When the Lion Feeds by Wilbur Smith

After being impressed by Wilbur Smith’s novel A Sparrow Falls, I decided to start at the beginning. This prolific author wrote three sequences of books about the Courtneys of South Africa, and When the Lion Feeds, is the first book in the first sequence, written in 1964. It  really had a common feel with some other great saga writers of that era, be that James Michener or the early works of Alex Haley. In elegant and descriptive prose, Smith told the beginning of the story of the Courtney twins, Sean and Garrick, who were born in the 19^th century. The story is a saga, so be prepared to be with this one for a while. It is definitely not a one-sitting, one-day read. The lives of the twins are entwined even though they feud and go through long periods of separation. The research that was done for this story is impressive, and it will give a sense of life on the “dark continent” in that era. There is heroism, villainy, great successes and great failures. I will read more Wilbur Smith.

When the Lion Feeds is available on Amazon.