Quid and Harmony
Available online at www.smithysbook.com or write to Quid and Harmony, Box 370, Margate, Tasmania 7054
Book reviewed by Imogen Wegman
This is an intriguing book about two teenagers from today's Australia who are transported to another world to save it from an 'evil muse' - a woman putting her power to bad use. In this other world, everything is powered by dance, song and music, elements which have the power to heal or harm, depending on how they are applied. Quid and Harmony are determined to save this woman, finding hope in the midst of despair, and discovering the power of friendship, loyalty and sacrificial love.
This book has hints of other fantasy stories, but that does not impede enjoyment. I look forward to reading the others in the planned trilogy.
From Allan Smith's website
Reason for writing the book
A few years ago, my son Tom met Catherine Hamlin, a most remarkable Australian doctor working in Addis Ababa. He gave me a copy of her biography Hospital by the River, and I was deeply moved both by her work and the terrible suffering of the women she served.
I'd been writing Quid and Harmony for some time, and decided to complete the novel and dedicate all the proceeds to furthering her work. My plan is to print 4000 copies and sell them at an enviable profit.
If each book returns an average of $10, not only have people contributed to a good cause, they've enjoyed a good read as well. Multiply this by 4 000 books, and we have a grand total of $40 000.
Money goes a long way in Africa. $40 000 would be enough to cure 100 women of their obstetric fistulas. Which would be pretty good, I reckon.