The Sound of Thunder (The Courtneys)

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Tomorrow early we will reach Pretoria.’ The voice beside him interrupted his dreaming, and Sean moved in the saddle and looked down at the Zulu who squatted beside his horse.

Monsoon follows the adventures of Hal's sons, William, Tom, Guy and Dorian. An Arab Corsair is ambushing merchant and war ships in the Indian Ocean and the English send Hal to contest him. The twin brothers, Tom and Guy, fall out over a woman and Guy leaves for India while William remains home in England. Dorian is captured by slavers and sold to the Prince of Oman, al-Malik, who adopts him as his son. There he meets Yasmini, one of the many daughters of the Prince. They fall in love and Dorian saves her from Zayn al-Din, another of the Prince's sons. Eventually Dorian (known as al-Salil, The Drawn Sword) and Yasmini run away, damned for committing incest. Many years of searching leave Tom tired of battle but by chance he faces Dorian in battle and almost kills him. Recognizing each other, they reunite and escape to Africa. We find Sean out in the bush four years after the end of When The Lion Feeds. He and his group are returning from hunting ivory (thank goodness we were all spared the descriptions of shooting elephants this time) and everyone is dreaming of the riches to be had once they get to town and sell their goods. A thundering good' read is virtually the only way of describing Wilbur Smith's books." --The Irish Times Damn it, God damn it!’ Sean swore bitterly, and then, ‘Izzy, I’ve got twenty wagons and ten tons of ivory parked out there on the edge of town – are you interested?’ Cheeky little bugger!’ gruffed Sean for Mbejane’s benefit, but silently he queried his share of the blame. He had raised the boy with a wagon as his home and the veld as his schoolroom, grown men his companions and authority over them as his undisputed right of birth.Nkosi, we have killed many elephant.' Mbejane nodded and Sean noticed for the first time the strands of silver in the woolly cap of his hair. No longer a young man either. The Transvaal Republic and the Orange Free State. Already we have won great victories – Ladysmith is besieged, Kimberley, Mafeking–’ A violent saga-type story set on Boer War South Africa and told with vigour and enthusiasm, the author of When the Lion Feeds spins a fine tale." -- Evening Standard Blue Horizon follows the adventures of Tom's son Jim, and Dorian's son, Mansur. Living in the Cape of Good Hope, Jim rescues Louisa, a prisoner of the Dutch East India Company, whom he falls in love with and together they escape across Africa while being pursued by the colonial authorities. Meanwhile, Tom, Dorian and their entourage escape Good Hope to avoid retribution for Jim's escape. Once escaped they settle, where Dorian's wife Yasmini is assassinated and this leads to him reclaiming his place as Caliph of Oman with Mansur by his side. They fight in a civil war against Zayn al-Din, who took the throne after al-Malik's death and ruled with an iron fist.

Just supposing it was war between the Republic and Britain, and just supposing the Boers caught him – what would they do with him? The Sound of Thunder is the thrilling second novel from Wilbur Smith, one of the best and most beloved authors of the century.

A violent saga-type story set on Boer War South Africa and told with vigour and enthusiasm, the author of When the Lion Feeds spins a fine tale. "Evening Standard" Access-restricted-item true Addeddate 2013-03-05 19:21:50 Bookplateleaf 0002 Boxid IA1306312 City London Donor Every time I ask you to do something I get a mouthful of argument. Now do what I tell you.' They held each other's eyes; Sean glaring and Dirk resentful, sulky. Sean recognized that expression with dismay. This was going to be another of those tests of will that were becoming more frequent between them. Would this end as most of the others had? Must he admit defeat and use the sjambok again? When was the last time - two weeks ago - when Sean had reprimanded Dirk on some trivial point concerning the care of his pony. Dirk had stood sullenly until Sean was finished, and then he had walked away among the wagons. Dropping the subject from his mind, Sean was chatting with Mbejane when suddenly there was a squeal of pain from the laager and Sean ran towards it.

As Sean fights to save himself, his family, and his fortune, The Sound of Thunder becomes a vibrant tale of love and hatred in many forms: between brothers, between friends, between father and son, and between man and woman. The pace would do credit to a Porsche, and the invention is as bright and explosive as a fireworks display. Sunday Telegraph" Sean beat him again, with the rope, but this time coldly - not for the sake of retribution. Dirk did not break.Smith's books always have a good amount of strife, betrayal, jealousy, hardship, tragedy and sacrifice that he writes into his characters. The Sound of Thunder is a story rich in these human frailties. This story is engrossing but at a little slower pace than some of the more adventure oriented books. Sean Courtney is central to the story. We also get to into the hearts and minds of the many characters that orbit in his universe. All in the elusive search of happiness, love, revenge and/or redemption. This creates a complex and intricate character interactions making the story fun to read. I particularly like the relationship between Sean and his Zulu friend/servant Mbejane. When they have been apart for some time, they greet each other by saying "I see you." This is a rich and complex relationship that I think could have been explored a little more.