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11th out of 33 books
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23 voters
Monsoon (Courtney #10)
One man. Three sons. A powerful destiny waiting to unfold.
Monsoon is the sweeping epic that continues the saga begun in Wilbur Smith's bestselling Birds of Prey. Once a voracious adventurer, it has been many years since Hal Courtney has dared the high seas. Now he must return with three of his sons - Tom, Dorian, and Guy - to protect the East India Trading Company from loo...more
Monsoon is the sweeping epic that continues the saga begun in Wilbur Smith's bestselling Birds of Prey. Once a voracious adventurer, it has been many years since Hal Courtney has dared the high seas. Now he must return with three of his sons - Tom, Dorian, and Guy - to protect the East India Trading Company from loo...more
Paperback, 624 pages
Published
May 16th 2003
by St. Martin's Griffin
(first published 1999)
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230th out of 725 books
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580 voters
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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...more
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...more
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The book opens at the end of the 17th century with teenage Tom Courtney up to mischief, sneaking into the chapel of his father's great estate with his twin brother Guy to meet with a serving girl for sex, making his half brother Dorian look out. Dorian sounds the alarm as their older brother, the brutal William, approaches and they all flee. Tom and Dorian are caught by William and Dorian is only saved from being strangled by his father Hal, a powerful man who has built up his massive estate thr...more
قصة من خيال الكاتب ، وقعت أحداثها منذ 300 سنة في البحار والأراضي ما بين بريطانيا وعمان وأفريقيا. أبدع الكاتب في وصف تفاصيل هذه الأحداث والأماكن والناس وأعمالهم وكأنك معهم ، وأعجبني خاصة وصفه للرحلات البحرية عبر المحيطات في ذلك الزمان.
Gold Mine قرأت له سابقاً رواية
وكانت رائعة.ولكن وللأسف عجبت من أحداث هذه الرواية في نصفها الثاني وبدت غير منطقية و فقدت كثيراً من جاذبية أسلوب الكاتب وواقعية التفاصيل التي يرويها فقد طغت عنصريته الواضحة على إجادته حيث بدأ الصراع بين الأخوين الانجليز وجماعتهما من طرف...more
Gold Mine قرأت له سابقاً رواية
وكانت رائعة.ولكن وللأسف عجبت من أحداث هذه الرواية في نصفها الثاني وبدت غير منطقية و فقدت كثيراً من جاذبية أسلوب الكاتب وواقعية التفاصيل التي يرويها فقد طغت عنصريته الواضحة على إجادته حيث بدأ الصراع بين الأخوين الانجليز وجماعتهما من طرف...more
So I love Historical Fiction. I really love tall ships. Oh and I do find converging cultures an incredibly rich and interesting topic. But I did not like this book at all.
It belies reason. It has everything.... Twins, a dark and exotic evil brother, swords and fighting, pirates, kidnapping, sex scenes!, multilingual, courageous, well educated and deadly fighting heros......... everything.....!!! But I had real difficulty turning each page... and I am a prolific reader... I never not finish a bo...more
It belies reason. It has everything.... Twins, a dark and exotic evil brother, swords and fighting, pirates, kidnapping, sex scenes!, multilingual, courageous, well educated and deadly fighting heros......... everything.....!!! But I had real difficulty turning each page... and I am a prolific reader... I never not finish a bo...more
May 28, 2011
Luckngrace
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction
I love Wilbur Smith's adventure stories. It's like watching an Errol Flynn movie and 960 pages just fly on by. The Courtney family saga hooks you in. Unfortunately, the first book I read was a later one in the series, so now I must backtrack. I ordered the old ones so stay tuned for reviews of them later.
