Excerpt: The Lost Voices by Paul Rushworth-Brown
- Archaeolibrarian
- 11 hours ago
- 3 min read
Book details:
Book Title: The Lost Voices
Series: Standalone
Author Name: Paul Rushworth-Brown
Publication Date: April 28, 2026.
Publisher: Historium Press
Pages: 466
Genre: Historical Fiction
Any Triggers: Violence, crime, imprisonment, public punishment, and social hardship.
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Some lives pass through history without leaving a trace.
The Lost Voices is a work of historical fiction centered on those whose stories were never formally recorded—not because they lacked meaning, but because their lives unfolded beyond the reach of power, authorship, and recognition. In a world governed by rigid social structures and unyielding expectations, the novel follows a cast of individuals navigating the quiet, often invisible tensions of obligation, fear, and endurance.
Here, survival is rarely marked by dramatic acts, but by silence, restraint, and the careful negotiation of circumstances that offer little room for choice. Decisions are made in private spaces, in moments that will never be witnessed or celebrated, yet carry consequences that ripple through lives and generations. Each character moves within a system that both defines and confines them, where personal truth is shaped by custom, authority, and the necessity of remaining unseen.
The narrative dwells in what history leaves out: the unspoken loyalties that bind people together, the moral compromises made in the name of survival, and the interior lives that vanish between official accounts. It asks what it means to live fully in a world that refuses to remember you, and what is lost when entire voices are excluded from the record.
The Lost Voices is a restrained and deeply intimate exploration of absence and presence, of what is preserved and what is forgotten. It offers a quiet but powerful meditation on the cost of being unheard, and the enduring humanity of those who lived, chose, and endured without witness.
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"Another great work by a very talented author who loves his period works and characters from his great plots. He writes with verve and intent to deliver the imagination something unexpected and greatly appreciated... Brilliant..."
~ Gavin, Readalot Magazine reviewer
Some judgments are made long before a word is spoken.
She was bound to the stool before anyone spoke.
The crowd pressed close, voices rising—some pleading for mercy, others for judgment.
“She’s no witch!”
“LET ‘ER GO!”
The beam creaked as it lifted.
Isabel’s feet left the ground.
Tommy struggled against the men holding him.
“ISABEL—listen to me—hold yer breath—stay calm!”
She said nothing.
Only looked at him.
“Tell Will… I love him.”
The chain dropped.
The stool struck the water and vanished beneath it.
Silence.
Then the surface broke—once—just long enough for breath—before she was pulled under again.
“LET ‘ER UP!”
“LET ‘ER UP!”
They raised her.
She coughed. Gasped. Tried to speak.
“I’ve done nowt…”
The nod came.
The chain dropped again.
Tommy froze.
“She won’t last another…”
The water stilled.
Seconds passed.
Too many.
Then—
“WAIT! I WAS WRONG!”
The voice cut through the night.
Too late.
Paul Rushworth-Brown is an Australian historical fiction author whose work explores ordinary people navigating forces far greater than themselves.
His writing focuses on identity, survival, and the lasting impact of historical events, examining how lives are shaped not only by what history records, but by what it leaves behind. His work has reached international audiences across the United States and the United Kingdom, including appearances on PSI TV and U.S. radio, including Moments with Marianne Pestana on ABC-affiliated KMET 1490AM/98.1FM.
Through his fiction, he brings attention to the human cost of history and the individuals often overlooked within it.
Author Links:
Website: https://www.paulrushworthbrown.com/
Twitter / X: https://x.com/Brown9Paul
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulbrown630
Pinterest: https://in.pinterest.com/paulbrown630
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Paul-Rushworth-Brown/author/B09XFBH7BH
Tour hosted by: The Coffee Pot Book Club
Thank you so much for hosting Paul Rushworth-Brown here today, sharing a moving excerpt from his gripping new novel, The Lost Voices. Take care, Cathie xx The Coffee Pot Book Club