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Welcome to Morcan Books & Films, the blog devoted to providing a unique perspective and intelligent commentary on books and films. It includes commentary on our own books and films – i.e. novels and screenplays co-written by the Morcans, and feature films produced by, or in development with, Morcan Motion Pictures.
Lance & James
‘WORLD ODYSSEY (The World Duology Book 1)’ – co-authored by Lance & James Morcan – is now available as audiobook courtesy of Amazon’s Audible initiative. (Listening time 8hrs. 19mins). To listen to the Introduction, click on “Virtual voice sample” at: https://www.amazon.com/ITEM_NAME/dp/B0FH4DPJP6/
World Odyssey now an audiobook.
WORLD ODYSSEY precedes FIJI: A NOVEL in ‘The World Duology’ box set. Set (earlier) in the Nineteenth Century, this tale follows the fortunes of three young travelers as each embarks on an epic journey. Their dramatic adventures span sixteen years and see them engage with Native American Indians, Barbary Coast pirates, Aborigines, Maoris and Pacific Islanders as they travel around the world – from America to Africa, from England to the Canary Islands, to Australia, New Zealand and Samoa, and finally Fiji.
Ambitious American adventurer Nathan Johnson’s journey begins when he runs away to sea to escape a violent father.
Susannah Drake’s journey begins after she agrees to accompany her clergyman father to Fiji to help him run a mission station there.
Irrepressible Cockney Jack Halliday’s journey begins when he steals hemp from an unscrupulous employer who owes him outstanding wages.
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For those who prefer the printed word, the paperback version of ‘WORLD ODYSSEY’ is available from Harvard Book Store, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones UK & Europe bookstores, Amazon and via public libraries.
The bestselling historical adventure-romance FIJI: A NOVEL, co-authored by Lance & James Morcan, is now available as an audiobook courtesy of Amazon’s Audible initiative. (Listening length 9hrs 26mins).
By the mid-1800’s, Fiji has become a melting pot of cannibals, warring native tribes, sailors, traders, prostitutes, escaped convicts and all manner of foreign undesirables. It’s in this hostile environment an innocent young Englishwoman and a worldly American adventurer find themselves. Susannah Drake, a missionary, questions her calling to spread God’s Word as she’s torn between her spiritual and sexual selves. As her forbidden desires intensify, she turns to the scriptures and prayer to quash the sinful thoughts – without success. Nathan Johnson arrives to trade muskets to the Fijians and immediately finds himself at odds with Susannah. She despises him for introducing the white man’s weapons to the very people she is trying to convert, and he pities her for her naivety. Despite their differences, there’s an undeniable chemistry between them. When their lives are suddenly endangered by marauding cannibals, Susannah and Nathan are forced to rely on each other for their very survival.
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For those who prefer the printed word, the paperback version of FIJI: A NOVEL is available from Harvard Book Store, Waterstones UK & Europe bookstores, Barnes & Noble, Amazon and via public libraries.
THE ORPHAN UPRISING (The Orphan Trilogy Book 3), co-authored by Lance & James Morcan, is now available as an audiobook, courtesy of Amazon’s Audible initiative for authors. (Listening time 11hrs 16mins).
In this explosive conclusion to The Orphan Trilogy, the ninth-born orphan’s dramatic story resumes five years after book one, The Ninth Orphan, ends. Having eluded his former masters at the Omega Agency and escaped his past life as an operative, Nine has married his soulmate Isabelle. They’ve carved out a new life for themselves, off the grid, in the remote islands of French Polynesia. The contented couple have a five-year-old son, Francis, who has inherited his father’s unique DNA. Their idyllic lifestyle is shattered when Francis is abducted by operatives in the employ of the Omega Agency, the shadowy organization that brought Nine into the world and once controlled every aspect of his life. The terrified boy with the unique DNA is dispatched to one of Omega’s underground medical laboratories for scientific testing and experimentation. Nine is desperate to find Francis before Omega can harm him. He soon finds he’s up against his fellow orphans – all elite operatives as he once was – who are under orders to kill him on sight.
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For those who prefer the printed word, the paperback version of THE ORPHAN UPRISING is available from Harvard Book Store, Waterstones UK & Europe bookstores, Barnes & Noble, Amazon and via public libraries.
The bestselling spy thriller THE NINTH ORPHAN (The Orphan Trilogy Book 1), co-authored by Lance & James Morcan, is now available as an audiobook, courtesy of Amazon’s Audible initiative for authors. (Listening time 8hrs 42mins).
How do you catch a man who is never the same man twice?
That is the question posed in this top-rated international thriller novel and first book in The Orphan Trilogy.
