Fiji born novelist Blair Robertson has completed his third novel, Na Duna Navatu: A Fiji tale (The eel of Navatu), the third book of the Kaiviti series.
The story is set in 500BC, at a time when the Lapita people, the Pacific Islands’ first known inhabitants, vanished from the archaeological record.
The Lapita people were distinguishable through their unique and intricate pottery designs, perhaps of people riding on the backs of giant sea turtles.
At around 500BC, that distinctive pottery disappeared across the Pacific and was replaced with plainware pottery.
Na Duna Navatu is a story about what might have happened back then and is the sequel to Blair’s last novel, Ancestral: A Fiji Tale, set in 1225BC.
It is also both the sequel and a prequel to his first novel, Kaiviti: A Fiji Tale, set in 1987. It’s a sequel to both of his previous books because the story switches backwards and forwards in time, between 500BC and 1999AD.
Fijivillage attended the launch of Blair’s second novel, Ancestral; A Fiji Tale, in November 2019.
He says the timing was a bit unfortunate as he went to New Zealand for work straight after the launch and came back to COVID-19.
Blair says only 300 books went out but more will be printed.
He adds it’s a good idea to read that one before Na Duna Navatu.
Blair is already working on the sequel to Na Duna Navatu.
This book will be set in 1300AD – during a climate change crisis.
Blair is a consultant by trade, mainly in the energy and financial sectors.
For the last five years, he has been working from home and contracting to New Zealand Government from his Serua Province base.
He says COVID-19 presented him with the opportunity to write more, as he had completed the project and no follow-up contract presented itself as the country went into lockdown.
He is now building a shop for his family’s flower farm and working on an e-commerce platform through a newly incorporated Fijian company, “New Fossil Productions PTE Ltd”.
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