2 Ways to Read Wilbur Smith Books in Order

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There are two ways to read Wilbur Smith’s books in order.

The first way is in publication order, which means reading the series in its original publication date sequence. the second way is in chronological order, which means reading them in the order of the events instead of the written date.

You are reading: Wilbur smith books in order

This guide will walk you through the two different ways to read all of Wilbur Smith’s books in order.

who is wilbur smith?

Wilbur Smith is a world-renowned author and explorer whose forty novels have been translated into twenty-six languages. he was born to british parents in northern rhodesia, which is now zambia. from his mother he acquired a love for books and reading.

Smith’s success as an author began when he began to write about what he knew, weaving a story about an African cattle ranch, hunting, gold mining, carousing, and a woman.

smith died on November 13, 2021 at the age of 88.

the courtney series: everything you need to know

there have been 20 books in wilbur smith’s courtney series, which began in 1964 and continued until 1987. the series focuses on the members of the courtney family, who are some of the fascinating characters the zambian author brought to life in his epic series.

The Courtney twins, Sean and Garrick, are the subject of the first two volumes set between 1860 and 1925. Thiry Courtney’s Centaine, her grandchildren and children between 1917 and 1987 were the subject of the next set of series. Another collection of Courtney family stories follows, beginning in 1660 and running through World War II.

#1 books by wilbur smith in publication order

This list of Wilbur Smith’s books in order organizes all of his books in order of publication. This is how thousands of readers first enjoyed Wilbur Smith’s books. It’s also Wilbur Smith’s way of recommending first-time readers approach his series.

court books in order of publication

when the lion feeds (1964)
the sound of thunder (1966)
a sparrow falls (1977)
the shore burning (1985)
the power of the sword (1986)
rage (1987)
time to die (1989)
golden fox (1990)
birds of prey (1997)
monsoon (1999)
blue horizon (2003)
triumph of the sun (2005)
assegai (2009)
golden lion (2015) (with giles kristian)
war cry (2017) (with david churchill)
Tiger’s Prey (2017) (with tom harper)
Courtney’s War (2018) (with david churchill)
king of kings (2019) (with imogen robertson)
ghost fire (2019) (with tom harper)
legacy of war (2021) (with david churchill)
storm tide (expected: 28 june 2022) (with tom harper)

ballantyne’s books in publication order

a hawk flies (1980)
men of men (1981)
angels cry (1982)
the leopard hunts in the darkness (1984)
triumph of the sun (2005)
king of kings (2019) (with imogen robertson)
call of the raven (2020) (with corban addison) (novel)

ancient egyptian books in order of publication

river god (1993)
the seventh scroll (1995)
sorcerer (1995)
the search (2007)</ li
desert god (2014)
pharaoh (2016)
the new kingdom (2021) (with mark chadbourn)
titans of war ( expected : October 18, 2022)

#2 wilbur smith books in chronological order

This List of Wilbur Smith Books in Order focuses on organizing the books in chronological order. This way of enjoying Wilbur Smith’s books would be best for fans who have already read the books. going back to the books for a chronological reread can allow fans to experience something new from a familiar series.

court books in chronological order

birds of prey
golden lion (with giles kristian)
monsoon
tiger’s prey (with tom harper)
blue horizon
ghost fire (with tom harper)
storm tide (expected release: april 26, 2022 / with tom harper)
when the lion feeds
king of kings (with imogen robertson)
the triumph of the sun
azsegai
the sound of thunder
li>
the burning shore
a sparrow falls
the power of the sword
war cry (with david churchill)
courtney’s war (with david churchill)
rage
golden fox
legacy of war (with david churchill)
time to die

ballantyne books in chronological order

the call of the raven (with corban addison) (novel)
a falcon flies
men of men
the triumph of the sun
king of kings (with imogen robertson)
angels cry
leopard hunts in the dark

ancient egyptian books in chronological order

god of the river
sorcerer
the quest
god of the desert
pharaoh
the new kingdom (with mark chadbourn)
titans of war (expected: october 18, 2022)
the seventh scroll

other wilbur smith books in order

Hector crosses the books in order

those in danger (2011)
vicious circle (2013)
predator (2016) (with tom cain)

wilbur smith books in order – independent

darkness of the sun (1965)
shouting at the devil (1968)
the gold mine (1970)
the hunters of Diamonds (1971)
The Sunbird (1972)
Eagle in the Sky (1974)
The Eye of the Tiger (1975)
wolf cry (1976)
hungry as the sea (1978)
savage justice (1979)
elephant song (1991)

summary of wilbur smith books in order: courtney series

for those interested in the courtney series, here is a summary explaining the wilbur smith books in chronological order.

