Golden Lion audiobook

O Conde Fénix Estendido na areia, atado a um mastro do que em tempos fora um navio, está um aglomerado de destroços humanos — partes dum corpo desmembrado por abutres e peixes necrófagos, pedaços dum guerreiro dos mares, dum homem que antes amara a vida e se entregara avidamente aos múltiplos prazeres que ela lhe proporcionara.Supostamente... estaria morto! Porém, no instante em que duas crianças que passeavam na praia, se aproximaram do hipotético cadáver para o pilharem, eis que este emite um sinal de vida — uma tosse que põe os miúdos em fuga, apavorados, numa corrida desenfreada até às saias da mãe.Esta, após algumas deliberações com a avó dos garotos sobre o destino a dar ao quase-cadáver, opta por transportá-lo até ao médico local, onde seremos finalmente informados sobre a sua identidade:O guerreiro mutilado dá pelo nome de Angus Cochran, um conde escocês que fora apodado Abutre e estropiado por Hal Courtney, um inglês por quem ele nutria uma raiva incandescente, uma força transbordante que o mantinha agarrado à vida com um desejo único — aniquilar o seu imolador!...O objectivo deste livro está longe de ser a história deste Conde-Abutre. Porém, confesso que foi antes de mais por ele, que fui virando páginas, ávida por deslindar o percurso de tão estranho personagem...Que metamorfose milagrosa se iria operar (ou não) para que este quase-cadáver algum dia levasse (ou não) a sua avante?!...

Now this one sounds like the old Wilbur Smith. Dated back in the time of Birds of Prey, this one has great heroes, heroines, and gross villains willing to put their enemies through all kinds of inhuman torment. Wooden sailing ships, buried treasure, African fighters protecting their European masters...good stuff.

A fascinating book and one I was looking forward to reading. I’ve read a few of Smith’s novels in the past and he’s a recognised master of the pen and I’ve read everything Giles has written and have yet to be disappointed by him. So something written by both of them? Well it had to be a win.The book is the latest in the Courtney series of which I had thus far read only one. Since Smith books tend to leap about a bit era-wise and the Courtney series more than most I didn’t know what exactly to expect.The book is set in the reign of Charles II with characters who remember the civil war all too well. It takes place on the Indian Ocean and the shore of Africa around Zanzibar. It involves an earlier villain previously presume dead and a series of revenge plots. It is as action packed and evocative as you would expect from either writer.There are echoes of pirate era tales and of Napoleonic naval books, of African adventure and of British Empire colonialism. There are aspects of religious conflict, of slave trading, of piracy and hunting of snares and rescues, of sea battles and duels. Essentially it should have something for every reader of action adventure.Having recently involved myself in several different collaborations I am intrigued as to how this one was carried out. I have experienced alternating chapters, separate parts to one novel and even multiple viewpoints. This one bears the hallmarks of none of them.The writing to me feels more like a Smith book, as though Smith has essentially written the prose right through. But most aspects of the plot feel very Giles Kristin to me, from the superb and chilling array of villains to the hairpin plot twists to the camaraderie of the sailors right down to the locations.The combination has produced an excellent tale whatever the case, though I couldn’t help but feel that Giles’ part was somewhat downplayed in the novel’s paperwork, with his name in relatively small print, a scant mention and no picture on the flyleaf etc.So the upshot… would I recommend it? Yes I would. I suspect that readers of both writers will enjoy it. I think readers will get most from it if they have at least some familiarity with the Courtney novels and in particular the one that comes chronologically immediately before this but that being said I had not read that one and the book still worked for me. A hearty slice of adventure in an unusual milieu I would say and a thoroughly enjoyable read.

It was with a little scepticism that I decided to read Wilbur Smith’s latest book, Golden Lion. Being a big fan of Wilbur Smith, his last two books were really disappointing and his latest book is the first one that has been co-written with Giles Kristian.This story does not disappoint though as the style that was used was similar to his earlier books. Returning to the adventures of the Courtney family, we follow the adventures of Hal Courtney, Captain of the Golden Bough in the early 17th Century. Travelling along the East Coast of Africa, Hal sails with his pregnant lover, Judith Nazet, who is a well-known warrior known as General Nazet. Hal encounters his arch-enemy, The Buzzard, who is out for revenge after being terribly disfigured when he had been left for dead. When Hal and Judith get caught up in the slave market, some of the scenes depicting the treatment of slaves in the Zanzibar slave markets as well as various torture scenes such as surviving in shark infested waters almost makes the reader want to squirm. Wilbur Smith really is an amazing story teller. The way he weaves many tense and exciting scenes together makes for a very exciting read indeed. This book’s focus was much more on adventure, love and revenge which I found to be refreshing, and exciting. Some of his previous books have focused heavily on graphically described torture scenes and sordid sex scenes. This book was more “wholesome” and thoroughly enjoyable. I look forward to reading Wilbur Smith’s next book whenever it comes out.

