Monsoon (Courtney publication, #10; Courtney chronological, #3) by Wilbur Smith

Monsoon (Courtney publication, #10; Courtney chronological, #3) Reviews

• 
  Matt

  I seldom read the type of book referred to as a “guilty pleasure.” It’s not because I’m some beret-wearing, croissant-eating, Proust-reading snob. (The fact that I wear berets and eat croissants is coincidental). To the contrary, I’m as comfortable as the next person wallowing in the gutter drinking Yellow Tail chardonnay and reading Ken Follett. It’s just that the books I use to escape are conceptually different. When I’ve had a long day at work, I like to read big fat histories on World War I or the Civil War. The subject matter may be weighty, but it excites my passions. Plus, it reminds me how glad I am we have penicillin, even though I am allergic to penicillin.
  
  Every once in a while, though, I need a break from my own interests. That happened recently, after I finished a string of books that had, among other topics, an exploration of terrorism, and the story of an epileptic child. I needed a book I could breeze through. It had to be ridiculous, but also good, because if there’s no quality I’m just wasting my time.
  
  That’s when I pulled Wilbur Smith’s Monsoon down off the sagging bookshelf that holds all my unread books.
  
  Smith is an internationally best-selling author who I only recently learned existed. (In my defense, there are a lot of books in the world. Also, I drink a lot). He is probably most famous for two series of historical novels revolving around the adventures of the Courtney and Ballantyne families and their adventures in and around Africa. I had randomly read one of his books, Triumph of the Sun, enjoyed it, and had picked up Monsoon on the advice of some Wilbur Smith fans.
  
  It should be noted that Monsoon is not the first book in the series. It should also be noted that this doesn’t matter. Though Smith’s Courtney and Ballantyne novels have some overlap, my near-absolute ignorance about Smith’s “mythology” did not hinder my enjoyment in the least. The plots are self-contained, and though I may be missing out on a bit of psychological shading, I feel confident expressing the notion that Smith’s novels are not fueled by deep-seeded character traits.
  
  (I am a bit mystified as to the exact sequencing of the novels. Wikipedia has a lot of un-sourced information, if you are interested. Frankly, it took me five minutes of reading before it hit me that I didn't care).
  
  Monsoon tells the story of Hal Courtney, the hero of an earlier novel, Birds of Prey. Hal is a doughty old privateer turned merchantman who has built himself a laudable commercial empire. He has four sons. Tom, Guy, and Dorian all have the same mother, while their half-brother, Black Billy, was born of a union between Hal and an Ethiopian princess. In terms of defining character traits, Tom is the oldest, Guy is kind of boring, and Dorian is the youngest. Black Billy is the bad one, but you should have guess that because his nickname is Black Billy.
  
  This is a 600 page novel, plus change, and there are a lot of things going on in it. I don’t think it gives too much away to say that the central narrative involves Dorian’s capture by an Arab pirate named al-Auf off the coast of Africa. There follows a breathless series of chases, escapes, duels, love affairs, betrayals, and battles.
  
  Everything is high stakes, but it never really feels like it. I enjoyed this novel without ever loving it. It didn't grip me. I never cared for the characters, so I never worried about their fates. Everyone is drawn so broadly. For example, Tom is the “good” son, eldest and dutiful. Despite his youth and inexperience, it takes him five minutes to become the best sailor, swordsman, and lover between Cape Agulhas and Bombay. Then there’s Aboli. What do we know about him? Well, he’s loyal, and he seems to have no ambition other than to serve his master. That’s it. There are good guys and bad guys and no in-between guys. Moral complexity is not one of Smith’s strong suits. And in a book like this, moral worth correlates strongly to plot outcomes. Sure, sometimes one of the good guys bites the dust, but it doesn’t take a genius to figure out the big picture. If there’s trouble, the main characters are likely to wriggle out. This is the kind of book I could read right before bed and never have to fight to put down. It is filled with cliffhangers that I found easy to leave.
  
  That is more negative than I mean to sound. Monsoon’s pacing and breathlessness nullify such quibbles, making them akin to critiquing the construction of the barrel that is carrying you over a waterfall. At his best, Smith does an extraordinary job walking a genre tightrope. On the one hand, he has created a painstakingly researched novel that is firmly rooted in a fascinating historical context. On the other hand:
  
  

  [Aboli] swung the axe in a wide, flashing arc. It took the man full in the side of his neck, severing it cleanly. His head toppled forward and rolled down his chest, while his trunk stood erect before it slumped to the deck. The air escaped from his lungs in a whistling blast of frothy blood from the open windpipe.

