During World War 1 a friendship is forged on the battlefields of France between Axel and Edward, two young Englishmen. There, inspired by barrage balloons, they develop a mutual fascination that will change the course of their lives. After the war, as Axel's passion for flight and freedom consume him, he sets off to balloon across the highlands of New Albion, a largely unexplored island north of Australia. When he fails to return, Edward travels to the island to solve the mystery of his friend's disappearance and retrace his final journey. What he finds there will haunt him for the rest of his life. The Umbrella Club is a darkly compelling adventure into the depths of the human soul and to the frontiers of colonial exploration. In the aftermath of war, when there is nothing left to fear, sometimes the only possibility for recovery is flight. Praise for David Brooks' The Fern Tattoo- ' . . . a sense of deliberation and imaginative power imbues his work. Take time for The Fern Tattoo.' Age ' . . . a book of extraordinary sensuousness and beauty.' Canberra Times