I just finished "A Time to Die". I enjoyed it quite a bit but before I get any other Smith novels I wanted to ask. I enjoyed the Lion and Ele hunt portion of the book and some of the description of African "politics". For me personally the book rambled away from these two areas with the antagonist/protagonist conflict between Coutney & China.

My question: Have you read other Smith novels and if so which seems to stick more to the hunting end of the spectrum?

Thanks
Jim

The Courtney books always has some hunting in it. Wilber Smith did a lot of big game hunting...

I liked Flight of the Falcons, Men of Men and The Leopard hunts in Darkness best.

One of his best books, is " The Sunbird" set in the legendary civilisation of Ophir/Opet.

Great imaginary description of hunting elephants with battle axes, "Flying on the Wings of the Storm"

"The Seventh Scroll" has a description of an English driven pheasant shoot that could only be written by someone who has not only participated in one, but who is also proficient with a shotgun.

Wilbur Smith is a master of the adventure novel. Many of his books contain descriptions of hunting action, but they are not really books about hunting. The hunting is generally incidental to the story.

In "Triumph of the Sun", Smith descibes in detail a Dervish attack on a British infantry square that is absolutely spellbinding.

I have only read two his books,i really enjoyed "A Time to Die" the other "When the Lions Feeds" had very little hunting content.

In "A Time to Die" his description of the life cycle of "Tukutela" (The angry one) the bull elephant was exceptional.

I have been a W.S. fan for lo these many years.
I began reading him way back in the mid 70's, have read every book he wrote and saw every one that was made into a movie. Absolutely spellbinding writer.
I have always wished that someone could do a movie based on "When the Lion Feeds".
Like David Lean would have done it (Lawrence of Arabia).
It would be a movie for the ages!

I started reading Wilbur Smith before Capstick's with "Elephant song" and since then I read most of his books up to and including the 7th scroll. If you wnat to have to good South African history politics in a non historical manner you must read "Rage"

Another favorite of mine was "The leopard hunts in darkness" great reads if you love Africa and hunting.

BTW off the topic and since there is talk about John Sharp, Wilbur Smith has hunted with him.

"Many of his books contain descriptions of hunting action, but they are not really books about hunting. The hunting is generally incidental to the story."

True, but what a talented novelist he is. I tell my friends when I recommend his books that he is southern Africa's answer to our James Michener.

I arranged through his publisher for his first booksigning at an SCI convention in the 1980s, and spent a couple of minutes with him again when he was in Reno in 2003 as featured speaker for the SCI Life Member breakfast.

He is a friendly fellow and nearly as good a speaker as he is an author.

Incidentally, doesn't this thread belong in Books and Videos below?

Bill Quimby

quote:

Originally posted by billrquimby:
"Many of his books contain descriptions of hunting action, but they are not really books about hunting. The hunting is generally incidental to the story."

True, but what a talented novelist he is. I tell my friends when I recommend his books that he is southern Africa's answer to our James Michener.

I arranged through his publisher for his first booksigning at an SCI convention in the 1980s, and spent a couple of minutes with him again when he was in Reno in 2003 as featured speaker for the SCI Life Member breakfast.

He is a friendly fellow and nearly as good a speaker as he is an author.

Incidentally, doesn't this thread belong in Books and Videos below?

Bill Quimby

Sorry!!

I'm new to the forum and started this thread. I put it here because when I did a search on Wilbur Smith the threads I found were old and all in the African hunting section.

I have read many of Smith's novels.A Time to Die is a favorite.He mentions Ian Piercy in the book.I hunted with Ian's son Simon in '91.Have had lunch a couple of times in Ian's house.Ian had guided Smith while he was researching the book.He remains pissed off that Smith spelt his name incorrectly.Of coarse all these years latter I have probably misspelt it to.
Actually I saw Ian in 2006 and he looked amazingly well for a man his age (a round of golf!).He had had a lot of trouble with the "war vets".

quote:

In "Triumph of the Sun", Smith descibes in detail a Dervish attack on a British infantry square that is absolutely spellbinding

That is one of the better books he has written recently.........

I also like Smith´s books, of which I´ve read all, I think. This notwithstanding, it should be noted that he took many situations and characters from the much previous British writer Henry Rider Haggard, whom I much admire and who betters Wilbur by miles. The axe guy is a faithful reproduction of the Zulu chief Umslopogaas and his axe "Inkosikaas" in "Allan Quatermain" and other works and Smith´s last novel, with the fire of life, the volcano and so forth, copies "She" and "Ayesha". The egyptian series, by the way, begins with something which very much resembles Mika Waltari´s masterpiece "Sinuhe". Ah, and the recent pirates series are directly from Rafael de Sabattini´s novels.
Anyway, I like these books and agree that the work over the lost people of Cartago is the best.

