Monsoon

MONSOON continues the swashbuckling saga of seagoing adventurer Hal Courtney begun in BIRDS OF PREY, also reviewed by me (5 stars) on this website. As MONSOON opens, Hal has been landlocked on his English country manor for a couple of decades. He's fathered 4 sons (William, Tom, Guy, and Dorian) by three different wives, all now dead. Yearning for one last seafaring exploit, he accepts a commission from the reigning British monarch, William III, and the East India Company to mount a punitive expedition to the Indian Ocean to eradicate a band of cutthroat pirates, led by the evil Jangiri, that have lately taken sore toll of Company shipping and profits. So, leaving his heir, William, to manage the family holdings, Hal sails away on the "Seraph" with his three youngest sons and his three old comrades from BIRDS, Aboli, Ned Tyler and Big Daniel, to confront the buccaneers off the coast of East Africa in the waters surrounding the Spice Islands.During the first several pages of MONSOON, we're introduced to son Tom, who's persuaded a saucy scullery maid to share her amorous favors with him and his fraternal twin Guy, while the younger Dorian stands watch. And where is this steamy tryst taking place? Why, on his grandfather's sarcophagus in the burial crypt of the estate chapel, of course. This startling introduction of Tom to the reader should presage the fact that, by the end of the book, he's the main character and hero. Well, subtlety is not one of author Wilbur Smith's strongpoints. I sometimes think that Smith develops his plots by stream of consciousness writing. He zigzags flamboyantly from one outrageous situation to the next. In the MONSOON storyline, Hal, Tom and their faithful companions go from sea to land, and back again, doing all that Guy Stuff that Manly Men do: seducing (or being seduced by) willing young beauties, battling with corsairs and slavers, rescuing damsels in distress, capturing much treasure, slaughtering infidels, vanquishing assorted evil doers in single combat, and killing elephants for their tusks. (This last activity will outrage African wildlife preservationists everywhere.) However, whether the tapestry of his tale calls for bravery, cowardice, fratricide, homicide, vengeance, love, lust, betrayal, loyalty, greed, generosity, or just plain serendipity, Smith weaves with a panache and energy that make for fabulous escapist reading. MONSOON has an ending that I thought just a bit too precipitate. But, it's evidence of another sequel in the works. And, even though I'll be the first to admit that this series is pure trash, I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to the next volume.

Sometimes the Courtney clan goes looking for trouble and sometimes it finds them, but throughout this book, all of the various members of the clan are in a turmoil of one kind or another to the great entertainment of the reader.While Monsoon is a sequel to Birds of Prey, it is also a prequel to the many other books of the Courtney family that Mr. Smith wrote some time ago, beginning with When the Lion Hunts, I believe. There should be at least one more book to complete the time line to the Sean Courtney era and beyond, maybe more. Tom and Dorian Courtney are worthy parts of the Courtney lineage and they encounter, between the pages of this book, more perils than Pauline ever thought of. The action is fairly non-stop, both on land and on sea; the romancing is intense when it occurs; deceit and treachery are constant companions, some bad things happen to good people and some very bad things happen to some very bad people. No one does this type of story better than Wilbur Smith and he still has the hop on his fastball.

Simply stated, Monsoon is a page turner in the clasic style of Wilbur Smith. Birds of Prey was wonderful, and Smith begins Monsoon where Birds of Prey left off, without missing a beat. The narrative is riveting - I couldn't put the book down, and was sad to see it come to an end. This was the perfect read while soaking in the sun on a tropical beach. I hope we do not have too long to wait until Smith treats us to the further adventures of the Courtney family!

MONSOON is a feast of a breath taking story of the heroic days of tall ships, written with immense beauty of style. The finely chiselled characters and details jump at you from the pages, enthralling, ever moving on. It's a rare feat of reading pleasure as your mind paints for you a breathtaking vision that rings true and could never be matched by film or any other media. I read this novel, never once having the urge to watch TV. When I finally turned the last page I felt a deep loss that I had come to the end of the book. I hope Wilbur Smith is busy with his next book, I can't wait. MONSOON makes out of any reluctant reader of novels a consummate bookworm. If you think that the purchase price of the book daunting, it's likely the best value for money you'll ever encounter.