Blue Horizon
"At the close of Wilbur Smith's bestselling Monsoon, Tom Courtney and his brother Dorian battled on the high seas and finally reached the Cape of Good Hope to start life afresh." In this spellbinding new novel, the next generation of Courtneys are out to stake their claim in southern Africa, travelling along the infamous 'Robber's Road.' It is a journey both exciting and hazardous, which takes them through the untouched wilderness of a beautiful land filled with warring tribes and wild animals.
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The New York Times bestselling author and one of the greatest adventure writers of our time returns with a pulse pounding tale of danger, courage and suspense. In the tradition of Wilbur Smith's earlier bestseller, Monsoon, this spellbinding new novel introduces the next generation of Courtneys. They are out to stake their claim in Southern Africa, travelling along the infamous "Robbers' Road."The Dream Of A Family.The Future Of An Empire.The Adventure Of A Lifetime.With adventure in their blood, Jim and Mansur Courtney seek to carve out a life for themselves and their families in the unexplored splendor of Africa. But laying claim to a land devastated by war yields unexpected risks. No sooner does their journey unfold than their destiny changes with the daring rescue of a woman imprisoned on a doomed convict ship. Blazing a thousand-mile trail, they escape across a savage world of warring native tribes, bounty hunters, and predators driven by greed and lust. Now the Courtney's true quest begins-a life-and-death pursuit of a dream at any cost..."The eleventh volume in Smith's saga of the Courtney clan is every bit as riveting as its predecessors. Brimming with bravado, greed, and romance." -Booklist"Action is Wilbur Smith's game, and he is a master." -Washington Post Book WorldPublishers WeeklyFans of Smith's previous chronicles involving the swashbuckling Courtneys (The Sunbird, etc.) will embrace this event-packed addition, which finds the British clan plying the shipping trade in 18th-century South Africa. Set 25 years after Smith's Monsoon (1999), it concentrates on the family's "new" generation-headstrong young Jim Courtney and his proud cousin Mansur. The feverish action begins when Jim falls under the spell of a stunningly beautiful prisoner aboard a Dutch convict ship. Naturally, she is guiltless. Naturally, he helps her escape into the dark continent's wilderness, placing them both in peril and the family business in jeopardy. What follows is a relentless succession of harrowing chases, narrow escapes, battles on land and sea, assassinations and assignations. Pigott-Smith's British accent, at times clipped enough to draw blood, softens to an almost roguish intimacy during the novel's romantic interludes, when women writhe "voluptuously" or make gifts of "the flower of [their] maidenhood." For the scheming non-British villains, he opts for a sinister whine that resembles the voice of the late Peter Lorre on speed. In short, he is the ideal audio interpreter for this highly melodramatic, ripping yarn. Simultaneous release with the St. Martin's/Dunne hardcover (Forecasts, Apr. 28). (Aug.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
\ From the PublisherPraise for Blue Horizon"More than 600 pages of pure pleasure...Smith can stretch a yarn and drag every emotion you have along with it...Smith has a way of drawing you into a story, and the time period matters not a whit."-Times Record News (Wichita Falls, TX)\ 'Wilbur Smith is one of those benchmarks against whom others are compared' – The Times\ " Everything Smith’s fans have come to expect from his epic adventure novels. His consummate skill at crafting vast battle scenes, passionate and wildly romantic characters, cruel and bloodthirsty villains, and larger-than-life heroes makes Blue Horizon irresistible." — The Flint Journal\ “The eleventh volume in Smith’s saga of the Courtney clan is every bit as riveting as its predecessors. Brimming with bravado, greed, and romance.”—Booklist\ “A swashbuckling, brawling, sprawling historical epic. Rich, exciting, and fascinating.”—Library Journal\ “Really big retro-fun.”—Kirkus\ “Gripping. The writer’s fans will enjoy the ride.”—Publishers Weekly\ “Master storyteller Smith takes his story into another generation of adventurers battling on the sea and on land in the settling of South Africa.”—Tulsa World\ “The eleventh volume in Smith’s saga of the Courtney clan is every bit as riveting as its predecessors. Brimming with bravado, greed, and romance.”—Booklist\ “Adventure and danger at every turn.”—New York Daily News\ \ Praise for Wilbur Smith\ “Smith is a master.” —Publishers Weekly\ “One of the world’s most popular adventure writers.” —The Washington Post Book World\ “A rare author who wields a razor-sharp sword of craftsmanship.” —Tulsa World\ “Wilbur Smith is one of those benchmarks against whom others are compared.” —The Times (UK) "Best Historical Novelist—I say Wilbur Smith, with his swashbuckling novels of Africa. The bodices of rip and the blood flows. You can get lost in Wilbur Smith and misplace all of August."