Historical Fiction

I have been following the adventures of Wilbur Smith’s Courtenay family for a long, long time. I have lost track of the number of books he has written about the different branches of this family. In [Assegai] we are in the years leading up to World War I, following the adventures of Leon Courtenay. A army lieutenant in British East Africa, he is encouraged to appear to resign his commission in order to become a big game hunter and guide, when in fact his orders are to spy on his affluent German customers.

In the past, Wilbur Smith knew how to tell a story that flew off the page. With breakneck speed he could take you through one adventure after another. Whether it was hunting elephants, lions or tracking human prey he kept you glued to the pages. He does knows Africa and is able to transport his reader there to experience the sights, sounds and smells. Unfortunately I didn’t feel this particular book lived up to some of his past works.

Well still a very readable action-adventure story, some of it seems repetitive and towards the middle of the book, the pace slowed down and I felt we were shambling towards the end. Rather than recommend this particular book, I would advise you to investigate one of his earlier works. ( )

kindle addition

The book is every reason why everyone should read Historical fiction. Leads the reader through a different time and place and broadens your vocabulary. ( )

The beginning and end of this book are very good and very exciting, but in the middle it drops off so much that I almost gave up on it. Perhaps it's because I'm spoilt having read so much H Rider Haggard, but the endless safari/hunting scenes in the middle paled in comparison to those in Haggard's African books. They were too drawn out and just lacked the excitement I'm used to in such scenes. However, it is not fair to concentrate on this middle bit when, as I said, the beginning and end are really very good. Cut some of the padding in the middle and this would have got at least four stars from me. Definitely worth reading if you like period African adventures, just don't expect another H Rider Haggard. ( )