Another epic tale from Smith! This is the followup novel to Birds of Prey which I read a couple of years ago. It is also the second chronologically in the Courtney's of Africa saga by Smith. I really enjoyed this swashbuckling story of Hal Courtney, the hero of Birds of Prey, and his progeny. This novel takes place in the 1690's...about thirty years after the end of Prey. Hal Courtney is called by the king to rid the African east coast of a deadly Arab pirate who has captured several English ships. His sons, Tom, Guy and Dorian accompany him on this quest while his oldest son William remained behind in England to watch over the estate. Tom and his twin, Guy, fall out over a woman on the voyage and Guy ends up in India with a mortal dislike of Tom. William pretty much despises the whole family and is only after money and power. While Tom and Dorian remain true to their father and each other... But Dorian is captured by the Arabs and put into bondage before finding favor with the Caliph of Oman.... Lots and lots of action, adventure, despicable villains, beautiful women, and brave heroics. But most of all, Smith throws in a lot of history including the Omani wars with the Ottoman Empire, the brutality of the slave and ivory trade in Africa, and descriptions of exotic locales such as Zanzibar. I'll be looking forward to reading more in this series and I would recommend Smith to anyone who likes adventure with their history.
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