The Triumph of the Sun by Wilbur Smith. 659 pages. Zaffre Books.
I have read other books by Wilbur Smith before, but this book really surprised me in a couple of ways. Smith is well known as one of the premier historical novelists, especially when it comes to 19th Century Britain in the African continent. Here’s the abbreviated summary from Amazon:
A FEARSOME ENEMY. A CITY UNDER SIEGE.
In the burning heat of the Sudanese sun, the city of Khartoum is under siege from the fearsome forces of the Mahdi, the charismatic leader of rebel forces who tire of the brutal Egyptian government. In Khartoum, along with thousands of innocent citizens, are trapped the fanatical General Charles Gordon, intrepid soldier Penrod Ballantyne of the 10th Hussars, English trader Ryder Courtney and the British consul, David Benbrook, and his three beautiful daughters, Rebecca, Saffron and Amber.
As rescue becomes increasingly unlikely, this group of Queen Victoria’s loyal citizens must unite to prepare themselves against a violent enemy, and for the savage battle that must surely follow . . .
So if you familiar with history in that time period in that region, you know the story of the siege of Khartoum, of General Gordon, and later of General Kitchener and the battle of Omdurman. Even if you don’t know that history, it’s a fascinating time. What I didn’t know was that this book was the final book in a series about Ryder Courtney and the first book in a series about Penrod Ballentyne. What holds the larger story together is the story of three sisters, seventeen-year-old Rebecca, and her two younger twin sisters, Saffron and Amber.
As I mentioned, the book is well-written, very well researched and very believable when it came to the larger story. The battles were thrilling, the description was realistic, and I found myself captivated for the most part.
Now the cautions: As I mentioned, I had read Wilbur Smith’s books before, but I didn’t remember that much sex. This has a great deal, which can be good or bad, depending on what you are looking for. I found it a bit gratuitous, but what do I know…I’m an old man. What really bothered me was–and I can’t tell you everything, lest I spoil it for you–how quickly they want the twin girls to grow up and become young women. It made me uncomfortable, but perhaps that is modern propriety talking.
Overall, it was a fascinating adventure, and was well worth the couple of days I spent reading it.
Four and a half out of five stars.