1. birds of prey

The year is 1667. Sir Francis Courtney and his son Hal are patrolling in their battleship off Cape Agulhas in South Africa. they are on the lookout for one of the Dutch East India Company’s treasure-laden galleons returning from the east.

Thus begins a quest for adventure and the spoils of war that takes them from the settlement of Good Hope in the southern tip of Africa to the Great Horn of Ethiopia in the far north. at a time when international maritime law permitted acts of piracy, rape and murder that would otherwise be punishable by death.

Wilbur Smith introduces a generation of the indomitable Courtneys and thrillingly recreates their role in the struggle for supremacy and riches on the high seas.

2. golden lion

Son of pirate and merchant Sir Frances Courtney, Henry “Hal” Courtney grew up on the sea. When war broke out between the English and Dutch empires, his father, fighting for the English crown, attacked a fleet of Dutch East India Company ships off the coast of Africa.

That bravery was met with betrayal, and Sir Francis was executed. his heartbroken son witnessed his death and devoted his youth to avenging his father’s name.

Now, twenty years of war have passed. It is 1784, and a truce has been made between the English and the Dutch, ending the long years of battle on the seas. hal, has also changed.

He has become the captain of his own ship and will soon become a father. Leading his crew through the waves of danger, Hal sails his ship, the Golden Bough, from the slave markets of Zanzibar to the pirate-ridden waters of the Indian Ocean in search of fortune and treasure. /p>

But though the war is over, the final battle has not been won. Soon, Hal will learn that the more a man achieves, the more he has to lose.

3. monsoon

Monsoon is the sweeping epic that continues the saga begun in Wilbur Smith’s bestselling Birds of Prey. Once a voracious adventurer, it has been many years since Hal Courtney has dared to sail the high seas.

Now he must return with three of his sons, Tom, Dorian, and Guy, to protect the East India trading company from plundering pirates, in exchange for half the fortune he recovers.

It will be a mission of death or glory in the name of the crown. But Hal must also think about the fate of his children. Like his father before them, Tom, Dorian and Guy are inexorably drawn to Africa.

When fate decrees that they must all leave England forever, they set sail for the dark and uncharted continent, seduced by the allure and mystery of this magnificent yet wild new land. Everyone will have a crucial role to play in shaping Courtney’s destiny, as the family competes for a prize beyond any of their dreams.

In a story of anger and passion, peace and war, Wilbur Smith is shown at the height of his narrative powers. Set in the dawn of 18th-century England, with courtesans sailing across wind-tossed seas to Arabia and Africa, Monsoon is a thrilling adventure that pits brother against brother, man against sea, and good against evil. /p>

4. the tiger’s prey

Tom Courtney, one of the four sons of master seaman Sir Hal Courtney, once again embarks on a treacherous journey that will take him across the vast expanses of ocean and face dangerous enemies in exotic destinations.

But just as the winds drive your sails, passion drives your heart. Turning his ship into the unknown, Tom Courtney will finally meet her fate and establish the future of the Courtney family.

5. blue horizon

dorian courtney and tom courtney sailed to the cape of good hope to start a new life after a harrowing sea voyage accompanied by epic battles against fierce enemies.

It has been more than half a century since they arrived in Africa, where they are now prosperous merchants, husbands and fathers. To secure a piece of southern Africa, the next generation of courtneys have embarked on a journey down the notorious “thieves’ path.”

6. ghost fire

ghost fire was written in collaboration with tom harper.

1754 – Inseparable since they were born and raised in India, Theo and Connie Courtney are torn apart by the tragic death of their parents.

