Rage

HARDCOVER (UK)

SOFTCOVERS

Synopsis

It is 1952. Guided by the ruthless hands of Shasa Courtney and Centaine Malcomess. the Courtney family empire has come to dominate the lives of white and black South Africans alike.

But the winds of change are fanning the fires of revolution. In his deadly quest for power Shasa will be tested far beyond the battles of the boardroom, forced to betray his ideals for a misguided dream of national unity.

Characters
Shasa Courtney		Director of Courtney Enterprises and minister of Mining in the Afrikaans Nationalist government of South Africa. Son of Centaine and father to Sean Jr, Garrick Jr, Michael Courtney, Jr and Isabella. Half-brother to Manfred De La Rey although he does not know this.
Manfred De La Rey		Bastard son of Centaine and Lothar. Minister of Police in the Afrikaans Nationalist South African government. Father to Lothar De La Rey, Jr and Jacobus Stander.
Moses Gama		Black political activist, secretary of the ANC and lover of both Tara Courtney and Victoria Dinizulu. He uses both of them for his political advantage.
Tara Courtney-Malcomess		Wife of Shasa and mother to his children. Secret lover of Moses Gama and mother of his illegitimate son, Benjamin Afrika.
Centaine de Thiry		Mother of Shasa Courtney and Manfred De La Rey. Co-director of Courtney Enterprises. Wife of Blair Malcomess.
Sean Courtney, Jr		Shasa and Tara's eldest son who later becomes a hunter and guerilla soldier.
Garrick Courtney, Jr		Shasa and Tara's second son who later joins the family business.
Michael Courtney, Jr		Shasa and Tara's third son who later becomes a journalist who witnesses the Sharpeville massacre.
Isabella Courtney		Shasa and Tara's daughter. She later has an affair with her cousin, Lothar De La Ray, Jr.
Lothar De La Rey		Father of Manfred De La Rey who is in poor health due to spending many years in prison after a failed diamond heist.
Swart Hendrik Tabak		Xhosa businessman who runs several illegal operations and businesses in Soweto. Half-brother of Moses Gama.
Victoria Dinizulu		Zulu tribal princess who is later married to Moses Gama to strengthen his position with the Zulu nation.
Colonel Blair Malcomess		Husband of Centaine and father of Tara (from his first wife). Politician and businessman.
Heidi De La Rey		German wife of Manfred De La Rey and mother of Lothar De La Rey, Jr
Lothar De La Rey, Jr		Son of Manfred and Heidi who later becomes a policeman involved in the Sharpeville massacre. Later has an affair with his cousin Isabelle Courtney.
Raleigh Tabak		Twin son of Swart Hendrik Tabak who later become a dangerous political activist and member of the Poqo, the militant branch of the Pan Africanist Congress.
Molly Broadhurst		Friend of Tara Courtney and one of the founder members of the small anti-apartheid white women's movement, the Black Sash.
Roelf Stander		Friend of Manfred De La Rey and husband of Sarah Stander.
Sarah Stander		Wife of Roelf Stander. She had an affair with Manfred De La Rey many years before and secretly bore his bastard son, Jacobus.
Jacobus Stander		Son of Manfred De La Rey and Sara Stander, half-brother of Lothar De la Rey, Jr. He later becomes an extreme left-wing political activist.
Kitty Godolphin		Ruthless TV news reporter and part-time lover of Shasa Courtney.
Holly Carmichael		Architect wife of Garrick Courtney, Jr
Nelson Mandela		Black lawyer and political activist who's pacifist approach and inadvertent popularity becomes a threat to Moses Gama
Joseph Cicero		Russian communist who is instrumental in assassinating the South African prime minister, Dr Hendrik Verwoerd.
Marcus Archer		Homosexual industrial psychologist and communist.
Joseph Dinizulu		Zulu brother of Victoria Gama.
Marion Hurst		American archaeological professor who is friends with Tara
David Abrahams		Friend, business partner and brother-in-law of Shasa.
Mathilda Janine Abrahams		Wife of David Abrahams, sister of Tara Courtney and Shasa's sister-in-law
Lady Anna Courtney		Wife of the late Sir Garrick Courtney who lives at the old family residence of Theuniskraal in Natal.
Storm Anders		Daughter of General Sean and Ruth Courtney. Wife of Mark Anders.
Mark Anders		Husband of Storm Anders.
Wellington Tabak		Twin son of Swart Hendrik Tabak who later becomes a priest




Interesting Information
	First published in 1987 by William Heinemann Ltd.
	Book dedication: I dedicate this book to my wife, Danielle. Hand in hand we have crossed the continents of this earth, but none of them was as broad as my love for you. Together we have voyaged on all the oceans, but none was as deep as my love for you.
	Book acknowledgement: Once again I have taken some small liberties with the timetables of history, in particular the dates on which the Umkhonto we Sizwe and Poqo movements began, Nelson Mandela was acquitted in his first treason trial and Harold Macmillan made his 'Winds of Change' speech. I hope that you, the reader, will forgive me for the sake of the narrative. Wilbur Smith.
	Click here to find out more about the Courtneys of Africa family tree.




Reader Reviews
	From Andre' Mes -
	As much as I have found the Courtney Saga to be fascinating, it took me three attempts to start and finish this book. The reason for this is not so much that I didn't find it interesting, but more for the fact that it was so expansive in vista and detail that I found the enormity of the novel quite exhausting. As you can see by the Character Table above, there are many characters in this novel and to remain focused, for me, was hard enough. Nevertheless, one I had started the book for the third time and managed to pass the other two stopping point, I was swept away again by Smith's power to take me imagination and give it a good wrench! What I found particularly wonderful was the way in which Smith re-created the way of life of apartheid South Africa.
	The prose is as lean and muscular as ever, the pace would do credit to a Porsche and the invention is as bright and explosive as a firework display. - The Sunday Telegraph

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