  
  
  Smith’s novels are punctuated by graphic, over-the-top violence, occasional sex (not nearly as graphic), and several scenes designed to be deliberately provocative (an adolescent boy gets circumcised; a woman is tortured by having packets of chili powder inserted into… well you get the picture). The result is something that is half-throwback (sea chases! swordfights!) and half modern (ultra violence! torture porn!). In a way, it’s like watching an X-rated Errol Flynn movie.
  
  The main villains in the piece are Muslims. I mention this because we live in a world where such things are going to be noticed. It bears mentioning that the Muslim characters share the exact same moral spectrum as the English characters. That is to say, they are either good or evil. The good Muslims don’t have much agency, besides being helpful to the English characters. Then again, most of the characters lack true agency; their destinies are controlled by the storyline. As in Triumph of the Sun, Smith displays a keen interest in Islamic traditions and culture.
  
  One thing I’ve noticed in both the Smith novels I’ve read is the effort that Smith has gone to in creating them. He’s not a slouch. To be sure, his characters are thin, and his plot tends to lurch in places (some major threads take hundreds of pages to resolve; others only a couple), but he is an ambitious craftsman.
  
  I’m not likely to sit down and read Smith’s entire series any time soon. This is a function of limited time and limited speed-reading abilities. That said, it makes me really happy that these books are out there, waiting for me. Waiting for the moment when I need them.
  
• 
  Richard Derus

  Rating: 4* of five
  
  The Book Report: Second chronologically in the Courtney family saga, Monsoon covers Hal Courtney and his sons' efforts to end the scourge of piracy plaguing the East India Company, and their inexorable, inevitable removal from an England too small and too meager to hold the family's talents, abilities, and personalities, to a colonial future in the Cape Colony.
  
  The multipolar world of southern and eastern Africa, its long-established power dynamics, and the astounding riches of India, south Asia, and Arabia, are all economically and still excitingly delineated by the Courtney family's arrival and conquest of and by this gigantic, extraordinary prize they seek. Their family dynamic, a violent and competitive and bitter one, is brought to several surprisingly exciting climaxes...it's not like one can't see the events coming, but Smith's ability to tell a tale is such that the inevitable feels like a shipwreck in progress.
  
  After an amazing set of adventures in the clutches of people whose self-interest marches against the Courtneys', the family's future is firmly established and their connection to Africa becomes, by the dawn of the 18th Century, unbreakable.
  
  My Review: Of all the Courtney family saga, this book reigns supreme in my affections. Hal's sons are a quarrelsome, angry, fascinating lot, and their well-roundedness makes even their worst traits and meanest actions feel real, comprehensible, and emotionally powerful.
  
  I've read Wilbur Smith books since I was eleven, and I've only seldom felt let down. This book was not, in any way at all, a let-down. It was as violent as the monsoon it takes its name from, and still, like that monsoon, it gave life and comfort to its recipients. Powerfully imagined, powerfully written, passionate and real and engrossing. Don't miss it.
• 
  Inderpreet Singh

  That was one hell of a novel I just finished reading. I read at quite a good pace of 100-150 pages daily. It was like the longest movie I had ever seen. Now I have a really fresh vocabulary related to ship, pirates and voyage. I felt like I am too voyaging with them while reading word to word which was so eloquently presented. It was enchanting to read how it started, how they fought, killed, died and finally united. And also wonderful description of love intermittently throughout the novel made it more craving to go on & see what comes next and complete it that very day. It took time but it was fruitful. Feeling smug as if I have achieved something. "Monsoon" is a must read, its a beauty !!
• 
  Ivana Books Are Magic

  How does one goes around reviewing a book one disliked? I'm tempted not to write about it at all because there is not much to discuss. In my view, this is a low quality book. It is hard to start your review with positives (or anything really) when all you can think of are the negatives, but I'll give it a try and write what I did like about it. There were a lot of historical details in this book and as someone who enjoys history, I liked that. Whether the author has got all these historical details right or not, I can't be entirely sure, but at least they were interesting and if he did I might have learned something new. At any rate, I learned about King Billy as the Dutch ruler of England was known by some- I don't think I heard of him before. The irony of England being ruled by a Dutch man, the author pointed it out well. Moreover, there were a few passages in the book that were touching. One African character ( Hal's friend) wasn't portrayed in a bad light. His characterization was a bit stereotypical (the side kick servant) but bearable. Some of the descriptions of the sea life were well written. The book itself didn't offer much else. The opening of the novel was terrible and it didn't improve much with time. The characters were mostly portrayed in a shallow and a stereotypical way, particularly the female ones that were presented in the worst possible light. The author must have had a very sad life if this novel reflects his opinion of women. All things considered, this strikes me as one of the most racist modern novels I have read. If you have read this novel and liked it... tell me: WHY????HOW????
  