This presented an interesting perspective of event between Birds of Prey and Monsoon. It fills in a bit of the history between the two, mostly focusing on the time frame just after Birds of Prey. While I enjoyed it, I didn't think it quite had the impact the other two novels did. But still a worthwhile read.

Wilbur Smith heeft zijn successen vooral te danken aan zijn boeken over de Courtney-familie. Deze kronieken strekken zich uit van 1860 tot 1987 en spelen zich vooral in Afrika af. Zijn nieuwste roman, Gouden leeuw, behelst een eerdere periode: 1670, een paar jaar na de beëindiging van een van de Nederlands-Engelse oorlogen. Het boek, het veertiende over de Courtney's, heeft Smith tezamen met Giles Kristian, een schrijver van vooral historische romans, geschreven.Gouden leeuw is het verhaal van de jonge kapitein en kaper Henry 'Hal' Courtney, eigenaar van het schip de 'Golden Bough'. Zijn vader, de piraat Frances Courtney, is tijdens de oorlog tussen Engeland en Nederland door schuld van de Schot Angus Cochran, alias De Buizerd, vermoord. Hal neemt wraak op hem en is in de veronderstelling dat Cochran, samen met zijn schip, in vlammen is opgegaan. De Buizerd blijkt, hoewel zwaar gehavend, echter nog te leven en wil op zijn beurt vergelding voor wat hem is aangedaan. In opdracht van maharadja Jahan neemt hij, samen met de Grey, de koninklijke consul van Zanzibar, deel aan een complot om Hal en zijn partner, de vrouwelijke generaal Judith Nazet, om te brengen. Maar lukt het Hal om De Buizerd opnieuw te verslaan?Zoals gezegd is dit het veertiende boek in de Courtney-serie. Het is echter geen enkel probleem dit boek los van de eerdere boeken te lezen. Het verhaal staat namelijk op zichzelf en kan als zodanig goed worden gevolgd. Het enige wat je je kunt afvragen, is de exacte toedracht van de dood van Frances Courtney. Het niet weten daarvan is echter geen gemis. Toch is het misschien wel beter om Gouden leeuw na Roofvogels te lezen. Want in het laatstgenoemde boek komen Hal Courtney, Judith Nazet en Aboli in ieder geval voor. Hun personages zullen in dat boek beter uitgewerkt zijn dan in dit.Gouden leeuw is een bijzonder prettig geschreven boek vol actie en avontuur. Beide zijn al vanaf de eerste hoofdstukken merkbaar aanwezig. Een combinatie van deze twee zorgt ervoor dat het verhaal ook spanning heeft. Niet voortdurend, maar dat is in feite niet de aard van het boek. Behalve deze kenmerken, heeft het boek ook historische aspecten, zoals bijvoorbeeld de Nederlands-Engelse oorlog, de slavenhandel en de bezetting van Zanzibar. Aardig in het verhaal is de naam van de Nederlandse kapitein Michiel Tromp. Wellicht een verwijzing naar de zeehelden Tromp en De Ruyter?Opvallend is dat Hal Courtney wordt neergezet als een soort superman. Natuurlijk is hij het belangrijkste personage in dit boek, overkomt hem ook wel het een en ander, maar toch blijkt hij onverslaanbaar en soms zelfs onvermoeibaar te zijn. Voor het boek is dat uiteraard interessant, maar de geloofwaardigheid wordt daardoor wel wat aangetast. Toch maakt Wilbur Smith ook in dit boek zijn naam als rasverteller waar. Want het blijft van begin tot eind boeien. Dat is mede te danken aan Smith's levendige manier van schrijven.Na het lezen van Gouden leeuw krijg je het gevoel dat het verhaal, ondanks dat het wel degelijk een afgerond geheel is, nog niet afgelopen is. De laatste paar zinnen van het laatste hoofdstuk geven namelijk voldoende ruimte voor een vervolg.

This new chapter in the Courtneys saga was great! Already Birds of Prey was one of my favorite hist fiction books.... and Monsoon was a stunning sequel ... Having this story that takes place in the middle of the two books was great. It brought me back to a saga I love and it was no disappointment.Great adventure!

Always a rollicking tale. The Golden Lion continues the Courtney family saga, taking the reader back in time and around the world. Wilbur Smith is one of those authors you can count on to deliver a fun and engaging story every time. Thank you to the publisher for providing a free copy of this book. This in no way impacted my review.

Hard to put down. Had a very abrupt ending which was unsatisfying. Overall I think that it was a good story and will be liked by most readers.This was a go of story but the ending was very abrupt and a lot to be desired. Overall it is a book worth the time to read

Sweeping swashbuckling adventure. Works as a standalone. I can vouch for that because this is the first I've read in the Courtney series.

