false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168974486m/37609.jpg 37609 23 South Africa's master storyteller Wilbur Smith has been writing his exotic historical sagas for so long that he's in danger of being taken for granted and typecast as an author of adventure stories for and about overgrown boys. But there's a lot more to Smith's books than mere blood, thunder, swash, and buckle. He might not be as thoughtful or as philosophical as Patrick O'Brian, but his stories have a wider geographical and chronological range and lots more action. <p> <I>Monsoon</I> is the latest chronicle in Smith's Courteney series. In it, Hal Courteney is sent by the East India Trading Company to attack Arab pirates who are harassing trade off the East African coast. He takes three of his four sons, but one of them absconds to Bombay and another is taken prisoner by the Arabs. Although the mission is an eventual success, Hal himself is seriously injured and returns to England. His son Tom becomes the real hero of the story, gallantly rescuing his captured brother from the infidel.<p> Like his heroes, Smith's prose pulls no punches: "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." It may not be pretty, but it certainly grabs your attention. <I>--Dick Adler</I> 1068156 1999 Monsoon total:451|5:158|4:185|3:89|2:18|1:1| 451 1834 579 28 1456680 0333780280 9780333780282 6 3 4.07 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1183796645m/1456680.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1456680.Monsoon 4 0 false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Mar 05 11:26:23 -0800 2009 Thu Mar 05 11:42:51 -0800 2009 more...]]> 37609 0312317123 9780312317126 415 21 4.07 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168974486m/37609.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37609.Monsoon 4 0 false Mon Jan 05 18:58:48 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 05 19:13:53 -0800 2009 more...]]> 37609 0312317123 9780312317126 415 21 4.07 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168974486m/37609.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37609.Monsoon 5 0 false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Sat Nov 07 11:44:12 -0800 2009 Sat Nov 07 11:50:33 -0800 2009 37609 0312317123 9780312317126 415 21 4.07 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168974486m/37609.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37609.Monsoon 4 0 false Fri Oct 17 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Oct 21 07:48:37 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 21 08:31:55 -0700 2009 A mammoth Marine adventure of two brothers.You may initially be intimidated by the size of the book, but ones you hold on to it you will hardly let go of it.

]]> 37609 0312317123 9780312317126 415 21 4.07 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168974486m/37609.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37609.Monsoon 5 0 false Thu Apr 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 09 19:32:06 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 24 05:17:42 -0700 2009
It's probably only a 4, but I'm feeling gene...more...]]> 1081415 031220339X 9780312203399 4 1 4.07 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180827704m/1081415.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1081415.Monsoon 4 0 false Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1999 Sun Feb 22 21:17:20 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 22 21:18:25 -0800 2009 1456680 0333780280 9780333780282 6 3 4.07 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1183796645m/1456680.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1456680.Monsoon 5 0 false Tue Aug 18 16:27:35 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 18 16:33:01 -0700 2009 37609 0312317123 9780312317126 415 21 4.07 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168974486m/37609.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37609.Monsoon 5 0 false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2002 Wed May 07 08:31:41 -0700 2008 Wed May 07 08:36:27 -0700 2008 more...]]> 37609 0312317123 9780312317126 415 21 4.07 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168974486m/37609.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37609.Monsoon 5 0 false Mon Dec 08 19:18:11 -0800 2008 Sun Dec 14 18:19:17 -0800 2008 37609 0312317123 9780312317126 415 21 4.07 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168974486m/37609.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37609.Monsoon 0 0 false Sun Jul 29 00:00:00 -0700 2001 Wed Jul 29 13:16:28 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 29 13:16:41 -0700 2009 1456680 0333780280 9780333780282 6 3 4.07 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1183796645m/1456680.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1456680.Monsoon 4 0 false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sat Jul 07 01:24:55 -0700 2007 Sat Jul 28 04:55:49 -0700 2007 I was curious! ...so I started this one: two hundred pages in two days... not bad! (he was right!!)

(I'm reading the Italian version)

it is a grea...more...]]> 37609 0312317123 9780312317126 415 21 4.07 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168974486m/37609.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37609.Monsoon 4 0 false Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Jun 13 06:18:47 -0700 2007 Wed Jun 13 06:29:14 -0700 2007 The story is set in the dawn of the eighteenth century where the East India Trading Company suffers great losses from Arab pirates on the high seas.
Smith's natural storytelling, takes you on a...more...]]> 37609 0312317123 9780312317126 415 21 4.07 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168974486m/37609.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37609.Monsoon 5 0 false Sat May 17 19:17:48 -0700 2008 Thu Jul 17 15:30:40 -0700 2008 more...]]> 37609 0312317123 9780312317126 415 21 4.07 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168974486m/37609.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37609.Monsoon 3 0 false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Tue Jan 16 11:08:26 -0800 2007 Tue Jan 16 11:11:17 -0800 2007 906584 0330376799 9780330376792 8 2 4.07 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1179347975m/906584.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/906584.Monsoon 5 0 false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Wed Jun 13 12:06:16 -0700 2007 Wed Jun 13 12:20:03 -0700 2007
This book introduces a range of colourful characters: Hal, Tom, Guy, Dorian, and Black Billy.

Brilliant!!]]> 37609 0312317123 9780312317126 415 21 4.07 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168974486m/37609.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37609.Monsoon 4 0 false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1996 Sun Oct 07 08:39:12 -0700 2007 Sun Oct 07 08:39:12 -0700 2007 37609 0312317123 9780312317126 415 21 4.07 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168974486m/37609.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37609.Monsoon 5 0 false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Sun Jul 08 07:26:04 -0700 2007 Sun Jul 08 07:26:04 -0700 2007 37609 0312317123 9780312317126 415 21 4.07 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168974486m/37609.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37609.Monsoon 5 0 false Thu Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Sun Jul 01 16:51:55 -0700 2007 Sun Jul 01 16:53:45 -0700 2007 906584 0330376799 9780330376792 8 2 4.07 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1179347975m/906584.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/906584.Monsoon 4 0 false Thu Jan 03 11:12:50 -0800 2008 Fri Jan 04 23:18:46 -0800 2008 37609 0312317123 9780312317126 415 21 4.07 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168974486m/37609.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37609.Monsoon 5 0 false Mon May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2000 Fri Sep 21 17:11:30 -0700 2007 Fri Sep 21 19:04:41 -0700 2007 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=37609