Gold Mine [Mass Market Paperback]

Wilbur Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 3, 2006

North of Johannesburg, five companies share the Kitchenerville fields, furiously blasting and digging deep into the earth. For some men, gold mining is a way of life--and death. For some it's just a business. For one man, it's the most dangerous game of all...
 
Rod Ironsides makes love to his boss's wife and drives his miners faster and harder than anyone has ever dared. A few weeks ago, Ironsides had a passion for golf and one-night stands. Now, he has been handed a prize and a curse: to blast through rock and reap a fortune--or be destroyed.
 
From a split-second, oxygen-sucking explosion to a looming underground wall of water, there are a dozen ways Rod can fail. But his passion and fury won't let him back down from a conspiracy he cannot see: men who want to turn his mine into a death trap--for the bloodiest pay-day of all...

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An epic...Smith joins the ranks of one of the grand masters of twentieth-century novels."—Tulsa World

 

'I can recommend an extremely readable new novel, Gold Mine ... Mr. Smith`s story is packed with action and excitement, and it surges along in crisp stile.' – Sunday Express

 

Praise for Wilbur Smith

“Smith is a master.” —Publishers Weekly

“One of the world’s most popular adventure writers.” —The Washington Post Book World

“A rare author who wields a razor-sharp sword of craftsmanship.” —Tulsa World

“Wilbur Smith is one of those benchmarks against whom others are compared.” —The Times (UK)      
"Best Historical Novelist--I say Wilbur Smith, with his swashbuckling novels of Africa.  The bodices of rip and the blood flows.  You can get lost in Wilbur Smith and misplace all of August."--Stephen King

"Action is Wilur Smith's game, and he is a master."--The Washington Post Book World

“The world’s leading adventure writer.” —Daily Express (UK)

"Wilbur Smith rarely misses a trick."--Sunday Times

“Smith is a captivating storyteller.” —The Orlando Sentinel

“No one does adventure quite like Smith.” —Daily Mirror (UK)

"A thundering good’ read is virtually the only way of describing Wilbur Smith’s books.” —The Irish Times

From the Publisher

These audiobooks from Macmillan UK offer abridged readings of some of the world's most popular authors. Handsomely packaged, they feature readings by eminent actors of the stage and screen, including James Fox, Martin Shaw, Tim Pigott-Smith and David Rintoul. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (October 3, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312940610
• ISBN-13: 978-0312940614
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #184,588 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #65 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Men's Adventure

More About the Author

Wilbur Smith was born in Central Africa in 1933. He was educated at Michaelhouse and Rhodes University. After the successful publication of WHEN THE LION FEEDS in 1964 he became a full-time writer, and has since written 30 novels, all meticulously researched on his numerous expeditions worldwide. His books have been translated into twenty-six different languages

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most exciting books of all, June 17, 2000

By 

jasenao (Dothan, Alabama, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gold Mine (Paperback)

"Gold Mine" is a great adventure book. Rod Ironsides becomes manager of the Sonder Ditch and must fulfill his duty the best he can. Rod becomes involved with Terry Steyner, the wife of Rod's manager. Eventually, Rod has to make a plan for the drilling of the Big Dipper. The Big Dipper is full of water and any slight miscalculation could prove fatal.

From beginning to end, "Gold Mine" is one of the most exciting books I've ever read and I recommend anybody who likes adventure books to pick it up right away.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, July 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Goldmine (Paperback)

GOLD MINE is about a stock market manipulation scheme affecting the stocks of South African gold mining companies by sabotaging the mines. Much of the action of the novel is set in a gold mine. The extensive descriptions of the mine, mining methods, and processing methods are clear and accurate-with one possible exception. Mr. Smith's use of the term "heavy media separation" seems to conflict with standard usage. I found the characters to be shallow-which really means that I could not identify nor empathize well with them. But this is, after all, an action novel, and it is quite entertaining as such. The plot is predictable, but not plodding.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An old book with a new cover, June 28, 2007

By 

John B. Goode "JBG" (Earth) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Gold Mine (Mass Market Paperback)

There is some criticism of this book it's too short or too simple, and in a way, it's justified. This book is 37 years old! Would you compare a 37 year old movie with today's movies? Or even fashion, or a football team's playbook? Things get better, writers improve.

Having said that, I still like this book. I don't know anything about gold mining, but it seems technically sound. True, the characters are simplistic, the plot is simplistic. Villians are evil and get their just due. Good guys win. There are no double or triple twists in the book. It's just simple straightfoward story about gold mining and a few characters in it.

A simple straightfoward story with a nice ending. Heck, that sounds better by the minute! In fact, that's what I wish the world would be like today, where you know who the good guys are and you know who the bad guys are and they lose! Yeah, that's what we need more of! Two thumbs up, definitely!

Transport yourself back to good old 1970 and enjoy this book! You need a break from 2007!