Tokoloshe Song, by Andrew Salomon

Tokoloshe Song, by Andrew Salomon. Random House Struik Umuzi. Cape Town, South Africa 2014. ISBN 9781415207017 / ISBN 978-1-4152-0701-7

Delightfully entertaining and funny, Tokoloshe Song is Andrew Salomon’s debut in South African fantasy.

Andrew Salomon  

The Cape of Storms was living up to its name. Around the jagged cliffs of Cape Point, ocean liners and cargo ships retreated from the raging surf and treacherous coastline. They disappeared into the night to the relative calm of deeper water while abalone poachers pulled their fast boats onto the land and sat huddled around smoky fires in leaking makeshift shelters. Forty kilometres to the east, brutal gusts of rain and wind whipped against the grey sandstone crags of Table Mountain and battered the city of Cape Town beneath. Richard Nevis watched the rain pelting down outside his window and hoped that the roof of his new workshop at the docks was holding up against the storm. He pictured it flooding, leaving his tools and the freshly sanded hull of the antique boat he was working on saturated with water. The phone rang. The familiar voice on the other end of the line sounded worried and exhausted. 'Hi, Phakama' said Richard. 'Is everything okay?' 'Not really. I'm alone at the shelter and I've just brought a new one in. He's angry as hell. I thought he was going to bash his way straight through the side of the van on the way here. I had to dart him before I could bring him inside.' Phakama took a deep breath. 'I'm sorry to call this late, but I really need to know if I can count on your help.' 'I can be there in about half an hour,' said Richard. 'Not tonight. Not in this storm. Could you come over first thing in the morning?' 'I'll be there early. Are you sure you don't want me to head over now?' 'I'd rather you get here in one piece. And it might do him good to spend the night without seeing any more humans.' Richard parked his car in front of the squat grey building. Its lack of windows seemed at odds with the spectacular view across the bay to Table Mountain, with its flat top framed by the pointed tooth of Devil's Peak to the left and the lower summit of Lion's Head to the right. Cape Town gleamed in the early-morning sunshine after the storm. There was one other car in the parking area: the shelter's rusty panel van of uncertain vintage that might once have been green. Looking closer, Richard noticed that its tarnished side panels were now bruised with several dents. They were not like the usual dents seen on old cars; these were vaguely triangular and stood out from the metal, as if they had been caused by an impact coming from inside the van. As Richard walked up to the solid front door, he rolled his shoulders and stretched his arms behind his back to work out the knots that still lingered in his muscles from the past three long days he had spent stripping and sanding the sleek but weathered hull of the antique boat in his workshop. He pressed the button on the intercom mounted on the wall. A few moments later, a tired voice crackled from the speaker: 'Hello.' 'Hello, Phakama. It's Richard.' The voice took on a brighter tone. 'Hey, Richard. Give the door a good push after I've buzzed. It's been getting stuck again.' Inside the building a short corridor led to an untidy but clean office. [...]

This is an excerpt from the novel: Tokoloshe Song, by Andrew Salomon.

Title: Tokoloshe Song
Author: Andrew Salomon
Genre: Novel
Publisher: Random House Struik
Imprint: Umuzi
Cape Town, South Africa 2014
ISBN 9781415207017 / ISBN 978-1-4152-0701-7
Softcover, 13 x 22 cm, 336 pages