This four-part novel follows the life of a teenage boy over five years,
taking him from Darwin, in Australia's tropical north, to California's
wilderness.
In "Street Kid," we meet 12-year-old Julian Moreland and his widowed
father, Craig, a military helicopter pilot. Craig's decision to retire from
the army and accept employment south in Melbourne as a civilian
pilot turns to tragedy. Julian finds himself alone and homeless, until
he saves the life of a baby girl and is taken in by her wealthy family.
At age 17, and newly qualified as a helicopter pilot, Julian saves the
lives of three more children, including two American boys lost in the
mountains of southeastern Australia, in "High Country." He also meets
the love of his life, Alison, the missing boys' sister.
Invited to visit Los Angeles by the parents of the rescued boys, Julian
finds himself flying helicopter missions during a wildfire emergency
in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, saving even more lives. Meanwhile,
love continues to blossom between him and Alison, his American
sweetheart, in "California Dreaming."
When Julian returns to Australia, his world begins to fall apart, as
the traumas of his past catch up with him. It is
only after a serious act of violence against a close
friend, that Julian starts the long road back to
controlling his life in "Aftermath."
Author J. William Turner was born in England and
migrated to Australia as a child in the mid-1960s.
Blades is his third published novel.
