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Wilbur's
BOOKS

From savagery in the savannah to treachery on the high seas or espionage in the Third Reich, find your next Wilbur adventure here.

Wilbur’s stories span two millennia and much of the globe - not to mention several legendary family dynasties. Use the filter options below to find a book in your ideal historical period, location, or featuring your favourite of Wilbur’s remarkable characters.

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Set in the land of the ancient Pharaohs, the fan favourite ‘Ancient Egyptian’ series vividly describes ancient Egypt and has a cast of unforgettable characters.

The 'Ballantyne' novels include A Falcon Flies, Men of Men, The Angels Weep and The Leopard Hunts in Darkness. The first three Ballantyne books focus on the drive for colonial wealth and the bitter struggle between black and white in Rhodesia's brief history. The Ballantyne books focus on the drive for colonial wealth and the bitter struggle between black and white in Rhodesia's brief history.

The 'Courtney' novels trace the fortunes, and misfortunes, of this sprawling, ambitious family, from the dawn of the eighteenth century to the late twentieth century.

This series of books by Wilbur Smith include Those in Peril, Vicious Circle and Predator and feature Hector Cross, a British security officer and ex member of the SAS.

A thrilling new Wilbur Smith series for the next generation with high action and high stakes - starring teen protagonists Ralph and Robyn Ballantyne.

The standalone' books are so called purely as they do not form part of the 'Courtney', 'Ballantyne' or 'Egyptian' series! They cover a wide range of subjects, from lost civilisations to supersonic aerial combat. Several have been made into films or TV series.

For younger readers aged 10+. Set in the modern day, The Jack Courtney Adventures follow 14-year old Jack Courtney and his friends Xander and Amelia on adventures across the world.

Warrior King Cover Image
Synopsis
Warrior King 20240509 1820 Book 23 in the Courtney Series

A brand-new epic from the master of adventure, Wilbur Smith

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Prey Zone: The Serpent's Lair Cover Image
Synopsis
Prey Zone: The Serpent's Lair 20230914 2023 Book 2 in the Prey Zone Series

The electrifying sequel to Wilbur Smith's new series for the next generation - starring teen protagonists Ralph and Robyn Ballantyne.

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Testament Cover Image
Synopsis
Testament 20230831 - 1600 Book 9 in the Ancient Egyptian Series

IN THE RUINS OF BATTLE. A HERO MUST RISE. FOR THE FUTURE OF EGYPT

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Nemesis Cover Image
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Nemesis 20230413 1794 Book 22 in the Courtney Series Book in the Courtney Series

A thrilling historical epic, in which three strands of the Courtney family converge in a bloodthirsty bid for revenge.

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Prey Zone Cover Image
Synopsis
Prey Zone 20220929 2022 Book 1 in the Prey Zone Series

A thrilling new Wilbur Smith series for the next generation with high action and high stakes - starring teen protagonists Ralph and Robyn Ballantyne.

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Titans of War Cover Image
Synopsis
Titans of War 20220901 -1660 Book 8 in the Ancient Egyptian Series

A RUTHLESS ENEMY. A CIVILISATION IN RUINS. A QUEST FOR SALVATION.

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Storm Tide Cover Image
Synopsis
Storm Tide 20220414 1774 Book 21 in the Courtney Series

A powerful new historical thriller by the master of adventure fiction, Wilbur Smith, of families divided and a country on the brink of revolution.

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Shockwave Cover Image
Synopsis
Shockwave 20220317 2021 Book 3 in the The Jack Courtney Adventures Book in the Courtney Series

The third high-octane instalment in the Master of Adventures compelling Jack Courtney Adventures for readers aged 10+

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The New Kingdom Cover Image
Synopsis
The New Kingdom 20210902 -1710 Book 7 in the Ancient Egyptian Series

In the heart of Egypt, under the watchful eye of the Gods, A new power is rising...

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Legacy of War Cover Image
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Legacy of War 20210415 1951 Book 20 in the Courtney Series

Leon Courtney, Centaine De Thiry and Saffron Courtney return in the action-packed and gripping sequel to Courtney’s War, and the epic conclusion to the Assegai sequence.

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Thunderbolt Cover Image
Synopsis
Thunderbolt 20210304 2020 Book 2 in the The Jack Courtney Adventures Book in the Courtney Series

Second in a brand new action adventure series starring 14-year-old Jack Courtney - a hero to rival Alex Rider - from worldwide bestselling author Wilbur Smith.

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Call of the Raven Cover Image
Synopsis
Call of the Raven 20200416 1840 Book 7 in the Ballantyne Series

An action-packed and gripping adventure about one man's quest for revenge, the brutality of slavery in America and the imbalance between humans that can drive – or defeat – us.

