Customer Reviews

Scatterlings of Africa

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Former Rhodesian citizen and part-time soldier turned author Peter Davies brings his knowledge of that terrible period of war and rebellion into focus with his novel "Scatterlings of Africa". It is a gripping suspense filled story with everything from war, and carnage to love and romance.

The writing is absolutely top notch. Davies captures the reader with a well-constructed plot, great characters and with just enough dialog to add to the great narrative. The book is riveting and shows all the hatred and anger of that time and place. The book may not be politically correct at times but it fits well with what the author is trying to convey to his readers.

The book will keep you reading late into the night until you finish it. It is highly charged with lots of action but the issues about relationships and other personal things bring us a stronger and a more profound look at the people in his book. The story is easy to read physically but emotionally it may stay with you long after putting down this book.

This is an American Authors Association's FIVE STAR Rated Book! A must read for those who love adventure and suspense novels.

This is Peter Davies 'break-out' book, and a good one indeed ! Davies, a former soldier in the Rhodesian Army, has written a realistic historical fiction novel based on that ugly and misunderstood civil war. His book combines the excitement and adrenaline of a citizen-soldier defending his family and home from the burtality of the 'terrs," with the stresses and knoweldge of what will happen to his loved ones if he fails. Not for the poltically correct or faint-of-heart, Davies book simply tells it like it was in Rhodesia in the mid 70's. Well written & well done !!

Peter Davies writes with depth and clarity on the conflict which tore this once prosperous and gracious country apart. His knowledge and use of local language and traditions adds drama and reality to the fast paced story. His is obviously the voice of a seasoned veteran whose spell binding descriptions of the smells, sights and sounds makes this a riveting page turner that brings the African bush alive for readers. This is not a politically correct tale and he will not earn accolades from the ruling regime, however, it is based on reality and it has earned a permanent place in my library. It will no doubt be brought out and reread time and again and will not fail to bring the feelings of loss that are felt by all Scatterlings of Africa. A masterpiece of story telling in the tradition of Wilbur Smith.

The book "Scatterlings of Africa" by Peter Davies is a novel set in the time period of the guerrilla war in Rhodesia. The writing is fast paced and raw at times. The author allows the characters to voice themselves in appropriate jargon. The types of situations included in the novel are also brutally honest at times. The language that is used within context is often colorful. Even with this said the novel itself is well written and encourages the reader to continue on to the end of the book to satisfy the need to know what has happened to these people that they have made connections to.
The main character, Lieutenant Ron Cartwright, is on a mission to track down one particular insurgent in this vicious war, one he refers to as `Big Feet'. The insurgent, Comrade Gadziwa is just as determined to achieve his goal as well. With the plot in place the writer Peter Davies begins to focus on the prose and the subplots that make the story truly interesting. The story is true to the life, feelings, and times of those days. With his use of correct, or impolite, language for the situations given, it puts one in and pulls one through the story as he tells it. The author pulls no punches in the language that he uses or the type of situations that he includes in the book and this will need to be a concern before reading, or choosing the book to read. The story almost seems to read more like an accounting of someone's life and not the fictional creation that it is. Be prepared to get connected to the characters and to have old memories brought to the surface at times.
Peter Davies, however, has brought to us a well-written book that realistically mirrors what the times were like, and what the feelings of the day were. It pulls the reader into the story and makes the reader care for those in the book. It is not odd that the author can so accurately portray the aspects of the guerrilla war in Rhodesia, and the types of situations a soldier, or for that matter a civilian, would be in. He himself has experienced it. Peter Davis was born and raised in Africa and served as a soldier in Rhodesia. This gives him a unique slant on the time and the troubles of Rhodesia at that time. This book is a must read if you enjoy getting involved with characters and their lives during this time.

Written by African native and former part-time soldier Peter Davies, Scatterlings of Africa is an action-packed adventure, set in the early seventies during Rhodesia's war against terror (Rhodesia became Zimbabwe in 1980). Lieutenant Ron Cartwright is committed to defending his nation against insurgents; while abduction, intimidation, and torture are par for the course during the brutal civil war, many cities, towns, and farms remain safe havens. Yet separation from his beloved wife is taking its toll, and the arrival of her cousin along with the impending threat of the war's escalation add further pressure to the situation. A gripping and severe novel of sacrificed paid struggling to defend, protect, and survive.

"This is a very realistic story about struggles during the Rhodesian War of Independence in the 1970's. On one side you have Ron Cartwright who becomes so obsessed with the war that he alienates himself from his wife, Angela, and their three young daughters. He risks his career as well as his life through his overriding obsession. On the other side you have "Big Feet" Gadziwa - a ruthless freedom fighter who will stop at nothing to rid the land of the white "invaders". A fast paced, highly charged adventure that is more truth than fiction with great descriptions of life during those turbulent times. Well written and easy to read."

Love, romance, obsession, hate, evil and suspense are all elements of Peter Davies superbly written novel, The Scatterlings of Africa. The author has carefully crafted his characters and scenes to allow his readers to know and care about them and in doing so draw his audience to understand his message about the cruelty and many times unjust nature of civil war.

Based in the 1970s, the story rings true to those who experienced the news of turmoil in Africa and like any good historical fiction leaves the reader unknowing where fact leaves to fiction. While reading the story, it made me wonder if the characters were truly fictional or perhaps composites of people the author knew.

I highly recommend the book. It caught my attention very quickly and kept it to the end. Well Done.

Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (4/07)


The setting for this gritty, uncompromising book, written by Peter Davies, is Rhodesia in the 1970's, shortly before becoming Zimbabwe in1980. It tells a story of a white officer in the war against the insurgents, Lieutenant Ron Cartwright. Ron is obsessed with catching - and killing - Comrade Gadziwa, a freedom fighter who wishes to restore the land to his people. While Ron is in the bush fighting, his wife Angela and their three young daughters are living in the town and visiting both sets of grandparents on their farms, enjoying a relatively safe and pleasant lifestyle. Ron and Angela have been drifting apart for a while already, mostly due to Ron's desire to pursue the military career full-time, which leads to his apparent neglect of Angela and their family. When Angela's cousin Mark reappears in her life, an unexpected romance blossoms, followed by a full-blown, steamy affair. Will Angela follow her heart or her mind? Will Ron catch Gadziwa? Is Mark serious?

Mr. Davies' writing is terse and tense. He excels in descriptions of the fighting and related scenes. He does not shy away from brutal depictions of war and torture and those scenes come across as incredibly real. While I cannot say that I enjoyed those pages, since brutality does not tend to be high on my list of enjoyable pursuits, I have to say that I found them haunting and brilliant. I also enjoyed the little vignettes of life and people of Africa, interspersed with the rest of Mr. Davies' writing. His love and knowledge of the land truly shine through in those scenes. The pages that left me slightly puzzled and upset were the ones dealing with Angela's affair with Mark and especially the pages describing any kind of "lovemaking," be it those with Angela and Mark or a page of the brutal encounter between Angela and Ron.

After having read Peter Davies' "Scatterlings of Africa," I had a distinct feeling that the author's writing it was a real catharsis for him. The very personal view of the events in Rhodesia and the heartfelt depictions of the civil war must have been quite difficult to put on paper. I would recommend this book to people interested in this aspect of African history as well as those who enjoy hard-core warrior books.

Book received free of charge