Like my own family, there is enmity between the Courtney brothers. One brother is kidnapped and raised as a Muslim. We learn some of the mores and attitudes of Muslim behavior. Two favorite char...more
Like my own family, there is enmity between the Courtney brothers. One brother is kidnapped and raised as a Muslim. We learn some of the mores and attitudes of Muslim behavior. Two favorite char...more
An excellent pirate and adventure story, which never gets old. It seems hard to believe, but for centuries all the European nations would send out sea captains with a legal license to steal, a directive to attack merchant ships... so long as it was from someone else. They were backed by investors as any company or venture would be. (I laughed at the part where the hero is earnestly trying to get someone to fund his new ship to steal from the French. A great many parallels to any modern business...more
Hal Courtney must balance raising a family with the extreme dangers of the high seas. Monsoon is the story of a man charged with hunting an extremely dangerous pirate, while he must also see to the success and safety of his children. The Courtneys gain a foothold in the wondrous and uncharted country of Africa. This is an action-packed, heart-wrenching adventure that kept me enthralled until the very end.
This book is an exceptional composition! After reading "Birds of Prey", I was worried that t...more
This book is an exceptional composition! After reading "Birds of Prey", I was worried that t...more
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...more
Wilbur Smith is one of my favourite writers in general, despite his books always having Africa and history as the central themes and...more
Hal Courtney has left his active life on the sea and is raising his four sons at High Weald in England. His sons from three different mothers fight to gain their father's love and respect. William, the oldest and by English law the heir does not like his younger brothers and the feeling is mutual. Hal is called back to the sea by Lord Child to retrieve two ships for the John Company. He takes his sons with him and leaves William in charge of the estates. During the struggle to recapture the ship...more
Monsoon is an enthralling parallel story of two brothers, one emerging as a swashbuckling 17th century privateer off the coast of Zanzibar. The other is enslaved and brought up by an Arab prince in the Horn of Africa. Here you can see the emergence of the future financial and emotional foundations of the Courtney family in later South Africa. One thing that I notice in these books, which are always very readable, is the odd word(s) that Wilbur Smith introduces in each book (or perhaps it is a we...more
By far the best of Wilbur Smith. A great "mens adventure" novel that takes the reader on a time warp into the high sea's with pirates, fortune, and booty. ANd yes, I mean the modern day booty. This book pulled me into this series of novels and they are great to read when on vacation located near a body of water. Even if it is a lake and the extent of your adventure is how to get the cooler and lawn chair down to the shore in one trip. I have read the entire series and they are all fun. When read...more
I so enjoyed escaping into this wonderfully told story. I enjoyed learning a little about the East India Company and about the way of the Arabs in Zanzibar and life at sea as well as the slave trade. Smith is a good story teller and the book, which I picked up while traveling was not adversely affected by the fact that I hadn't known it was a part of a series. I didn't need what came before or after this book.
By far one of the best historical fiction books I've read since Michener! I've read other novels by Smith and while I've enjoyed them, this tale of the Courtney men enthralled me.
Swashbuckling adventure, historical details and atmosphere that made me want to travel to those places, people that Smith makes come alive and either love or hate..... It was one of those books that I hated to see end.
Good news...I discovered the prequel to this story! :}
Swashbuckling adventure, historical details and atmosphere that made me want to travel to those places, people that Smith makes come alive and either love or hate..... It was one of those books that I hated to see end.
Good news...I discovered the prequel to this story! :}
You don't have to be into ships and all things nautical to absolutely love this historical novel. Very exciting, very interesting, and very well written. This writer really allows you to follow the characters through their complex lives, as well as all the interesting people that effects them. The Prodigal Daughter is the sequal and cannot be missed.
Ripping holiday beach read. More intelligent that many ripping yarns. I liked the insight into the Arabic world. He is also good at hooks. 'I must talk to you,' says one character. 'But not here!' so you keep reading on to find out what she's going to say - and before you find out he's planted another hook to keep you turning pages.