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Cloudburst Cover Image
Synopsis
Cloudburst 20200319 2020 Book 1 in the The Jack Courtney Adventures Book 19 in the Courtney Series

The epic adventure begins . . . Cloudburst is the first book in the Jack Courtney adventure series, for a whole new generation of fans!

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Ghost Fire Cover Image
Synopsis
Ghost Fire 20190905 1754 Book 18 in the Courtney Series

A new generation of Courtneys fight for freedom in an epic story of tragedy, loss, betrayal and courage that brings the reader deep into the seething heart of the French and Indian War.

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King of Kings Cover Image
Synopsis
King of Kings 20190404 1887 Book 6 in the Ballantyne Series Book in the Courtney Series

Bestselling author Wilbur Smith’s two most powerful families, the Courtneys and the Ballantynes, meet again in a captivating story of love, loyalty and courage in a land torn between two powerful enemies. The long-awaited sequel to his worldwide bestseller, The Triumph of the Sun.

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Courtney's War Cover Image
Synopsis
Courtney's War 20180906 1939 Book 17 in the Courtney Series

Saffron Courtney and Gerhard von Meerback. Two heroes. One unbreakable bond. Courtney's War is an epic story of courage, betrayal and undying love that takes the reader to the very heart of a world at war.

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On Leopard Rock Cover Image
Synopsis
On Leopard Rock 20180501 1950

Wilbur Smith has lived an incredible life of adventure, and now he shares the extraordinary true stories that have inspired his fiction.

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The Tiger's Prey Cover Image
Synopsis
The Tiger's Prey 2017 1700 Book 16 in the Courtney Series

The Malabar coast is full of dangers: greedy tradesmen, fearless pirates, and men full of vengeance. But for a Courtney, the greatest danger might just be his own family.

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War Cry Cover Image
Synopsis
War Cry 2017 1918 Book 15 in the Courtney Series

In a triumphant return to his much-loved Courtney series, Wilbur Smith introduces us to the bravest new member of the famed family, Saffron Courtney.

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Pharaoh Cover Image
Synopsis
Pharaoh 2016 -1550 Book 6 in the Ancient Egyptian Series

The old Pharaoh Tamose lies mortally wounded. The ancient city of Luxor is surrounded. All seems lost.

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Predator Cover Image
Synopsis
Predator 2016 2016 Book 3 in the Hector Cross Series

Hector Cross, ex-SAS officer, private security expert, widower. His wife was taken much too soon, by a cruel man with evil intentions.

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Golden Lion Cover Image
Synopsis
Golden Lion 2015 1670 Book 14 in the Courtney Series

We are caught up in a broad historical sweep, nothing less than the destabilisation of one entire continent ... hot and steamy territory where action is never further than the turn of a page.

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Desert God Cover Image
Synopsis
Desert God 2014 -1575 Book 5 in the Ancient Egyptian Series

Taita has risen from nothing to become the most trusted man at the Pharaoh's side. Only he can plot a mission that will return Egypt to its former glory. Only he can muster the force that can break the back of Egypt's greatest enemy.

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Vicious Circle Cover Image
Synopsis
Vicious Circle 2013 2013 Book 2 in the Hector Cross Series

When Hector Cross’s life is overturned, he immediately recognises the ruthless hand of an enemy he has faced many times before. A terrorist group has re-emerged – like a deadly scorpion from beneath its rock.

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Those in Peril Cover Image
Synopsis
Those in Peril 2011 2011 Book 1 in the Hector Cross Series

Hazel Bannock is the heir to the Bannock Oil Corp, one of the major oil producers with global reach. While cruising in the Indian Ocean, Hazel's private yacht is hijacked by African Muslim pirates. Hazel is not on board at the time, but her nineteen year old daughter, Cayla, is kidnapped and held to ransom. The pirates demand a crippling twenty billion dollar ransom for her release.

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Assegai Cover Image
Synopsis
Assegai 2009 1906 Book 13 in the Courtney Series

In 1913 Leon Courtney, an ex-soldier turned professional hunter in British East Africa, guides rich and powerful men from America and Europe on big game safaris in the territories of the Masai tribe. Leon has developed a special relationship with the Masai.

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The Quest Cover Image
Synopsis
The Quest 2007 -1590 Book 4 in the Ancient Egyptian Series

Egypt is struck by a series of terrible plagues that cripple the kingdom, and then the ultimate disaster follows. The Nile fails. The waters that nourish and sustain the land dry up.

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The Triumph of the Sun Cover Image
Synopsis
The Triumph of the Sun 2005 1880 Book 5 in the Ballantyne Series Book in the Courtney Series

It is 1884, and in the Sudan, decades of brutal misgovernment by the ruling Egyptian Khedive in Cairo precipitates a bloody rebellion and Holy War. The charismatic new religious leader, the Mahdi or 'Expected One', has gathered his forces of Arab warlords in preparation for a siege on the city of Khartoum.