An orphan grows up to become an assassin for a highly secretive organization. When he tries to break free and live a normal life, he is hunted by his mentor and father figure, and by a female orphan he spent his childhood with. On the run, the mysterious man’s life becomes entwined with his beautiful French-African hostage and a shocking past riddled with the darkest of conspiracies is revealed.
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For those who prefer the printed word, the paperback version of THE NINTH ORPHAN is available from Harvard Book Store, Waterstones UK & Europe bookstores, Barnes & Noble, Amazon and via public libraries.
The crime novel HIGH COUNTRY CONTRACT, co-authored by Lance & James Morcan, is now available as an audiobook courtesy of Amazon’s Audible initiative for authors. (Listening length 3hrs. 43mins.).
In this crime-based adventure set in New Zealand’s Southern Alps, young Kiwi drifter Arch Quaid thinks he has landed the contract of his life when he’s hired to cull deer on a South Island high country property. He quickly changes his mind when he discovers he’s the hunted, not the hunter. Caught up in the middle of it all is his new love Janine, a beautiful Maori girl who will likely be the killer’s next target if Arch doesn’t overcome the most daunting of odds.
“The book is a page turner that you won’t put down. The Morcans always deliver an exciting read which captivates the imagination of the reader.” -U.S. publisher George Shaddock
Our bestselling historical adventure novel INTO THE AMERICAS is available now as an Amazon audiobook. To listen to the novel’s prologue, click on the “Virtual voice sample” in the panel below the cover image accessed via the following link… https://www.amazon.com/ITEM_NAME/dp/B0FDKY28ZC/
So far, 19 of our books – fiction and nonfiction / co-authored and solo-authored – have been uploaded to Amazon’s Audiobook with more to come.
INTO THE AMERICAS (A novel based on a true story) is a gritty, real-life adventure based on one of history’s greatest survival stories. It was inspired by the diary entries of young English blacksmith John Jewitt during his time aboard the brigantine The Boston and also during his sojourn as a captive of the First Nations people at Nootka Sound, on North America’s western seaboard, from 1802 to 1805.
This novel has 925 global ratings and a 4.4 out of 5-star rating on Amazon.
According to Amazon’s A.I. summary: “Customers find this book an enjoyable and captivating read based on historical facts, with well-developed characters and a fast-paced narrative that draws readers into the excitement. The writing style receives positive feedback, and customers appreciate the historical notes that add clarity to the story.”
Rumors of foreign mercenaries being hired as deniable assets by the CIA to aid the persecuted were the motivation for our action-adventure novel The Dogon Initiative.
The rumors, incidentally, remain unproven, but one of us at least believes they could be more fact than rumor – despite the CIA’s, um, somewhat dubious reputation.
Book one in our series The Deniables, the storyline sees a group of foreign mercenaries hired as deniable assets by a newly formed humanitarian division of the CIA. They are tasked with saving Mali’s persecuted Dogon people from genocide. The operation must be carried out in stealth while journeying across some of West Africa’s most hostile terrain.
As if all that’s not enough, they are also instructed to help solve an ancient astronomical mystery linked to the pyramids of Egypt.
The novel highlights some of the many myths and theories surrounding the fascinating Dogon people. In particular, their unexplained knowledge of the invisible-to-the-eye Sirius B white dwarf star, the rings of Saturn and other heavenly bodies, and their rumored ancestral relationship to ancient Egyptians.
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The Dogon Initiative is available via Amazon.
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Our other co-authored adventure novels by Lance & James Morcan include:
It’s Winter 1500 AD in the land that would one day be named New Zealand. The Era of the Moa-Hunter had ended. Now, two centuries after the arrival of Pacific Islanders from Hawaiki, a new and bloody era was about to begin.
So begins an early chapter in my new release historical adventure New Zealand: A Novel.
Excerpt continues: For the first time, the hills and shores of Aotearoa echoed to the sounds of war. As competition for land and food resources increased, inter-tribal fighting became the norm. The inevitable result was war on a scale never before seen in Kupe’s land. Fighting was hand-to-hand, vicious and bloody. One ugly side-effect of the conflict was cannibalism. Eating the flesh of enemies provided a new source of meat as well as having symbolic significance for the victors. Cannibalism quickly became part of Maori culture, just as it had throughout the islands of the South Pacific. The losers in warfare accepted they would end their days in slavery or on the cooking fire, or probably both. Slaves provided labour and were a source of food when their meat-starved captors were hungry.
Feuds erupted between iwis (tribes) which had previously lived side by side in peace. As rivalries intensified, bloodshed followed. Given the Maori preoccupation with mana (prestige) any slight was an invitation to violent retribution. The concept of mercy was unknown and the cycle of revenge that resulted was known as utu, or blood vengeance.
Utu would become the law by which Maori lived. It would survive, indeed flourish, until well into the nineteenth century.