  The novel opens at an English estate where Hall lives with his four sons. His eldest son William (nicknamed Black Billy by his brothers) is of mixed racial ancestry. Hal's oldest son William is his favourite child, from a brief marriage with an Ethiopian princess (who died tragically and seems to have been Hal's great love). I didn't like how this William character was portrayed. William is supposed to be an accomplished and intelligent young man but he is described as not only cruel and violent but also murderous. Not saying that psychopath can't be accomplished or intelligent (sadly they sometimes are), rather it was the racial implication that I found offensive. William abuses his younger brothers despite the fact they pose no treat to him (it is often stressed in the novel that in England the oldest son inherits everything). Like every other character of mixed race in this novel, Hal's oldest son has psychopathic characteristic because 'it is in his blood' apparently. Do I need to explain why I found this offensive? I didn't have the problem with the sibling rivalry but I often it offensive that it is hinted that William has murdering and sadistic tendencies because of his mixed ancestry. More than hinted of, actually. It is clearly written into the book with several passages referring to the 'dark African streak' in him that his father loves and knows can't be changed. No comment.
  
  It is also said that the oldest boy William is Hal's favourite because 'he is a hard men himself'. Hm, there is a difference between being a 'hard man' and being a 'psychopath'. Hal practically saves one of his sons from being killed by William and seems to be alright with it. When Hal is offered a noble rank and fortunes for capturing a pirate that has been bothering His Majesty, Hal decides to take his other sons with him because he is sure that his eldest son would kill them if he didn't. As in really kill his siblings. His favourite son, may I add? Hal doesn't seem surprised by the fact that his oldest son inspires such fear in his younger siblings and when his younger sons beg to be taken along, Hal realizes there is truth in their fears. Hm, what part of this Hal doesn't find strange? I'm pretty sure it was never considered normal for an older brother to actively try to kill his younger brothers- not in colonial England either. At one point in the book, William says to his younger brother that he shall inherit everything, even the noble title- and he does it before his family even has a change of winning the title, before such a request and reward is even made to Hal so how William could have predicted the future like that. A little mistake on the part of the writer. There were a few other mistakes that wouldn't bothered me if the novel had been any good, but this way they did.
  SPOILER ALERT! SPOILERS ABOUT THE PLOT ARE ABOUT TO FOLLOW.
  Moving on. Besides William, Hal's got two twins, Guy and Tom as well as the youngest boy Dorian. In a way it could be said that this novel follows the adventures of Hal's sons, William, Tom, Guy and Dorian. Hal is there with them, but he is not the star anymore. His character is not consistent. One moment he seems decent, the other he is killing people without a just cause. Hal's sons are all different in character but like him, not one of them is convincing or appealing. They do somewhat develop through the books, though not much. Everything is so stereotypical in this novel, every character and description. It was a rather painful read. Anyhow, Hal sets onto his adventures. There is so much foreshadowing before every event that you don't have to guess what will happen next- you can be fairly certain. Zero surprises and a painfully evident plot are among the main characteristic of this novel.
  
  Anyhow, they (Hal and his young sons) sail on in the pursuit of this pirate. Hal actually starts behaving like an honorable man who cares about his crew, this won't last long but at least it is something. We also learn something about his past. Tom and Guy develop a sibling rivalry of their own. Tom has fun with Guy's love interest Catherine and apparently this is enough for Guy (his twin) to decide to kill him at all costs. When they fight for their life, his father doesn't see it fit to make them stop because it is ultimately impossible to do so. So, he watches as his sons try to kill one another- as that is totally normal.
  
  Sure, maybe when you stop a suicidal person from killing themselves, they end up doing it after- but still it is only HUMAN to try to make them stop? When you see two boys fighting to the death, you try to break them apart somehow- because watching one of your sons try to kill another is not something any (normal) parent could stand. Honestly, Hal's actions make no sense. I suppose that doesn't matter for all that you need for book to pass as a novel these days is to put together a third rate adventure story, thrown in a few big words to make one seem eloquent and you're all set.
  
  Honestly, it started to feel like their voyage will never end. There are a few graphic description of intercourse between Catherine (if I remember her name right) and Tom that sound more like a rape. Apparently, this young girl says no to Tom while they are making out and stuff, but he forces himself on her because he is obviously stronger and than it is all great because ....? I honestly don't get how that could work. Later on in the novel, when Tom falls in love with Catherine's younger sister Sarah, she is ready to risk all to help them because Catherine LOVES Tom. How could she not? He raped her and put his finger down her skirt while she was singing opera in front of everyone. No girl could possibly resist that. Almost all the female characters in this novel behave as nymphomaniacs. Seriously, I don't know when I read a novel that portrayed women in a worse light.
  
