Culture Craze

From Kruger Trails to Ice Age Tales: Christopher Tanzer’s Leap into Fiction

Published

2 weeks ago

August 15, 2025

Chiraag

Christopher Tanzer, South African author, The Beasts of Old, Helderberg Book Festival 2025, Wrangell Mountains novel, Ice Age creatures fiction, conservation adventure, Joburg ETC

Christopher Tanzer knows what it is to track a lion before sunrise, to watch elephants move like quiet titans through the bush. Those years as a Greater Kruger field guide shaped not only his knowledge of wildlife but also his view of how stories about animals should be told. Now, in 2025, he is stepping out of the veld and into the literary world with his debut novel, The Beasts of Old.

The book launches at the Helderberg Book Festival from 16 to 24 August, an event that will bring more than 34 authors to venues across Gordon’s Bay, Somerset West, and Strand. With its mix of talks, workshops, and panel discussions, the festival has become a vital showcase for independent voices, and Tanzer’s arrival feels like a perfect fit.

A storyteller from the start

Tanzer’s love of writing took root when he was just eleven. Back then, his “novels” were handwritten in exercise books, wrapped in coloured paper and proudly stamped with imaginary ISBN numbers. Later, a Bachelor’s degree in Zoology and daily encounters with Africa’s big game gave him real-life experiences that would breathe authenticity into his fiction.

The spark for The Beasts of Old came when Tanzer realised how often prehistoric animals are shown as savage movie monsters. “We tend to forget they were real animals, ones we even shared the Earth with,” he says. That understanding became the foundation for a story that treats these creatures with both wonder and realism.

Jurassic Park meets Willard Price

Set in Alaska’s Wrangell Mountains, the novel imagines a hidden sanctuary where Ice Age creatures have survived for 16,000 years under the protection of an Inuit tribe. It’s an adventure with teeth and heart, exploring conservation, heritage, betrayal, redemption, power struggles, and forbidden love. Fellow author Rob Brooks has called it “Jurassic Park meets Willard Price,” a nod to its mix of gripping pace and moral depth.

Why he went indie

Rather than hand the manuscript to a traditional publisher, Tanzer chose to self-publish. This way he could keep his hand-drawn map in the front matter, direct the cover design, and release the book on his own schedule.

For him, creative control was only part of the reason. Visibility matters too. “Indie authors do struggle to get seen, especially when competing with traditionally published authors who have a whole corporation behind them,” he explains. Festivals like Helderberg give readers a chance to discover new voices and meet the people behind the books.

A shared stage

Tanzer says he is most excited about sharing the stage with other indie authors from varied backgrounds. “We’re all so different in our secondary professions, yet we share this love for writing,” he says.

He believes these real-life encounters add something special to the reading experience. “Your reading will be enhanced by having met the author in real life. It’s a reminder of that moment you discovered who they were and what they were all about.”

As the festival kicks off, Tanzer’s journey from tracking Africa’s big game to imagining Ice Age beasts shows that the most captivating adventures can begin far from where you expect.