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The Time Lizard’s Archaeologist by Trisha Hanifin


The Time Lizard’s Archaeologist is a debut novel that intertwines the past, present and future, with dreams and visions intermixing with everyday life.


2016. Jason Winston is an Auckland psychologist who is grieving the death of his beloved sister. Much to his wife’s alarm, he begins to experience vivid dreams and visions that take him away from their reality. While appearing to be comatose, lying on a bed, Jason travels to an alternative reality. There he finds Aja, who is on a mission to discover who destroyed her village while stealing their most potent fuel source.


In 2026, the bee population in Auckland is almost wiped out, and the human population struggles with a new virus. Those infected must isolate in the bush.


By 2036, it is a time of unrest and the growing influence of ‘The Flock,’ which promises young people a haven. Jason is approached by a young woman troubled by her own visions and dreams.


The Time Lizard’s Archaeologist is a highly original novel that includes mythology, philosophy and environmental concerns that take the reader into an alternative and ever-changing dimension of time, past, present and future. Aptly, the author was inspired to write the book after a powerful dream.


It’s beautifully, poetically written, exploring different cultures, landscapes and ideas. The Time Lizard’s Archaeologist an intriguing mix of the real and the surreal, but the novel is held firm by Jason and his family, while the book is a plea for a more sustainable world.


Reviewer: Karen McMillan

Cloud Ink Press



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