In my opinion, his best book is 'Shout at the Devil.' It comprises non-stop action, excellent humor and an elephant hunt of note.

Dave

Wilbur Smith is a long time favourite of mine, not at least the Courtney and the Ballantyne´s sagas.
Most of them got very good descriptions of the African wildlife and many good hunting stories.

The first ones that got me spellbound was "The Sunbird", and "The Burning Shore".

Seems like he does a thorough reasarch.
Guess I have most of his novels in eighter paperback or hardcover.

I picked up When the lion feeds when I was 11 and have been a fan ever since. I've read them all and most more than once. As billrquimby said most have humting in them but its only a side show to the rest of the novel. My favorite are the Courtneys (the Boar war time frame). I do like the one offs, like eye of the tiger etc. Loved shout at the devil and loved the movie.

"A Time to Die" ohhh, this is the title of the book. In Italy it has been translated in "L'ultima preda - The last prey", not a bad title, but not the same.

I haven't read any of these books and I'm not familiar with the movies to my knowledge. Which movies were based on the books? Sounds like interesting reading. Is there a particular series that should be read first?

quote:

I tell my friends when I recommend his books that he is southern Africa's answer to our James Michener.

Great description, my sentiments exactly.

quote:

Originally posted by yukon delta:
I haven't read any of these books and I'm not familiar with the movies to my knowledge. Which movies were based on the books? Sounds like interesting reading. Is there a particular series that should be read first?

Although there is a generational flow to many of his books, each one is stand alone and can be read and enjoyed in isolation. If you wanted to take a chronological sequence approach, you could read "Birds of Prey", "Monsoon" and "Blue Horizon" in that order. This is a Courtney family sequence. If you had an ancient Egypt mindset, you could read "River God", "Seventh Scroll", "Warlock" and "The Quest", in that order. I am less familiar with the Ballantyne saga, only because I read them many years ago, and have forgotten titles and sequences.

"The Burning Shore" is a good stand-alone novel to read if you are going to Namibia. I have been told it is the only novel set in Namibia written in the English language. "Triumph of the Sun" is another good stand-alone read.

Smith novels are well researched. They are historically accurate, and technology is correctly described, especially firearms. Don't look for finely drawn character studies. Smith's world is divided into heroes and villans. No shades of gray here!

quote:

Originally posted by yukon delta:
I haven't read any of these books and I'm not familiar with the movies to my knowledge. Which movies were based on the books? Sounds like interesting reading. Is there a particular series that should be read first?

Send me a PM or give me a call and I will lend you "A Time to Die".

Jim

PM to Jim.

Here they are Yukon, do your self a favor mate, check them out.
The Courtneys
When the lion feeds
The sound of thunder
A sparrow falls
Birds of prey
The courtneys of Africa
The burning shore
Power of the sword
Rage (good one)
A time to die
Golden fox (good as well)
The Ballantyne's(set in Rhodesia)
A flacon flies
Men of men
The angles weep
The leopard hunts in darkness
ALSO
The dark of the sun
Shout at the devil
Gold mine
The diamond hunters
The sunbird
Eagle in the sky (liked this one)
Cry wolf
Hungry as the sea
Wild Justise
Elephant Song
River god
The seventh scroll
Warlock
Blue Horizon

Thanks. What are the movies that are based on his books?

"The diamond hunters" has been made in to a movie,don't know of any others.

What was the name of that movie...was it Blood Diamond?

I've read a bunch of his books, and I have to say I enjoyed them all. I do like the way he works real historic events into his novels.

The first 26 pages of Elephant Song have probably the best accounting of how sport hunting will be the savior of the elephant. I've shared it with a few uninformed acquaintances.

Having said that, I do notice that the fictional part of his books seem to run to a common theme:

1 good guy;
1 amazing girl who is out of the good guy's league and/or unavailable, and lets him know it;
good guy finds girl to fill the void, but is unhappy;
void girl dies horrible death;
good guy overcomes his guilt over not caring that void girl is dead;
good guy rescues amazing girl from clutches of danger;
good guy and amazing girl live happily ever after;

I'll have to check out Elephant Song for sure.

quote:

Originally posted by yukon delta:
What was the name of that movie...was it Blood Diamond?

No its called the "The Diamond Hunters" staring Alyssa Milano

http://www.wilbursmithbooks.com/film/index.html

Staring you say? Your words betray you.

Thanks for the link. That answers my questions.

quote:

Originally posted by yukon delta:
I haven't read any of these books and I'm not familiar with the movies to my knowledge. Which movies were based on the books? Sounds like interesting reading. Is there a particular series that should be read first?

YD
You could do a lot worse than the Courtney saga. When the Lion Feeds is the 1st book.

