Author(s): Joel Deane

Contemporary Fiction

The package is wrapped roughly in butcher's paper, retrained with string. Inside, is a tan leather journal crammed with tortured handwriting, a letter written in the decorative style of an adolescent girl, and a phallic curve of yellowed bone tattooed with an elaborate, snake-like engraving of a Chinese dragon. Tests on the hone confirm it is carved from the tooth of a Physter Macrocephalus, or sperm whale. Tests on the journal reveal its leather cover is made from the epidermis of a woman.An ancient man without a past hails a taxi driven by a petty criminal with no future.Reluctantly, the pair embarks on a journey in search of a legendary whaler and murderer known only as the Norseman. This is a one-way trip - but who's taking who for a ride? The Norseman's Songis a stylish blend of gothic mystery and modern crime noir. Evoking the spirit of Joseph Conrad and Edgar Allan Poe, Joel Deane creates a violent and lyrical vision of contemporary Australia with the pace and energy of a road movie and the haunting atmosphere of a nightmare.