The Sound of Thunder (2024)

This book came out in 1966, was the author's third to be published, and the second to deal with the Courtney brothers Sean and Garrick. Although once again Sean takes over the story, Garrick is still involved here and there, usually with evil thoughts and actions towards Sean.

We find Sean out in the bush four years after the end of When The Lion Feeds. He and his group are returning from hunting ivory (thank goodness we were all spared the descriptions of shooting elephants this time) and everyone is dreaming of the riches to be had once they get to town and sell their goods.

But the drums of war are beating in town. Sean had no idea of this new situation, and it will change everything for him. The Boer War is not one I knew much about, but that is the war we all fight in this book, Sean most of all. It was bloody, ruthless, and there was much needless waste of life, as there is in all wars.

This conflict lasted from 1899 to 1902. There were commandos, guerrilla warfare, and the use of a scorched earth policy in which Boer wives and children were placed in internment camps and Boer homesteads burned to the ground.

Besides dealing with all of this, Sean also has to face the ongoing tension with his brother, and the problems caused by his own son Dirk, who seems to have a streak of pure evil in him. Garrick's son Michael is part of the picture as well. Why does he seem so much more like Sean than Dirk?! An interesting little puzzle, that.

One thing that I noticed with this book is that at this time Smith still did not seem to be able to blend his characters into the story in such a way that they were all involved. We lose sight of this one for most of the book, that one shows up once in awhile, and the other one is just a thought here and there.

For example Michael, Garrick Courtney's son. He is a part of this story, and contributes unwittingly to Dirk's wickedness, but he is mostly in the background as far as character development. Yet in Book #4, The Burning Shore (1985), he is described (by Sean) as having an essential weakness in him which requires that he have a strong woman at his side. There was never a sign of that in this book, but then we didn't really get to know him at all. So I imagined at the end here that I would see something more of Michael's life in book #3, A Sparrow Falls, which I have already begun reading.

Overall thoughts on this book: still a good dramatic story, more depth to it than the first book, and Smith is showing his progress as a writer. But it was very easy to see the future pattern in plot concept. He will tend to repeat basic experiences for his characters, giving them a tweak here and there. I guess I should have saved 4,5, and 6 until after these first three. I would not have been comparing current and future books that way. Really not a fair thing for me to do!

Continuing the journey through Smith's Courtney series is a highly educational and entertaining undertaking. With the focus still strongly on Sean, the story opens as the lead-up to the Second Boer War is imminent. Sean struggles to raise his son without a wife and, in true late-nineteenth century form, never spared the rod to spoil his young Dirk. As time passes, Sean took up a post for the English and fought the Boers at every turn. Unbeknownst to him, his twin brother, Garrick, is a high-ranking soldier in the military and pulled strings to put Sean in harm's way, tired of living in his brother's shadow. Skillfully, Sean manoeuvred out on the battlefield and met a mysterious woman, Ruth, and they conceive a child in a thunderstorm. Though enamoured with Sean (as most women seem to be), Ruth fled and returned to her husband, somewhat ashamed of her actions. Sean eventually realised that Ruth is married to his fellow soldier, Saul, and they battle together until the latter's death. Sean, torn between loyalty to his friend and his own personal wants, eventually married Ruth and they forge a connection ahead of their daughter's birth. After the War is over, the Courtneys turned to other battles, particularly in the political arena and begin looking for new and exciting adventures. Sean and Garrick bury their animosity, while Dirk watched as his half-sister, Storm, grew and became the apple of her father's eye, which only fuels his jealousy. Dirk fled the family estate, vowing to bring down the Courtneys at any cost. Smith composes another masterful piece here and enthralls readers with his storytelling abilities.

As this historical saga moves on, Smith shows the reader the complexities found within a single family and how each member can have a background all their own. While the reader has seen only snippets of Garrick, Sean has become a central character of the two novels and his decisions, while not entirely neutral, have helped shape the story and everyone around the table. It is fascinating to see how Smith moves the story forward with the help of history and the subplots with which Sean is involved. There is surely much more to come and the patient reader will discover how rich and intricate Smith's writing can be, given the time.