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Blue Horizon Cover Image
Synopsis
Blue Horizon 2003 1730 Book 11 in the Courtney Series

At the close of Monsoon Tom Courtney and his brother Dorian battled on the high seas and finally reached the Cape of Good Hope to start life afresh. In this spellbinding new novel, the next generation of Courtneys are out to stake their claim in Southern Africa, travelling along the infamous 'Robber's Road'.

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Warlock Cover Image
Synopsis
Warlock 2001 -1600 Book 3 in the Ancient Egyptian Series

With vivid depictions of battle and intrigue, of love and passion, with fascinating characters both good and evil, Wilbur Smith brings to life in colourful detail the world of ancient Egypt.

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Monsoon Cover Image
Synopsis
Monsoon 1999 1690 Book 10 in the Courtney Series

It is the dawn of the Eighteenth Century. At the farthest edges of the known world, the mighty East India Trading Company suffers catastrophic losses from pirates on the high seas. After four years away from service, master mariner Sir Hal Courtney prepares for his latest and most dangerous voyage – a death or glory mission in the name of Empire and the crown.

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Birds of Prey Cover Image
Synopsis
Birds of Prey 1997 1660 Book 9 in the Courtney Series

It is 1667 and the mighty naval war between the Dutch and the English still rages. Sir Francis Courtney and his son Hal, in their fighting caravel, are on patrol off Southern Africa, lying in wait for a galleon of the Dutch East India Company returning from the Orient laden with spices, timber and gold.

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The Seventh Scroll Cover Image
Synopsis
The Seventh Scroll 1995 1995 Book 2 in the Ancient Egyptian Series

The Seventh Scroll. Nearly four thousand years old. A fading legacy from beyond the grave. Within it lie the clues to a fabulous treasure from an almost forgotten time. . .

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River God Cover Image
Synopsis
River God 1993 -1650 Book 1 in the Ancient Egyptian Series

Ancient Egypt. Land of the Pharaohs. A kingdom built on gold. A legend shattered by greed... Now the Valley of the Kings lies ravaged by war, drained of its lifeblood, as weak men inherit the cherished crown.

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Elephant Song Cover Image
Synopsis
Elephant Song 1991 1960

From under the shadow of the Mountains of the Moon and the deep, brooding Forests of the Tall Trees, to the hidden opulence of Taiwan and the panelled boardrooms of power in the heart of London, a tough, determined man and a dedicated woman begin their fight against the forces of greed, evil and corruption. . .

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Golden Fox Cover Image
Synopsis
Golden Fox 1990 1969 Book 8 in the Courtney Series

London, 1969 – and the headstrong and beautiful Isabella Courtney dazzles all. Yet the years that follow will test Isabella to the extremes of her endurance. They will be years of hardship and bitter pain, hidden behind the masks of affluence and success. It will be a time in which brother is pitted against brother, as they are drawn into the lair of the golden fox.

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A Time to Die Cover Image
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A Time to Die 1989 1987 Book 7 in the Courtney Series

Sean Courtney makes his final appearance as soldier, statesman and power in the land.

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Rage Cover Image
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Rage 1987 1950 Book 6 in the Courtney Series

In the terrible struggle for the future of South Africa, the Courtney family will be torn apart - and many will have to pay a terrible price.

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Power of the Sword Cover Image
Synopsis
Power of the Sword 1986 1931 Book 5 in the Courtney Series

Blood enemies from their first boyhood encounter, Manfred De La Rey and Shasa Courtney find themselves adversaries in a war of age-old savagery to seize the sword of power in their land.

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The Burning Shore Cover Image
Synopsis
The Burning Shore 1985 1914 Book 4 in the Courtney Series

The Burning Shore, the odyssey of a beautiful young woman of aristocratic birth, Centaine de Thiry, in search of love and fortune – a monumental journey of mystery and discovery.

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The Leopard Hunts in Darkness Cover Image
Synopsis
The Leopard Hunts in Darkness 1984 1980 Book 4 in the Ballantyne Series

Alone, disillusioned and empty of inspiration in New York, best-selling author Craig Mellow longs to return to his roots. Sole survivor of the Ballantyne family, who had farmed in the Zambezi valley for a hundred years, he fled the country when the bush war ended, and now he has lost his way.

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The Angels Weep Cover Image
Synopsis
The Angels Weep 1982 1890 Book 3 in the Ballantyne Series

Dreams of Empire, desire for land and its hidden mineral wealth and for power over a proud and warlike people: such were the forces that drove Englishmen in Queen Victoria's last years to thrust deep into an untamed continent and found a new dominion.

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Men of Men Cover Image
Synopsis
Men of Men 1981 1870 Book 2 in the Ballantyne Series

During the reign of Queen Victoria Englishmen answering the call of Empire voyaged out to take possession of half their known world. Their leaders were such men as Cecil Rhodes, Leander Starr Jameson and Zouga Ballantyne. Some of this pioneer company journeyed north from the Cape in search of gold and land, of cattle and loot. Others went for glory and the pursuit of a dream.

