Planet Rugby Forum

Well done SA ... finished reading a newer Wilbur Smith this weekend (the reading was not linked to the rugby) and it was an OK read, but nowhere as good as his earlier writings.

I am looking for a similar author ... boys own adventure type stuff based in Africa ... safari, game hunting, exploration, etc, etc.

Thanks for any ideas.

Jock of the Bushveld sounds perfect for you!

Willard Price books are like the old Wilbur Smith ones, but specifically aimed at teenagers. I devoured them all at school.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=willard+pr ... kmaaiwiv_e

Geoffrey Jenkins

Desmond Bagley

Wilbur Smith is a British novelist born in Zambia. WTF am I missing here?

Sandstorm wrote:Willard Price books are like the old Wilbur Smith ones, but specifically aimed at teenagers. I devoured them all at school.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=willard+pr ... kmaaiwiv_e

I read everything by Willard Price when I was young but from memory I believe they will have dated quite badly. I pretty much moved on to Wilbur Smith.

Try Bernard Cornwell and Patrick O'Brien if you haven't already.

Alan Scholefield

Bryce Courtney's The Power of One

Dalene Matthee

Average Joe wrote:Wilbur Smith is a British novelist born in Zambia. WTF am I missing here?

Grew in in SA and lived here for a large part (most?) of his life

dinsdale wrote:

Sandstorm wrote:Willard Price books are like the old Wilbur Smith ones, but specifically aimed at teenagers. I devoured them all at school.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=willard+pr ... kmaaiwiv_e

I read everything by Willard Price when I was young but from memory I believe they will have dated quite badly. I pretty much moved on to Wilbur Smith.

Are you saying that capturing endangered species like rhinos and mountain gorillas for sale to private zoos around the world is frowned on in 2019?

Average Joe wrote:Wilbur Smith is a British novelist born in Zambia. WTF am I missing here?

It appears you're missing the point. Have you ever read a Wilbur Smith book?

Geoffrey Jenkins, mostly set in Namibia

Try John Gordon Davis, books published in the late 60's but sounds like the sort of thing you're looking for, start with Hold my hand I'm dying

Another "Afrika" author is Robert Ruark

"an arse like two ostrich eggs in a handkerchief".....


Certainly an eye-opener when I first convinced my teacher to let me read Rage when I was 7

Sandstorm wrote:Willard Price books are like the old Wilbur Smith ones, but specifically aimed at teenagers. I devoured them all at school.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=willard+pr ... kmaaiwiv_e

I'd say they're aimed a bit younger than teenagers, not exactly the most complicated plotlines. I read the entire collection in the school library when I was 8 or 9.

Roger was such a dumbarse "Oh, a spitting cobra? Well I'm standing at least 20 feet away, I'm safe!".

jambanja wrote:Try John Gordon Davis, books published in the late 60's but sounds like the sort of thing you're looking for, start with Hold my hand I'm dying

Great book. Been a while since I read it, I'm not sure if some of the cultural references and languages may have aged well!

Pat the Ex Mat wrote:"an arse like two ostrich eggs in a handkerchief".....


Certainly an eye-opener when I first convinced my teacher to let me read Rage when I was 7

My mum read a lot of his books and I started reading them as a young teen. My sister and I always used to laugh at this reference because it appeared in nearly every one of his books when he was describing a young woman.

"Long, coltish legs..." was another one.

I stopped reading his books when I realised they were all pretty much the same. Same with Dean Koontz.

... ah, no.. I’m thinking of Clive Cussler. Sorry: as you were.

I'll give Smith his dues: he sure knows how to write action. A few years ago I was about to board a flight and decided on a Matthew Reilly book. Similar sort of stuff but just terribly written.

"The 747 came landed on the freeway and West positioned the boat alongside, hoping that the canal didn't run out of water. Suddenly it ran out of water. West pointed the boat at a child's skateboard ramp and launched the speedboat into the air at the 747, firing with precision-like precision with his pistol, hitting the 10cm hole which was designed to blow the plane up. The plane blew up with a bang but West was safe because he jumped into a 44 gallon drum which was empty and saved him from the atomic radiation..."

I read a couple of Dean Koontz books on holiday in Africa and they were quite fun. Power of One is one of my favourite books of all time.

assfly wrote:

Average Joe wrote:Wilbur Smith is a British novelist born in Zambia. WTF am I missing here?

It appears you're missing the point. Have you ever read a Wilbur Smith book?

Yes, many as a youngster. I still have a very large collection of his books stashed some were. An old lady that lived close to my grandmother was related to him or so she said and borrow me "when the lion feeds". Probably one of the first novels I ever read [Globus]. He never identified as an South African and although he writes a lot about Africa he does not write only about South Africa. Africa is a very large place you know [assfly]

Edit: I was a bit wooshed with the "well done" bit and realize now that it's probably rugby related.

Thomas wrote:

Pat the Ex Mat wrote:"an arse like two ostrich eggs in a handkerchief".....


Certainly an eye-opener when I first convinced my teacher to let me read Rage when I was 7

My mum read a lot of his books and I started reading them as a young teen. My sister and I always used to laugh at this reference because it appeared in nearly every one of his books when he was describing a young woman.

"Long, coltish legs..." was another one.

I stopped reading his books when I realised they were all pretty much the same. Same with Dean Koontz.

To be fair, his description of Africa was amazing as a teen.

Who didn't have a bit of Sean Courtney's rebelliousness in them To that age

assfly wrote:

jambanja wrote:Try John Gordon Davis, books published in the late 60's but sounds like the sort of thing you're looking for, start with Hold my hand I'm dying

Great book. Been a while since I read it, I'm not sure if some of the cultural references and languages may have aged well!

I got that and read it. I really did enjoy it. I could gather the way the story was heading but that did not matter. The language and references did not upset me ... they were probably accurate for the time and place. Also he has a good way of describing ladies and sex. Not porn ... but tantalising and mouth watering !

Sandstorm wrote:Willard Price books are like the old Wilbur Smith ones, but specifically aimed at teenagers. I devoured them all at school.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=willard+pr ... kmaaiwiv_e

The first books I ever read formyself. Loved 'em. Even tho. he gets a a bit of the zoology wrong. Boomslangs - non-poisonous? Right.

My favorite Wilbur Smith is "Cry Wolf" set in Abyssinia with the Italian invasion in the 1930's

Sandstorm wrote:Willard Price books are like the old Wilbur Smith ones, but specifically aimed at teenagers. I devoured them all at school.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=willard+pr ... kmaaiwiv_e

Ditto although deffo pre teen reading, and absolutely loved WS early work, have read them all and enjoyed them all but the Courtney Trilogy, the Sunbird and Eagle in the sky the best.