Books to Movies: The Dark of The Sun (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1968) - Goldmine (Hemdale, 1974) - Shout at the Devil (1976)- Wild Justice (TV)

Soon to be in movies: Sylvester Stallone has bought the movie rights to three of Smith's novels and may be starring in 'Eye of the Tiger' soon.(don't know about this one?)
Cheers

Having read H.Rider Haggard I very much agree with nainital that a great deal of "modelling after" goes on in Smith's writting.

Mr. Smith is a friend of John Sharpe and has hunted with him. I was told he is the PH model for his characters.

+1 WannabeBwana

Actually my take on the Smith formula is slightly different, but congruent with yours:

1 Good guy meets amazing gal
2 After they do some intellectual sparring they have really amazing sex. Amazing gal is not just a fox she has to establish herself as an intellectual too.
3 Enter bad guy who liberties good guy and steals away amazing gal against her will
4 Amazing gal warms to bad guy as he has some qualities good guy doesn't have which appeal to the darker side of amazing gal BUT...
5 Bad guy and amazing girl have dysfunctional sex. This is a real bummer for bad guy who allows some issues to develop. This is not helped by amazing gal cruelly commenting on the fact he has

a) poor foreplay technique or
b) excess body hair or
c) a small willy

meanwhile using good guy as the benchmark.

6 Good guy rallies by consoling himself with void gal, but he either dumps her because she has another agenda OR bad guy kills or maims her in an attempt to kill good guy. Sex with good guy is great for both but there is something lacking in it for good guy - void gal only orgasms 3 or 4 times whereas amazing gal was good for at least a bakers dozen. This makes him think he should get amazing gal back and save the world from the evil machinations of bad guy....

7 Good guy now goes after bad guy and kills him (never quickly and painlessly), rescuing amazing gal in the process.

Go back to step 2, but even more amazing this time round.....

Lust, lions and lucre! How unrepentant womaniser and big game hunter Wilbur Smith has just struck a killer book deal worth at least £10million -aged 84

Wilbur Smith’s novels have netted him £100million and a jet-set lifestyle
But at 84 he has no intention of putting up his feet and enjoying his fortune
He's just signed a deal with HarperCollins for six books, worth at least £10million
Despite the books' politically incorrect stances, they still have plenty of appeal
By Jane Fryer for the Daily Mail
PUBLISHED: 21:01 EDT, 19 June 2017 | UPDATED: 21:01 EDT, 19 June 2017

Wilbur Smith’s 34 rip-roaring novels have sold more than 130 million copies in 25 languages around the world.

They have netted him £100 million, a jet-set lifestyle and the opportunity to indulge his obsession with big-game hunting. He has homes in London, Cape Town, Switzerland, Malta, Ireland and, not long ago, a 22-acre private island in the Seychelles — until, sadly on their honeymoon, his fourth wife Niso developed an allergy to coral and he sold it.

So you’d think that, given he’s 84 and has suffered several health scares, he’d be ready to put his feet up and enjoy his vast fortune with beautiful Niso, 45. Perhaps even try to build bridges with his three estranged children, before it’s too late?



But no. Because just five years after he switched publishers — from Pan Macmillan to HarperCollins in a six-book deal, rumoured to be worth £15 million — he’s at it again. This time the move is from HarperCollins to new fiction publishing house Bonnier Zaffre in an eight-figure sum described as ‘one of the biggest in publishing history’.

It includes rights to eight new books, as well as the English language rights to all his books, including classics such as When The Lion Feeds, Elephant Song and River God. This is more impressive than it first sounds because, although Smith says he is still pestered by the voices of his characters telling him their stories of lions, lust and Lugers, these days most of his books are co-authored.


Perhaps even more surprising is that his books and their heady and politically-incorrect whirl of sex, violence, casual misogyny, big-game hunters, mining, full-breasted women and slaughtered beasts, have such enduring appeal today.

He credits his extraordinary success and continuing appeal to the advice of his old agent, Charles Pick, who told him to write for himself not his readers and, most of all, to base his writing on what he knew.

He became the ultimate action-man author who rarely made his heroes tackle something he hasn’t. So he’s swum with tiger sharks, been charged by lions and elephants, been shot three times, chased by crocodiles, was still climbing mountains in his 50s and scuba-diving in his 60s.



He has also shot a worrying number of wild animals. Until recently, he went on safari at least three times a year.

‘My aim is to shoot three buffalo and three elephant,’ he once said.

Mercifully for the animals of Africa, a heart valve operation meant he had to hang up his gun several years ago. But his Facebook page still shows him regularly wrestling with enormous Icelandic salmon and vast trout.

Born in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), he was inspired by the books of Hemingway and Steinbeck, but most of all by his father, who had his own cattle ranch and taught Wilbur to hunt.

‘He was a man who lived life on his own terms and made his own rules,’ Smith once said. ‘He knew what it was like to be a real man.’



Young Wilbur killed his first animal when he was seven and refused to bathe for days, because he didn’t want to wash off the blood. When he was 15, he killed his first lion — with a shotgun, in self-defence, when hunting.

