Rating: 
Summary: The Best Adventure Story I've Ever Read!
Review: This was my first Smith book, but not my last. In the past I'd never read this type of book -- dealing with sailors (unless of course they were in an historical romance novel), but I decided to give it a try. It was one of the best decisions I ever made. This book has it all -- action, adventure, romance, some sorrow, loyalty, you name it. The characters are very well developed so that you come to know and care about them. The loyalty between some characters and what they would do for each other brought me to tears. The plot twists and turns in such a delightful manner that you never want to the book to end. But when it does, don't despair -- just pick up Monsoon -- the sequel. You won't be disappointed!
Rating:
Summary: Birds of Prey
Review: I am an avid reader of adventure and historical novels and have recently found Wilbur Smith through a recommendation of a friend. I recently read Birds of Prey and Monsoon back to back. I couldn't wait to read on and was saddened when I completed the two books. I anxiously hope and wait for a sequel to Monsoon. Now I have ordered the entire Courtneys of Africa series. I just completed The Sound of Thunder and while good (3 star)was not up to the excitement and adventure of Birds of Prey and Monsoon (both 5 stars). Perhaps it was the adventure on the high seas as opposed to the Boer War that I enjoyed but I think it was more the writing style and great decriptive and story telling skill that made the difference. I can't imagine a more exciting or better written novel than Smith's latest two books. Tomorrow I will begin A Time to Die.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Adventure
Review: Hal Courteney is still being trained to the ways of the sea. When his father, Sir Francis Courteney, is captured, tortured and killed by greed and betrayal, Hal is left in command of the few surviving crewmembers. Somehow Hal has to escape from captivity and regain his birthright, provide for his men, and fulfill the debt that he owes to those responsible for the destruction of his father. Swashbuckling adventure. I can see Errol Flynn's sword flashing through these pages. - Recommended to me by a nephew, it's good to see that good taste in reading has been passed down the family.
Rating:
Summary: Swashbuckling and sensusous. Sir Hal does it all.
Review: Wilbur Smiths "Birds of Prey is captivating. His gallant, highly sexed heroes and gorgeous sexed heroines are unforgetable. Who can foregt the sadistic nymphomaniac,Katinka, who not only seduces the innocent Hal but also includes the exotic Balinese slave,Sukeena to the Dutch Colonel Schreuder and even the vile executioner Slow John.
This book is not the fainthearted as all the battles are very vivid and detailed. Each encounter upon the pirate ships as they sail around the coast of Africa is written in great detail as Smith the capitivating storyteller does so well. This book will take you on a high from page one to the end on page 554. A gret 17 century action adventure yarn.
Rating:
Summary: Grand adventure at it's grandest!
Review: A top notch adventure from a top notch author, Birds of Prey is undoubtably a superb epic. Sure the sex scenes can seem overdone, but who cares? The entire story cackles with energy and escapism with grand action sequences that have rarely been as vivid. It is cliche-clogged and sometimes predictable, but to tell you the truth, if I wanted to read a literary suspense novel I would have picked Frederick Forsyth or Nelson Demille. What I expected from Birds of Prey was mind blowing action and a fast paced book, both of which exceeded expectaions. Chronologically the first in Smith's prolific Courtney series (for now atleast), the book opens by introducing us to Hal and Francis Courtney, son and father, one a growing man and the other an accomplished privateer. After that, the duo and their crew spot a dutch ship carrying potentially tremendous cargo, and the reader is then treated to an epic action-fest journey like never seen before. Duels to the death, explosive jail breaks, wild animal hunting, battles with pirates, religious warfare, non-religious warfare, ancient relics, astrological prophecies, torture chambers, lakes filled with writhing crocodiles, fights with lion herds, explorations into the unknown african wilderness, confrontations with ancient tribes, christian empires, muslim armies and MUCH more shape this epic, filled with almost ridiculous acts of courage and skill by the protoganists, though tremendously enjoyable too. Much to the reader's pleasure, the good guys laugh at impossible odds and dispatch them with almost as much ease and for those looking for some action, this story is a definite must. The tale is primarily about Hal's journey from teenage to manhood and about