My review for this epic adventure story, Monsoon:
WHERE I'M COMING FROM ON THIS REVIEW
=
This is the only Wilbur Smith novel I've read, but I've just read it for the second time in as many years (and since it's 949 pages long, you can be sure it's worth it!). I've just ordered two more ... Read review
Before there was empire, there was trade, and military force to protect that trade. ... more
Wilbur Smith's new, full-blooded historical novel starts with the commissioning, by King William III of Sir Hal Franklin. Franklin's mission is to rid the Indian Ocea...
Postage & Packaging: refer to website Availability: Free!
Before there was empire, there was trade, and military force to protect that trade. ... more
Wilbur Smith's new, full-blooded historical novel starts with the commissioning, by King William III of Sir Hal Franklin. Franklin's mission is to rid the Indian Ocea...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Before there was empire, there was trade, and military force to protect that trade. ... more
Wilbur Smith's new, full-blooded historical novel starts with the commissioning, by King William III of Sir Hal Franklin. Franklin's mission is to rid the Indian Ocea...
Postage & Packaging: refer to website Availability: Free!
Before there was empire, there was trade, and military force to protect that trade. ... more
Wilbur Smith's new, full-blooded historical novel starts with the commissioning, by King William III of Sir Hal Franklin. Franklin's mission is to rid the Indian Ocea...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Before there was empire, there was trade, and military force to protect that trade. ... more
Wilbur Smith's new, full-blooded historical novel starts with the commissioning, by King William III of Sir Hal Franklin. Franklin's mission is to rid the Indian Ocean of the pirate known as al-Aouf, the Bad One, and tells us more than we knew about the East India trade, Channel smuggling, the Arab slave trade and the struggle to keep Oman free from the Ottoman Empire. Smith's solid, competent prose does not always avoid the hackneyed, but effectively conveys both the heat of battle and the savoury smells of lands experienced for the first time. Hal Franklin has four sons and the complex tragedy of their relationships dominates the book as brother is pitted against brother in love, and war, and treachery. The plot, though, is only a part of what is important here; the Indian Ocean trade was the site of one of the great confrontations between the English-speaking world and Islam--a conflict, between the brash mariners with their shiny new guns and the long-established, scholarly, brave, pious rulers of Arabia and the East African coast. A conflict whose outcome was open to doubt.--Roz Kaveney
Postage & Packaging:refer to website Availability:Check Site.
Before there was empire, there was trade, and military force to protect that trade. ... more
Wilbur Smith's new, full-blooded historical novel starts with the commissioning, by King William III of Sir Hal Franklin. Franklin's mission is to rid the Indian Ocean of the pirate known as al-Aouf, the Bad One, and tells us more than we knew about the East India trade, Channel smuggling, the Arab slave trade and the struggle to keep Oman free from the Ottoman Empire. Smith's solid, competent prose does not always avoid the hackneyed, but effectively conveys both the heat of battle and the savoury smells of lands experienced for the first time. Hal Franklin has four sons and the complex tragedy of their relationships dominates the book as brother is pitted against brother in love, and war, and treachery. The plot, though, is only a part of what is important here; the Indian Ocean trade was the site of one of the great confrontations between the English-speaking world and Islam--a conflict, between the brash mariners with their shiny new guns and the long-established, scholarly, brave, pious rulers of Arabia and the East African coast. A conflict whose outcome was open to doubt.--Roz Kaveney
Postage & Packaging:refer to website Availability:Check Site.
Before there was empire, there was trade, and military force to protect that trade. ... more
Wilbur Smith's new, full-blooded historical novel starts with the commissioning, by King William III of Sir Hal Franklin. Franklin's mission is to rid the Indian Ocean of the pirate known as al-Aouf, the Bad One, and tells us more than we knew about the East India trade, Channel smuggling, the Arab slave trade and the struggle to keep Oman free from the Ottoman Empire. Smith's solid, competent prose does not always avoid the hackneyed, but effectively conveys both the heat of battle and the savoury smells of lands experienced for the first time. Hal Franklin has four sons and the complex tragedy of their relationships dominates the book as brother is pitted against brother in love, and war, and treachery. The plot, though, is only a part of what is important here; the Indian Ocean trade was the site of one of the great confrontations between the English-speaking world and Islam--a conflict, between the brash mariners with their shiny new guns and the long-established, scholarly, brave, pious rulers of Arabia and the East African coast. A conflict whose outcome was open to doubt.--Roz Kaveney
Postage & Packaging:refer to website Availability:Check Site.
Advantages: Captivating, inspiring and epic. Disadvantages: A bit gruesome for some in places (& a bit adult too).
...am too tempted to read Monsoon for a 3rd time!!).
The type of books I normally read are Sci-Fi (usually Isaac Asimov or Arthur C. Clarke) and occasionally other adventure / fiction. I prefer longer books where the story can be much deeper and more full (nearly 1000 pages is only just enough when you get into Monsoon).
