Customer Reviews

Diamond Hunters

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am a huge Wilbur Smith fan. "River God" is the best novel I have ever read. My second favorite Smith book is his newest: "Monsoon", 3 "Men of Men", 4 "The Sunbird", 5 "Golden Fox", 6 "Burning Shore", 7 "The Diamond Hunters". If you have read all the Wilbur Smith books like I have, you'll yearn for more, but it takes him years to come up with a new book these days. You might look at "Churchill's Gold" by James Follett after you have read all of Mr. Smith's books. It is very similar in style and quality to "The Diamond Hunters".

THE DIAMOND HUNTERS revolves around the mining of beach and offshore deposits for diamonds, and the rivalry and jealousy of two "brothers" involved in this mining. The detailed and accurately depicted diamond mining methods described will be unfamiliar and informative to most readers. Wilber Smith's novels are characterized by hard edged characters in harsh, unforgiving environments and situations, against implacable foes. When one of Smith's "heros" succeeds, his victory is usually pyrrhic-as is often the case in the real world. This gritty pioneer mentality is appropriate to South Africa. I imagine that many readers will conclude that many of the characters in Smith's novels lack dimension. But that's a failure of people, not of the author. There ARE nasty, vengeful people in the world who are NOT complex, and Smith describes such people accurately. Smith does not attempt to explain such people-which I appreciate (in contrast with most modern novels filled with dreary shallow pop-psychology). Smith's heros are men who manage to exceed the sum of their heredity and environment-as is often the case in the real world. In my opinion, the plot is a bit more complex than it could be, and characters could be filled-in a little more, and more numerous and more detailed descriptive passages would have been appreciated. Even so, THE DIAMOND HUNTERS is a good read.

i have read all of Wilbur's books and found that one learns a lot about Africa (with a few exceptions). you learn african history, economics, social problems, environmental problems, natural history, etc. in this one, you learn about the diamond industry and the history of the Namibian diamond coasts, while Wilbur weaves it into his "unputdownable" story. kind of like the Master of the Game with substance. for an even better look at Namibian history, try the Burning Shore.

I have seen Wilbur Smith novels on the bookshelves for years but for one reason or another none of them had ever really piqued my interest, but while browsing in an airport bookstore looking for something to read on a long flight I picked this one up and as I began to read I found that my flight was too short. I didn't want to be interrupted for something as trivial as changing flights. I intend to read more Wilbur Smith in the near future.

The way Smith builds the story of Johnny Lance being an outcast and the way that he discovers the truth about his childhood and the animosity that builds between him and his foster brother Benedict Van der Byle makes for a spellbinding read. Smith's descriptions of the African landscape and exotic locations are well written without being over-done. When he describes Thunderbolt and Suicide you can smell the salt air and see the foamy spray shooting skyward and hear the crashing of the huge waves against the unyielding rock formations.

Like all fiction stories this one is not for everyone, but if you enjoy action/adventure, emphasis on action you will find this a very enjoyable read.

The descriptions of diamond mining and sorting are as good as it gets. An updated version would be Robinson's, Sapphire Sea, set in Madagascar.

This book is one of Smith's early books - originally published in the mid-70's, I think, and anyone who's read a lot of Wilbur Smith (like me) will be able to tell. It's shorter, and he's definitely refined his writing style since then. However, his talent for plot twists, engaging characters and sucking you right into the story is still there - I loved this book! It is well worth it for anyone who likes a rip-roaring adventure!

Wilbur Smith just proves how good he is this is a must read book with characteristics of betrayal and loyalty coming into the fray.The ending was not finished strongly but never the less another work of art by Wilbur Smith

This novel was written over 30 years ago. It is not as polished as his newer books but it contains all the elements that make Smith one of the masters of action and adventure. Exotic locale, unforgettable characters and a prose that takes you `there'.

Let Wilbur take you to a trip to Africa, you will be coming back for more.

This book is one of Wilbur Smith's early books and it shows.
After reading his books set in ancient Egypt, I bought this thinking it would be a good read. He spent too much time on the relationships and too little time on the meat of the story which should have been the search for the elusive diamonds. I was able to finish it but was very disappointed particularly with the ending. It was as if he ran out of steam or got into a hurry. The ending in the book just left you wishing that he would have given you a little more to tie up the loose ends. Not a bad book but, not a great one either.

This is a great book. I read a lot of adventure fiction. This one was really good. The plot was well thought out. The details are great. The building of the characters.... Everything about this book is good.