His lifestyle has caused a few ripples over the years, but Wilbur isn’t really the sort to care what people think. He collects daggers, guns, Rolex watches and African art and considers elephant tusks to be things of great beauty, rather than contraband.

And he has no truck with ‘modern man’ whom he thinks is too afraid to stand up for his beliefs. He claims to be a feminist, but when asked in an interview what his most prized possession was, he replied ‘my [fourth] wife’.

It goes without saying he’s never changed a nappy, despite having three grown-up children.

One can’t help wondering whether his relationship with his children would have been a little better if he’d occasionally put his machismo to one side.



He once said of his offspring: ‘They’re not part of me. They’ve got my sperm, that’s all.’

When his eldest two, son Shaun and daughter Christian, were little and he was divorced from their mother Jewell and paying alimony, he quibbled over maintenance of just £10 a month, and demanded receipts for clothes.

At the time, his career was yet to take off and money was short.

But later, when Shaun and Christian went to visit their father after he had married his third wife, Danielle, at her instigation they were not allowed into the house and instead were taken camping.

His relationship with his younger son, Lawrence — born during his second marriage, to Anne — went the same way. And years after adopting Danielle’s son, Dieter Schmidt, he fell out with him.



In an interview in 2014, he said of his relationship with his children: ‘You just have to laugh it off . . . It’s all about the money. And if they feel they’re not getting a fair share of what they think should be theirs, that’s bad luck to them.’ When asked if his success might have exacerbated things, he said: ‘I don’t think it’s because I’m a writer. I think it’s because they did nothing to win my respect, and in fact did exactly the opposite.’

Happily, his disastrous personal life doesn’t seem to have affected his confidence. Or his ability to churn out bestselling books. He is astonishingly successful, with an ego to match.

The first song he chose when he appeared on Desert Island Discs was Frank Sinatra’s My Way. He regularly re-reads his own back catalogue and happily praises it.


He is also refreshingly open about sex — doing it, thinking about it, but most of all writing about it. Presumably, Niso is his inspiration. He describes their relationship as being ‘like Siamese twins’ — they do everything together and live a ‘secluded’ life.

She lays out his clothes, reminds him to take his medication, runs their houses and sorts out his travel and entertainment agendas and encourages him to write, but she is clearly no push over. She once said: ‘When I met him, he was 66 years old and I never had any doubts he would be faithful. I said to him: “Darling, you can have Russian lap dancers any time you like, but just remember, before you put your pants back on, it will be all over the papers.” ’

It was Niso who first noticed the terms of his publishing contracts hadn’t been updated for ten years. Perhaps it was she who encouraged him to move publishers again. Whatever, they clearly adore each other and are very happy.

Which is a good thing, because he rattled through wives before he met her in a WHSmith’s in London. After Jewell and Anne came Danielle Thomas, a young divorcee and huge fan of his books from his home town. They were married from 1971 to 1999, when she died from brain cancer.

Happily, a year after Danielle died, he spied Tajik-born Niso browsing in the Dan Brown section. She was young (just 27) and stunningly beautiful.

He led her to the Wilbur Smith section and they started talking. The rest, as they say, is history.



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/fem...n.html#ixzz4kZdp0OaQ
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

. . . his writings have steadily deteriorated in the last decade frankly.

So far my favorite is Blue Horizon.

Picked up "When the lion feeds" in East Africa in the mid to late 60's. Have read all his books except anything printed in the last five years or so.

In the 90's I reread the Courtney and Ballentine series in chronological order. The subject matter and "historical novel" perspective of those series' is very enjoyable.

Smith has provided me with many hours of entertainment. Glad he is still kicking and writing.

quote:

Originally posted by Bakes:
I picked up When the lion feeds when I was 11 and have been a fan ever since. I've read them all and most more than once. As billrquimby said most have humting in them but its only a side show to the rest of the novel. My favorite are the Courtneys (the Boar war time frame). I do like the one offs, like eye of the tiger etc. Loved shout at the devil and loved the movie.

This is pretty much my Story aswell Found a book when I was 12. Got hooked bad on his books and Africa. I never looked back. Have all his books. Many of them in both Norwegian and English and have mostly read them in both languages. As many have said the Courtneys have been a big part of his works for me. Loved when Birds of prey came as a prequel, Loved the followings book. I was again back in Africa in my mind as I had been so many times before

Funny part of the story for me that I put a picture of my son when he was 7 months, "reading" a wilbur smith book on a facebook fan page. Wilbur`s wife Niso saw it and spoke breafly on pm and mail. She ended up sending us a signed book, signed bookplate and a personal note for me Never thought that would happen, but those are most precious for me

If I`m not mistaking a lot of his African hunts has been with John Sharpe in Zimbabwe. Would love to hunt with him and share some stories