The Sound of Thunder (The Courtneys)

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The Courtney series can be split into three parts, each part following a particular era of the Courtney family. And to hear the singing of his wives as they work the fields.' Mbejane carried it further. 'And to watch his cattle come into the kraal at dusk with his sons driving them.' 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 man grows weary of the trek,' Sean mused aloud. 'There is a time when he longs to sleep two nights at the same place.' Then suddenly Dirk smiled. It was one of those changes of mood that left Sean slightly bewildered, for when Dirk smiled his mouth came right. It was irresistible.I'm sorry, Pa! I'm sorry. I'll never do it again, I promise you. I love you, I love you best of all - and I'll never do it again,' screamed Dirk, and they clung to each other. But the drums of war are beating in town. Sean had no idea of this new situation, and it will change everything for him. The Boer War is not one I knew much about, but that is the war we all fight in this book, Sean most of all. It was bloody, ruthless, and there was much needless waste of life, as there is in all wars. The follow-up to Smith's first book, WHEN THE LION FEEDS, is a continuation of the same story following the cliffhanger that the first novel ended upon.

A highly readable novel of history and adventure ... Wilbur Smith has a sense of character too." - "Books and Bookmen" 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. The Sound of Thunder is a novel by the Rhodesian writer Wilbur Smith. It is the second book in the Courtney Series and it is set several years after the first book, When the Lion Feeds, focusing around the Second Boer War. [1] [2] Plot [ edit ] Another reason why I liked this book is that in each chapter, there is an emphasis on different characters, rather than only one character. In the first book of the series, there was an emphasis on only one character - Sean. Now there is importance on different characters in the book, including Garry, Jan Paulus, Saul, and Ruth.

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Kudos, Mr. Smith for this wonderful continuation to the series. I am hooked and cannot wait to see how the first collection of Courtney stories will end.