how he becomes a great warrior. He's charismatic, the best fighter alive, a natutral leader, he never turns away from his duty, no obstacle can hold him back and the rest of his characteristics are just about anything you can attribute to the classic good guy. The tale is of course also choke-full of utterly hateable villains. Colonel Schreuder the master swordsman who has never lost a fight, The Buzzard the cunning and greedy pirate, Slow John the almost inhuman yellow eyed executioner, Sam Bowles the cowardly traitor, Van De Velde the obese governor of Good Hope, Katinka the sexy and sadistic wife of the governor and lots more constantly face the protoganists for some reason or the other. One thing that I should emphazize is that this is not a tale about just sailors and pirates. Though a huge part is full of sea battles, a chunky portion of the action also takes place on land too and to classify this as sea adventure would be a gross inaccuracy. And talking of accuracy, whether some people are obliged to admit it or not, Smith has undertaken some heavy research on this book. It is totally unfair to say that this book is not well researched just because he got a technical term wrong about a 17th century ship according to a reviewer. From geographical locations like Trincomalee and Elephant Lagoon to the information about African wildlife, Smith has done his homework before penning this tale, and despite some faults, has managed to do a commendable job. Overall, if you want great literature with three dimensional characters who teach you something about the morals of life, you would be better of with something else. If you just want to sit back, relax and read an action-packed adventure epic like a mega-budget summer blockbuster, Birds of Prey will definitely rank among your favourites.
Rating:
Summary: A good book- although I COULD put it down
Review: I have enjoyed several of Wilbur Smith's books and chose to read Birds of Prey based on its reviews. There were parts of the story that I enjoyed but I found some of the graphic sex scenes to be disturbing and totally unnecessary to the plot. Smith went into such detail during some events of the story (like the weird sex scenes) and yet the last part of the story seemed to be rushed through. I found myself interested in the story but not dying to know what was going to happen next (like I felt while reading some of Smith's other books like The Seventh Scroll and River God.) Wilbur Smith is an excellent author and I will probably read Monsoon which is the continuation of Birds of Prey. I hope to be swept up in the adventure and NOT able to put THAT one down.
Rating:
Summary: Birds of Prey
Review: What a fantastic read! I started reading Wilbur Smith about a year ago and have managed to tear through quite a few of his many exciting novels since then. To this point I would say that Birds of Prey is one of the best. It is action packed from beginning to end, and the scope of the story is enormous. The story takes you to a long forgotten time and moves you up and down and all around the southern coast of africa. If you have never read Wilbur Smith before, or are a fan and want a really good Smith book then this is the one! Two thumbs way up!!!
Rating:
Summary: delivers another power packed punch
Review: following the story of this family is fabulous:
swashbuckeling, pirates, ships, a little history, steamy romance - who said pirates are only for guys? I love this series and can't wait to read more! As for this book: great.
Rating:
Summary: Another homerun for Wilbur Smith
Review: This is the third Wilbur Smith book I've read following River God and Seventh scroll and it REALLY is as good as the reviews say. I loved it, and can't wait to jump right into Monsoon to see what happens to Hal next.
Rating:
Summary: Rrrrrr! eally good book!
Review: This has to be one of my favourite books. It was my first Smith book and he definitely lives up to the hype. Its every thing a good adventure novel should be, with well defined characters, loads of sword swinging action, intrigue, betrayal and even a heavy dose of eroticism thrown in for good measure. I like his style of writing. He possesses an almost liquid command of prose that seems to flow from one sentence to the other, never yielding to monotony. That is the mark of a good writer, a talent that a lot of modern-day authors lack. Since 'Birds of Prey',I have read a list of other Wilbur Smith books and I'm yet to be dissapointed. If you like a good Indiana Jones/James Bond/Treasure Island/Historically correct book, check out Smith without hesitation.
The man is the Stephen Spielberg of adventure novels, not the mention an engrossing storyteller. He'll hook you from the first page. AHHH,the pleasures of a good read are underrated!
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