  Moving on. Catherine and Tom are forced apart when Guy spies on them and brings his father to watch. Hal, as usual, does nothing because that is what his parenting is about. Tom and Guy don't kill one another in that fight that followed on the ship because the novel needs someone to be after Tom's life, you know for drama and because William is so far away. Eventually Catherine and her family leave the ship and take Guy with them- he doesn't take to the sea and decides to become a clerk or something. We don't really get to know much about him because the author doesn't do characterization but it is obvious Guy will be back and trying to kill Tom because the plot needs it.
  
  Meanwhile, Hal has a brilliant idea to lure the pirate ship to attack his ship. He stops at a particular port, feigning his boat needs repairs and then makes it known he is carrying a treasure. Hal prepares for the battle in secret. Very convenient all of it. He also paints his face brown and with the aid of his fluency in Arabic (mentioned about 10 000) times in the novel, he gets information he needs from random Arabs who don't suspect he might be English- because he has painted his face. Eye roll. One of many. Hal's boys wear turbans and can thus pass as Arabs slaves as well. You see they got a tan now so it is ok. Another eye roll. Was this novel really not written centuries ago? Hal then sets to set his trap and capture the Arab pirate everyone is talking about. A sea battle is on horizon and what you know, there is another 'adventure' on its way.
  
  Sweet Dorian is bound for some tragedy followed by a miraculous escape- the author makes endless hints to imply that. Hal takes him to the most dangerous of missions because he cannot resist Dorian's cuteness. Ah, how convenient. Dorian is captures by Islamic pirates but just before they slit his throat, they notice he has red hair and it seems they are suddenly inclined to worship him because in their many centuries of owning and keeping white slaves they have never seen a person with red hair and fair skin? Not one among the many British sailors they killed just a few months ago? Dorian is then adopted by an Arab prince because- cuteness factor. At times, the author does tries to keep us in suspense over Dorian's fate for a white- but he fails miserably. He is obviously too cute for anything bad to happen to him.
  
  What else? Oh, it doesn't get more interesting from there. Dorian falls in love and so does Tom. Stuff happens. I roll my eyes over and over again. I wonder countless times: Is this for real? Who reads these kind of books? Finally, the end. The book ends on a romantic note. Needless to say, I probably won't read the next novel to find out more. This book has left me so battled that I did what I usually don't do- googled the author's private life. Apparently he is estranged from his sons. Gee, I wonder why. If he is anything like the man he describes in his books, I can see how his parenting skills might not up for the challenge. Apparently Wilbur Smith motto is to write books for himself, not the readers. Why publish something you only write for yourself, though? Keep it for yourself.
  
  ..."Do not write for your publishers or for your imagined readers. Write only for yourself." This was something that I had learned for myself. Charles merely confirmed it for me. Now, when I sit down to write the first page of a novel, I never give a thought to who will eventually read it.
  
  You know what, Wilbur Smith? I believe you. You go on writing books for yourself, just don't expect me to read them.
• 
  Daniele Palma

  Mi mancano una ventina di pagine ma incomincio ad esprimere il mio parere su questo romanzo extralarge di W.Smith, è un parere purtroppo negativo dettato dalla enorme diluizione di concetti elementari, di inframezzi "tanto per allungare", di una lettura che si inceppa ogni quattro righe.
  L'idea di fondo si basa su ciò che facevano nel seicento gli inglesi della Compagnia delle Indie Orientali nei mari tra Africa e India: erano dei pirati avidi e senza scrupoli, assetati di oro, avorio, schiavi e ogni altro tipo di merce che portasse un profitto; per esprimere tutto ciò credo non siano necessarie a seconda della versione dalle 700 alle 900 pagine scritte "alla viva il parroco".
  Sarò abituato male, ok, ma anche uno scrittore popolare come King è più intenso, più psicologico, questa storia è quasi imbarazzante e questo potrei accettarlo ma non che si debba perdere tempo con oltre 700 pagine, ci vuole anche un po' di rispetto per il lettore, che attende, attende, attende che succeda.... Un bel niente.
  
  Ecco, finalmente ho finito e mi trovo obbligato a confermare il giudizio negativo, posso promuovere le ultime 10 pagine dinamiche ma, purtroppo, prolisse.
  Il problema di questi romanzo è, secondo il mio modesto parere, la diluizione o annacquamento credo a fini commerciali infatti ci sono alcuni passaggi che sembrano inseriti con il "copia incolla" ma vabbè pazienza; tra l'altro non c'è un ragionamento che oltrepassi la banalità, faccio un esempio ci dovrebbe essere una profezia legata al protagonista che è piuttosto scontata e banalmente intuibile ma ne vengono dedicate decine di pagine credo per il solo piacere di "annoiare".
  La narrazione è macchinosa, a scatti, non è il Wilbur Smith egizio che si legge tutto d'un fiato. Credo che abbia contato molto nel mio giudizio negativo il fatto che si parli di mare e navi con molti termini tecnici. Avevo sempre evitato i romanzi del mare sospettando una delusione ma mai così cocente avendo già letto almeno una decina credo di opere di Smith.
• 
  Frank

