Courtney saga rolls on

Blue Horizon
By Wilbur Smith. Pan Macmillan. 624pp. $49.
By PTE Simone Heyer
Part of the Courtneys-coming-to-Africa series, Blue Horizon is an epic adventure.

Predominantly set on and around the African continent, also extending up the coast to the Middle East, Blue Horizons features cousins Mansur and Jim, sons of Dorian and Tom Courtney.

The family runs a trading company in Cape Town and seems to have everything happening for it – except adventure. That is until Jim saves a Dutch girl from a prison ship and they flee for their lives under hot pursuit from the local authorities.

Being a Courtney, Jim survives years on the run and thrives, collecting a small army and a fortune in ivory and cattle.

The rest of the family are forced to move on when the authorities expect higher trading fees because of Jim’s indiscretion and take to their ships with the family wealth.

They resettle on the eastern African coast, while Dorian – El-Salil his Arabic name from his childhood adoption by the Caliph – and Mansur set off to usurp the Elephant Throne of Oman and avenge the Princess Yasmini’s death.

They encounter Tom’s estranged – and cruel – twin, Guy, who is building up his wealth and name by evil-doings. Guy assumes El-Salil died in his childhood, so isn’t expecting to find him the new holder of the throne. Mansur hits it off with Guy’s daughter Verity – yes, his cousin – and later comes to her rescue where she joins the good Courtneys.

There’s plenty of fighting and many diverse cultures, of which Smith demonstrates in-depth knowledge. The plot weaves together nicely and there are the obvious Smith qualities of estranged family, superhero strength of lead characters, hunting and superb, haunting descriptions of Africa.

It does seem a bit lower on the gratuitous sex scale than normal – but the book is not lacking because of it.

A guaranteed winner, Blue Horizon is pure gold.