Apera’s Te Arawa iwi had consolidated their tribal base at Rotorua, the inland whakatikatikatanga (settlement) located on the shores of the same thermal lake where they’d resided since relocating from coastal Maketu. But like most tribes of the day they needed more land for their ever-expanding population. It was because of this their rangatira decided to lead a sizeable war party down the east coast in search of slaves and new territory.
The decision to make war was not taken lightly. The Te Arawa had long been insulated from the feuding that was now common amongst coastal tribes. Increasing demand for new territory had recently seen their own tribal lands come under threat. Fortunately, their superior numbers had enabled them to repel any invaders. However, this was not enough to ensure their survival. More land, slaves and riches were needed.
Winter was always the worst time to travel or to make war. The land was cold and food was at its scarcest, but the Te Arawa warriors chose to make their move in the middle of winter when their enemies would likely be least prepared.
Almost one year to the day after he killed the last surviving moa, Apera led a war party of two hundred warriors to the coast. Among the headmen in their midst was the rangatira’s younger brother and right hand man, Kaihautu. He, too, was a natural leader, which was fitting because his name translated as a man with leadership qualities.
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New Zealand: A Novel is available via Amazon, Waterstones UK & Europe bookstores, Mighty Ape NZ & via public libraries.
First reviews are in for the new-release historical adventure New Zealand: A Novel, and acclaimed American book reviewer Grady Harp asks, “Could this be the Great New Zealand novel?”
Harp, who is also an artist representative, gallery owner and published author of note, says, “This is a fine novel that invites understanding of New Zealand’s fascinating history!” He describes it as “Fascinating!”
Excerpts from the other 5 ★★★★★ reviews follow:
“What a fantastic story! This is a story of the beginnings of New Zealand, warts and all and very well researched and written. A good insight into the early settlers in NZ, both Māori and Pakeha but told with a flair for the story and information and facts laid out with clarity, that both New Zealanders as well as those who have never been here would find factual and interesting. “The sex scenes were tastefully done as well!!” –Kotuku
“Riveting. I could not put the book down. Historical facts were woven with some well-crafted narratives into a story of how the nation of New Zealand came to be. The knowledge of the author about native beliefs, customs, and the way of life in the tribal communities of the south Pacific coupled with Captain Cook, the explorer of legend, made this a compelling and exciting story to read. And now I am just waiting for the movie!” –Stephen Heartland
“Wow, what a fantastic novel. Lance Morcan has that special talent of being able to pull you into the story, so you can vividly picture everything that’s going on. The struggles of the indigenous people are not something one can possibly imagine, and courage it must have taken to leave their home in search of a better place. I always enjoy reading about Captain Cook, and this has been incorporated really well into this story. I’m amazed at how much has been packed into this wonderful book. It’s well worth a read and easily worth the 5/5 Star Rating.” –Todd Simpson
The early days in Aotearoa were difficult days for those Islanders who survived the epic sea voyage from their Hawaiki homeland. In the first year more deaths further reduced their number although those were partly offset by the births of several babies. And so far, the land of the long white cloud was living up to its name: it was cloudy. With the clouds came rain and cooler temperatures, and the new arrivals shivered as they adapted to life in this foreign place.
Food, or lack of it, was the most crucial issue facing them. The abundant food sources of the islands of the South Pacific were sadly lacking. There was no sign of the pigs, turtles, bananas, coconuts, kumaras or yams they were familiar with. Wild berries from the hīnau, karaka and other native trees were the only fruits available. Though there was a profusion of fish and bird life, new fishing and hunting techniques had to be mastered before those creatures could be added to the recent arrivals’ diet in any quantity.
Hotu remained staunch. The rangatira knew there’d be hardships to overcome before his people would be at one with the land. He was sure Kupe’s followers had faced the same problems all those centuries ago. Whether they had survived was another story.
So far not one sign of another human being had been found. Not even a solitary footprint.
The first hunting expedition into the unexplored interior provided a much-needed boost for flagging spirits. Concerned they’d seen no pigs, or any animals for that matter, along the coast, Hotu led a dozen hunters inland. Their number included Kafoa who made up for his tender age and inexperience with enthusiasm. The hunters never found pigs, but what they did find soon proved to be as good.
On the flatlands and rolling hills between the coast and the mountains, they discovered mobs of giant birds. The biggest of these emu-like creatures stood taller than the tallest man, and, Hotu observed, they had plenty of meat on their bones. Better still, like some other birds in this land, they were flightless. With no natural predators, until now, they had no need of wings. The moa, as they came to be called, were timid and easily killed. Moas quickly became a staple part of their hunters’ diet and would remain so until their extinction less than two centuries later.
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The paperback and Kindle ebook versions of ‘New Zealand: A Novel’ will be published on Amazon before Christmas; the hardcover and audiobook versions will follow in the New Year.
Morcan Books & Films 