Krishna
Another nice book by Wilbur Smith, in his usual style. Wilbur Smith’s penchant for mixing historical background with tense story telling style is a heady mixture and serves him well in this book too.
This is the second book in the Courtney saga, the first being ‘Birds of Prey‘. This tells the story of Hal Courtney and his sons Tom Courtney and Dorian Courtney, mainly. Their rivalries with brothers William and Guy are brought out well, as well as the characters of Prince Abd-Al Malik of Oman and his son Zayn-ud-din.
Hal Courtney, of course, figures in the first book in the chronological series, Birds of Prey. Here he sets out to protect the trade routes of the East India Company threatened by pirates. Even though the title suggests Asia, the sons are attracted and are inexorably drawn into the favourite playground of Wilbur Smith’s characters: Africa.
Guy Courtney’s start as a shy and quiet brother and his descent into deviousness are described as only Wilbur Smith can: expertly.
The Taita-like character Oboli is another recognizable feature in this book. Though one can find further parallels to his later River God (for example, an elephant hunt here instead of the Hippo hunt), it is a different setting and the story is well told.
The Courtney saga of course, continues in the long series with ‘When the Lion Feeds’ starting with a generation or two down from Tom/ Dorian.
Tense, well written, this book deserves a 7/10
- - Krishna