Kudos, Mr. Smith for this wonderful continuation to the series. I am hooked and cannot wait to see how the first collection of Courtney stories will end.

Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

I don't know if present day namby-pambies are able to swallow such story, stuck in customs from hundreds years ago. Right at the beginning father teaches his son a harsh lesson that is, well, quite brutal. The father is the protagonist and a jerk to some degree, definitely not bad but not perfect. If he has problems he can get drunk and punch someone's face as a means of catharsis.

Unfortunately it's not a military fiction despite the title and the cover. Family drama. The protagonist struggles with his son who is kinda psychopath (more about it in the third book) and his brother who is a little vindictive sh*t with complexes. And another woman in the protagonist life.

I found this book weaker than the previous one.

The Sound of Thunder is a slight departure from the previous book. This book is more of human drama than an expansive African adventure. The book picks up about four years after the ending of the previous book. Sean is a single parent (well sort of) of an infant son while he is out on the veld shooting elephants for their ivory. Sean's son, Dirk, does not go without attention as the Zulu tribesmen accompanying Sean dote on the little tyke. After four years of not seeing another white face, Sean has a fortune in ivory. He wants to find a wife (desperately so) and settle down. The African bush is an isolated place. Sean heads into Johannesburg to cash in on his ivory and collect a substantial savings he had deposited in the bank. Sean finds out the country is at war. Furthermore, he, being a British loyalist, is in enemy territory. His savings are frozen. He negotiates to sell his ivory at a fraction of its value and get the hell out of Dodge (so to speak).

Smith's books always have a good amount of strife, betrayal, jealousy, hardship, tragedy and sacrifice that he writes into his characters. The Sound of Thunder is a story rich in these human frailties. This story is engrossing but at a little slower pace than some of the more adventure oriented books. Sean Courtney is central to the story. We also get to into the hearts and minds of the many characters that orbit in his universe. All in the elusive search of happiness, love, revenge and/or redemption. This creates a complex and intricate character interactions making the story fun to read. I particularly like the relationship between Sean and his Zulu friend/servant Mbejane. When they have been apart for some time, they greet each other by saying "I see you." This is a rich and complex relationship that I think could have been explored a little more.

A cautionary note to horse lovers. There are graphic battle scenes where horses (and men) do not fare well. I found myself wincing a bit at the cruelty in which horses were subjected to in battle situations. There is one other scene involving horses that is also fairly graphic. I see this as an accurate portrayal of history and not just gratuitous violence towards the animals.

This is a book rich in flawed characters (over dramatized I think at times) with a compelling historical account South Africa's political unrest set in the early 1900's as a backdrop. Although not required, I would recommend reading When the Lion Feeds and this book in order together. I think the two books are make up one big epic story.

Brilliant

Historical fiction written like it should be. I have read other Wilbur Smith books but it shouldn't have started reading this series as this is the second of 19 books in the Courtney saga. All I will say is that family matters. Sometimes we may fall out and enmity between brothers,siblings festers for years.

The second book of the Courtney series by Wilbur Smith - I never expected it to be so good. This book was way better than the first book (When The Lion Feeds) and is also one of my favourite novels till now.

This book is the continuation of the first book, where Sean is now fighting in the Boer War. Sean has grown up and has also lost his wife. His son Dirk has also grown and is tormented by the fact that his father is not paying enough attention to him. This creates a strong hatred towards his dad.

As the story continues, all the characters grow up and have a change in their behaviour. The time when Sean and Garrick Courtney actually meet is an emotional part, and the two brothers also change their attitude towards each other.

Another reason why I liked this book is that in each chapter, there is an emphasis on different characters, rather than only one character. In the first book of the series, there was an emphasis on only one character - Sean. Now there is importance on different characters in the book, including Garry, Jan Paulus, Saul, and Ruth.

