toby O’Rourke and brother Paddy witness their parents’ murder at the hands of a gang of bushrangers. Neighbouring businessman Pelham takes advantage of their misfortune by manoeuvring them out of their homestead. Toby vows to right the wrongs done to the brothers.

Blood in the Dust opens with a gripping scene which quickly establishes the characters and story. Further in, various setbacks are encountered, as is love interest Annie, to keep the plot ticking along. But these events don’t quite live up to the promise of that first chapter. The bad guys are obviously bad from the moment we meet them, so much so that I wonder Toby (his youth notwithstanding) can be taken in by them.

Swiggs’s narrative style is easy to read and doesn’t overtax the intellect. He isn’t trying to subvert the genre: this is an adventure story in the tradition of Wilbur Smith and Bryce Courtenay.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher Bonnier Zaffre for the Advance Reader Copy.

Very good adventure yarn in the Wilbur Smith school of storytelling. This one set in early colonial Australia fairly whizzes along with tragic events and uplifting triumphs alternating throughout. Various villainous characters conspire to deprive the two brothers at the heart of the story of their birthright and
possessions and the core of the story revolves around how they eventually win through. From farming to gold prospecting to a man hunt at the end this is a recommended and entertaining tale.

This book has everything. It is no surprise that it won an award. It is very well written and tells a story that is sensitive,authentic and absorbing. Set in the early days of colonial settlement in Australia it shows the hardships,the rewards and the challenges of that life. Toby is a nineteen year old who has to grow up too soon. His parents are murdered,his inheritance stolen and his brother rendered mute. The way he responds,the friends he meets and the turn around in his future are all believable. This is a riveting read and a very cleverly conceived novel. Read it!

This book can be described as an Australian Western or a tale of the Courtneys/Ballantynes set in the Antipodes.- I'm not surprised that it won a Wilbur Smith award. It has all the elements of a good action adventure including an exotic setting in turbulent times, goodies and baddies, some love interest for the hero and a background of historical truth. The Aborigines seem to be described sympathetically whilst the British Empire builders don't exactly cover themselves in glory. A rollicking good tale.