Author
HAIGHS FLAT REVIEWS
ONLINE BOOCLUB REVIEW
Imagine having a beast-like creature with the similitude of a dinosaur as a pet. Isn't that suicidal, if not genocidal? Lennard Smythe has a beast locked up in one of the chambers of the mine he manages at the Inland Valley. One of his workers mistakenly releases it. Four months later, bushwalkers and sightseers like Joshua Morgan and Raelene Clarke are nowhere to be found. It turns out that this is the least of the many disappearances recorded in the small suburb of Haighs Flat. The villagers know something but are scared to spew it out. Could it be that Lennard is the right-hand man to some wicked fellow disguised as an investor? Why do they fight tooth and nail to erase traces of anyone knowing their secrets? How true is the rumour of the existence of a bunyip? Colin Williams exposes the corrupt lifestyles of cops while educating his readers on the "prehistoric mythological animal" of Australia in his book, Haighs Flat.
As I read through, my eye opened to the discovery that wherever there's hypocrisy, corruption is surely lurking around the corner. Sergeant Jim Sloane, Sergeant Paul Hodges, and Lennard Smythe are top of the suburb's list of corrupt cops. The author creates an aura of authenticity that allows the reader to relate to the actions of these characters as they carry out the evil desires of some heartless 'influential figures' at the top. I realized that corruption runs from the top tier of government down to the grassroots, as seen in the list of active and passive contributors to the bunyip saga that Sloane discloses. A councillor, a mayor, and even a member of the state parliament, amongst others, had their hands soiled. There's hardly any nation today that doesn't have a tale of corruption. Corruption is like a wildfire that burns its victims without mercy.
I particularly love how the author clarifies the difference between being merely religious and spiritual. He hits the nail on the tangent when he explains some truths about Christianity. It is a religion that is not about putting up pious countenances and carrying out ritual activities; rather, it has a lot to do with having a close walk with God. George is my favourite character. I admire his versatility and learned mind. He is not a "religious nut," as Jack and Sloane opine.
I disliked nothing about the book, but I would have loved to know about the main brains behind the rearing of those monstrous beasts since 1984 and their reasons for such. I also would have loved to know what eventually happened in Sara's relationship with Bryan.
Although there were minimal errors, I couldn't agree more that the book was professionally edited. The book is rich with figurative expressions and superb plot structure. Hence, I'd rate it 4 out of 4 stars. Everyone should read this book, but I'll recommend it to those with a warped idea of who God is. The book would also appeal to those who love crime fiction involving corps.
REVIEW BY KELLY BARR
A creature from your nightmares, only this is all too real. The horrifying screech and roar are enough o make your blood run cold in fear. Lurking in the Australian bush – something terrifying. Something the myths and legends of the indigenous people of Australia, from stories they told around the campfire at night. A creature they called “Banib” – in our tongue the word means “Devil”.
When Bryan Morgan started investigating his brother’s disappearance, little did he know the can of worms that he would be opening. Town secrets that date back to the 1800’s which still haunt the people today.
Sara Whitney has only lived in Haighs Flat for three months, having moved there to investigate her uncle’s disappearance. Why is it that no-one even remembers him living or working there?
Could these disappearances be connected? Could the ramblings of an old farmer be the only ones that make any sense? Could it even be scientifically plausible?
Haighs Flat is the debut novel of Colin Williams and what a debut id is! This story is about Bryan, a young man determined to find out what happened to his brother, Joshua, who visited, but never returned from Haighs Flat. It is also about Sara, a young lady, who came to Haighs Flat three months ago to find out what happened to her Uncle Roy. As each search for answers, their paths cross and they begin to spend time together and share what they discover.
But this answer dates back to the 1800s and is something more frightening than they could have imagined, and they aren’t sure they can even believe. Haighs Flat is a story filled with secrets, conspiracies, mystery and danger. Men in high places are hiding things and people are disappearing. One man in town may have the answers, but everyone thinks he’s crazy.
Included in the mystery and suspense of Haighs Flat are also Scriptures from the Christian Bible, prayer, mention of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. This becomes a second storyline, as several characters involved trying to figure out what happened to the missing people are drawn to believers in Christ and to church. Therefore, there is quite a bit of Christianity and Biblical references, but Mr. Williams did such a good job of weaving it into the story that I did not find it distracting or overdone. It flowed smoothly through the story line and involved several of the characters.
There are some mature themes in this novel, but they do not cross the line between clean and unclean. They simply show how imperfect humans are and how we learn and change as we mature and gain wisdom and, in the story, and as in real lives of some, the characters learn about the Lord.
Colin Williams lives on the mid-north coast of New South Wales and so quite a few of the words and some of the dialogue style may be unfamiliar to Americans, as, especially the characters dialect is written in Australian dialect, as is some of the narrative sentence structure. However, I had no problem understanding the story, having only to seek the definition of one word. Most is fairly easy to figure out according to context.
I thoroughly enjoyed Haighs Flat by Colin Williams and continued turning pages from start to finish as I just had to know what was happening to the people in the bush town of Haighs Flat.