I just love the way how Wilbur Smith makes the book entertaining even without the main character having a goal. In some other novels which I read, the main character always has a goal to solve. In this book, however, neither Sean nor Garry has a goal in mind, but the book is still interesting, especially because the story is super exciting.

The book is also filled with emotions, mainly sadness. The way how each person dies was shown in a troubled way. Also, the feelings of hatred and love were shown with great emphasis, especially of Dirk's hate on Sean, and Sean's love for Ruth.

This book is one of the best of all the novels I read so far. Wilbur Smith is truly a master storyteller.

The follow-up to Smith's first book, WHEN THE LION FEEDS, is a continuation of the same story following the cliffhanger that the first novel ended upon.

We learn more about Sean Courtney's life at Ladyburgh, his experiences in the 2nd Boer War and finally the next Courtney generation, i.e. his children by various mothers.

In my mind, the book falls into three sections. The first part flies by as it reintroduces the central characters, throws in some new personalities and sets up the second part, which is all about warfare. The details of the battles are what make up this lengthy section, although it's not quite as compelling as some of the author's other work - I found the section on the stock exchange in WHEN THE LION FEEDS to be more exciting than the actual warfare in this book, for instance. Perhaps it's the necessity of getting bogged down in detail which slows it a little.

The last third of the book, a return to normal life and business, is on much firmer ground and the most gripping section as Smith regains his page-turning quality. We finally learn what happens between Sean and his crippled brother Garry, while the events surrounding Michael and Dirk are never less than enthralling. Some great set-pieces here too, real gutsy stuff.

I loved the ending, and will look forward to checking out the third and final part of the trilogy, A SPARROW FALLS.

I'm reading some books about South Africa or by South African authors in preparation for a trip. So I gave Wilbur Smith a shot...

Yeesh. It's amazing how... primitive this book felt. So old-fashioned in the writing style and outlook. The main character is Sean Courtney. In the beginning of the book he's returning from a years-long elephant hunt, loaded down with ivory that he will use for the enrichment of his family. He's also got his young son with him.

This book seems firmly in the camp that heroes are heroes and bad seeds are bad seeds. You can figure out the good guys and bad guys easily- no shades of gray. Sean is clearly good. Every woman he meets either wants to or has slept with him. Early in the book, he meets a woman named Rachel who's trying to get back to her husband- they have been separated by enemy lines. Sean hasn't seen a woman for a while, so he instantly falls in love with her. She thinks it's a bad idea, but then there's a storm... and he carries her off into the bushes... and well, what's a girl to do but fall in love with the big guy?

LOTS of action scenes about the Boer War. I was hoping to learn a little here, but no joy. I don't think the scenes were done very convincingly. Really, not much convinced me. Reader, I skimmed.

Well, that’s it for me. I find battles and warfare really boring and from reviews I’ve read it seems most of the book gets bogged down with this. Also, I’m not all that vested in the story. The development of character relationships were too glossed over for me to care about what happens to them. It’s too bad. I really wanted to get absorbed into some good historical fiction but it’s not happening here. I may try Wilbur Smith again someday.

I could not put this book down. The first book in this series, When the Lion Feeds, was an instant favorite for me. This book made me fall in love with the Courtney's at an entirely new level. Every emotion represented so clearly through a family I became so connected to.

This is an excellent book, and what a great author Wilbur Smith is. I highly recommend reading this book, I thoroughly enjoyed it! It is a very rich story, with very interesting characters.

I like the Sean Courtney books, as usual Smith takes ages to get the plot going and then in the last 50 pages everything comes together and concludes at breakneck speed. Enjoyed it and again made me research the history behind the tale.

