The Dawn of Adonis

by Phil Earle Book 1 in the Historical Animal Stories series.

First published 2025

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4.4(232)

In 1911, twelve-year-old Nettie Beecroft and her veterinary-surgeon father are drawn into London’s criminal underworld when a gravely mistreated gorilla is smuggled through the docks. The animal belongs to Goliath Deeds, a ruthless trafficker who expects to profit from her and uses the young pickpocket Toff Squabble to keep control of his illicit business.

After the gorilla gives birth, Nettie refuses to abandon the surviving infant and attempts to carry him to safety with Toff’s uncertain help. Their flight across Edwardian London becomes a contest between compassion and exploitation, while revealing how the baby later known as Adonis entered the world of When the Sky Falls.