THE BOOK
=========
So it's almost 1000 pages long - don't let that worry you if ... ...17th to the 20th Century. Monsoon is part of the 17th-18th Century section and is only preceded by one other book, Birds of Prey (one of the books I have just ordered to continue my reading). There are a few references to prior events that I presume are covered in Birds of Prey, but Monsoon can be read and enjoyed fully on its own (as I read it) since any background is filled in as the story progresses.
THE PLOT
========= more
My review for this epic adventure story, Monsoon:
WHERE I'M COMING FROM ON THIS REVIEW ================================== This is the only Wilbur Smith novel I've read, but I've just read it for the second time in as many years (and since it's 949 pages long, you can be sure it's worth it!). I've just ordered two more of his novels (see later) to stop the nervous twitches in my hands from not having another of his books to read (and I hope those new books arrive before I am too tempted to read Monsoon for a 3rd time!!).
The type of books I normally read are Sci-Fi (usually Isaac Asimov or Arthur C. Clarke) and occasionally other adventure / fiction. I prefer longer books where the story can be much deeper and more full (nearly 1000 pages is only just enough when you get into Monsoon).
THE BOOK ========= So it's almost 1000 pages long - don't let that worry you if you don't normally read long books, it's packed with plenty of action and suspense right from the start with hardly a lull.
There are 9 books in the Courtney series by Wilbur Smith that span the 17th to the 20th Century. Monsoon is part of the 17th-18th Century section and is only preceded by one other book, Birds of Prey (one of the books I have just ordered to continue my reading). There are a few references to prior events that I presume are covered in Birds of Prey, but Monsoon can be read and enjoyed fully on its own (as I read it) since any background is filled in as the story progresses.
THE PLOT ========= The plot revolves around the Courtney family: The wealthy and successful sea-farer, Hal Courtney; his cunning and cruel eldest son, William; the competitive twins Tom and Guy and the young and innocent Dorian.
Trying not to spoil the plot too much: Hal has retired from his adventuring at sea under the East India Trading Company but is called upon to undertake another adventure to protect the Company (and his own investments) from a dangerous, elusive pirate. His eldest son, an intelligent young man but cold hearted and ruthless, is not one for the sea and remains in England to look after the family estate whilst his father takes the other 3 boys on an adventure which forges their whole lives.
The characters, as Wilbur Smith describes them, are ones that you will very quickly grow to care about. You could split most of the characters in the book into two groups (both the Courtney family and the dozen or so other main characters they meet): Firstly there are the kind-hearted, loyal and loving people and secondly the cunning and treacherous ones. This nicely sets the feeling of this book to be a realistic epic struggle between good and evil (without going over the top and without the good guy always winning).
What really makes the story such a pleasure to read are the lovingly detailed descriptions of the places as much as the people and cultures encountered. Other than England, the book is mostly set in Africa and Arabia and the scope of the book here is what really makes it an epic story for me.
The content of the book is a pleasing mixture of sea-faring adventure (perhaps one third of the book is set on ships, not too much that you get bored, but enough to get a feel for what shapes the lives of the (mostly) men. The rest of the book is given over to adventures in foreign lands, the intricacies of trying to make a bit of profit along the way (which isn't always easy when wanted for murder in every port) and struggles that range from battles of words to man-on-man to armies of thousands.
WHO SHOULD READ IT =================== I'm in my 20's (and male) but I think this book should appeal to most 16 year olds and up (at a rough guess). I don't see why it should be much less popular with female readers as if adventure and battle aren't your thing then much of the story and lives of the characters are shaped by their loves (particularly those that they shouldn't be loving!).
The only considerations in who shouldn't read it are that it does get a bit adult from time to time (even in the first chapter - which you can read online and get a good feel for the style of writing - http://www.wilbursmithbooks.com/books/monsoonch.html ). Also, given that there are a fair number of canons, guns and swords in the book, there are equally a fair few gory descriptions of their impact - a bit difficult to skip these if you are squeamish, but they do generally come across as descriptions to aid in describing the vivid scenes of battle rather than purely for the sake of horror.
WHERE TO GET IT =============== Your cheapest option is to look for a second hand copy as there are plenty around - e.g. on ebay.co.uk there are 20+ lots of one or more books including Monsoon (remember that postage will be a couple of quid as it's a long book). It can be cheaper to get a couple of books at the same time and save on postage (hence why I'll be getting River God (from his Egyptian series) as well as Birds of Prey. Again, the website is worth a look: http://www.wilbursmithbooks.com
Now go and read Monsoon and forget about the snow outside and lose yourself in the tropical heat of Africa and the deserts of Arabia! :-)
Advantages: See opinion Disadvantages: See opinion
~ ~ As a teenager I remember devouring the novels of author Wilbur Smith and his chronicles of the adventuresome and ambitious Courtney family throughout the different generations as they battled and schemed to establish their commercial empire in Africa.
