The Angels Weep

We begin The Angels Weep in the year 1895. Right away we join Zouga Ballantyne and his son, Ralph as they search for treasure (what else is new?). The other same old-same old themes are sex, violence and prejudice all leading to another war. The characters are older (Ralph now has a son, Jonathan or Jon-Jon), but their ambitions and attitudes are the same. Even Robyn Ballantyne is the same. She is so desperate to understand malaria that she stops taking quinine pills and infects herself with the virus in order to further her research. As with Falcon Flies and Men of Men, whites are still mistreating blacks and the power struggles continue. It is on this struggle that Smith centers his conflict. He masterfully shows both sides and when show more one side betrays the other you find yourself asking, "how could they?!" while your rational side is asking, "how could they NOT?!" Friend betrays friend. Years of companionship are wiped away in a single gunshot. Part II of the book takes us 80 years into the future when we meet Ralph's great grandson and other heirs. Craig Mellow becomes a prominent figure in the end. There is a nice little twist that made me think the series should have ended here. It brings everything full circle. show less

This is a book in two parts. The first part is set in the Rhodesia of the late 19th century and follows the life and adventures of Ralph Balantyne and his family. It is a time where the defeated Matabele are once again stirring in the throes of war, fueled by the prophecies of their oracle 'The Umlimo'. It also follows some of the adventures of Cecil Rhodes as he thrives to unite all of the Southern part of the African continent under one rule.

The second part of the book takes place in the Rhodesia of the late 1970's. Craig Balantyne, grand-grandchild of both Harry Mellow and Ralph Balantyne is sucked into the whirling vortex of another popular uprising and war, once more fueled by the ravings of the Umlimo who simply refuses to die and show more must be well over a 100 years old by now. show less

Good book intresting how it relates to Modern Day Zimbabwae

Con El llanto de los ángeles continua la cautivante historia de la familia Ballantyne, protagonista de Vuela el halcón y Hombres muy hombres. El eje central de la acción es el enfrentamiento, en tiempos de la reina Victoria, de los aventureros blancos, ansiosos por lograr rápida fortuna y poder, por un lado, y los nativos de la tierra indómita, que se resisten a dejarse despojar.