
Bertha’s Law
with French translation, D’après Bertha
Quirky realism with adventure, Bertha’s law is a wild, wondrous ride across the African continent.
Told through fictionalised episodes and haunting illustrations, this novella brings to life the mysterious, unforgettable Bertha, a warrior spirit on a mission to liberate animals from captivity, cruelty, and indifference. Along the way, she forges bonds with children, rebels and outcasts, and faces off against hunters, gangsters, circus men, and supernatural foes.
Hilarious and heartbreaking, 𝘉𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘢’𝘴 𝘓𝘢𝘸 is a powerful tribute to animal freedom and the uncompromising courage it takes to protect it.
“Wonderfully intriguing, hilarious, poignant … and the dialogue positively sings” – from the back cover
Available online and in most major bookstores. In South Africa
buying directly from the publisher is recommended
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Quirky, dark, comic, and sometimes just plain nutty, this is a place where the ordinary is the extraordinary and you are free to discover that meaning has a different flavour.
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It’s taken me a while to realise that what I write can broadly be called quirky realism and if that resonates with you, this is the place for you. So, sign up for my newsletters and enjoy the free reads on this website and whatever I send out there.
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Writers often find it easier to describe their genres by telling you about their reading preferences.
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My non-fiction is becoming a mixed bag, however, my first non-fiction book (and the one coming in 2026/7)
as well as most of the chapters, articles and other contributions relate to my work as a professor of
biology and as a pathologist.
Fiction
The drawing on the right, is from one of Bertha’s episodes that took place on
Mont Choisy beach in Mauritius.


Non-Fiction
A synthesis from interdisciplinary areas, The Evolutionary Origins Of Life And Death reveals that traits promoting life and death coadapted, highlighting their interconnectedness from the earliest cellular organisms. If that piques your curiosity, or if you interested in biology, medicine and related material, see the non-fiction section.