3.5 Satisfactory adventure story and family saga - well told, no beatifying frills - negative: the characters too two-dimensional to sympathize or empathize with. While listening to this (on Youtube) I kept thinking of East of Eden, and wondering what made that book so much more riveting - and the answer is that John Steinbeck has the knack to describe his characters' experiences and feelings in such a way that you automatically land in their shoes: you share their passions, dreams, frustrations and sorrows - if only you, the reader, could be there to help them out and make everything right .... - Steinbeck is ... a Chopin Études/Préludes interpreter who makes a little harp ring in your heart at the slow movements or puts you into a gypsy frenzy when the roaring starts - a paragon of poetic high art - whereas Smith ... well, that was an adequate performance.

I simply cannot comprehend how Sean Courtney is supposed to be a likeable character, similarly to When the Lion Feeds, it appears that Sean is purely motivated by his crotch and whatever haphazard offspring is created by it. What I also find extremely difficult to believe is that nearly every married woman he finds seems to want to sleep with him and even when Ruth continually denies his advances he still pressures her over and over until she relents, like wasn’t this guy supposed to have a wife whom he loved? Yes I know she’s been dead for 5 years but surely you would maybe wait a bit longer than two or three days after meeting a woman to, spoiler alert, knock her up with a bastard child? Don’t even get me started on the absolutely derogatory way Smith portrays the Zulus as if they are no more than property or at best noble savages.

second instalment of the Courtney series is an amazing read. It follows Sean through some highs and lows and also brings in his two sons who don't like each other and his daughter , the last few chapters are intense reading . You will not want to put this book down, Its drawing you in to the next installment in the Courtney series. This is my second Wilbur Smith book and I am at aww with the amount of detail and character building he gives the reader

Read By: John Cartwright Duration: 15:13

Description: The game was war. The prize was a land. The penalty for defeat was death. A vibrant tale of war; of love and hatred between brothers, friends, father and son, and man and woman. The commanding figure of Sean Courtney, develops from the headstrong adventurer of "When the lion feeds", into a seasoned soldier and leader of men.

Once again we follow the Courtney brothers as they work they way through life, Sean especially as he tries to regain his fortune before finding himself back in the army and trying to keep some semblance of himself, for better or worse. Garrick makes less of an appearance until arriving a little after halfway through when old grudges continue to cloud his judgement making Sean look like a reasonable guy (a shock in itself). The use of real historical events once again makes this all the more real and gives the story an extra edge. As ever the traditional roles played by both sexes is a little off putting but then it is set at the turn of the century so it does fit and as ever it is worth getting past this given how good the story itself is.

Another good story from Smith. Fairly similar to the last one except that this had a lot more warfare and a lot less adventuring. I think for this reason I preferred When the Lion Feeds to Sound of Thunder. I also found the main love story here a bit silly and unbelievable. Still, overall it was written well and quite fun to read.

Wilbur Smith is a renowned novel writer; this story further proves how true this statement is. The writer manages to keep the story going and I must admit that I often found it difficult to put the book down. Anybody who likes a good novel set in a specific historical period would find this novel very fascinating.

Book #2 in the Courtney saga by master storyteller Wilbur Smith. A terrific read if you are into colonial Africa, big game hunting and family drama. Looking forward to the 3rd book in the series.

Such a good series, I can't stop reading!

Great writer ... love the characters!

Excellent follow up to 'When The Lion Feeds'. I'm not too sure how historically accurate it is, but the story bowls along at a cracking pace.

Riveting… extends the saga, lays a number of plot points that for sure will be revisited, and gallops along at pace. Love it.

Listened to the audiobook during long drives. Very exciting! Sometimes a little over the top — but hey, it's that kind of story 🙂

În al doilea roman al lui Wilbur Smith, din Saga Familiei Courtney, auzi într-adevăr Sunetul tunetului, trăiești ritmul alert al unui război crâncen pentru pământ, libertate și putere.
Când crezi că totul este pierdut, descoperi o nouă viață, construiești și nu renunți.

Reading a book where main character is kinda a jerk is not a very pleasant experience if the storyline itself is flat and the language is boring and putting you to sleep.

I did not care for any of the Boer-war related things that happened in the first 3/4 of the book. As you can understand, nothing in the last quarter, though it was midly interesting, at least much more interesting than first three, nothing of that changed my mind. Because story didn't pull me in I felt like reading about this jerk of a character is a waste of my time.