3,5.Un sequel che non era necessario, ma la bravura di Wilbur Smith nel raccontare le storie mi ha coinvolto fin dalla prima pagina. In alcuni punti la narrazione è un po' affrettata, così come lo svolgersi degli eventi, tuttavia i personaggi sono ben delineati, le descrizioni dei luoghi rendono evidente l'amore dell'autore per la sua Africa e il finale ha chiuso bene il cerchio iniziato con il libro precedente. Godibile e adatto a tutti i fan di Wilbur Smith.

Another solid entry in the Courtney series of books. I mean this is not great literature - but these novels are page-turners, mix in some good history, and has classic bad guys and good guys and very sexist ideas on women. I enjoy them for what they are but they really are more of a throw back to a different age.

Love Wilbur Smith. Not sure if its too much Born Free as a child, but he teaches geography, native culture, even war.

Wilbur Smith tager sin læser med på en spændende og farefyldt rejse, over Middelhavet til Etiopien i selskab med Den Gyldne Løves Orden og dets krigere.“Tyler gav ordren, og mændene skyndte sig op i vanterne og ud på råerne for at rebe sejlene, mens rorsmanden lænede sig mod kolterstokken, så Golden Bough drejede rundt mod det, som var i vente. Hal gik tilbage til agterlønningen for at se på den kollossale skyformation, mens regnen fejede over himlen, og han var lettet over at se, at John Lovell, der sejlede lige efter dem, også rebede sejlene på Deft og drejede skibet op i vinden. Delft fulgte Golden Boughs bevægelser ligesom en danser med sin partner”. Således lyder en af de mange passager i Wilbur Smiths bestseller Den gyldne løve, og læseren er da på heller ikke på noget tidspunkt i tvivl om, at vi befinder os til søs på de store skibe, på de farlige rejser i det Indiske Ocean. Året er 1670, og romanen er et gensyn med kaptajn Henry “Hal” Courtney, der om bord på skibet Golden Bough søger efter sin afdøde fars store skat. I mellemtiden bliver hans smukke men krigeriske kone, General Judith Nazet, bortført under et besøg på Zanzibar af en af Hals mange fjender. Judith er gravid, og Hal sætter sejl for en hæsblæsende jagt, hvor han må kæmpe for sit eget liv og ikke mindst sin kone og ufødte barn.Wilbur Smith er en dygtig fortæller, og han evner at skifte fra de mest halverotiske og kærlighedsstemte passager, til de hårdkogte, brutale og kvalmende dødsscener. Bedst som han beskriver den stærke kærlighed mellem Hal og Judith:“Han kunne aldrig mætte sit begær efter Judith. Han elskede det øjeblik, hvor han gled ind i hende og pressede sig så langt op, at han knap vidste, hvor hans krop sluttede og hendes begyndte, for de var føjet sammen til ét væsen og oplevede samme estatiske klimaks med sådan en intensitet, at der i det lyksalige øjeblik ikke fandtes andet og andre end dem i hele universet.”Kan han pludselig skifte over til det mørke sind i massemorderen William Pett:“Pett var også en connaisseur, der samlede på andre menneskers død. Han kategoriserede dem i tankerne: de fredfyldte og de voldelige, de mange, som mødte døden i rædsel, og de meget få, der var rolige og fattede til det sidste.” Persongalleriet er omstændigt, næsten i bedste George R R Martin-stil, og det kræver et par sides notesblok og en vis mængde koncentration at holde styr på de mange personer, deres rang, skib og tilhørsforhold. Foruden Kaptajn Hal og Judith møder vi ærkefjenden Angus Cochran, kaldet Grippen, som er skotte og Jarl af Cumberland, sultan Sadiq Khan Jahan, kongen af Omanerriget Ahmed El Grang, massemorderen William Pett, den unge majestæt Iyasu, styrmanden Store Daniel, skipperen og Hals bedste ven og medlem af Amadodastammen afrikaneren Aboli, Konsul i Zanzibar William Grey, John Lovell bådmand på Golden Bough og jeg kunne blive ved. Forrædderi er det helt store tema i romanen, man kan absolut ikke stole på nogen, og deraf måske også det mættede persongalleri.Wilbur Smith skriver i et autentisk stemningsmættet sprog, og med en 3. persons alvidende fortæller, der har bagudsyn og kan skifte mellem indvendigt og udvendigt syn. Fortælleren kan dermed også overskue hele fortællingens tid og rum og springer således mellem forskellige handlinger. Denne fortællerstemme har derudover uhindret adgang til personernes tanker og følelser, og deraf får plottet en nuanceret og spændingsfyldt fremstilling. En slåskamp kan således fortællers fra to sider, ligesom Smith også springer fra en handling til en anden, så man fornemmer hvordan de udspiller sig samtidigt. Det driver plottet fremad, og gør bogen til en pageturner.Fra barbarisk henrettelse af et barn i Zanzibars sandfyldte gader til hed elskov i kaptajnskahytten om bord på Golden Bough. Wilbur Smith evner at skrive sig fra den ene yderlighed til den anden, og deraf belønnes han med fire stjerner, selvom romanen ligger uden for mine normale præferencer.