Adventure Night | Double Book Launch with Vanessa Croft & Peter Ryan
Schedule
Fri, 17 Oct, 2025 at 07:30 am
UTC+13:00Location
Scorpio Books | Christchurch, CA
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Scorpio Books and Bateman Books warmly welcome you to a special DOUBLE book launch and author talk! Join us to celebrate the publication of Where In All the World, a new novel by Vanessa Croft, and Riding the Echo Down, a new essay collection by Peter Ryan. The theme of the night is, adventure! There will be giveaways, books for sale and lots of fun to be had.All welcome, refreshments provided. Please send in your RSVP.
ABOUT WHERE IN ALL THE WORLD BY VANESSSA CROFT
Harriet Watson dreams of a life beyond the Canterbury plains of 1890s New Zealand. When a celebrated English explorer sets his sights on her, she is swept into a grand romance and a far greater deception. Determined to make a name for himself, Curtis De Courcey undertakes a perilous expedition across Africa, returning a hero to claim Harriet as his bride. But as whispers of scandal and cruelty gather, Harriet finds herself isolated, controlled and increasingly aware that true happiness may lie far from the direction she was seeking. From the Rakaia hills to the drawing rooms of London, through the wilds of East Africa and the brutal heart of the Congo Free State, Where in All the World traces one woman’s journey through betrayal, resilience and self-discovery. Faced with the violence of empire and the constrictions of Victorian marriage, Harriet must summon extraordinary courage to reclaim her life — and her freedom.
For readers of The Signature of All Things and The Light Between Oceans, this unforgettable debut is a story of endurance, awakening and fierce reclamation of self.
ABOUT VANESSA CROFT
Vanessa Croft is an Aotearoa-based historical fiction writer with a passion for bringing history to life. Born in Australia, her childhood was spent in Nigeria and Papua New Guinea as a civil engineer’s daughter, and these remote locations fostered her love of travelling, writing and the natural world. With a background in humanities and research, she is an avid armchair historian with a passion for Victorian-era Aotearoa. She lives in the spectacular South Island on a small farm that once bred Clydesdales and spends her time with her adventurer husband, two teens and far too many books. Where In All the World is Vanessa’s debut novel, inspired by her belief that Aotearoa New Zealand’s past is rich in stories waiting to be told.
ABOUT RIDING THE ECHO DOWN BY PETER RYAN
Intrepid hunter and adventurer Peter Ryan takes you around the world in a collection of lavishly illustrated essays on hunting and the natural world from a master of outdoor literature. Explore the lives of the great hunters of the past – from the primeval forests of early New Zealand to Africa, Asia and the Americas – to the present and future of wilderness hunting. Riding the Echo Down is an essential read for fans of hunting stories and outdoor adventure.
ABOUT PETER RYAN
After early years in New Zealand and Australia, Peter volunteered for an aid project in southern Africa which led to an epic series of solo journeys across Africa and South America. He has hunted and fished across four continents and didn’t get lost on some of them. Peter’s writing and images have appeared in the world’s finest sporting journals for many years, and have been translated into several languages. His previous books – Wild South, Hunting New Zealand and Hunting Life: Moments of Truth – launched to critical acclaim. Peter lives on a small farm in New Zealand’s South Island with his wife, daughter and son.
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Where is it happening?
Scorpio Books, Five Lanes at the BNZ Centre. 120 Hereford St,Christchurch, New ZealandEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