Sean is a strange person. I love flawed characters, but this guy and his treatment of women sucked. He meets a woman, immediately bangs her. He's in love with her but can't have her, so he has sex with some whor*s and then another woman from the past. When woman from the past sleeps with another man, Sean gets angry and hits her. She cries and begs for forgiveness. Ok, I thought she's just afraid of him - but then, on the next page, it is shown that her feelings are legit and she does not wants Sean to leave. But Sean leaves, because he does not love her and so he does not care. WTF Sean. You are terrible. (You also hunted poor elephants to the extremes in the first book, I still remember that).
And your son sucks too. One of them.

That all been said, there are good seeds in this story. I think If I'd have connected with the characters in some way I would enjoy at least last quarter of the book more (the one where all the personal things are happening). I've read stories before where main characters is an awful person, but they were able to pool me in. Here is not the case. Shakespearean drama falls flat if you do not care about anyone in the book.

This is third book of Wilbur Smith I've read, and I did not have a good experience with any of them, even with much praised The Seventh Scroll. So I say no to the whole binge reading of Courtney series for sure. However, Some time later I will try (yes, I'm that stubborn) Sunbird and one of the pirate-Courtney novels. If they are written in the same kind of manner, then I can remove all Smith's books from my lists. That will shorten my endless list for sure.

Vlammend veld, heftig hart is het tweede deel van de Courtney-trilogie. Het verhaal speelt zich voor een groot deel af tijdens de Boerenoorlog die aan het eind van de 19e en het begin van de 20e eeuw in Zuid-Afrika werd uitgevochten.

Sean Courtney meldt zich bij het Britse leger en maakt daarin snel carrière. Samen met Saul Friedman, waarmee hij vriendschap sluit, voert hij een harde strijd tegen de Boeren.

Na de oorlog keert Sean terug naar Leeuwenkop waar hij zich vooral bezighoudt met het planten van acacia's. En gaat Sean, die inmiddels met Ruth Friedman, de weduwe van Saul, getrouwd is, de politiek in.

Net als het eerste deel van de trilogie is ook dit boek ook weer een genot om te lezen. Wilbur Smith weet de aandacht van de lezer continu vast te houden en weet zelfs een paardenrace spannend weer te geven. En na het lezen van dit deel, wil je eigenlijk meteen weer aan het volgende beginnen.

Roar of Thunder is the second novel in Wilbur Smith's trilogy involving the Courtney Clan.

I knew next to nothing about the Boers War [just as I knew very little about Africa when I started reading this author]. This story is mostly about the Boers War - some before, mostly during, and some after - and how if affected the Courtney family. Both fraternal twin brothers - Sean and Garry - continue their on-going hostile relationsh0p.

Not knowing much about the Boer War, I learned a lot, although I was never quite sure who, what, why or when the fighting was happening. When I looked up the Boer War to find the answers to these questions and help clarify for me what the Boer War was, I found that the answers have never really been answered by anyone.

But it made for lots of action and an interesting background for all of the interpersonal dynamics of the characters. As usual, a great read for Wilbur Smith, and I am looking forward to the final book in this series.

The word that keeps coming to mind regarding the Sound Of Thunder is EPIC.
An epic tale on a epic scale. The huge African continent (specifically South Africa) with huge strong characters. The Boer War forms a backdrop to a family feud, political intrigue, romance and all the interwoven issues that come with such an epic tale.
The book continues the Courtney family story following on from When The Lion Feeds. This is classic Wilbur Smith at his very best. I think Wilbur Smith is one of the greatest authors of his generation and is Africa's answer to James Patterson or John Grisham. I read this book many years ago and I'm so glad I have revisited it as it is awesome.
I can appreciate that not everyone would want to read a tale of war, friendship, betrayal and heartbreak but I'm not one of them. I loved this book and will continue to read the ongoing tale of the Courtney family. EPIC.