—Stephen King\ "Action is Wilur Smith's game, and he is a master."—The Washington Post Book World\ “The world’s leading adventure writer.” —Daily Express (UK)\ "Wilbur Smith rarely misses a trick."—Sunday Times\ “Smith is a captivating storyteller.” —The Orlando Sentinel\ “No one does adventure quite like Smith.” —Daily Mirror (UK)\ "A thundering good’ read is virtually the only way of describing Wilbur Smith’s books.” —The Irish Times\ \ \ \ \ \ Publishers WeeklyFans of Smith's previous chronicles involving the swashbuckling Courtneys (The Sunbird, etc.) will embrace this event-packed addition, which finds the British clan plying the shipping trade in 18th-century South Africa. Set 25 years after Smith's Monsoon (1999), it concentrates on the family's "new" generation-headstrong young Jim Courtney and his proud cousin Mansur. The feverish action begins when Jim falls under the spell of a stunningly beautiful prisoner aboard a Dutch convict ship. Naturally, she is guiltless. Naturally, he helps her escape into the dark continent's wilderness, placing them both in peril and the family business in jeopardy. What follows is a relentless succession of harrowing chases, narrow escapes, battles on land and sea, assassinations and assignations. Pigott-Smith's British accent, at times clipped enough to draw blood, softens to an almost roguish intimacy during the novel's romantic interludes, when women writhe "voluptuously" or make gifts of "the flower of [their] maidenhood." For the scheming non-British villains, he opts for a sinister whine that resembles the voice of the late Peter Lorre on speed. In short, he is the ideal audio interpreter for this highly melodramatic, ripping yarn. Simultaneous release with the St. Martin's/Dunne hardcover (Forecasts, Apr. 28). (Aug.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.\ \ \ Library JournalThis recording is a bit longer than others on the market and about a quarter the length of an unabridged reading of Smith's 620-page novel. He fills in a gap (mid-1700s) he left in his Courtney family series set in Southern Africa. The fine reading by Tim Pigott-Smith helps to keep the listener engaged, though Smith fans will sorely miss his finely detailed descriptions of the countryside, people, wildlife, and macho imperialism that breathes real life into his fictionalized 18th-century African history. Tom Courtney's son Jim falls in love, abducts his future wife from a Dutch prison ship, and is chased through the unexplored wilderness, capturing herds of cattle and tons of ivory along the way. Of course, he encounters a host of nefarious characters, gory killings, narrow escapes, romantic sex, deceptions, betrayals, masquerades, several sea battles, and a couple of sieges. It's a lot of fun. Folks familiar with Smith's other works will enjoy this a bit more since they will recognize terminology that is not well defined here. Recommended for adventure fiction collections.-Cliff Glaviano, Bowling Green State Univ. Libs., OH Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.\ \ \ \ \ Kirkus ReviewsSuperprolific chronicler of Afro-colonial glory days Smith continues the saga of the Courtney family from where it left off in Monsoon (1999). The outcome of Smith's Big African Adventures is never in doubt: big lusty white men will prevail over evil, grasping white men with considerable assistance from hordes of adoring black men who have had the good sense to recognize lusty leadership when they see it. So what tension there is must come from the many, many, many intermediate battles between the big lusty white men and the evil, grasping white men, and from the electricity that flies between the big lusty white men and the fair bodies of the straight-shooting, outdoor-loving women lucky enough to come into their lives. Sailing now into the lives of the superrich 17th-century British Courtney family is long-legged Louisa Leuven, a plucky Dutch orphan who escaped the plague only to fall into the clutches of a sexually predatory, sadomasochistic, Amsterdam burgher who framed her when she tried to blow the whistle on him. As the ship transporting her and other hussies to the Indies rounds the Cape of Good Hope, Louisa captures the heart of young Jim Courtney, who, when the ship comes a cropper in a squall, spirits her away, enraging the grumpy Dutch overlords of the Cape Colony and forcing the entire Courtney clan to flee with their fortune. Louisa, understandably off sex for the present, is not immune to the manly charms of her rescuer, but Jim is a perfect gentleman, never pushing, just showing her a swell time as they hack their way north, dodging pursuers, slaying animals by the score, riding the finest horseflesh in Africa, prying the biggest tusks anyone has ever seen from elephantsunlucky enough to meet up with them. While the young folk blaze new trails, the older generation sails up the east coast and into big trouble. Time to call in those adoring native armies. Utter nonsense, but as readable as ever. Really big retro-fun for the gents.\ \
![Sound of Thunder [Courtneys Series]](/application/data/covers/06/76/9780312940676.jpg "Sound of Thunder [Courtneys Series]")
