I’ve finished reading Wilbur Smith’s Ballantyne series in chronological order: A Falcon Flies, Men of Men, The Angels Weep, The Leopard Hunts in Darkness.
There are similarities with the Courtney series — African setting, strong and successful pioneering characters, Arab cameos, conflict at various levels, thrilling action, etc.
The series started slowly for me, but finished on a high note.
Overall, I enjoyed the Courtneys a little more, but take nothing away from Smith’s brilliant narrative.
The simplistic way to explain differences between the two series is that the Courtneys are South African, while the Ballantynes are Rhodesian, with some overlaps in both.
The history of modern South Africa is longer than that of Zimbabwe, and arguably more interesting, which perhaps explains my marginal preference.
The Leopard Hunts in Darkness, however, is a powerful novel. Smith paints a good picture of modern Zimbabwe before the Mugabe land grab.
I visited the country in 1991 and sensed a feeling of optimism, which Smith conveys at the end of this novel.
At that time the economy was fairly strong and some whites were actually returning. If Smith ever decides to extend this series the next book will no doubt be tragic.
I’ve now read all the Courtney and Ballantyne books, which leaves me feeling somewhat bereft.
