Today, I am delighted to welcome talented author, Jacqui Murray, with her latest novel in the Savage Land Book series, Balance of Nature.
Jacqui has kindly shared a lovely extract from Chapter 1 of the book.
Excerpt: Chapter 1
The area we now call Gibraltar
Shouts woke the brothers from their sleep.
“A boat—on the Endless Sea! Headed toward us!”
At night? How is that possible? But Kazeb didn’t ask because it didn’t matter. What mattered was that it was there.
He and Turk had waited long for this news, Kazeb with excitement, Turk with dread. Without discussion, they raced across the grassland, leapt over crevices, the width familiar even in the dark, and then scrambled up Big Rock’s knobby flank, grabbing tiny ledges with their fingers and toes with a speed mountain goats would envy. The behemoth’s height dwarfed all hills on the peninsula save the distant, towering range that separated it from others.
The brothers summited the crest and crouched behind a thick patch of scrub at the cliff’s edge. The brisk breeze atop the promontory whipped Kazeb’s hair around. He clenched his fists, gritted his teeth so tightly he should have broken a tooth, and waited for the vague elongated shadow on the water’s inky surface to reveal its intentions.
Is it them? He glanced at his brother’s square face. Turk thinks it is.
Sun’s steady arrival slowly erased the dark, made the sea shimmer in shades of blue as waves crashed against the coastline. Just below the surface, under the foam, were sharp shoals. Any boat must tediously avoid these, better yet, continue down the shore where there was no risk, unless they knew of the sole safe mooring used by natives and those they shared the location with, like they did with the Tall Ones from long ago.
Turk hissed, “It’s them, Liis.”
The Clan called him Liis, but he preferred “Kazeb,” the name awarded him when he agreed to guide the Tall One Fierce to the sea’s end. That was far beyond anywhere he had ever traveled, but Fierce claimed Kazeb’s knowledge of the area was invaluable.
“We can’t tell who is onboard, Turk,” he said, though who else knew of the hidden cove?
Kazeb rose and scanned a full circle, hoping whoever came on that craft wasn’t looking up here.
“What are you doing, Liis?”
“I need to see if they’re alone, or do more come from other directions.”
Flat grassland bordered one flank of the promontory, water the rest. Sun’s earliest rays colored the sky in pinks and blues. Birds plummeted into the crystalline water. Fish with no desire to be food dove. Farther away, pigs rooted through the stubble and a herd of deer feasted on ever-abundant fresh young shoots, protected by the range of mountains from unexpected predators.
When we finish, that’s where we will go.
He turned back to the shoreless sea. Visible on clear days, a faint brown outline shadowed the horizon, what the Tall One Fierce had called home.
Turk said, “They knew enough to stay in the calm waterswhen darkness arrived, to avoid the underwater shoals.”
Sun broke above the horizon, telling the boat it was safe to continue. The craft nimbly skirted the shoals, aiming for the spot a similar vessel had beached long ago. Kazeb gripped his spear tighter. Fierce had promised to return once his exploration was completed. Kazeb trusted his word, but the more time passed, the more he wondered if he had been lied to.
“Liis!” Turk interrupted his reverie. “There is another boat, behind the first!”
Now Kazeb saw it. Both prows plowed through the water, their shapes clear in the sunlight. Shivers ran through Kazeb.
These aren’t like Fierce’s craft … but we have seen no one from that direction either by sea or foot.
Kazeb studied the gaggle of Uprights, their bold stripes, the confident stance of the slender male in the bow of the front boat. All fit his recollections of the Tall One band. His gaze drifted to the back boat, a shorter stockier figure at the prow.
Is he Fierce’s guide? My replacement? But why would he be behind Fierce?
Legs wide for balance, sunlight glinting off flame-red hair, the sturdy figure scanned the Big Rock. To Kazeb’s surprise, his gaze paused at the clump of brush where the brothers hid. He couldn’t see them, of course. Both had mudded their skin and squinted to keep Sun’s glare off their eyes. Still, the figure shouted to One-who-might-be-Fierce and pointed.
Turk gurgled, “Are they looking for us? But why come back here, considering what they did?”
“We don’t know for sure—”
“Who else would it be?” Turk’s voice a strangled yelp.
