20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Don't Read This First-- it's the 11th and Last in a Series!, February 1, 2004
It's also the least of the series-- all others I've read warrant at least 4 stars, and some 5. "The Courtneys of Africa" series is as follows: Birds of Prey, Monsoon, Blue Horizon, When The Lion Feeds, A Sound of Thunder, A Sparrow Falls, The Burning Shore, Power of the Sword, Rage, A Time to Die-- and THEN Golden Fox. So you'd be unwise to start here; I'd even say you could dispense with it altogether, as it's a weak ending to the story. But it ties up some loose ends of the 20th century version of the clan-- Centaine, born with the century, and her son Shasa, and his four children, Sean, Garry, Isabella, and Michael. The story runs from 1969 to the late 70s, and is rife with minor anachronisms-- Smith wrote this in the early nineties and forgot that kids didn't have videos to pop in and watch back then, etc. The plot is turgid romance and espionage, and the weakest book I've found from Smith-- start anywhere else but here. "Birds of Prey" is a solid adventure story, and will serve as an entree to the Courtneys, if you've a mind to get to know them....
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great read but flawed, December 7, 2004
I agree with many of the comments already made. This is an exciting, readable book but the central premise is flawed. Given how close Bella is to her family and how unrebellious she appears, it seemed totally out of character for her to betray her country and family in this way. Also I found the rescue far-fetched. Smith has written many better books (personally I prefer his non-Courtney books anyway) but I think if you like action and family drama this will still prove difficult to put down.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not like Smith, August 18, 2003
By A Customer
This book is nothing like Wilburth Smith.
The story has no secuence with his previous work on the Courtney series.
Compared with the masterly way in wich Smith weaves history and fiction in the Power of the Sword (giving a clear picture of South Africa during WW2 and the Apartheid}, or the narrative power of Burning Shore this books is a complete nothingness.
So don't judge Smith by this, his least fortunate book.
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