Our Price: AUD$29.95 (USD$)* ISBN: 978-1-921456-23-7 Subject: General Fiction Publication Date: August 2009

Synopsis
It was not a majestic river, but one of the few rivers in Africa's south that flowed west. The river region throbbed with the quintessence of life and the vibrant spirit of Africa. A paradise. One of only a few remaining wilderness regions.

He could remember when they came with their weapons of death that killed from afar, trying to outdo each other's savagery, knowing that nothing would ever be the same again. They would leave this place and never return. It would be one of many such journeys, fleeing foe and death.

He marvelled at the markings on the weathered rock face. Huge boulders were covered in faded paintings and a sea of ancient handprints, and to his right was the fresh, red imprint of his own...

River Spirit is an enthralling account of life and death in the river paradise bordering Angola and Namibia, a region of southern Africa steeped in mysterious and tragic history.

About The Author
Malcolm Bertoni was born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa.

He has travelled to and worked extensively in Europe, USA, Africa, South East Asia and China, and eventually moved to Australia in the early 80s, where he now resides.

With qualifications in economics, management, marine science and IT, Malcolm is now a university lecturer.

He has previously published Diamonds & Dust, a collection of stories and events from his early adult life working in Namibia - his first time away from Cape Town.

From The Book
They clambered down the side of the ship into the cutter and sat and watched the northern shore of the river loom closer as the men bent to the oars. Luckily there were no breakers and almost no swells in the bay. They were not to know that this was one of the rare occasions when there would be no seas breaking across the entrance of the estuary and when the strong south westerlies had softened to a gentle breeze.

The men jumped ashore as the bow of the cutter crunched into the sand and then hauled the boat further up the beach. They walked about, stretching their legs and getting the feel of solid earth once more.

A tall, dark man with pockmarked skin peered up at the windswept sand dunes overlooking the river.

"Well, Diego, we have succeeded in coming this far south - the furthest that any man has ever been - but what a hellhole this is!"