Rating: 
Summary: Exuberant and engaging action, however wildly improbable.
Review: In BIRDS OF PREY, it is the year 1667, and we are introduced to the 17-year old Englishman, Hal Courteney. Hal is a crewmember on his father's ship, the "Lady Edwina", as it sails the high seas off the southern tip of Africa. England is at war with the Dutch Republic, and the ship's captain, Sir Francis Courteney, has been given license by the British Admiralty to prey on Dutch trading ships of the United East India Company as they return to Amsterdam from the East Indies via the Dutch settlement at the Cape of Good Hope. Sir Francis captures a Dutch ship carrying the newly appointed Governor of Good Hope and his wife, Katinka. During the period when the Governor and his wife are held for ransom, Hal loses his virginity to Katinka, a sadistic, treacherous, highborn slut. (Well, good breeding isn't everything.) Subsequently, Sir Francis, Hal and the rest of the Lady Edwina's company are betrayed by a former ally, the Scottish Earl of Cumbrae, with the help of a former crewmember, Sam Bowles, and imprisoned at Good Hope. Sir Francis is brutally tortured and executed. Hal and a handful of survivors later escape, acquire another ship, and go on to defeat their primary tormentors, Cumbrae and a Dutch army colonel named Schreuder, against the backdrop of a war between the Christian Emperor of Ethiopia and the Moslem Sultan of Oman. Along the way, Hal inherits his father's captaincy and finds true love (as opposed to hormonal-driven sex with Katinka) - twice.As painted by the author, Wilbur Smith, the chief characters of this swashbuckling adventure are almost caricatures. The "good guys" - principally Hal and his loyal buddies, Aboli, Ned, and Daniel - are brave, noble and heroic. The "bad guys" - Katinka, Governor van de Velde, Bowles, Cumbrae, and Schreuder - are cruel, dishonorable and totally vile. The action, much as in Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones film trilogy, is wildly improbable, especially over the book's latter half. Similarly, however, that same action is scripted with such exuberance and energy that it's totally engaging. Finally, I read to be transported to places that, in most cases, I will never visit. I doubt that I shall ever ply the Indian Ocean or South Atlantic aboard a frigate under sail. This book took me there in grand style.
Rating:
Summary: A powerful adventure novel
Review: BIRDS OF PREY is no doubt the very best novel Wilbur Smith has ever written. Although it is a bit too long, you must read it; it has all of the right ingredience a novel needs - it sure is a flawless masterpiece. I have read ALL of Wilbur Smith's books, and this one is his greatest. Want more? Read the sequel: MONSOON. Read BIRDS OF PREY & MONSOON now and see for yourself what I mean. I hope BIRDS OF PREY eventually gets made into a major movie. It's good and powerful, believe me. I can't wait for Smith's next book! Other books by Wilbur Smith I highly recommend are EAGLE IN THE SKY, ELEPHANT SONG, RIVER GOD, and THE SEVENTH SCROLL. Smith is the most talented author in the world - he meticulously researches many things and never rushes his job. His books are therefor almost perfect. Buy BIRDS OF PREY, be patient with it, and you'll see what I mean.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a great book
Review: This book was my second Wilbur Smith book, after "River God". "River God" was an excellent book, but this is not. It has some of the same elements of "River God" (well drawn characters, an interesting plot traversing many locales, and McGyver like ingenuity of the protagonists). However, in this book Smith brings into focus more needless torture and violence than necessary. This is a mark against it. (Some violence is fine and provides entertainment, but when it becomes a focus it seems the author is in need of some psychotherapy.) Also, the plot just is not as good. The last third of the book is entertaining, but this part should have been expanded and the beginning shrunk substantially. The beginning was a long drawn out period of awaiting what was foreshadowed (and takes you past the middle of the book to get to where it really begins). Therefore, I recommend other Wilbur Smith books above this one.
Rating: 
Summary: A passable swashbuckling novel
Review: This is a reasonably good novel until it degenerates into a "Raiders of the Lost Ark" story. The author did not seem to know how to end the tale, and continued from one misadventure to another. The author failed to keep all of his characters on the same time line, a problem when an author does not outline things properly. He also disposes of various characters as if he is tired of them, or does not know what to do with them, in order to introduce new characters. Perhaps a few too many dead bodies left by the wayside.
Rating:
Summary: imagination soars with Birds of Prey
Review: There's not another activity quite like reading a story created by a skilled author that allows you to travel to another time and witness events of high drama and intrigue while in the safety and comfort of your own home.Wilbur Smith has created such a story. This is a fantastic historical novel set in the 1670's depicting the English pirate raids on the Dutch East Indies Company. Treachery on the high seas, slavery, brutal conditions and extraordinary characters make this a story not easily forgotten. It seems its main characters, namely Francis and Hal Courtney may be the ancestors of the later Courtneys found in Smith's earlier novels. It will be a pleasure to find out.
Rating:
Summary: The Stereotypy of Wilbur Smith
Review: I have been a respectful admiring reader of Wilbur Smith for many years. I was enthralled by his intricate plot, spellbounding capacity, and deep knowledge of the history and politics of his (and my own) native Africa. But more than that, his psychological analysis of characters, ability to convey relations between different races, tolerance and contrivance to impartiality in portraying the motivation and actions of different ethnic/political groups has raised him above the exotic thriller/adventure writer he is classified as. However, beneath the surface, you could see sometimes his identification with the "Anglo" white man (that is African white people of English descent). This is apparent in his clashes with other Whites (Boers), Black (Bantu) people, and in this novel with Arabs / Muslims. Though the book technically and plot-wise is very good, the author has not escaped the temptation to generalize when speaking about Arabs or Muslims (i.e. There are many types of Christians, good ones, bad ones, but Muslims are a stereotype). It is bit surprising that Hal fought such a fervent war against Muslims, with such conviction, just after his Muslim wife was murdered. If you add that Muslims had nothing to do with the death of his wife or father, you'll be more surprised. Having his brother-in-law abstain from fighting his people was the gesture that saved the book from being unrealistic and superficial. Smith's portrayal of Muslim characters (even Anglos) is uncomplimentary, if not downright derogatory. Hal is a typical Courtney hero again, brave, clever, handsome, charismatic, irresistible, and unconquerable. But I got used to Smith's Courtney prototype that I am starting to enjoy it, if not believe it.
Rating:
Summary: Birds of Prey soars!
Review: In Wilbur Smith's usual swashbuckling style, Birds of Prey takes you on a whirlwind adventure on the high seas. It is a book for those who enjoy adventure with a hint of romance... and for those who don't mind staying up late to read just a little more...
Rating:
Summary: Birds of prey
Review: my husband is reading it, he thinks it's a awsome book, he is thinking that there is a part two to this book, do you know what the title would be.
Rating:
Summary: El Tazar!
Review: Having finished all Robert Ludlum's novels, I have been frustrated to find writing that grasps me as his did. Wilbur Smith may be my reprieve. Birds of Prey was an amazing surprise for me. The plot is intricate and full of wild adventure. Hal Courteney is my kind of hero -- I think I'll read Monsoon next to see what awaits young Hal.
Rating: 
Summary: Not totally Wilbur
Review: The story of young hal in this book is a bit risque to say the least,but then again,in the contex of Smiths writings he has been anything but conventional.Hal's stories is a whirlwind of adventure and mis adventure that takes him into situations where only the devil may tread.Because it is a comlpeat contrast to his normal writings but he has been changing,since River God and Seventh Scroll.His books are a pure adventure to the mind and gives a freedon to the soul.Keep on Smithy
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