Rage

Writer: Wilbur Smith
Genre: Fiction

Hmmmm!!!! The safest bet when I am confused about what to read next is to pick up a Courtney book from Smith.

Rage is next in line after 'Power of the Sword'.

The book begins with the half brothers Sasha Courtney and Manfred De La Rey pitched against each other in the political arena. Sasha who is married to Tara, has 4 kids (Sean, Michael, Garrick, Isabella) while Mafred is married to Heidi and has a son named Lothar De La Ray (He has daughters too...but they aren’t covered at all). Soon Manfred and Sasha join hands when Shasa Courtney is lured to his side with the one bait the Shasa cannot resist - A Ministerial post and the promise and power the position will bring. But the ploitical unrest in Africa is boiling and along with Moses Gama there are new leaders who have emerged - the most prominent being Mandela.

Manfred and Sasha together face a lot of heat from the rebels and unknown to each other become formidable pals although Sasha is not aware of why their destinies are so intertwined - not until the end. The story has Tara being seduced by Gama to spy on her own husband and she eventually causes the death of her own father before being packed off to England by Sasha. She even bears a son for Moses named Benjamin Africa. Sean is sent to remote Africa to avoid an arrest warrant against him. Micheal leaves the family tradition and becomes a reporter for the black cause. Garrick however carries the Courtney tradition. Isabella falls for Lothar who has himself gained a reputation as the tough cop.

The books end on a not so happy note where Sasha gets to know the truth about the 'White Sword' and before he could do anything with the information Manfred plays the trump card and reveals that he infact is his half brother. Confirmed by Centaine they both decide to part ways and give away the power that they both cherish. Manfred dies in his country home and Sasha moves to England as the ambassador for South Africa. Moses Gama is killed by his own people because he betrayed them against a death sentence and there are new people choose to take a different path to revolution.

Its one of the gems in the Courtney series and unless you are a Courtney and smith fan I don’t think you would have heard of it. Although its a part of a chain it doesn’t matter if you have read the predecessor or not. The narrative is fast paced and compelling as with every book in the series. Africa is the centre piece and it’s something that you won’t keep down once you start it.