Any Wilbur Smith fans out there?

He's been my favourite author since I was about 14 and first read 'Rage', which is still my favourite book.

Just wondered if there were any other Smith fans out there and what other people's thoughts are of him as an author and favourite books etc?

I just finished Monsoon whilst on holiday and have Blue Horizon ready to go.....

No.

Can't say I've ever felt the urge to read anything by him. Give me a reason to read his stuff (by that, I don't mean threaten to burn my house down if I don't read something)

My dad is a fan of his books and I starting reading them too when we went on family holidays about 25 years ago. The first one I got hold of was The Burning Shore. I've read every one up to Monsoon. For some reason I stopped reading them even though I was still buying them for my dad for his birthday/Christmas.

I really enjoyed the Courtney/Ballantyne sagas and got really interested in African wildlife and the tribes/politics.

They stick in my mind partially because of the adventure stories and they also remind me of family holidays (along with listening to Chris Rea, my dad's favourite music!).

Rage is definitely one of his best.

Around the same time as I was reading Smith I also got into Desmond Bagley and Jack Higgins though I tend not to read this type of stuff any more.

Best writer I've read and my faves are Bryce Courtney, S King, Clancy's earlier blockbusters.

For me Wilbur is the best at putting you in the scene...you can smell and feel the grass, hear the gnashing of the Lions jaws on bone, feel the slicing and tearing of a sword through sinew and flesh.

His stories of Africa, its wildlife, politics and carnage of both are mesmerising.

If you dont know Wilbur read his books first in these blocks:

Birds of prey, Monsoon and blue horizon.

Then the five Courtneys of Africa- The burning shore, Power of the sword, Rage, Golden Fox, A time to die. That spans 100 years of the same family- though very different stories...

Then River God, The seventh scroll and Warlock- 3 fantastic novels of Ancient Egypt, the second a modern day story based on the other two.

i'm a bit off his latest stuff and I hear hes doing a share writing role so many do these days.

Agree with Cyril- Rage is awesome, my other faves Monsoon, River God and the one off- The Sunbird- epic storytelling.

Remains the only author that I literally could not put the book down- read all night, missed train stops etc.

I read monsoon I think. Was it about a group of brothers who got split up with pirates and stuff?

Yep, that's the one.

Great summary by Taylorman, agree entirely.

Rage is my favourite, but loved the Egyptian trio and Sunbird.

Koontz and King for me...........My Wife is into this chicklit crap.....Sophie Kinsella, Marian Keyes are names that keep cropping up on a regular basis......

Read a few pages of one once.......Utter garbage..

Wilbur smith and the type always looked a little heavy going going for me........I'm a simple kinda guy !!

Well Koontz and King tick the simple box!

Have you ever read John Grisham? He's one of my favourite authors also and, as a lighter version of Wilbur Smith, I'd recommend Clive Cussler.

TRUSSY your wife needs beating to death with her own books....no doubt Bridget Jones' Diary is nestling on the bookshelves also. Only thing worse than chick-lit is the male equivalent (D1ck-lit?) There's a guy called Mike Gayle who writes all this p!ss and he, along with his protagonists, deserve to die a horrible death (I'd suggest death by reading Tony Parsons)

Currently re-reading the Charlie Parker series by John Connolly...brilliant stuff.

I was a big fan of Wilbur Smith, read every book he had written up to about 10 years ago, since then have lost touch with his books, I was actually in the bookstore today and saw a new book "desert something" and almost bought it.

I guess life gets busy and you stop doing the things you used to love

Wilbur Smith was very good. River God and Monsoon are both brilliant.

For a more English history theme you could try Bernard Cornwall or (sharpe series, Arthur series, Alfred the Great too).