  Another epic tale from Smith! This is the followup novel to
  Birds of Prey which I read a couple of years ago. It is also the second chronologically in the Courtney's of Africa saga by Smith. I really enjoyed this swashbuckling story of Hal Courtney, the hero of Birds of Prey, and his progeny. This novel takes place in the 1690's...about thirty years after the end of Prey. Hal Courtney is called by the king to rid the African east coast of a deadly Arab pirate who has captured several English ships. His sons, Tom, Guy and Dorian accompany him on this quest while his oldest son William remained behind in England to watch over the estate. Tom and his twin, Guy, fall out over a woman on the voyage and Guy ends up in India with a mortal dislike of Tom. William pretty much despises the whole family and is only after money and power. While Tom and Dorian remain true to their father and each other... But Dorian is captured by the Arabs and put into bondage before finding favor with the Caliph of Oman.... Lots and lots of action, adventure, despicable villains, beautiful women, and brave heroics. But most of all, Smith throws in a lot of history including the Omani wars with the Ottoman Empire, the brutality of the slave and ivory trade in Africa, and descriptions of exotic locales such as Zanzibar. I'll be looking forward to reading more in this series and I would recommend Smith to anyone who likes adventure with their history.
• 
  Dora

  3.5 για να μην ειμαι και πολυ αδικη.. ειχε πολυ ενδιαφερον στορι αλλα με κουρασε το μεγεθος και μου φανηκε υπερβολη να περιγραψει μια ολοκληρη ελεφαντοθυρία.... και οχι μονο ..ηταν λεπτομεριακος στα παντα πφφφ
• 
  Sonny

  3.5 Stars. Zambian-born, bestselling author Wilbur Smith usually specializes in colorfully entertaining fiction about southern Africa. Monsoon, his 27th novel, is the tenth in the adventurous series about the bold and daring Courtney family. This time Smith develops some of the early ancestry of the family made famous in previous novels.
  
  Wealthy English landowner Sir Hal Courtney has earned his fortune as a sea captain with the East India Trading Company. He has taken up a life on his estate in 18th-century England. He has four sons from a few marriages: his eldest son William (“Black Billy”), twins Tom and Guy, and his youngest son Dorian. Upon learning that pirates are preying upon company ships in the Indian Ocean, the company asks Hal if he would take a ship and crew to protect their overseas interests. While William is left in charge of the estate, Tom, Guy and Dorian accompany their father on a new ship, Seraph, to Africa on a mission to put an end to the pirates. Once they reach the Cape of Good Hope, they learn that the pirate they seek is a Muslim named Jangiri, who has been attacking merchant shipping from a base near the islands of Zanzibar and Madagascar off the east coast of Africa. This opens the way for a great deal of fighting, shooting and maiming. Meanwhile, the twin brothers, Tom and Guy, become bitter rivals after falling in love with the same girl, Dorian is captured by slavers and sold to the Prince of Oman, al-Malik, who adopts him as his son. It seems that Dorian’s appearance leads the slavers and the prince to believe that he might be the appearance of a prophesied figure of the faith. The eldest son, William, proves to be a greedy scoundrel. Hal suffers a horrific fate, leaving Tom in charge of the ship.
  
  Wilbur Smith has created an imposing tale of action and suspense. Despite stuffing this 613-page novel with piracy, treachery, intrigue and romance, Smith has paced the story very nicely. My only complaint is that the tale seems to be a bit of a soap opera at times. Smith also tends to portray some of his characters in rather stereotypical fashion. The Africans are portrayed as honorable but childlike, while the Arabs are generally a nasty and brutal lot. Very little about this book made me want to read another Wilbur Smith novel.
• 
  Stuart

  I read Monsoon in little over a month. It is an incredible story that not just touches, but goes into great detail of so many issues. Issues that are the basis of our world today. But at the same time, Wilbur Smith never fails to spin an incredible story and excitement that captivates the reader. I've heard readers of his criticise the characters, stating that they are stereotypical heroes, who are always great warriors, and remarkably resilient. However, in my eyes, these people do exist and if Smith wrote about the ones who get shot in the head as soon as they ran into battle, the book would be finished after 100 pages.
  
  Wilbur smith has a talent of being able to transport the reader to another time and place effortlessly. I always feel like I'm going back in time and living life in the past when reading Wilbur Smith books. My only real critisism I would put is that most woman in all his book are usually very submissive to men and nymphomaniac's (high sexual drive), and the men usually always get their way with them. It's a bit derogatory and disrespectfull to woman, and I suppose some may find it off putting and offensive.
  
