Stories
from the half-light

Brook & Blade Studio publishes illustrated Australian stories drawn from history and myth. Tales from the edge of the firelight, where warmth and wonder meet shadow and menace.

Abstract digital art featuring red and black splashes or pixelated patterns on a white background.

BROOK & BLADE STUDIO PRESENTS

The Dark Waters of

BROOK & BLADE STUDIO PRESENTS

Our debut publication.

The Dark Waters of

GLENROWAN

GLENROWAN

A man looking out a window with a fiery background, a meteor streaking across the sky.
Night sky with stars and the Milky Way galaxy, viewed from a forest clearing with fallen tree trunks around the edges.
Three people sitting around a campfire in a forest at night, with a star-filled sky and the Milky Way visible overhead.
Blacksmith working at an anvil in a fiery forge, with sparks and smoke surrounding him.
Blacksmith forging metal with a hammer and tongs, sparks flying in a dark workshop.
A bearded blacksmith working in a rustic forge with a glowing fire, anvil, and tools around, inside a wooden workshop.
A steam locomotive train sparks and glows as it runs on the tracks surrounded by steam and smoke, with a fiery orange glow at the front.
A black steam train traveling through a dense forest at night in rainy weather, with the train's headlight shining brightly and rain visible in the air.
A muscular man with a beard, covered in soot and grime, sitting in front of a burning fire with flames and smoke behind him, holding a metal bucket.
A forest fire burning with thick smoke and orange flames, with a soldier in a helmet and camouflage gear holding a rifle in the foreground, and a dark figure with a helmet and rifle standing amidst the fire and smoke in the background.
Explosive impact with sparks, debris, and fire against a dark background.

This is not the story history remembers.

A bush legend.
A hunted man.
An iron mask.
One final stand.

Australia, 1880.

Three days before the siege of Glenrowan, a comet burns over the Victorian Highlands.

Dan Kelly, Joe Byrne and Steve Hart share whisky and uneasy laughter by the fire. With the law closing in, Ned Kelly stands alone at the forge, hammering plough iron into armour.

Beyond the firelight, the comet’s reflection trembles on the dark water.

Something beneath it answers.

This is not the story history remembers.

This is the Ned Kelly story as it’s never been told.

This is not the story history remembers.

The Dark Waters of Glenrowan is Part One of The Kindly Darkness, a literary graphic novel series told through cinematic, full-colour illustrations. The artwork blends painterly realism with pencil, ink, charcoal and watercolour.

Available in Kindle, Paperback and Hardcover editions.

GET A COPY
Open book with a dark, starry underwater scene and a quote saying, 'Those who lose Dreaming are lost.' - Old bush wisdom.
A two-page illustrated scene of a dark, mysterious mangrove swamp at sunset with dense trees and water, with text captions describing senses and actions.
A two-page comic-style illustration featuring a man's face looking upward, a view of the night sky with stars and cosmic dust, and a close-up of an eye with a shooting star reflected in it. The panels include text: "Born of the ancient heart," "Throw
An open book showing dark, apocalyptic scenes of a polluted industrial waterway and a forest fire, with captions describing environmental destruction.
An illustration of a forest fire with flames and smoke over a landscape of trees and water, with a submerged view showing the fire burning below the water's surface.
A space scene depicting a comet with rocky, metallic surface streaking through space with blue and orange glowing nebulae and stars in the background.
Three men sitting around a campfire at night, under a starry sky. Two of them are talking, one reading a book, and the third is chopping wood. There is a guitar case nearby. The scene is outdoors, surrounded by trees and under a clear sky with the Mi
Open magazine with four photos of men in a forest at night, surrounded by fire. Top left features a fire and text, while the other three show men relaxing: one reading a sketchbook, another smoking, and the third sharpening a knife, all covered in di
Two men, dressed as cowboys, sitting by a campfire at night. One man holding a large knife, the other with a knife embedded in a piece of wood. The man with the knife says, 'Christ, Joe, I think it's fuckin' sharp!' and 'You lads know how this ends.'
Open book showing chapter three titled 'The Forge' with a dark illustration of a forest and a small, smoky wooden forge emitting an orange glow.
A collection of nine hardcover books titled "The Dark Waters of Glenrowan" by Timothy Pardoe, with dark and atmospheric forest-themed cover art, arranged side by side.
Three men sitting around a campfire in a forest at night, playing guitars under a full moon with clouds, trees, and a starry sky.
A man with a beard wearing a hat playing an acoustic guitar by a fire at night, with a page of a book open showing close-up shots of his hands and guitar strings, with dialogue about traps and an option for fire and brimstone.
Illustration of a dark, fiery forge with burning fire and smoke, surrounded by trees, with text describing the forge's relentless fire and intense violence.
Open book showing a blacksmith forging metal, with close-up shots of hammering hot metal and sparks flying, and a blacksmith working in a fiery workshop.
Open book with sketches of armor, a man in armor holding a sword, and a collection of medieval weapons, with dark, fiery lighting.
A comic book illustration of a blacksmith working at a forge with fiery sparks and molten metal, depicting a muscular man pounding metal with a hammer in a dark, industrial setting.
A man with a beard and muscular build holding a black shield with a textured surface, standing in a fiery, dark background. Flames and sparks are visible, with a chain hanging from the top left. The text on the page reads "I AM A WIDOW'S SON. OUTLAWE

