Product Description

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, that takes them through the untouched wilderness of a beautiful land filled with warring tribes and wild animals. At heart a story of love and hatred, vengeance and greed, Blue Horizon is an utterly compelling adventure from one of the world's most celebrated novelists.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #305188 in Books
• Published on: 2003-03-14
• Released on: 2003-03-25
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 512 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Smith's latest Courtney family adventure (after Monsoon), set in colonial South Africa in the early 18th century, follows Jim Courtney, scion of the English shipping and adventuring family seeking their fortune in the Cape of Good Hope colony, administered by the Dutch. A storm at sea blows a ship full of female Dutch convicts into port, and Jim saves the life of the comeliest prisoner, Louisa, before the vessel sinks. Louisa was unjustly imprisoned when she went to the authorities about her lascivious and violent employer. Jim's rescue infuriates the greedy Dutch overlords, and the Courtneys, with Louisa in tow, head north in search of more hospitable territory. The balance of the long tale is elephant hunts, exploration of Indian sea islands, battles among native tribes and conflicts between principled colonialists-Jim and his father and brother-and their baser counterparts, including Jim's treacherous uncle and most of the Dutch population. The Courtneys are adored by various native peoples, and a Bushman tracker named Bakkat becomes their acolyte and guide, while his enemy, Xhia, takes orders from the Dutch. The eventual confrontation of the two Bushmen is gripping, if readers can get past the generally condescending way in which Smith writes about black Africans. Subtlety takes a back seat in this broad tale, and readers may be exhausted before they get to the end, but the writer's fans will enjoy the ride.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
Jim Courtney, the son of a settler in Southern Africa, falls in love at first sight with Louisa, a wrongfully accused woman he spies aboard a prison ship. When the ship crashes, he seizes the opportunity to rescue her, but his quick decision means they must flee. When Courtney's actions shame an official, his family is put in danger, as well. The action starts quickly and builds throughout, leading to an exciting--and bloody-- confrontation. Tim Pigott-Smith reads the tale as a tough adventure yarn but doesn't shy away from the romance between Jim and Louisa. Listeners who like adventure, historical or otherwise, will enjoy this chase on land and sea. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Booklist
The eleventh volume in Smith's saga of the Courtney clan is every bit as riveting as its predecessors. In Monsoon (1999), brothers Tom and Dorian Courtney established themselves as both swashbuckling seamen and master tradesmen on the shores of South Africa. This time around, their sons, Jim and Mansur Courtney, are equally determined to carve out their own triumphs across the African continent. When Jim falls in love unexpectedly with a beautiful prisoner he spies on a convict ship, he vows to free her from her shackles and a life of certain misery. Escaping with the emotionally shattered and physically damaged Louisa, Jim flees cross country with both his beloved and his faithful manservant, Zama, in tow. Worried about their only son, Tom and Sarah Courtney pursue the young couple, eventually bestowing their family blessing upon them. Blazing a trail across Africa, Jim and Louisa traverse thousands of miles of unexplored wilderness, encountering risk, adventure, and passion along every step of their perilous journey into the unknown. Reuniting with Mansur, Jim and the rest of his expedition face mortal danger from an unexpected source. Brimming with bravado, greed, and romance, this rip-roaring historical romp across eighteenth-century Africa will mesmerize faithful fans and win new converts to Smith's trademark brand of lushly exotic fiction. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

A Master of the Historic Epic
If Wilbur Smith had been a painter, he would have been Michaelangelo rather than Monet. He is incapable of doing anything that is muted, but writes in bold dashing narrative about one of his favorite subjects the Courtney clan of South Africa and the peoples of the region as well.

I have lost count of the number of novels he has written, but I could go check because I have them all. I think his best writing has been about the Courtneys and he has done it in a most interesting way in that the latest three books about them, Birds of Prey, Monsoon and Blue Horizons are about the origins of the clan. These have been written long after he has written about the progeny of the Courtneys in numerous books whech describe their exploits to the present time.

Others have told the story line of this book in the reviews that appear here and my recounting it once again will not add or detract from your decision to obtain the book. What I will say is that reading a Wilbur Smith novel is the closest thing to reliving the history of the times as you are likely to find. He mixes all of the elements, action, intrigue, and passion into a delectable concoction and delivers it with the master's touch.

Not really for me
The story is set in the 1800 where the main characters are out to stake their claim in southern Africa. They are traveling along infamous roads which take them through the untouched wilderness, a beautiful land filled with warring tribes and wild animals. At the heart of the story is love, hatred, vengeance and greed.

You will find captivating the infinite details of bloody attacks from enemy tribes and other pursuers all through the book. The elephant and hippopotamus hunts are so realistic you would think you are watching a movie. The high sea battles are so engaging you can hear the sizzling of the fire and the crackling wood of the ships. Of course the author added a bit of romance to all this action.

I found this book a bit hard to read mainly because my taste is more towards spy and police stories rather then reading about men in loincloths engaged in primitive war-fare. On the whole I could say I did not dislike the book.

Smith continues to produce quality novels
Wilbur Smith's last three books have been, IMHO, his best writing.
Blue Horizon caps the end of the trilogy tales of the previous Birds of Prey and Monsoon.
You can pick up any of Smith's books and become hooked and understand the story in short order. He will then take you on a journey of twists and turns using historical Africa as the setting and familar family names from his other novels.
To get the best experience from Blue Horizon, read the first two books mentioned above, starting with Birds of Prey.

I also have enjoyed all of Smiths books and continue to stumble across ones I haven't read yet. I would say that River God was my absolute favorite.

I'm not sure why other reviewers have complained about Smith's latest books. He has not lost his abilities and continues to be one of the best writers around.
At least he hasn't sold out to the latest trend in book writing, attaching a new author to an established one to sell books. Clancy started this, followed by Clive Cussler and a host of others.
Keep up the good work Wilbur!