The Survivors

The Scrifs live in a land called Rendar, which is being terrorised by a rogue force, the Spikelords. The Scrifs send the Old Ones, the

wise elders of the tribe, out to settle a new land which lies across the sea. A year later, the rest of the Scrif tribe escape Rendar
 
under cover of night led by their queen. 'The Survivors' is the story of the epic journey the Scrifs make into uncharted territory. They
 
traverse the new land following clues left behind by the Old Ones. In the new land, the Scrifs face terrifying new dangers, a

paralyzing cyclone called the Darkness, strange monsters and a new foe, the Stirrits, who prey on them from birds above.

A new home, a new life awaits...if they can live long enough!


This was the first children's book I wrote, when I was seventeen. It's fantasy adventure for the early reader, aged 6-9 years. These first sketches were done with colour pencil.

Soon tiny sparking sounds chattered in the wood. A twist of smoke lifted free and the first flames made their circle bright. As the fire grew, so did the smell of hazel and pine. Trod squatted by the flames while behind him, in the forest and across the land, the darkness deepened.

"RUN!" screamed Wyst, "run  for your lives!"
The ground quaked and huge feet thundered as something galloped after them.
"AURRROOOOO!"
"To the rocks, to the rocks!" said the queen pointing toward the boulders ahead of them.








Trod was firmly clamped within the Neeb's claws. Air rushed by him at speed. On either side of his head loomed wattled legs, that felt horribly warm against his skin. Trod peered up at the feathers and scales of the Neeb's body. It was enormous, the biggest bird he'd ever seen. Aboard the other Neeb's backs rode shrivelled creatures whose skin appeared too loose for their bodies. They ignored him, busy staring at the ground and griping at each other--the Stirrits.

Ella Gardiner's pencil illustrations, 1988

Morning brings a pale light.
A cyclone of darkness approaches across the plains.
Spitgood warns, "It'll freeze the brains solid inside your heads!"

Trod looks up and sees that the moon has been eclipsed. In awe, he repeats the words, "The dark in the light, in the dark." On the other side of the pond, they can now see a luminous green mist, which spreads outward through the forest. It seems to pulse.

The tribe sets off through the reeds surrounding the swamp. The shadow moves from the moon, and a huge squad of Stirrits is revealed flying overhead.

Pen & ink, Julie Davies, 'the dark forest' 

Pen & ink by Julie Davies, 'the Queen', 1981

The queen told the Old Ones about the night she and the other Scrifs had left the homeland, Rendar. The Spikelords had cursed the sight of their burning fields, and shrieked for their blood on the shore. The swirling storm had plucked away half their tribe, while ahead of them had lurked a wild land, unknown and unexplored.

My own pen & ink, 'the dark forest', 1982

Go here to see another early reader, The Great Adventures of Splat the Wonder Dog. Go here to see the second Splat book, The Colour Secret.