- Mass Market Paperback: 554 pages
- Publisher: Macmillan; 5 edition (7 Mar 1997)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0333653300
- ISBN-13: 978-0333653302
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 15.2 x 4.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 798,083 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Birds of Prey
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Look up "classic adventure novel" in the dictionary and you'll find the strong and capable features of South Africa's own Wilbur Smith, who--in books as varied and enjoyable as River God, The Seventh Scroll, When the Lion Feeds, and The Diamond Hunters--displays an awesome storytelling ability. His latest is one of his best efforts: a richly detailed story of war and piracy on the high seas in 1667, 150 years before Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey and Maturin books
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Review
"Constant excitement...ÝA fast-moving tale. What could be better for the beach or backyard?"--"The Washington Post Book World"
"ÝA rousing adventure story...Smith is a captivating storyteller."--"Orlando Sentinel"
""Birds of Prey" is a wonderful novel filled with excitement, pirates and vivid sea battles. The heroes are handsome and memorable and overcome tremendous odds to defeat unscrupulous enemies, to remain honorable and wise and always win the fair maiden in the end...In short, it is vintage Wilbur Smith."--"Times Record News" (Wichita Falls, TX)
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.
"ÝA rousing adventure story...Smith is a captivating storyteller."--"Orlando Sentinel"
""Birds of Prey" is a wonderful novel filled with excitement, pirates and vivid sea battles. The heroes are handsome and memorable and overcome tremendous odds to defeat unscrupulous enemies, to remain honorable and wise and always win the fair maiden in the end...In short, it is vintage Wilbur Smith."--"Times Record News" (Wichita Falls, TX)
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
56 of 58 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having read Wilbur Smith's books about Taita's adventures in Egypt (River God, Warlock and The Seventh Scroll) I'd got a taste for his exciting, descriptive and involving style of writing and I felt like I was at a loose end when I knew that 'that was it' for his Egyptian stuff.
Tentatively, I picked up Birds of Prey, and although it was a bit of effort to get into at first (I later discovered this book is in the middle of 'The Courtneys' series) I soon found I couldn't put it down and became a recluse for the next few days.
As with so many of Smith's books the clever story line follows surprising twists and turns at a furious pace, yet always stays descriptive enough to let you really experience what the characters go through, victorious elation, love, heartache, torture and gore..
I was never really a great fan of any adventures at sea, but THIS BOOK CHANGED ALL THAT. It got me hooked on the Courtney novels. Having since read the two sequels after Birds of Prey I've been unable to prevent myself from ordering the first three books in the Courtney series too. Once I've read those I'll probably re-read this one again and I'm sure I'll pick up on a whole lot of finer points and detail I missed in the excitement the first time around!
If you'd like to have the advantage of starting at the beginning of the series, they're listed here in order:
When the Lion Feeds
The Sound of Thunder
A Sparrow Falls
BIRDS OF PREY
Monsoon
Blue Horizon
Enjoy.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio Cassette
I have been an avid Wilbur Smith fan since the age of 14 when I first plundered the library for a copy of When The Lion Feeds.Since then I have avidly devoured all of his serialised novels and four of his other ones.The discovery that he'd gone back in time to the early roots of the Courtney(or should that be Courteney?)family had me breaking down the doors of the nearest book shop. Up till now we'd been used to the idea of members of the Courtney family fighting their battles in the jungle or in the boardroom,so having the new slant of seafarers in their earlier generations injected new enthusiasm into it. Wilbur Smith lays the innermost feelings and emotions of his characters bare and exposed for us to see.Even the restrained and dignified Sir Francis Courteney has feelings,as Smith reveals in his narrative without confusing the image that the other characters in the book have of him. The adventure unfolds over a period of years,taking Hal Courteney from a youth of 17,into his eraly 20's.In that time he experiences everything you could think of:lust,love,betrayal,comeradeship,adventure,etc etc etc.The sexual scenes are described with language more explicit than we are used to seeing in Smith's books,but I was left with the feeling that Smith was more focused on Hal's betrayer than his other lovers,who he really feels something genuine for.Perhaps Smith finds his female villains more captivating than his heroines;I know I do! If you can stomach reading a novel this huge,(554 pages in the hardback edition)then you won't be sorry for getting a copy of this.It has everything and does'nt really fit into any one specific genre because romance,adventure and any other subject you can think of,are covered in this one novel,more than they would be in any smaller,specialist book. Long may this author live and long may he keep writing material of this calibre!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have devoured every word of the Courtney novels and was pleased to see that this book would look at the early roots of the family. Smith writes better about the past than he does the present and this is no exception. Never dull and always asking you to turn to the next page, Birds Of Prey is full of vintage Smith: violence, conflict, sex and rich detail. Whilst Smith's characters are always sterotypes we can relate to them and,in many cases,envy them. I can't wait to see how this series of Courtney adventures joins up with his earlier novels to from a 400 year history of the Courtney family.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
A great adventure book
I have to admit I had never heard of Wilbour Smith up till a month ago, when my sister-in-law gave me, as a gift, a Kindle voucher and recommended I try this book. Read more
Published 2 months ago by agneslil
what a great read... Smith at his best.
I have read a lot of similar stuff of late but none compare with this. This bloke can tell a good yarn. A proper boys book, guns,guts and girls on the high seas. Read more
Published 4 months ago by carter59
Birds or Prey
Have not, as yet, listened to this CD but, being a great fan of Wilbur Smith, I now it will be a superb book.
Published 11 months ago by Big Fan
wilbur smith birds of prey
An excellent tale as you would expect from Maestro Smith. I read the book many years ago and bought the talking book for a family member with sight difficulties. Read more
Published 14 months ago by tilly
Smith's done it again
I've read the Courteney novels in order of publication (as Smith recommends) and wasn't sure what this prequel was going to be like and I have to say is fantastic. Read more
Published on 22 Sep 2009 by edzshed
Birds of Prey
Birds of Prey is another good read from Wilbur Smith, retaining his descriptive gift and page-turning narrative, though admittedly the book drags a bit. Read more
Published on 24 Oct 2008 by Mr. D. W. Kenrick
Exceptionally descriptive
Have almost finished this book (50 pages to go) and have enjoyed every word written. This book is primarily centred around a seafaring story, a bit of a break from the traditional... Read more
Published on 21 Oct 2008 by Jax
Wonderful!
Birds Of Prey follows the Courtney family back about 300 years. It startswith an introduction to 17 year old Hal Courtney and his father SirFrancis aboard the ship the Lady... Read more
Published on 26 April 2004
SWASHBUCKLING ADVENTURE ON THE HIGH SEAS!!
OK look, lets get something staright, it has taken me 6 years to get to the final 10 pages of this long but detailed and engrossing book, I never want the experience to end. Read more
Published on 9 Feb 2004 by R. Covell
Exuberant and engaging action, however wildly improbable
In BIRDS OF PREY, it is the year 1667, and we are introduced to the 17-year old Englishman, Hal Courteney. Read more
Published on 21 Jan 2003 by Joseph Haschka
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
