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Author

Wilbur Smith

1933–2021

55 fiction

Wilbur Smith was a British-South African novelist best known for adventure and historical fiction set across Africa. Born in Northern Rhodesia, now Zambia, in 1933, he drew on the landscapes, wildlife and colonial history of southern Africa to create large-scale stories of exploration, warfare, political change and family rivalry. His novels often combine fictional dynasties with major historical events, ranging from the expansion of European settlement to the world wars and the end of colonial rule.

Smith’s best-known works include the long-running Courtney and Ballantyne series, as well as When the Lion Feeds, The Burning Shore, A Falcon Flies and River God. His books are characterised by fast-paced plots, vivid settings and recurring themes of ambition, survival and conflict. Over a career spanning more than five decades, he became one of the world’s most widely read writers of historical adventure fiction.

Periods and events

Abolitionism & American Slaveryc. 1830–1865 CE American Revolutionary War1775–1783 CE Anglo-Zulu War1879 Antebellum Mississippi Valley1830–1861 Appeasement and the Road to War1933–1939 CE Armistice and Aftermath of World War I1918–1923 CE British Conquest of the Cape Colony1806 CE Dutch East India Company1602–1799 East African Campaign of World War I1914–1918 Egyptian Campaign1798–1801 CE Fall of Avaris and Expulsion of the Hyksosc. 1550 BCE French and Indian War1754–1763 CE Grand Alliance1941–1945 CE Great Depression1929–1939 CE Hyksos Rule in Egyptc. 1650–1550 BCE Mesopotamiac. 3500–539 BCE Mughal India and British Raj1526–1947 CE Mycenaean Greecec. 1600–1100 BCE New Kingdom Egyptc. 1550–1070 BCE Postwar Nazi Hunting1945–1970 CE Reign of Terror1793–1794 CE Rise of Nazism1919–1933 CE Rise of the Zulu Kingdom and the Mfecanec. 1816–1828; wider upheaval continued into the 1830s Second Boer War1899–1902 CE Second Intermediate Period of Egyptc. 1650–1550 BCE Seven Years’ War1756–1763 CE Special Operations Executive1940–1945 CE Theban War against the Hyksosc. 1560–1550 BCE Western Front1914–1918 CE World War I Air War1914–1918 World War II1939–1945 CE

Historical fiction

Historical fiction series by Wilbur Smith (8 series)

When the Lion Feeds Sequence in Order

by Wilbur Smith 3 books 4.5(31,997)

The When the Lion Feeds Sequence follows Sean Courtney and his family through the transformation of southern Africa from the Anglo-Zulu War and the Witwatersrand gold rush to the Second Boer War and the aftermath of the First World War.

The Burning Shore Sequence in Order

by Wilbur Smith 5 books 4.5(28,445)

The Burning Shore Sequence follows Centaine de Thiry and later Courtney generations from the Western Front and the aftermath of the First World War through the Great Depression, the rise of apartheid and the Cold War conflicts of southern Africa. Rage is restored as book 3 between Power…

The Ballantyne in Order

by Wilbur Smith 4 books 4.5(18,621)

Ballantyne–Courtney Crossover in Order

by Wilbur Smith 3 books 4.5(17,197)

This crossover sequence brings the Ballantyne and Courtney families together during the late nineteenth-century contest for power in Africa. Its action moves from the Mahdist siege of Khartoum to Ethiopia’s resistance to Italian invasion and the opening of the Second Boer War.

Birds of Prey Sequence in Order

by various authors 10 books 4.4(76,119)

The extended Birds of Prey sequence follows successive Courtney generations from the Second Anglo-Dutch War and the Indian Ocean trading world through the French and Indian War, the American Revolution, the Napoleonic era and the rise of the Zulu kingdom. Its ten books connect maritime commerce, piracy, colonial…

Ancient Egyptian Series in Order

by Wilbur Smith 10 books 4.4(74,772)

The Ancient Egyptian Series combines adventures set during fictionalised versions of the Second Intermediate Period and early New Kingdom with one modern archaeological thriller. Taita, Lostris and later protégés confront Hyksos rule, civil conflict, royal succession and threats to the reunification of Egypt.

Assegai Sequence in Order

by Wilbur Smith 6 books 4.4(33,351)

The Assegai Sequence follows Leon Courtney and his daughter Saffron from British East Africa before the First World War through the rise of Nazism, the Second World War and the early post-war struggle over colonial Kenya. The books combine family conflict, espionage and military history across Africa and…

Hector Cross in Order

by Wilbur Smith 3 books 4.2(27,360)

The Hector Cross thrillers follow a former SAS officer and private security specialist through modern kidnapping, terrorism and revenge plots. Those in Peril, Vicious Circle and Predator are contemporary action novels and therefore remain without historical-context relationships.

Historical fiction

Standalone historical fiction by Wilbur Smith (11 books)

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