Will leave you guessing until the end. Wilbur Smith has a way of weaving history into epic fiction, filled with intriguing characters and places. This book has pirates, a noble English family, slave traders, evil princes, elephant hunts and so much more! A great adventure and definitely worth the read.
this is one of the best books i've read. to give you something to compare to, some of my other favorites are "the stand" by Steven King, "the bear and the dragon", "red storm rising" and "the sum of all fears" by tom clancey; virtually anything by Clive Cussler, Vince Flynn or Lee Child.
Non gli do 5 stelle perché in alcuni punti la storia era un po' scontata, però devo dire che questo libro mi ha coinvolto sin da subito. Smith si è dimostrato ancora una volta l'abile narratore che è, costruendo una storia ricca di colpi di scena, avventura e tensione. 800 e passa pagine lette con l'ansia di scoprire come si sarebbe sviluppata la narrazione, con a volte delle interruzioni forzate, per "riprendermi" dai troppi colpi di scena.
all of Smith's (Smyth's) historical novels are excellent. Yes they have some holes. Big Deal. Are they too long, yes. Are they entertaining as hell ? Absolutely. Are they educating ? to some degree. Who else writes about English exploration of Africa ? Nobody I know.
Wilbur Smith returns to form with this novel, the second one of the seafaring Courtney series. The usual sweeping story, taking the diverse and conflicting cultures of the times. Excelent escapist adventures, plus the odd beautiful woman along the way. Great stuff.
Monsoon follows Birds of Prey in the early Courtney saga, moving forward another generation.
Betrayal within the family highlights this story with one of the Courtney sons being declared a murderer and outlaw. The African adventure continues.
Betrayal within the family highlights this story with one of the Courtney sons being declared a murderer and outlaw. The African adventure continues.
Wow! Finally got through this Epic! I just never knew where I was being taken next along the journey of this book. I found every thing I could want in a book conatined in it's pages, Drama, Action, Battles, Love/Romance, Suspence...
I read this several summers ago. LOL, I told my wife it was my "Pirate Romance" novel. I did like it though. So much that I started reading his other novels - he has several novel series. Good stuff!
One of the best adventure books i have read.
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.
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.
Classic Smith - a strong woman, heroic men, a brother who shouldn't be trusted (or 2 in this case), a chase through Africa where the main characters are at a serious disadvantage, a few very short but very hot scenese, etc. I really enjoyed it.
It's probably only a 4, but I'm feeling generous and I was in a good mood while reading it. =)
It's probably only a 4, but I'm feeling generous and I was in a good mood while reading it. =)
My favourite Wilber Smith book swashbuckleing adventure from cover to cover set around the African coast in the 1800's. Zanzibar, Cape Town, Pirates, villains, heros, they are all here.
Family drama at its best , sibling rivalry ,evil brother , two deeply attached brothers a bit of the biblical story.Adventure the high sea ,Wilbur Smith extraordinaire .
It's true you can choose your friends but not your relative- listening to a book has one advantage I can enjoy a book whilst doing other things eg ironing!!!
Awesome book that takes place from the 1790s-1830s. A great look at the shipping industry of the time, especially the trading between the English, Dutch, Africans, and Arabics. I really liked how Smith handled the many cultures that intersected at the time, and the story of the Courteney family was totally compelling. Great read.
Thisw was my first Wilbur Smith novel. One earthy part aboard ship - the rest I remember as a great pirate story of early Africa.
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Wilbur Smith is the bestselling author of many novels, each meticulously researched on his numerous expeditions worldwide. His bestselling Courtney series includes Assegai, The Sound of Thunder, Birds of Prey, Monsoon, and Blue Horizon. His other books include Those in Peril, River God, Warlock, The Seventh Scroll, and The Sunbird. His books are now translated into twenty-six languages and have so...more
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“A man follows the path laid out for him. He does his duty to God and his King. He does what he must do, not what pleases him. God's truth, boy, what kind of world would this be if every man did what pleased him alone? Who would plough the fields and reap the harvest, if every man had the right to say, 'I don't want to do that.' In this world there is a place for every man, but every man must know his place.”
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