Powder for Drying Wounds

Powder for Drying Wounds is set in an alternative World War I timeline where the Great War has dragged on for nine years. The discovery and nature of an Elixir created by a German Professor starts to change human thought and appears to be linked to cross-species evolutionary changes in behaviour.

The story follows Private Sam Cowan, a young drafted soldier at the mercy of the savagery of the frontline and Sergeant Frank Fieldlight, the sole survivor of his Australian Division wiped out during a futile attack, who plans an end game to his suffering. Australian Intelligence gets wind of the Elixir, the Professor's son, Gunter, a German Sergeant on the front, becomes a convert, and Frank's brother, the official Australian War correspondent, discovers Frank's intent. Ingesting the Elixir, the German and Allied high command negotiate for an amiable armistice. In contrast, others pursue the power of the ingested substance for their own ends as the human species evolves towards a fundamental change in physiology and mentality.