Cry Wolf

Rating:
Summary: Could it be any better?
Review: I have been reading this man's books since I was 14. I have never read one that wasn't excellent but two are far above the rest, this one and Hungry as the Sea. This book has something for everyone. The story is compelling, gripping, and stands the test of time. Anyone reading this now will still want to know how the people in Africa are doing today. Beware, if you read this book you will become hooked on this man's writing, I did and 24 years later I can't wait for each new one he writes.

Rating:
Summary: So Dated It Screams "1980's"!
Review: I recently read Cry Wolf and found the story-line, the tone and the characters' attitudes so dated I can find nothing positive to say about the book, or for that matter the 1980's.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Adventure! What were the Italians thinking?
Review: This is another great book from a fine author. The setting is 1935 Ethiopia. Ethiopia is a landlocked country. The League of Nations has imposed a weapons import ban on all African countries. The Italians don't have to deal with this ban because they control one of the countries. That's the political situation.

The Italians are on a rampage in Africa to gobble up as many countries as possible. They have been doing a massive military buildup along the Ethiopian border. The Ethiopians know what is about to happen. They enlist the aid of two "men of the world" to buy and deliver four ancient armored cars and a variety of other weapons.

Throw into this mix an American reporter that happens to be a beautiful woman, an ancient Ethiopian cheiftan who wants to fight battles the traditional way, an Italian aristocrat that has purchased his commission and you have a good mix to create a story from.

This is a long book, but interesting. The chapters are long. The story is very entertaining and at times even humorous. Wilber Smith has done an excellent job of capturing this era in time. The details of the scenery and the people are right on.

If you are an Italian, you probably will not enjoy they way that Smith has stereotyped them. But, it is believable...