  As always Smith does his research and his attention to detail is superb. Fun characters (if not always believable), very graphic and visual in his descriptions and amazing plot twist that keep you wanting to continue reading. I would advise reading "Birds of Prey" (5* review) first before reading this.
  
  5 stars 👏👏👍👍
• 
  Frik Prinsloo

  Action packed, continous flow. Hal Courtney and his close family are at it again. Real life drama with a twist. Just as I thought, this is the best Wilbur Smith novel by far. He knows how to keep you in suspense while the plot unfolds. I would have love to live my life as Tom Courtney, it must have been amazing. This book keeps you in suspense till the last page. Well deserved 5 stars
• 
  Anne (ReadEatGameRepeat)

  DNFing on page 10.... it just feels so meh and the characters & the way things are explained rub me the wrong way so after talking to some peeps & reading reviews (and noticing most of the 3 star + were by men) & looking up a plot summary I decided this probably is not going to be something ill enjoy and even if i finish it id just give it the same rating im giving it now...
• 
  Dale

  I feel like I should be recommending an author insted of a book. Would save time. Anything Wilbur writes is factastic. Much fun. If you like far off places, much adventure, hero's and beautiful damsels, he is your author. Even in these times, some things don't change.
• 
  Aneta Batakchieva

  4,5 ⭐
  Когато започнах да я чета, разбрах че е десета част от една дълга поредица, но в нито един момент не ми е била непонятна историята или героите.Напротив, приключението беше доста увлекателно и може спокойно да си се чете и като самостоятелна книга.
• 
  John Becker

  Picked up this novel because of a great review by “Matt” on Goodreads. I always enjoy a good seagoing adventure with wooden ships and iron men. This takes place in the late 17th century from England to Cape Hope and the east coast of Africa. A story of a wealthy captain going to sea with three of his four sons. There is romance and sibling rivalry and much danger and adventure. The novel is the middle of a trilogy yet a stand alone book to read. I was captivated by the many characters even though they seemed stereotyped. Plenty of graphic violence and some graphic lovemaking to boot, making it seem a little like pulp fiction. This made it a fun read apart from my usual history and non fictions. Read only one other novel by Wilbur Smith entitled “Hungry as the sea”. See my interests?
• 
  Genaro Antonio

  Me tome mi tiempo por cuestiones personales, pero en si el libro es una genialidad, es una aventura en todo el sentido de la palabra, capaz de despertar nuestro propio y personal deseo de lanzarnos a la mar.
• 
  Walter Van praag

  I did not realise this was a sequel to Birds of Prey, but none the less it was an excellent read. Could hardly put this book down. Fortunately there were enough pages for it not to be a weekend book! The plot was brilliant and as a book seriously well researched and written. Even just on its own this book is worth reading even if you haven't read Birds of Prey yet.
  
  Wilbur Smith is one of my favourite writers in general, despite his books always having Africa and history as the central themes and me not being particularly interested or fascinated by either as such, I have never been disappointed yet, so I highly recommend this book to anyone regardless of what you think you might like! Go on, read this book.
• 
  Thrasymachus

  Well crafted, outrageous fun.
• 
  Coleen

  There is no doubt that I am an avid fan of Wilbur Smith. This book follows the Birds of Prey which was really a great read! From there, this book picks up with Hal Courtney and his adventures. It starts with his four sons by three wives, all of whom are deceased so we never meet them. Oldest son by one wife, twins by the second wife, and the youngest one by the third wife. The sons interactions, ambitions, personalities and relationships with each other are an added bonus to the rest of the book.
  
  As usual, the author has a lot of action, much sailing over the high seas, with Muslims in the mix. Despite the fact that I know little of Muslims and have no affinity towards them, I have to admit to being proud of their ability to pray and worship in a group and on-time, as in - when the call-to-prayer bell sounds, all pray. Other than that, there is much gruesome killing, fights, dangers, and love in the mix. But that is what the reader would expect from Wilbur Smith and he does not disappoint.
  Despite the fact that the paperback has over 800 pages, it is a quick and easy read...the stay-up-all-night-to-keep reading book.
• 
  Sam

  Smith definitely does historical fiction far better than he does stories set in the modern era, This story follows part of the Courtney family at the turn of the 18th Century with 3 brothers finding themselves at odds, with deadly consequences. Bizarrely the women in this are far more kick-ass than Smith's modern female protagonists and they hold their own against not only the Courtney name but against the harsh and often humiliating circumstances they are born to, although there are a few that fall in the typical quiet female roles but even they have a certain amount of strength and determination. This is definitely one of Smith's better novels.
• 
  Farhana Faruq

  What a phenomenal book!!! Absolutely loved the story and at 800 plus pages I was hoping it could keep going. I think men would prefer the book: ships, fighting, pirates, women, hunting...all that fun stuff. Of course the Muslims were the bad guys - still a great story!
  