This is not the story history remembers.

There is something
in the water.

THE KINDLY DARKNESS / PART ONE

There’s something
in the water

Join our newsletter for some free pages of The Dark Waters of Glenrowan, plus news as the series unfolds.

READ A SAMPLE
Portrait of a man with a full beard and styled hair, dressed in rustic clothing with a scarf, set against a natural, watercolor background with trees.
A digital painting of a man with curly hair, wearing a bandana and a rugged jacket, outdoors with trees and a cloudy sky in the background, labeled Dan Kelly.
A bearded man dressed as a train conductor from the American Civil War era, wearing a police-style cap with a badge, a dark uniform, and standing outdoors with a vintage train and telephone poles in the background.
A illustrated portrait of a man in a sheriff uniform with a badge, curly hair, and a mustache, in front of a rustic Western bar scene background, labeled as Constable Alexander Fitzpatrick.
A portrait of Const. Clive "Mustard" Reed, a man with curly hair and a thick mustache, dressed in a vintage military uniform with patches and buttons, set against a background of buildings and a cloudy sky.
Illustration of an older man with a beard and mustache, smoking a pipe, wearing a sheriff's badge, and a bandana around his neck, set against a background of shelves with bottles. Caption reads 'CONST. "FATTY" TOMPKINS'.
A young man dressed as a wartime police constable with a helmet and uniform, looking out a train window with smoke and train tracks in the background.
A digitally painted portrait of Const. Tom Hargreaves wearing a vintage military-style cap and uniform, with a serious expression, in front of a wooden background.
A watercolor portrait of Captain Frederick Standish wearing a vintage military uniform with a high collar, adorned with gold buttons and insignia. The background shows faint buildings and a cloudy sky.
A portrait of a man with curly hair, a mustache, and beard, wearing a worn hat, with a serious expression, holding a violin, with vintage bottles in the background.
A detailed painting of a man with long, curly hair and a beard, wearing a wide-brimmed, weathered cowboy hat and a dusty shirt, in a rural Western landscape. The image has an artistic style with watercolor effects, and the caption reads "Joe Byrne."
Painting of a man with a mustache and beard, wearing a black bowler hat and a dark shirt, smoking a cigarette.

This is not the story
that history remembers.

This is not the story history remembers.

A man with a beard looking through a wooden window at a fiery, apocalyptic scene outside with a meteor streaking across the sky.
Night sky with stars and the Milky Way galaxy, viewed from a forest clearing with fallen tree trunks around the edges.
Three people sitting around a campfire in a forest at night, with a star-filled sky and the Milky Way visible overhead.
A blacksmith working at a forge, surrounded by flames and sparks, with a dark, smoky atmosphere.
Blacksmith forging metal with a hammer and tongs, sparks flying in a dark workshop.
A blacksmith heats metal on an anvil in a rustic workshop at night, with a fire burning in the forge.
A steam locomotive train sparks and glows as it runs on the tracks surrounded by steam and smoke, with a fiery orange glow at the front.
A black steam train traveling through a dense forest at night in rainy weather, with the train's headlight shining brightly and rain visible in the air.
A muscular man with a beard, covered in soot and grime, sitting in front of a burning fire with flames and smoke behind him, holding a metal bucket.
A forest fire burning with thick smoke and orange flames, with a soldier in a helmet and camouflage gear holding a rifle in the foreground, and a dark figure with a helmet and rifle standing amidst the fire and smoke in the background.
Explosive impact with sparks, debris, and fire against a dark background.