Rating: 
Summary: Too pretentious for [its] own good
Review: The novel fails to strike a balance of tone. It is hopelessly complex for something that has no substance. The characters have no definition, they exist on paper as a one-dimensional cardboard cut-outs of childhood heroes. The writer seems very confused about his own values of life. He describes the main characters as noble and moral. These are aristo's in the 18th century, who are incredibly tolerant of other races and unaware of social status. This you could even swallow as enlightenment and ahead of their times, if these same characters didn't thoughtlessly execute foreign people because of minor offences. It plays very heavy on the heroic part, it tries to sell itself as an epic, yet it does not have the common goal on which an epic thrives. For an heroic tale, it is hard to sympathise with characters whose ultimate goal is material gain, on the cost of others, even if they are "Arab savages". It is not all wrong though, the third part of the book sees young Darian grow up in the Arab world, where he is revered by his captors. It is very interesting to see how he deals with affection from those he hates. Yet when he joins with his brother, the story suddenly cuts off with a paragraph or two, right in the middle of action. Apparently Wilbur Smith felt uncomfortable with great story-lines and quality settings, that he cut off, probably to get back to the familiar grounds of dreary writing and embarrassing characterisation. I highly recommend Monsoon to everyone who can't read. To those who can, stay clear, or you may lose faith in humanity...
I give this 2 stars for having a quite decent third part, unfortunately the rest was so incredibly bad.
Rating: 
Summary: Unparalleled Writer
Review: This is the ultimate escapist read. Wilbur Smith takes the reader from wealthy English life in the 17th century, to the intrigues of the sultan of Zanzibar. Full of good old fashioned swashbuckling action, more action, and the requisite guy meets girl, kills many for girl relationship. Most of Smith's character's are fairly one sided, but this book portrayed many interesting character relationships. By far one of Smith's best works, I hope for many more of this ilk.
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