Theo, wracked with guilt, sets out on a lonely path through life. Haunted by the spirits of lovers and family members, he is determined to atone for his mistakes. he seeks salvation in combat and conflict, joining the British in the war against the French and Indian armies.

Believing herself abandoned by her brother and abused and mistreated by a series of corrupt guardians, Connie vows not to let any man possess her. Instead, she uses her beauty to manipulate her way to France, where she is welcomed into high society. But Ella Connie once again finds herself at the mercy of vicious men, whose appetite for war and her glory lead her to the frontlines of the French battlefield in North America.

As the brothers’ destinies converge once again, they realize that the vengeance and redemption they both desperately seek could cost them their lives.

7. storm surge

The final installment in Courtney’s series is expected to be published on April 26, 2022. It was written in collaboration with Tom Harper.

In 1774, Rob Courtney grows up in Fort Auspice, Nativity Bay, a trading post on the East Coast of Africa, and has always dreamed of going to sea. When his grandfather Jim Courtney dies, and the mysterious Captain Marston calls the fort, Rob’s passion flares and he stowaways on Marston’s ship bound for England.

Upon arrival in London, Rob is seduced by her charms and befriends a group of fast-living men, ending up in deep debt. Desperate and penniless, Rob sees no way out. that is until the navy comes calling.

Rob gets ready and is whisked down the river to join a ship ready to cross the Atlantic and join the growing war against rebellious American colonists.

Meanwhile, in America, Theo Courtney’s two sons come of age in a society increasingly divided between those loyal to the crown and those seeking independence from the American colonies. Even the family is divided, with Theo’s eldest son, Cal, a fervent American patriot, while Theo himself feels a strong bond with his motherland, England. When he sees his younger brother, Aidan, killed in a fierce battle with British troops, Cal vows that he will not rest until he avenges his brother’s death by driving the British out of America, once and for all.

8. when the lion feeds

natal, 1860: the courtney twins are born. heirs to their father’s fortune, fate divides the children from the start. Garrick is eager to stay at home with a book and escape from the hardships of raising cattle, while they are, strong and much loved, he wants to try his hand at everything.

When Garrick is forced to take possession of his farm, Sean must explore the opportunities that await him: the rushes and horrors of the Zulu wars, the women who will fall for his charms, the rise and fall of the gold rush and the deadly thrills of big game hunting on the African plains. but will the adventures really be his doing, and at what ultimate cost?

9. king of kings

king of kings was written in collaboration with imogen robertson and is a crossover with wilbur smith’s ballantyne series.

On a beautiful September day in Cairo in 1888, Penrod Ballantyne and his fiancée, Amber Benbrook, stroll hand in hand. the future is theirs for the taking.

But when Penrod’s jealous ex-lover, Lady Agatha, casts doubt on his character, Amber leaves him and travels to the wilds of Abyssinia with her twin sister, Saffron, and her adventurous husband, Ryder Courtney. With a mission to establish a silver mine, they undertake the perilous journey to the new capital of Addis Ababa, where they are greeted by Menelik, the King of Kings. but italy has plans for abyssinia, and there are rumors of a plan to invade…

back in cairo, a devastated penrod seeks oblivion in the city’s opium dens. When he is rescued by his old friend, Lorenzo de Fonseca, now in the Italian Army, and offered the opportunity to assess the situation around the Abyssinian border, Penrod seizes the opportunity for action.

With storm clouds closing in and on opposite sides of the invasion, can Penrod and Amber find their way back to each other, against all odds?

10. the triumph of the sun

They come from quicksand and descend from ancient mountains. Mounted on horses and camels, wielding gleaming swords and plundered rifles, the Children of Allah are led by a holy warrior imbued with jihad, leading his army of thousands to wipe out the last of the English in the isolated city on the Nile.

But in Khartoum there is a legendary British general, a brilliant mercenary merchant, a beautiful woman and a brave soldier whose destinies have become one. they know time is running out and rescue is unlikely. so they prepare for one last stand, and the beginning of an epic journey of survival.