  I've read quite a few books by Smith, this must be my favorite - not even giving away my copy..haha
• 
  Genaro Antonio

  Simplemente decir que Willbur Smith es uno de los escritores favoritos por su manera tan increíble de narrar historias y de hablarme del África. Sus libros me provocan mariposas en el estómago de la emoción.
• 
  Peter Jochinger

  Another epic tale featuring the Courtney's. Absolutely loved this swashbuckling adventure.
• 
  Johanna Zanten

  I began reading this bestseller as I ran out of other books to read from my bookshelves during the Covid19 isolation time. It was called an adventure novel; its readers, I suspect, would be predominantly male. I got that from the description on the back cover and the front cover illustration of a threatening sky over part of a sail, partially seen through the ship’s porthole. The style also might be called historical fiction, but that classification might turn off the men and appeal more to a female readership. The publisher calls Smith an adventure writer.
  
  And an adventure it was, right from the first pages, starting with a young girl offering herself up to Tom and Guy, sons of the gentry, for a sexual encounter in exchange for a sixpence. The portrayal of the girl and how the boys responded to her were in itself revealing. The omniscient narrator tells the story from the POV of three of the characters: Tom, Hal, and Dorian. The first protagonist, the reader meets on the pages, is Tom, son of Hal (Henry) Courtney and his second wife Margaret.
  Hal is the owner of fifteen thousand acres in Devon, Britain, a legacy obtained as the descendant of his knighted grandfather Sir Charles, a sea captain gifted with the title and lands as reward for his service against the Spanish King Philip, defeated by Calais under Vice-Admiral Drake. Hal’s father, Francis, was also a seafarer, who died away from home in a faraway land.
  
  Tom and his twin brother Guy were born on April 30, 1677; three days later their mother died. Hal fought the Dutch and the hordes of Islam in the Order of St. George and the order of the Templars. Hal married the first time when he brought an Ethiopian princess from his endeavors in Africa, who gave him a son, William, AKA Black Billy. Margaret, the second wife, died in childbirth. The third wife, Elizabeth, mother of Dorian, was meant to replace the twins’ mother. She drowned in a rip tide when the cutter she was on overturned in the bay. Dorian was five, and a redhead.
  
  It may be the novel’s time period and setting in 17th century Britain, but right of the bat I resented the view of women as chattel and the disrespectful, even brutal treatment by these men in the narrative—the masters—exercising their power over the inhabitants, considered no more than slaves, and the women portrayed as treacherous temptresses or pitiful wrecks. However, the women the men fell in love with were beautiful and perfect and threw themselves at the men, in awe of the strength and intelligence of these hunky chosen lovers.
  
  Given the brutal times and the boys’ birth order, relentless and violent competition between these sons of different mothers is unavoidable. The first twenty pages were all about that.
  I was tempted to stop reading right then. Most readers do not enjoy reading about sadistic powerplays and physical assaults on women unless you are a sadistic man, or a masochistic woman.
  Wilbur Smith is a prolific writer of “bestsellers”, but I am afraid his books are meant for a typical male readership, who might enjoy the fantasy of exerting power over women and torturing people. Nevertheless, I continued reading to find out more and discover redeeming qualities of the novel, if any.
  
  Sir Henry Courtney, Hal for short, is introduced as he saves his youngest son, Dorian, from his eldest, William, before the latter succeeds in strangling the boy. Hal taught William all who knows to take over the estate from his father but excuses “Black Billy’s” brutality against the younger sons.
  The underlying racism is expressed as white supremacy, prevalent in that time, as the narrator called Africa The Dark Continent for its hidden mysteries, unfamiliar flora, and fauna—that is to say, to European colonials, first arriving at the continent. William is the son of an Ethiopian princess, but is still black and despised by many, not just because of his cruelty.
  As well, how the Arabs are portrayed as the natural enemy of Christians is not acceptable in the current global wave of Islamophobia, recently intensified by the Muslim border ban in the USA. To the characters in the novel, it may be acceptable, as their grandfather fought to keep Europe for the Christians with the Knights Templar, and their father a member of the order.
  
  Leaving William in charge of the estate, Hal takes his other three sons away from the estate and William’s assaults to London, on a mission to meet the King’s delegates. His sons have no claim on their father’s property, as the first-born son inherits everything by law. They’ll have to seek a living elsewhere, in the army, the navy, or the church. They might as well start looking now.
  
