In the Colony of Queensland in the 19th Century, an Australian Native Police patrol is called in to track and retrieve an escaped group of blackbirds-South Sea Islanders, taken from their home and forced to work out oppressive contracts on sugar plantations. Experts in tracking and killing, the patrol ventures into the Australian bush to find their quarry. But the further they venture into the rainforest, the stranger and stranger their pursuit becomes. Blackbirded is historical fiction based in Colonial Australia. It is period accurate and contains language and themes that some might find disturbing, unsettling or upsetting. I acknowledge that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are the Traditional Custodians of the Country I live and work in. I would like to pay my respects to the Elders past, present and emerging. I would also like to pay respect to Australian South Sea Islander peoples, who hold a unique position in Australia's multicultural tapestry as a result of forced relocation programs by early colonists. Blackbirded is historical fiction and it contains racist language used by characters within the historical setting of early Colonial Australia that reflects the prevailing attitudes of the time. They are used wholly without endorsement or encouragement. The intention is to reflect the lived experience of First Nations individuals during the period. This may be unsettling or upsetting for some readers, and I want to urge caution when reading the text. The language is used throughout—if you feel such language may be triggering or upsetting, I recommend skipping the text entirely.