11. assegai

It’s 1913 and Leon Courtney, a former soldier turned professional hunter in British East Africa, leads the rich and powerful of America and Europe on big game safaris. Leon had never sought fame, but an expedition with us. President Theodore Roosevelt has made him one of the continent’s most wanted hunters. Soon, he discovers that with celebrity comes not only wealth, but also danger.

Leon is recruited by his uncle Penrod Ballantyne, commander of British forces in East Africa, to gather information on one of his clients: Count Otto von Meerbach, a German industrialist whose company builds planes and vehicles for the burgeoning kaiser’s army While spying, Leon falls desperately in love with von Meerbach’s beautiful and enigmatic mistress, Eva von Wellberg.

On the eve of world war, Leon stumbles upon a plot by Count von Meerbach that could wipe out British forces in Africa. He finds himself alone to foil von Meerbach’s plan and in grave danger as he learns more about the enigmatic Eve.

12. the sound of thunder

sean courtney is going to fight against the burgesses in the boer war. first on harrowing front-line missions for British guides, then as the leader of commandos designed to fight the Boers on their own terms: guerrilla combat in the field.

The peace that follows finds Sean hoping to marry and farm. but the hatred of her twin brother will not allow her a peaceful life. Garry, who has been forced to live in the shadow of his twin’s superiority since childhood, has vowed to repay him for the damage he has done.

13. the burning shore

centaine de thiry grew up with privilege, wealth and freedom on a sprawling French estate. Then war erupted around her, and a fearless young South African aviator named Michael Courtney stole her heart amidst the destruction. but the tides of fate and battle sent the young woman on a journey across a dangerous sea to the coast of Africa.

When Centaine’s ship is torpedoed and sunk, it plunges into a sea full of sharks miles from the unseen shore. And when she comes ashore, Ella Centaine sets foot not in the lush world that Michael Courtney described to her, but on the edge of a burning desert, alone and fighting for her life.

On a strange world, under a big stormy sky, Centaine sets off in the company of wandering Bushmen and then falls into the arms of a renegade white soldier who can either be his savior or his destruction. As Michael Courtney’s family searches for Centaine, she draws closer to her promised land, and the tragedy and untold riches it holds.

14. a sparrow falls

Mark Anders grew up on eight thousand acres of African land that bore his family name. he then fought in the great war in europe and, returning to his ancestral home, he saw a savagery like no other.

In Africa, Mark’s family estate has been plundered. his grandfather has died under mysterious circumstances. And he has inherited a murderous foe, the rogue scion of the mighty Courtney clan, in a whole new kind of warfare.

Now, Mark will have to choose between two women. journey to the desert to discover the fate of her grandfather. she finds her way through the battles that rage between fathers and sons, generals and politicians, and nature and man.

In a time of violent conflict, Mark Anders will live or die for justice, and his fight will resonate across the country he always loved.

15. sword power

Shasa Courtney was groomed by her French-born mother to take control of Courtney’s mining and finance company, whose source of wealth was sown deep under African soil. But Shasa’s brother, Manfred, had been trained by his renegade father to be a hunter, of lions and of men.

as the two boys became men, they took on the extraordinary powers of each father: shasa, a man attuned to his continent and its people; Manfred who, like his father, was willing to shape his world with a weapon. So when the winds of World War II blew into Africa, each brother chose a side.

Now, the future of a young nation is being forged amid a clash of civilizations, ideals, and blood feuds. And when Shasa and Manfred rise to power, a land of beauty and suffering will be remade, for better or worse, in their own image.

16. battle cry

Wilbur Smith introduces us to the bravest new member of the famous family: Saffron Courtney.

Saffron grows up on a sprawling estate in Kenya, under the watchful eye of her father, prominent businessman and distinguished war veteran Leon Courtney. her childhood is idyllic, until a family tragedy forces her to grow up much faster than necessary. As she grows into a spirited teenager, her thirst for knowledge and adventure leads her to England, where she finds herself inevitably drawn into the heart of the brewing storm in the run-up to World War II.

