Elephant Song

For some reason I didn't realize it was not on cd's but rather cassette tapes so I could never play it...I didn't return it as it was my fault.

It's well-written and suspenseful. Fast-moving (if not entirely believable) action pulls well-drawn characters through a compelling story. All the components of a great read, but the graphic description of violent acts committed by both men and beasts is almost a deal-breaker. What saves this book is the focus on insatiable human lust for power and wealth, and how this corruption affects and destroys the natural order of life. Creating awareness of the situation that exists in Africa is important, the book provides insight of the ongoing struggle between the haves and the have-nots and instructs us that if it is allowed to continue, the results will be detrimental to us all.

A very good read leaving the reader waiting for the next Brigandshaw book in the series.

Love the older condensed stories! Great value.

I have read approximately 20 of Mr. Smith’s books never a dis-appointment. Great read! I recommend it. It is full of action.

A favorite

Great book. I highly recommend it and all the other Wilbur Smith novels. Anyone who likes adventure and action will love his books. You'll also learn a lot about Africa.

Amazing story !! I was hooked in a minute.

My second Wilbur Smith - I was recommended this one as maybe his magnum opus. It's a gripping action novel that never relents and takes us from the savannah of Zimbabwe to Zambia to Malawi, then to London, then to "Ubomo" (as clear a euphemism for Rwanda as any), back to London then back to Ubomo for the finale. Suffocating and claustrophobic this book is not - it's as sweeping as the African landscape.It also reads as a fairly violent tale of revenge where the story's hero comes good in the end and gets the woman - it's Hollywood a la Indiana Jones or The Rock, in the mold of "I'm gonna git you sucka". And he does.It's a gripping tale and artfully told, but frankly based on coarse emotions of revenge, cruelty (the bad guys) and getting back on them in the end. The women are lusty busty ("her bare buttocks were like two shiny ostrich eggs" - what can you say to that?) and really, stereo-typed.Don't get me wrong, it's a real page-turner and keeps you gripped, but not for me - this is my last Wilbur Smith, but if you're a Wilbur fan and you've not read this one, it's a must.

This is the first book for a long time that I put down in disgust. It has put me off ever reading Wilbur Smith again. I am not prudish. I have watched Game of Thrones, which has a lot of brutal killings. That however, we all know is fantasy. It is set in a mythical time and place with characters we know are completely unreal. But Wilbur Smith is in the business of verisimilitude. He means us to believe what we read, not as literal truth, but as realistic scenarios. We start with a mass slaughter of elephants. We are spared no grisly detail. Then a few pages later, we are entertained with deeply distressing, highly detailed, almost forensic depictions of women and children murdered, raped and burnt, for no reason I could see beyond the writer's own enjoyment. No doubt it will act as a spurious motivation for our hero to later do something nasty to a string of baddies. But I did not get that far and I never will. It turned my stomach and upset me for days afterwards.

For Wilbur Smith fan's there is no need to say anything, as they know the brilliance of his books. For those who have never read any before, you are in for a treat is you enjoy action, great story plots and the need to get you teeth well and truly into having to know the outcome. Great great book, highly recommend it

I haven't read a Wilbur Smith book for some years now (not sure why as I have enjoyed all his books I've read) and saw this at a knock down price on kindle so 1-clicked it immediately.This book about murder and revenge with the usual flowing narrative by Smith about his beloved Africa was a pure joy and certainly in my opinion one of his best books.One gets a great feel for the characters and the descriptions of the African landscape really capture the imagination. From the hero Daniel Armstrong to the despicable Ning Cheng the characters really stand out. I especially loved the bambuti people and WS really makes them come alive with his writing.Some people say Smith's writing can be a bit graphic, but personally I think this is a good thing as he pulls no punches when writing about Africa and tells it like it is !I would definitely recommend this book and in fact any of WS books as he is a great writer.

Didn't get past the first chapter! Very poorly written with little character depth. Not up to his usual standard although I've noticed a few of his recent books have been poor almost as though he is just churning them out to earn money or fulfil a contract.