All three books in 'Bunyip', Tristan A. Smith's series of fantasy novels inspired by Australian mythology, now in one volume. Modern tales influenced by much older stories and spiced with science, legend and sensuality, these novels will appeal to anyone who loves a good fantasy adventure or is interested in Australian folklore!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. Stretching across generations, the stories swirling around Tristram and the opal are connected to 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. But is Dinewan just a wicked and bitter misfit, or something far more marvelous, and dangerous?A Web Of Stories: Life spins stories around us as we slide through time, anchored by our secrets. Tristram Jones's opal is of deep significance to his teacher, Ivan MacAllister: a compelling and charismatic mentor haunted by a trauma caused by the witch doctor, Dinewan. Tristram is haunted too, by dreams of a terrifying monster that feel more like memories. As a web of stories surrounds Tristram and Ivan, the truth of them must come out as life goes on with adventure, romance and danger. The witch doctor is coming, and he will have his due.The Hunt For The Bunyip: "Magic is a fact of life, like murder, sex and monsters." So says Dinewan, the old aboriginal witch doctor with bright orange eyes. In the final installment of the Bunyip series, what began from family legend will culminate in a zoological hunt of the millennium. Tristram Jones and his teacher, Ivan MacAllister, must again contend with Dinewan; his tactics are more dangerous and determined, and the stakes have never been higher. From the university to the wild high country, Tristram once again follows the call of the mysterious Bunyip. It will be the last time he does.This novel collection 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.
