Balagaan should not be happier: he has defeated his enemy Dangan, has wed his childhood sweetheart and has two beautiful children; so why does he feel so anxious?
When the Nyangbal mob return to their summer camp, Balagaan discovers the Yirraalii, the Newcomers, have taken over their land. To avoid conflict, his mob have no choice but to move on.
Hiding in a new camp, survivors from another clan, recount a brutal attack on them.
Balagaan and his cousins are sent to investigate, where they learn firsthand about the savagery of the Yirraalii.
Returning to camp, Balagaan's mob decide they have no choice but to retreat to a place where the Yirraalii cannot find them.
But Balagaan is still uneasy. He has seen warning signs all around him. He decides to visit the Bundjalung Clever Man for help.
While he travels far from home, his mortal enemy, Dangan, is leading the brutal Native Police straight to his mob's secret campsite.
Can Balagaan return in time to save his people or will his enemy finally get the revenge he seeks on Balagaan?
Told through the eyes of the traditional Bundjalung heroes, Balagaan and Gawngan, 'Savages' recreates the story of one of the most brutal massacres in Australia's Frontier Wars, the East Ballina massacre, an event so shameful that Colonialist historians have reduced it to a distasteful footnote in Ballina's history.
If you like historical romance, Australian history and Aboriginal culture, mixed in with plenty of action, then you'll love this gripping historical novel from Steve Trotter.
