Customer Reviews

The Dark Of The Sun

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Bruce Curry leads a team of mercenaries into the African jungle to rescue a towm from rebel forces. Each of the officers has his own story. Bruce is a lawyer who has fled from a bad marraige. Another is a former Nazi. The doctor is no longer in pratice becauce of a botched operation. A forth has problems whit his manhood. The top sargent is a well educated black man. Each finds a solution in this adventure of betrayal and intrigue. The book was originally titled "Train Form Katanga", and is a great read!

A tremendous adventure novel set in the Congo in the early
1960's, this book will keep the reader on the edge of his/her seat. Later filmed with Rod Taylor and Yvette Mimieux, diffcult
to find on TV (presumably because of lack of PC credentials), it
makes a great adventure movie.
Also I personally suspect that it served as a partial inspiration for the more recent film "Tears of the Sun."
Buy and read this book!

This is an entertaining adventure novel by Wilbur Smith.

Although this is not one of his better ones, it is one that will keep the reader entertained. The story is about a group of mercenaries who are sent to retrieve a collection of diamonds under the guise of rescuing some people who are in danger during a revolt.

It is a story that any Wilbur Smith fan will enjoy. For anyone who has never read him before, I would recommend starting with 'Hungry as the Sea' or the Courtney series, which is fantastic. The first one in that collection is: 'When the Lion Feeds.'

Dark of the Sun is an incredible story inspired by the Cimba revolt in the Belgian Congo during the early sixties. The book's biggest strength is the unique setting and unusual circumstances under which the story takes place. When combined with the international mix of characters, the book is a delight to the imagination, especially for those interested in foreign places and military forces. Its also a great book to read first and then compare with the movie.

A true adventure book which I found much more enjoyable than today's super-thrillers. This book was entertaing and held my interest the whole time. Even Clive Cussler fans might enjoy the change. Wilbur Smith seems to be the best adventure writer around. His books are entertaining yet plausible. Try "THE DIAMOND HUNTERS"

I am used to long, detailed, get the dirt out of your throat books from wilbur smith. this was not that. it was short, easy to read, but just o.k. I am a big fan of wilbur smith and always looking for a new book of his to read, this one is older, but if your a fan, give it a try.

Wilbur Smith is a great story teller and thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Unfortunately Pages 5 thru 41 came apart as I read through the first part
of the book.

Only fault this book has is, it fails to hold your attention in initial pages. But if you read on beyond first 15 pages, it has the potential to captivate the reader. It is not that story cannot be predicted, but the story line is powerful enough to make the readers read on, even when the conclusion becomes apparent in last few pages.

To say that it is a run of the mill story would be an injustice to this book. The plot development, the ups and downs its characters go through and the back drop of Africa add up and brighten the story line. In all a book which can be read fully and enjoyed throughout except first few pages.

Of 28 of 31 of his books that I have read this is my least favorite. A totally unbelievable tale without the typical building of characters and romance so often found in Smith novels.

In general it is a good story. But the good guys are very, very good ones to be mercenaries.
On the other side the bad guys are very, very, very bad ones.
As I said previously it is predecitable, in the last half of the book everything goes pretty simple, Bruce knows how to solve all the problems he encounters, also he gets the girl, the fame and the money. Like an African 007.