The Roving Party - by Rohan Wilson (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"[An] exceedingly powerful debut. Wilson's compelling story carries us through forest and over plains, leaving a trail of dead men."
--Alan Cheuse, The Chicago Tribune

1829, Tasmania. A group of men--convicts, a farmer, two free black traders, and Black Bill, an aboriginal man brought up from childhood as a white man--are led by Jon Batman, a notorious historical figure, on a "roving party." Their purpose is massacre. With promises of freedom, land grants and money, each is willing to risk his life for the prize. Passing over many miles of tortured country, the roving party searches for Aborigines, taking few prisoners and killing freely, Batman never abandoning the visceral intensity of his hunt. And all the while, Black Bill pursues his personal quarry, the much-feared warrior, Manalargena. A surprisingly beautiful evocation of horror and brutality, The Roving Party is a meditation on the intricacies of human nature at its most raw.

Review Quotes

Praise for The Roving Party

Winner of the Australian/Vogel Literary Award
Winner of the Tasmanian Literary Awards' Margaret Scott Prize
Winner of the UTS Glenda Adams Award for New Writing
Winner of the Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Australian Novelist Award

"One of the best first novels I've read all year . . . The urgency of the chase, carefully chiseled language, exotic characters and dangerous conflict with each other--it's all here."
--Alan Cheuse, NPR's All Things Considered

"[An] exceedingly powerful debut. Wilson's compelling story carries us through forest and over plains, leaving a trail of dead men."
--Chicago Tribune

"The grim implacability of nature and end-of-the-world remoteness that haunts Wilson's novel and those of his countryman Richard Flanagan have inspired the label 'Tasmanian Gothic.'"
--The Seattle Times

"Wilson presents an emotionally harrowing, sometimes brutally violent exploration of cruelty and compassion in a desolate land. Wilson's psychological insights are electric; the chilling ways in which each member of the roving party must grapple with his sense of humanity makes for particularly fascinating reading. Wilson's novel will appeal to readers who appreciate intricate plotting, rich character studies, and poetic depictions of nature."
--Library Journal

"A grim and bloody tone poem . . . Difficult and intriguing."
--Kirkus Reviews

"Australian first-novelist Wilson writes beautifully, equally expert in describing the magical land as he is with Aboriginal dialect."
--Booklist

"[A] grim and astonishing novel."
--Australian Book Review

"An extremely skilful book telling a horror story, and the young writer's maturity takes your breath away . . . not for the fainthearted . . . Wilson writes in spectacularly beautiful prose."
--Courier Mail

"The Roving Party is distinguished by Wilson's tactful and restrained account of a brutal episode in the history of the conflict between European newcomers and the original inhabitants of Van Diemen's Land. His restraint renders the horrors he depicts far more vivid and their ethical implications much more telling than other melodramatic, at times tub-thumping, approaches . . . evocative and impressive."
--Sydney Morning Herald

About the Author

Rohan Wilson lived a long, mostly lonely, life until a lucky turn of events led him to take up a teaching position in Japan, where he met his wife. They have a son who loves books, as all children should. They live in Launceston, Tasmania, but don't know why. Rohan holds degrees and diplomas from the universities of Tasmania, Southern Queensland and Melbourne. This is his first book.