They argued this question often. The Clan Healer originally thought the deadly illness had been caused by insects or a toxin in the air, but before he died, he admitted an individual could have poisoned the members’ food and water. Who could say?
Kazeb didn’t bother to reply, busy admiring the vessel’s sleek profile, so unlike the Clan’s flatter, smaller ones. The sailors effortlessly beached it at the base of the monstrous rock where the brothers hid.
Voice fiery, Turk hissed, “Our destiny has arrived, why we survive and the rest died.”
Book Blurb
A tribe haunted by the past. Lies that threaten the future. A reason to find the truth.
Savage Land is the third trilogy about prehistoric man in the series, Man. Vs. Nature. Savage Land explores how two bands of humans survived one of the worst natural disasters in Earth’s history, when volcanic eruptions darkened the sky, massive tsunamis crossed the ocean in crushing waves, and raging fires burned the land. Viral tribes of Neanderthals and early man considered themselves apex predators, but that crown belonged to Nature and she was intent on washing the two-legged blight from her lands.
In Balance of Nature, Book Three of the trilogy, Yu’ung’s Neanderthal tribe hopes to settle at Gibraltar but instead find unexpected threats and lethal challenges. Follow the courageous Yu’ung, the determined Kazeb, the mystical Shanadar, and the pawed-and-clawed Canis as they navigate a perilous world of tribal conflict, unexplained visions, and shifting loyalties. Their journey is a testament to the resilience and strength of true leadership in a sweeping saga that ultimately leads to who we are today
Purchase Balance of Nature by Jacqui Murray
Amazon US purchase link: https://www.amazon.com/Balance-Nature-Savage-Land-Book-ebook/dp/B0G45MFBWW
Jacqui Murray Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Jacqui-Murray/author/B002E78CQQ
My review of Endangered Species (Savage Land Book 1)
Endangered Species is an interesting and unique story set 75,000 years ago in Europe and Asia. The plot follows two people, Jun who must leave his clan and travel from what is now called Germany to what is now known as the Altai Mountains, to help save the clan of Yu’ung who are under threat from an active volcanic mountain.
The author’s extensive research is clearly evident in this book, but the historical facts and information are integrated into the storyline in a completely natural way and are not cumbersome or ‘textbook’ like in any way. There is a mild paranormal element which is also smoothly incorporated into the story and does not detract from the historical elements or undermine their integrity.
The characters are interesting and both Jun and Yu’ung have attributes and characteristics that artfully share a large spectrum of the skills and thinking of our ancient predecessors. Jun is a dreamer who wants more from life than the everyday tasks of survival. As a result, he is viewed as a shirker by his clan who cannot see any benefit to Jun’s restless and adventurous spirit. Yu’ung is a young female, the product of her clan’s healer and a ‘stranger’. Yu’ung has been brought up by her mother and the clan’s oldest most experienced Elder resulting in her having unusual skills including those of a healer and those of a hunter. She is highly intelligent and had extraordinarily good eyesight, both of which set her apart from her fellows. Despite her differences, she is held in high regard by her clan, especially when several of their men die in a cave in and the clan is left short of competent hunters.
This is a character driven book and the two main characters, and their main supporters make for fascinating reading that reveals a lot of information about life at the time as well as the attitudes, customs, and challenges.
The introduction of the ‘Tall Ones’, a more aggressive clan of people with a more adventurous attitude and a desire to dominate is intriguing and creates interesting interactions and tensions throughout the story.
In summary, this is a fascinating story with well-developed characters that will appeal to readers who enjoy a character driven storyline suffused with well researched historical information about life during a time period that is still shrouded in mystery.
Amazon US purchase link for Endangered Species (Savage Land Book 1): https://www.amazon.com/Endangered-Species-Savage-Land-Book-ebook/dp/B0DJ9Y7PQ8
About Jacqui Murray
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular prehistoric fiction saga, Man vs. Nature which explores seminal events in man’s evolution one trilogy at a time. She is also author of the Rowe-Delamagente thrillers and Building a Midshipman
, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. Her non-fiction includes 100+ books on tech into education, and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics.
Find Jacqui Murray:
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Jacqui-Murray/e/B002E78CQQ/
Blog: https://worddreams.wordpress.com
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/askatechteacher
X: http://twitter.com/worddreams
Website: https://jacquimurray.net
roberta-writes.com 