Never does Smith betray what is presented and there are quite a few twists and turns that are unexpected─character deaths, injuries, and so on. Smith's books generally follow the same formula, but his mixture of history, setting, and action really works. I’m kind of wondering at this point why I slept for so long on Smith’s books as they are thoroughly entertaining and, if not classic literature, written well. Hal needed no telescope to aid his bright young eyes – besides, only one of these costly instruments was aboard.

From England to seas and ports around the globe, eventually exploring the dark unknown depths of Africa, this book is the doorway to an epic. Under topsails only, and with all else reefed, the two ships were now converging, both running westward towards the Cape of Good Hope and the Atlantic. This was the gateway through which all must pass who sought to round that wild cape that divided the Ocean of the Indies from the Southern Atlantic. Smith opens this collection of adventures in exciting fashion, leaving nothing to chance as he entertains his readers.

All of the good stuff that historical fiction lovers like is here; lots of period detail, sightseeing, larger-than-life characters, historical context, and so on and so forth. We are caught up in a broad historical sweep, nothing less than the destabilisation of one entire continent . As Hal Courtney finds himself protecting Ethiopia from Arab invaders, the man's true mettle comes to light, which has previously been exemplified by subsequent generations of Courtney men. Soon the surface was thrashed white by the diving birds and the struggling silver anchovies on which they gorged.

Wilbur Smith has done it again, a thrilling roller coaster of a novel, full of adventure and action, and packed with characters you will either love or loath as it journeys along the African coast in a time when the world was a different, simpler place. There is Piracy, War battles, Swordsmanship, A Historical aspect, Adventure on the seas and the continent, Romance, and even an Arthurian legend thrown in. Then he looked northwards to the land mass that crouched like a great rock sphinx, dark and inscrutable, upon the horizon. Precious little,’ Hal admitted, and pointed out the tiny sails of the two pinnaces on the distant horizon. What hope was there that the excluded Christian nations, in their envy and resentment, would honour this declaration?He led prayers twice a day and exhorted his seamen to gentle and dignified behaviour when they put into port – although Hal knew that this advice was seldom followed. But sometimes I felt I was watching a mini-series dumbed down for a TV audience as I read this installment of the generational saga of the Courteneys. There are some strong languages, morbid descriptions, and gruesome details throughout the book, which made me flinch from time to time. Die Story hat viele Wendungen und Entwicklungen, die den Helden und Protagonisten Hal Courtney trotz aller Widrigkeiten zum Glück und die Bösewichter ihrem gerechten Schicksal zuführen.

His young eyes, the keenest in the ship, had been posted there to catch the first gleam of distant sail in the rose of the new day.

Soon the story branches out to include several point of view characters (all interesting, surprisingly enough) and becomes a full-blooded historical adventure with all kinds of chases, battles, romance, revenge, etc.