Books such as “When the Lion Feeds” and “The Sound Of Thunder” were true epics set in the Dark Continent, and enthralled and captivated my young imagination.
~ ~ But I ... ...wasn’t an author I would rush to when perusing the shelves of a bookshop.
But while in holiday in Tuscany last summer, I ran out of reading material, and one afternoon by the pool a fellow guest offered me a book by Smith called “Birds of Prey”.
Needs must, and I started to read, although without too much enthusiasm.
~ ~ What a revelation. Not only did I devour the nearly 600 page novel in about two days, I then started to scour ...
the_mad_cabbie 15.03.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Monsoon - Wilbur Smith
Advantages: A book that gives escapism a new meaning Disadvantages: Not for "short book" readers (674 pages)
I've read almost all of Wilbur Smith's books now and after the exhausting task of finishing each one, I have to go and find the next (Anywhere dammit - bins, bookstores, charity shops - I don't care!!!!)
Monsoon, set in the dawn of the eighteenth Century (another episode of the Courtney family - set about 25 years after “Birds of Prey” left off) is an enchanting tale of a family torn apart through each other’s differences. The ... ...on the high seas and after four years away from service, master mariner Sir Hal Courtney prepares for what will be his most dangerous voyage yet - a life or death mission in the name of Empire… His sons (William - Black Billy to the other brothers, the determined bully of the boys, Guy and Tom - twins a few years younger, and Dorrie, the baby of the bunch) are led by foolish bravado (as always) and sexual escapades through puberty and into ...
pookypop 15.02.2001 (15.06.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Monsoon - Wilbur Smith
Advantages: gripping and busy Disadvantages: the fact that I hadn't read any of his books till now
...Where I came across Monsoon by Wilbur Smith.
I had seen his books advertised and taken no interest whatsoever in them.
I picked the book up and whilst reading the back the sheer weight and thickness of the book itself put me off a bit. What the heck at £1.50 that was all I had to lose.
I will admit that I did read the first chapter twice as I couldn't get into it that well.
Well, after the first chapter or so I was there with the Courtney's feeling, ... ...Smith was born in Central Africa in 1933.
He became a full time writer in 1964 and has since had around 30 novels published.
He owns a farm and game reserve and has an abiding concern for the people and wildlife of his native continent, an interest strongly reflected in his novels.
The story is set in the 18th century. East India is the location.
The Courtney families destiny is shaped by action, romance and adventure and you can't help living ...
jymwal 27.11.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Monsoon - Wilbur Smith
Advantages: Brilliant far reaching story, Very pacy , you will not put it down Disadvantages: Perhaps a little long at 949 pages
...on to the book…..
Monsoon continues on from its predecessor (Birds of Prey) and yet again the Courtney family make up the main cast of central characters. They are presented as one of the great seafaring families of English society making their fortune by raiding the shipping routes of their country’s enemies under letters of marque (basically a licence for piracy) and by trade.
The book concentrates on the adventures of two of the ... ...attention to detail. Wilbur Smith’s love for his native continent shines through in every one of his stories and yet again Monsoon is no exception. As a result I would highly recommend this book to anybody likes a good adventure story.
Read it - you will not be disappointed. ...
Guzman 27.05.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Monsoon - Wilbur Smith
Advantages: Absolute genious, perfect book for summer holidays Disadvantages: not suitable for children (refernces to violence and sexual content)
...Where do I buy?
Monsoon is available from any good book seller; I'd suggest Waterstones, EBay or the likes of Amazon. The book is Price in the region of £6.99, which is a fraction of its true value.
Please even if you found this review useless, please read this book it is spectacular! ...
jason_207 15.06.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Monsoon - Wilbur Smith
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Advantages: good plot Disadvantages: for some readers, may be a bit long
As WilburSmith is one of my favourite authors, I was happy to accept this as a present.
The story follows on where the book 'Monsoon' left off. It follows the life of the two youngest members of the Courtney family-cousins Jim and Manseur (sons of Tom and Dorian). As with older members of the family, the characters dont always follow the rules, especially Jim. The story follows the two cousins in the various trails and tribulations that are thrown at them through the course of the book. As well as these two characters there are several more story lines in the book, which interconnect with the main plot.
As with most WilburSmith books, this one is based in Africa. It is really descriptive and well written. It is quite like many other books by the same author, but in terms of pure escapism, I think that it is well worth a read. It ...
Product Information for "Monsoon - Wilbur Smith" »
Product details
Author
Wilbur Smith
Title
Monsoon
Genre
Thriller
Type
Fiction
ISBN
0330376799; 0333637712; 0333767276; 0333780280
Manufacturer's product description
Monsoon, set in the dawn of the 18th century in England, East Africa and Arabia, takes over where "Birds of Prey" left off and follows the lives of the three sons of Hal Courteney.
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