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A Falcon Flies Cover Image
Synopsis
A Falcon Flies 1980 1860 Book 1 in the Ballantyne Series

Dr Robyn Ballantyne, daughter of a famous missionary and explorer, returns on a joint expedition with her brother Zouga, to southern Africa the land of her birth, fired with the desire to bring the Africans medicine, Christianity and an end to the slave trade, still flourishing in 1860.

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Wild Justice Cover Image
Synopsis
Wild Justice 1979 1979

Ruthless men and a beautiful woman locked in a struggle for power such as few men dream of; it is a novel of treachery and betrayal, of loyalty and courage, of hatred and love.

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Hungry as the Sea Cover Image
Synopsis
Hungry as the Sea 1978 1978

The 'Golden Prince' is deposed: once the flamboyant chairman of a huge shipping consortium, now the captain of a salvage tug – such is the revolution in the life of Nick Berg.

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A Sparrow Falls Cover Image
Synopsis
A Sparrow Falls 1977 1918 Book 3 in the Courtney Series

Sean Courtney, who made and lost £5 million on the goldfields of the Witwatersrand and fought his way through the bloody battlefields of the Anglo-Boer War, now makes his final appearance as soldier, statesman and power in the land.

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Cry Wolf Cover Image
Synopsis
Cry Wolf 1976 1935

Jake Barton, a tough, hard-punching engineer from Texas, and Gareth Swales, a stylish old-Etonian gun-runner down on his luck, make a lucrative arms deal with an Ethiopian prince, and dare to challenge the international blockade on land and sea to deliver a consignment of ancient and decrepit armoured cars to his beleaguered countrymen.

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The Eye of the Tiger Cover Image
Synopsis
The Eye of the Tiger 1975 1975

For Harry Fletcher, life on St Mary's Island is good. He has a fine boat and a long list of rich clients eager to charter it for the big game fishing of the Mozambique Channel. He has a home amongst the palms above a white coral beach, and he has friends and pretty girls to share his paradise.

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Eagle in the Sky Cover Image
Synopsis
Eagle in the Sky 1974 1974

Young David Morgan, gifted heir apparent to a South African fortune, rebels against the boardroom future mapped out for him with sickening predictability by his family. Drawn to the sky as though to his natural element, he trains to become a brilliant jet pilot and, fleeing from his home and all it stands for, sets out to make his own life.

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The Sunbird Cover Image
Synopsis
The Sunbird 1972 1972

A hazy aerial photograph and a sinister curse – known only to the Africans – and Dr Benjamin Kazin stumbles on the archaeological discovery of a lifetime. . .

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The Diamond Hunters Cover Image
Synopsis
The Diamond Hunters 1971 1969

The Van Der Byl Diamond Company, willed by its founder to his son Benedict, daughter Tracey and estranged foster-child Johnny Lance, turns out to be a bequest not of love, but of hatred.

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Gold Mine Cover Image
Synopsis
Gold Mine 1970 1960

‘Your unquestioning obedience. You will be my man.' Such is Manfred's demand when he offers Rod Ironsides the general managership of the Sonder Ditch gold mine.

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Shout at the Devil Cover Image
Synopsis
Shout at the Devil 1968 1914

'This scheme has flair! This scheme is Napoleonic!' roars Flynn Patrick O'Flynn, with characteristic enthusiasm. The year is 1912. The place East Africa. The action – ivory-poaching deep in the German-occupied delta of the steaming Rufiji river.

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The Sound of Thunder Cover Image
Synopsis
The Sound of Thunder 1966 1899 Book 2 in the Courtney Series

The Sound of Thunder 'The game was war. The prize was a land. The penalty of defeat was death. . .' The Sound of Thunder is an epic of the Anglo-Boer War and the peace which followed.

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The Dark of the Sun Cover Image
Synopsis
The Dark of the Sun 1965 1960

Bruce Curry sets out with a trainload of mercenaries to relieve a mining town in the heart of the African jungle. The journey turns out to be a nightmare, softened only by Curry's meeting with Shermaine, a Belgian girl with whom he falls passionately in love.

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When the Lion Feeds Cover Image
Synopsis
When the Lion Feeds 1964 1860 Book 1 in the Courtney Series

Something always dies when the lion feeds and yet there is meat for those that follow him.' The lion is Sean, hero of this tremendous drama of the men who took possession of South Africa in the last quarter of the nineteenth century.

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The New Kingdom

An epic story of loss and courage, from the master of adventure fiction.

A new generation of Courtneys fight for freedom in an epic story of tragedy, loss, betrayal and courage that brings the reader deep into the seething heart of the French and Indian War.

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The New Kingdom Book Cover