  At the end of the next twenty pages, the English East India Company comes to the rescue. In a private audience with Lord Childs, King William III’s Chancellor, Hal hears about his new adventure that involves protecting the company of which he, and Lord Childs, and the others present at the meeting are major shareholders; the largest shareholder is the Crown itself. They seek to protect their assets from the pirates robbing their ships and the company blind. Hal accepts the job with the generous reward of half of all recovered goods and a title of Baron to boot on completion of a successful commission.
  
  Here, the author caught my attention, elaborating on the King and world of the time, the English King—William III. This prince was also the Stadthouder of the Netherlands as the representative of the wealthy Dutch cities and their powerful company men, who put William III in charge of the Dutch republic by invite. It was interesting to me, as a Dutchie by birth, to read the history and views of the characters from the English POV. Smith portrays the Dutch as crueler and less scrupulous than the English, so a good customer to sell captives to as slaves.
  
  A few years ago, I attended the SAIL event in Amsterdam, when the many tall ships arrived worldwide, demonstrating their prowess and beauty over days after they arrived in the harbor. I admired the skill and agility of the crews, elevating the joyful spectacle of the event for the many thousands of visitors, sharing good food and drinks as the ships opened up for visitors. This experience ultimately brought the novel to life for me, which largely plays out at sea and in harbors on tall ships. As well, I was familiar up close with the antique tall ships after a visit to a dry dock in the Netherlands, where a crew built a tall ship according to the traditional craft. Thus, I could envision what the ships in the novel looked like.
  
  The adventures take off in earnest when Hal and his sons leave for Africa, and the many near-misses and disasters, bloody battles, and the robbing, rapes, and destruction of enemies unfold. Of course, if the robbing and killing are perpetrated by the English side, it’s okay, but it is evil when the Arabs do it. The words infidel and pagans are used freely. So, don’t expect an ethical story.
  Do not expect the women in this story to be well-defined or interesting beyond serving as the underlay or an illustration of the boys’ coming of age, or their prowess as lovers, as this adventure novel lacks those balanced views or any sense of reality. These types of escapist stories are, after all, meant for a readership of men, or should I say: eternal boys? The book could not reach me on an emotional level other than disgust reading certain chapters, except one scene where Dorian’s camel succumbed in a battle.
  
  To be fair, the novel was well-written, and it helped me through the quarantine period at my hotel on my return to Kelowna BC, with a note that the author should check his use of Dutch, as the sloppy spelling mistakes were evident to a Dutch person. For instance, the famous Admiral Michiel de Ruyter’s name (info readily accessible on the Net) was butchered, whose brilliant naval victories in the Second and Third Anglo-Dutch wars enabled the United Provinces of the Netherlands to maintain a balance of power with England.
  
  Smith did his research and I enjoyed the historical bits. Another interesting subject to me was how ill-informed the doctors were and that the hygiene to prevent illness and infections was unknown. My toes curled at times, reading their practices.
  Finally, the heroes in the novel were members of the well-to-do British upper-crust, and the narrative made it clear that the common men were just cannon fodder and used to it. No rebels, here. Indeed, Monsoon is historical fiction but also a fantasy novel.
  
  In the end, the whole endeavor was all about the money—the primary motivator behind the adventures—and the novel shows the reader the early beginnings of capitalism. The English and the Dutch East India Companies collected vast wealth by exploiting the East Indies spice islands and Africa, including inventing the massive world of slavery, which still distorts society in North America and is the cause of ongoing racism in the world. If you keep this in mind while reading the novel, you may get educated.
  After this analysis early in my read, I kept reading as the relationships between the sons and the father intrigued me. Will Dorry be saved? Will William finally defeat Tom? Will Hal keep his sons in line? Alas, the story about family got lost soon in the adventures and only occasionally returns as a structure devise.
  
  Towards the end of this book, I almost threw it in the garbage, when the hunt on elephants is described as one of Tom’s major adventures, undertaken just for the sake of the trading value of ivory tusks. In this age, hunting of these highly evolved creatures is considered criminal. The section was hard to read, especially now we know so much more about the intelligence and family structures of elephants. I resented Tom’s ecstasy after bringing down a magnificent animal. The scene reminded me of the media reports and photos of big game hunting by the Trump sons. The very last chapters were even harder to read when the elephant hunters met the slave hunters. The small mercy of the author for readers was that Smith at least had Tom draw the line at hunting black Africans for the slave trade. Well, I finished the book but would not ever pick up another Wilbur Smith book.
• 
  Kirra

  So this book was recommended by a friend and I judged the book by its cover....did mot think I'd like it. Holly golf balls I loved it!!!! I needed a 20 minute reflection after this as it was an emotion journey.