I’m often suspicious of novels carrying the names of two authors. I find myself wondering who actually put down the words. Did they draft alternate chapters? One maybe starting the novel and the other finishing it? Or had an accomplished writer merely hitched his or her name to the work of a rising star?
As it happened in the case of Journey from Darkness, I put down the words but the story came largely from my father’s remarkable imagination. Developing the narrative and ultimately bringing the characters to the page has been one of the great privileges of my life.
I only hope I’ve done justice to what I know is an extraordinary story.
A man saw a circus elephant tethered to a pole and he was saddened. A man saw people riding on the back of an elephant and he was angered. In the wilderness, a man was charged by an elephant and he was enthralled.
While much of what you have just read is based on real places that can be visited and explored even today, certain of the buildings and historical landmarks exist only in our imagination.
We hope that you have enjoyed your journey with Derek and Edward.
And, of course, with Shawu.
For us, it has been the journey of a lifetime.