Gerhard von Meerbach is the privileged and idealistic younger brother of Konrad von Meerbach, heir to an industrial fortune and a vocal supporter of the Nazi Party. Gerhard struggles to stay true to his principles in an increasingly cruel world. his friendship with a Jew puts him in danger and forces him to confront the forces of evil that have taken over his country and his family.

but unbeknownst to him, he’s caught in a trap that could cost him everything he loves.

As World War II looms over them all, Saffron and Gerhard’s worlds collide, but will there be more to unite them than tear them apart?

17. courtney’s war

This novel was written in collaboration with David Churchill.

In 1939 war-torn Paris, Saffron Courtney and Gerhard von Meerbach find themselves thousands of miles apart, both fighting for their lives.

gerhard, despite his objections to the nazi regime, is fighting for the fatherland, hoping one day to have the opportunity to rid germany of hitler and his cronies. But as his unit becomes engulfed in the hellish attrition of the Battle of Stalingrad, he knows his chances of survival are shrinking by the day.

Meanwhile, saffron, recruited by the special ops executive and sent to occupied belgium to discover how the nazis have infiltrated soe’s network, soon finds herself being hunted by germany’s most ruthless spymaster.

Faced with evil beyond their wildest imaginations, the lovers must make the most difficult choice of all: sacrifice themselves or do whatever it takes to survive, in the hope that they will one day be reunited.

18. rage

In the second half of the 20th century, the future looms over Africa, fueled by the sins of the past and blood feuds between nations, tribes, and families. For the Courtney family, who have known this continent from the depths of its gold mines to the pinnacle of political power, the time of reckoning draws near.

shasa courtney has lived, fought and loved among Afrikaners, English and indigenous people. his mother is next to him, but the rest of the world around him is exploding. even his family keeps more dangerous secrets than his own worst enemies.

now, a continent convulses. the streets are full of protesters. desperate and devious men forge volatile alliances.

and shasa faces shocking revelations between traitors, fugitives and heroes, driving a beloved country into the flames of civil war

19. golden fox

Courtney family blood has long been hot, as hot as the passion and turmoil that seethe in war-torn South Africa. when one of their own succumbs to the worst of evils, those bonds are put to the ultimate test.

Isabella Courtney, the stunning daughter of the South African ambassador to England, is passionately obsessed with Ramón, the Marquis of Santiago y Machado, also known as the Golden Fox, one of the world’s most ruthless terrorists. When she secretly gives birth to her child, Ramon kidnaps the child and convinces a powerful but reluctant Isabella to betray South Africa and her beloved family…

Until the truth is finally out and the explosive courtney joins her and strikes back with furious revenge.

20. legacy of war

This book was written in collaboration with David Churchill.

The war is over, Hitler is dead, and yet his evil legacy lives on. Saffron Courtney and Ella Gerhard’s loving husband barely survived the brutal conflict, but Gerhard’s Nazi-supporting brother Konrad is still free and determined to regain power.

As a dangerous game of cat and mouse unfolds, a plot against the pair begins to emerge. one that will have ramifications throughout Europe.

further afield, in kenya, the last outcrop of colonial empire is feeling the tinges of rebellion. As the situation turns violent and the Courtney family home is threatened, Leon Courtney finds himself caught between two powerful sides and a battle for a country’s freedom.

21. a time to die

Sean Courtney, a former bush war fighter, is now a man of peace who runs hunting safaris in Zimbabwe for wealthy men. His current client is Ricardo Monterro, a headstrong man whose beautiful and determined daughter Claudia has reluctantly accompanied him on his quest for the greatest of all trophies: the old Tukutela elephant bull.

but the elephant and riccardo’s obsession will take them across the border to a mozambique still ravaged by civil war. What started as a rich man’s vacation turns into a desperate battle for survival, and Sean must help them escape from the most dangerous predator of all: man.

final thoughts on wilbur smith books in order

wilbur smith is a prolific writer and his books span the entire african continent. His writing style varies from book to book as he tackles different themes throughout the story. If he’s looking for some new reading material, he’ll find this article from Wilbur Smith’s books in order helpful.

Looking for more books in order?

Check out this list of the latest kingdom books in order by bernard cornwell.

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2 Ways to Read Wilbur Smith Books in Order | Ultimate Guide