The Sound of Thunder (The Courtneys)

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And Sean, to all appearances another burgher among thousands of burghers, worked his way slowly through the crowds and the press of wagons towards a general dealer’s store at the top end of the town near the railway station. That cub roars louder than the lion that sired him,’ grunted Mbejane, but there was a fondness in his expression as he watched the rider reach the leading wagon and drag the pony from full run down on to his haunches. This book is the continuation of the first book, where Sean is now fighting in the Boer War. Sean has grown up and has also lost his wife. His son Dirk has also grown and is tormented by the fact that his father is not paying enough attention to him. This creates a strong hatred towards his dad. He found him selling a bag of coffee beans to a gentleman who was plainly sceptical of its quality. The discussion of the merits of Mr Goldberg’s coffee beans as opposed to those of his competitor across the street was becoming involved and technical. Let us make the attempt.’ Sean encouraged him and walked his horse down the slope to intercept the caravan.

Sean and his son Dirk finally leave the wilderness and discover that a war is brewing between the English and the Boers. He meets and falls in love with a woman called Ruth and they conceive a daughter during a thunderstorm. Ruth runs away to return to her husband who is a soldier in the Boer War, but later, after Sean won many victories in the war, he befriends Saul, Ruth's husband. Saul is killed in battle and Sean, although feeling guilty, finds Ruth and marries her.A thundering good' read is virtually the only way of describing Wilbur Smith's books." --The Irish Times The Courtney series can be split into three parts, each part following a particular era of the Courtney family. Nkosi, we have killed many elephant.’ Mbejane nodded and Sean noticed for the first time the strands of silver in the woolly cap of his hair. No longer a young man either. That cub roars louder than the lion that sired him,' grunted Mbejane, but there was a fondness in his expression as he watched the rider reach the leading wagon and drag the pony from full run down on to his haunches. The pace would do credit to a Porsche, and the invention is as bright and explosive as a fireworks display. Sunday Telegraph"

Since his mother had died five years before he had not known the gentling influence of a woman. No wonder he was a wild one. A man grows weary of the trek,' Sean mused aloud. 'There is a time when he longs to sleep two nights at the same place.' The commander of the Boers is Sean'sbrother-in-law, Jan-Paulus Leroux, brother of Katrina who died in “ When the Lion Feeds”. Sean and Jan-Paulus fight but eventually decide to leave each other alone. Another reason why I liked this book is that in each chapter, there is an emphasis on different characters, rather than only one character. In the first book of the series, there was an emphasis on only one character - Sean. Now there is importance on different characters in the book, including Garry, Jan Paulus, Saul, and Ruth.

I'm sorry, Pa! I'm sorry. I'll never do it again, I promise you. I love you, I love you best of all - and I'll never do it again,' screamed Dirk, and they clung to each other. The second book of the Courtney series by Wilbur Smith - I never expected it to be so good. This book was way better than the first book (When The Lion Feeds) and is also one of my favourite novels till now. Just supposing it was war between the Republic and Britain, and just supposing the Boers caught him – what would they do with him?