Diamond Hunters (Mass Market Paperback)

by Wilbur Smith (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
This rollercoaster of a story, perfectly adapted to audio format, transports the listener into a world of violence, suspense, mystery and romance. Set against the backdrop of the diamond world in Cape Town and London, it's the tale of an inheritance that proves to be a curse and of a family's passionate hatred and jealousy. Johnny Lance was brought up with Benedict and Tracey, children of the founder of the Van Der Byl Diamond Company. Their childhood was idyllic, but when the 'Old Man' makes his fortune everything falls apart. Benedict soon realizes that he can't hope to compete with Johnny's natural talent for the diamond industry - and begins to hate him for it. The sadness and loneliness drive Johnny and Tracey closer together and they find solace in each another. But their innocent love leads to a tragic misunderstanding that will set in motion the violence and lust for revenge that drive the action forward to an explosive climax. This is quality prose, read with style and feeling by Tim Pigott-Smith. A classy thriller, action-packed and endlessly exciting, this is escapism of epic proportions. (Kirkus UK) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Wilbur Smith leaves fans feeling that they sailed alongside Sir Hal because the geography and the era appear so genuine. This is what makes a Smith book worth reading."
--Midwest Book Review on Monsoon

"Smith's novel is far more than your typical pirate script...A fascinating account...Smith deftly evokes not only the horrific but also the beautiful, particularly the lush landscape of Africa."
--The Washington Post Book World on Birds of Prey

"As usual, Smith...peoples his tale with unforgettable characters...Swashbuckling and sensuous, Birds of Prey is not for the faint-hearted. This latest epic transcends the average action-adventure yarn."
--The Orlando Sentinel

"A rich, compelling look back in time when history and myth intermingled."
--San Francisco Chronicle on River God

"Throughout The Seventh Scroll, as in all Wilbur Smith novels, the plot twists and turns with constant surprises...This old-fashioned adventure novel keeps the reader enthralled all the way to its very exciting conclusion."
--The Washington Post Book World

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

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Product Details Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages Publisher: Fawcett (February 28, 1990) Language: English ISBN-10: 0449216144 ISBN-13: 978-0449216149 Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.7 inches Shipping Weight: 3.8 ounces Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #791,200 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Look Inside This Book

Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover

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Citations (learn more)

21 books cite this book:

• Gold Mine by Wilbur Smith in Front Matter (1), and Front Matter (2)
• Shout at the Devil by Wilbur Smith in Front Matter (1), and Front Matter (2)
• When the Lion Feeds by Wilbur Smith in Front Matter (1), and Front Matter (2)
• Eagle in the Sky by Wilbur Smith in Front Matter (1), and Front Matter (2)
• Bestsellers: Popular Fiction Since 1900 by Clive Bloom on page 181

See all 21 books citing this book

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	66% buy the item featured on this page: Diamond Hunters 4.1 out of 5 stars (15)
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Customer Reviews

15 Reviews 5 star:  (6) 4 star:  (7) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:  (2) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.1 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 38 of 40 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars I rank this one 7th in my Wilbur Smith collection, January 7, 2001 By  Flippers - See all my reviews 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". 14 of 15 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Gritty action and suspense, August 7, 1999 By A Customer 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. 10 of 11 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars rated comparatively with Wilbur's others, August 2, 2001 By A Customer 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.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 2.0 out of 5 stars Totally Unbelievable Tale This book falls in the bottom five of the 28 books that I have read by Wilbur Smith. There is no review of the African continent that is so prevalent in his other books. Read more Published 4 months ago by James Schwartz 4.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Adventure !! Is blood thicker than, well ..... diamonds! Wilbur Smith, writing in 1971, explores the rivalry between an estranged foster-child and heir to the Van Der Byl diamond fortune and... Read more Published 17 months ago by Denny Myers 5.0 out of 5 stars Great Reading I am sorry the books were a gift but the recepent gives great reviews and wishes to have more from that auther' Published 21 months ago by Gary W. Booe 5.0 out of 5 stars A spellbinding action/adventure, tale 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... Read more Published on August 13, 2006 by Frank J. Stone 4.0 out of 5 stars Very Good Wilbur Smith just proves how good he is this is a must read book with characteristics of betrayal and loyalty coming into the fray. Read more Published on May 19, 2006 by Davidee 4.0 out of 5 stars Early Wilbur Smith, prelude of great things to come. 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... Read more Published on January 20, 2006 by Mr. Lu. 4.0 out of 5 stars The Real Deal 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. Published on February 21, 2005 by Lacy Hazard 2.0 out of 5 stars The Diamond Hunters 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. Read more Published on November 22, 2002 by Joseph K. Fryman 5.0 out of 5 stars Early, but Excellent 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. Read more Published on August 20, 2002 by jlperson 5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Fiction 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. Read more Published on July 31, 2001 by Sonterro Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Fawcett (February 28, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449216144
• ISBN-13: 978-0449216149
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #791,200 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I rank this one 7th in my Wilbur Smith collection, January 7, 2001

By	Flippers - See all my reviews

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".

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gritty action and suspense, August 7, 1999

By A Customer

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.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars rated comparatively with Wilbur's others, August 2, 2001

By A Customer

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.