Blame It on the Dwarf

by Barry Rosenberg

Blame it on the Dwarf. Everyone else did – even his mother, the local witch. Despised at home, Bogden left Europe for the 19th-century gold rush in Australia. But very soon, he found himself in conflict with Jack, a red-haired digger. Matters became worse when the albino Dwarf found gold. Big Jack and his mates beat him up and left him for dead. Bogden, however, had enough of his mother’s magic to survive. He returned to the camp at night and woke the drunken Jack just to stick a shovel into his head. Cursing Jack’s descendants, the Dwarf set fire to the miners’ tents and fled. Buying nearby land, Bogden cursed it to keep other people away. Naturally 150 years later, that was the place chosen for coal seam gas mining. Blame it on the Dwarf. Why else turn a food bowl into a wasteland?

316 pages, Paperback

Published July 15, 2017

About the author

I was born in London. After completing a PhD in visual information processing, I moved to Canberra, Australia. Currently, I live on the Sunshine Coast, Qld, with my wife, Judith.

I'm also involved with woodwork and tai chi (with a slight martial flavour).

Reviews

[Ojan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and exciting story with a real life environmental message. I'd call this real life fiction with a supernatural twist. An interesting cast of characters. Deep enough to be interesting while easy to understand and empathize with. The story is simple. Easy to follow. Villains & heroes. The statement it makes about our world is complex. The evolution of the characters is broad. A loner discovering companionship and love. An addict finding direction & purpose. A theatre troupe finding support and environmentalists finding a willing ear. Overall, a positive story with just a pinch of darkness and evil thrown in. A wonderful read.