PERSPECTIVE BY PETE
I really loved this story. It turned out better than any preconceived ideas I had about it. For a debut novelist, Williams has a well-constructed and engaging novel. It has a steady pace, one event builds on the next and all the story arcs are well-placed and further the plot, leading to a very satisfying ending.
There is a lot to like in this novel. A minor story arc of romance between the two main characters, Bryan and Sara. A mysterious ancient creature from Aboriginal lore, the town's secret relating to this creature, missing tourists and town's folk, corrupt police, business, politicians, and local council. How are all these tied together? And where did this creature come from? What is the connection between this creature, dinosaurs, and the Bible?
While reading this novel, I wondered if Williams was going to confirm what I was suspecting, that this creature was the banib (or bunyip in English) of Aboriginal lore that I grew up with in school. Turned out, I was correct. But Williams has tied this in with the Bible and dinosaurs. May not sound feasible or plausible to some, but once you study the Bible and its related topics, it does make sense. Williams does a great job of this as well. He seems to have quite the talent in this regard.
Williams shines in explaining Biblical theology of the story arcs and themes. He has depicted the spiritual aspects of this novel very well and it brings the Bible to life and confirms that it supports science and not what secular society wants to hear, that science disproves the Bible. I applaud him for this. I continue this applause with his presenting the Gospel just as it is in the Bible, with no holes barred and even the inclusion of prayer. Now prayer was not just mentioned as being offered by the Christian characters but said in its entirety. So many times, Christian authors get criticised by Christian readers for including the actual prayer as they find it detracting from the story and pace, but I find this a sad indictment of them as all the author is doing is depicting realistically what the Christian life is. For a Christian fiction story such as this, so it should be. Williams shows how Christianity and a relationship with God should be and can be in the life of the Christian.
Williams also discusses why some topics are not discussed in Church and how this then leads to confusion, disillusionment, and a stronghold of disbelief in the Christian or the secular person and how they can develop a distorted view of Christianity and the Bible. No wonder there are so many divisions among Believers alike! I remember being cautioned by an elder of the church I was attending if I continued to discuss a topic relating to Genesis 6: 4 concerning the subject of the Nephilim! If it is in the Bible, why cannot it be discussed? Hasn't stopped me though!
Some of what I have outlined here can be found in Williams' blog on his website. I add it here to support my impressions of the novel:
The idea of Haighs Flat came to me back in 2018 when I was seriously contemplating writing my first novel. Where did the name Haighs Flat come from? That I cannot answer you, it just came to me as a name for a typical country town, and thankfully there is no town of the same name that I am aware of.
The next thing I had to do was paint a picture of the town in my head. In order to have the story make sense, I had to be aware of directions, travelling and have a general layout in my head something of what the town would look like - and yes, it is loosely based on an existing town in the North-West of New South Wales.
What I wanted for the book was something uniquely Australian. Something that not only Australians will relate to, but something that will attract the attention of international readers as well, hence the culprit in the story is pulled out of an Aboriginal legend that may or may not have had an element of truth about it.
Being a Christian, and a creationist at that, I believe that the earth is much younger than the majority of the world believes. I also believe in the creation account as described in Genesis, thus I believe that dinosaurs existed alongside of people.
In chapter ten of my novel, the question is asked: "We read in the Bible of animals which we can interpret as being dinosaurs, existing alongside of people, but why do we not see this in other texts from the past?”
Hopefully I have answered this question in this book by explaining that there are many evidences of dinosaurs having lived along side of people. While this book is fictional, I have tried to keep things historically accurate - especially where it relates to Biblical issues.
As far as the book goes, chapter ten, which is in a Bible Study setting, would be my favourite chapter. I picked up my pen at around 9 o'clock in the morning and didn't put it down again until the early hours of the next morning, stopping only for meal breaks, and doing a bit of research. The whole chapter just flowed out of my pen and I couldn't stop until it was over.
I totally agree with him about Chapter 10. This is where I mentioned that Williams shines in Biblical theology and that he links it all back to the book of Genesis. The whole basis of Christianity is found in Genesis, which is the foundation of what we believe and why. In doing so, Williams does touch on Apologetics as well.
This novel would be a great instrument for a reader who is not a Christian but has questions about Christianity and those mentioned in this novel. Williams gives a comprehensive account of the answers to these questions. I did not find it preachy (another criticism of Christian fiction) but very relevant to the entire story arc of the novel. Williams does not water down the Gospel or any other Biblical account relating to the themes in this novel.
This novel is an example of what Christian fiction should be for the reader and what I state in the Why Christian Fiction tab in this blog:
it has entertained me immensely,
it has encouraged my walk with God,
it has not deviated from known biblical doctrine, and it will not, I believe, lead a non-believer astray or promote false doctrine,
it honours God,
it does not encourage worship of the created (eg angels) instead of the Creator (God).
Williams succeeds well in this novel. I understand that his next novel is a sequel to Haighs Flat in that it deals with the continuation of the relationship between Bryan and Sara. We can expect this in 2024. I look forward to this immensely. Williams has found his niche in life as a Christian novelist and one that I encourage readers to follow and support.
I highly recommend this novel.
The three ratings below are based on my discernment:
World Building 5/5
Characters 5/5
Story 5/5
Overall Rating: 5/5