I'm Alastair Carthew
I am a New Zealand author and journalist who writes engrossing political, adventure, historical— even romantic—novels observing and humorously satirizing Kiwi culture.
My Books
My books meticulously celebrate New Zealand’s way of life, contemporary history, and the country’s peculiarities—such as worshipping the the mighty All Blacks, and lauding the elegant Tui native bird — for Kiwi and international readers.
Politics, the English Royal family, climate and race relations are gently parodied, set against New Zealand’s stunningly beautiful, world-renowned landscape. The books Divine’s Choice, After the Windsors, it’s ALL BLACK and Proud, a Tale of Rampant Ludicrousness are absorbing sagas full of colourful and compelling characters. Engrossing, complex plots keep readers guessing to the last page.
In addition to writing, I also indulge in art. The caricatures on this website bring to life my books’ characters and illustrate other aspects of my art.
THE NEW NOVEL BY NEW ZEALAND AUTHOR ALASTAIR CARTHEW. AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
Divine's Choice
Princess Divine, the sole heir to the English throne, wants to marry a guileless All Black rugby player and farmer from Proud (New Zealand).
Fearing a royal scandal, the scheming Queen Liliana and maniacal King Filip plot to marry Divine off to an English aristocrat. Divine flees with her lover, Joshua, in 2022, to Proud.
Led by the King to bring Divine home, English and Australian soldiers fight an epic battle at a Maori pa (fortress) against fierce Māori gang warriors, elderly mercenaries, Afghan refugees, and even a replica of the extinct moa. Divine returns to marry and become Queen, but disaster strikes when Divine cannot produce an heir to continue the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha’s grip on the monarchy after the decades-old reign of the Windsor dynasty.
Order on Amazon, AmazonKindle or through your local New Zealand library through Wheelers on the links below.
WHAT OTHERS HAVE TO SAY
Reviews For Divine's Choice
Buy My
Books Online
My first two novels are available to purchase in paperback or download on Kindle at Amazon Books. Click on these two links, then on the book cover to read a sample passage.
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
Proud: A tale of rampant ludicrousnes
This tale is a parody, a 'tour de force' glimpse into New Zealand’s long history.
Order on Amazon OR AmazonKindle on the links below.
Follow The Blog
Caricatures & Fun
Commissions to draw/paint caricatures or illustrations for individuals will be accepted. All caricatures, illustrations and pictures shown here are also available for sale, or I can do an original. Contact me by email or Facebook messenger.
car·i·ca·ture
/ˈkerikəCHər,ˈkerikəˌCHo͝or/
noun: a picture, description, or imitation of a person in which certain striking characteristics are exaggerated in order to create a comic or grotesque effect.
Similar: cartoon, distorted/exaggerated drawing, distortion, parody, satire
“there are elements of caricature in the portrayal of the hero”
I find writing text for a novel is a pleasure. To be able to bring the characters on the page to life by portraying them through drawings and caricatures is an added fulfilment of the whole process of writing a book. I am fortunate enough to have been blessed by my parents with a modest ability to write and draw.
The pictures of characters from Divine’s Choice, Proud and my upcoming book The Timid Bookseller are some of the main characters in each book. Like the text, the pictures are pure figments of my imagination in “galactic overdrive.” Some of the characters draw from people I have known, but most bear no resemblance to anyone living or dead (I hope!).
The cast is wide and bizarre. Sir Manu Maniapoto, Maori aide to the Queen of England; Queen Liliana, the eccentric Queen; or King Filip, the mad Norwegian who thinks he’s a Viking (Divine’s Choice).
Or Berdine Bardotcom, a blonde, French world gumboot throwing champion; Kid, a journalist raised by Ugandan gorillas, or a Patricia, a woman mercenary and hairdresser (Proud). And William, a timid 15-year-old book geek from The Timid Bookseller who worships New Zealand’s three greatest woman writers, Katherine Mansfield, Janet Frame and Ngaio Marsh.
There are many more: Nikau, a Maori rangatira; Shirls, a pimple-faced expert at baking New Zealand famous Pavlova dessert; a sheep called Baa Lap who talks telegraphically to Kid; mechanical, extinct moa and Haast’s Eagles; Elvis reappearing in a small New Zealand town; identical triplets named after Mansfield, Frame and Marsh; a gorilla named Hope; a hopeless politician and a dictatorial New Zealand prime minister. The list goes on across three novels.
