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Author

Wilbur Smith

1933–2021

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

Western Front Armistice and Aftermath of World War I Age of Exploration Restoration Dutch Golden Age Late Victorian Empire Cold War and Post-war Era Anglo-Zulu War Second Boer War Hyksos Rule in Egypt Special Operations Executive Abolitionism and American Slavery Mahdist War Great Depression

Series

Series by Wilbur Smith (8 series)

When the Lion Feeds Sequence in Order

by Wilbur Smith 3 books 4.5

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.

When the Lion Feeds

4.5

The Sound of Thunder

4.5

A Sparrow Falls

4.6

Birds of Prey Sequence in Order

by Wilbur Smith 10 books 4.4

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…

Birds of Prey

4.6

Golden Lion

4.0

Monsoon

4.6

The Tiger’s Prey

4.4

Blue Horizon

4.6

Ghost Fire

4.4

Storm Tide

4.5

Nemesis

4.4

Warrior King

4.4

Vengeance

4.5

Ballantyne–Courtney Crossover in Order

by Wilbur Smith 3 books 4.5

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.

The Triumph of the Sun

4.5

King of Kings

4.6

Fire on the Horizon

4.4

The Ballantyne in Order

by Wilbur Smith 4 books 4.5

A Falcon Flies

4.4

Men of Men

4.4

The Angels Weep

4.5

The Leopard Hunts in Darkness

4.6

Ancient Egyptian Series in Order

by Wilbur Smith 10 books 4.4

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.

River God

4.5

The Seventh Scroll

4.5

Warlock

4.5

The Quest

4.3

Desert God

4.1

Pharaoh

4.2

The New Kingdom

4.4

Titans of War

4.5

Testament

4.3

House of Two Pharaohs

4.4

The Burning Shore Sequence in Order

by Wilbur Smith 5 books 4.5

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 Burning Shore

4.5

Power of the Sword

4.5

Rage

4.5

A Time to Die

4.5

Golden Fox

4.4

Assegai Sequence in Order

by Wilbur Smith 6 books 4.4

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…

Assegai

4.4

War Cry

4.3

Courtney’s War

4.5

Legacy of War

4.5

Crossfire

4.3

Flashpoint

Hector Cross in Order

by Wilbur Smith 3 books 4.2

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.