Monsoon

HARDCOVER (UK)

SOFTCOVERS

Synopsis

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.

But Hal must also think about the fate of his four sons. All are very different from each other. But each will have a crucial part to play in shaping the Courtney's destiny. Separated by the winds of hazard, adventure will rule their future - just as passion will forge their lives...

Characters
Sir Henry 'Hal' Courteney		Captain of the 'Seraph' sent to search for Jangiri, the pirate. who was a threat to the English East Indies Company, amongst others. Father of Courtney boys.
Thomas 'Tom' Courteney		Twin son of Hal who joins his father on the seas. He is eventually banished from High Weald and returns to Africa to do illegal trade and business.
Guy Courteney		Twin son of Hal who later works for Thurton Beatty in Bombay
Dorrian 'Dorry' Courteney		Youngest son of Hal who is later abducted by Arabian pirates and sold into slavery. Thereafter, named 'Al-Sahil' (Drawn Sword).
William 'Black Billy' Courteney		Eldest son of Hal. Nicked-named 'Black Billy' due to his sinister and malicious manner. He stays behind in England to run the family estate, High Weald, near Plymouth
Lord Nicholas Childs		Chairman of Governers of English East Indies Company
Jangiri		AKA Al-Auf (The Bad One). Sea pirate who captured merchant ships to and from Europe. Part-time slave trader. Sailed on the 'Golden Bough'
Aboli		Black prince who was Hal's friend and mentor on board the 'Seraph'
Big Daniel		Boatswain for the 'Seraph'.
Ned Tyler		Looked after the sails on the 'Seraph' and 'Lady Edwina'.
Mr Walsh		Tom, Guy and Dorrian's tutor on board the 'Seraph'
Will Carter		3rd Officer on board the 'Seraph'
Alfred Wilson		4th Officer on board the 'Seraph'. Ned Tyler's nephew
Dr Reynolds		The surgeon on board the 'Seraph'
King William III		Dutch hunchbacked king of England and Stadholder of the Netherlands
Edward Anderson		Captain of the 'Yeoman of York' which accompanied the 'Seraph' to Africa.
Thurston Beatty		Auditor general for a company factory in Bombay. Father of Caroline, Agnes and Sarah Beatty.
Caroline Beatty		Eldest daughter of Thurston Beatty who has s short love affair with Tom.
Agnes & Sarah Beatty		Younger daughter of Thurston Beatty
Hannah Maakenberg		Coloured prostitute who, with her son, tries to ambush Tom and his men
Jan Olifant		Hannah's bastard son who was mauled by a hyena
Ben Abram		Arab physicist
William Gray		Obese British consul on Zanzibar
Caliph-al-Uzar Ibn Yaqub		Caliph of the Oman Empire in Muscat
Prince Al Malik		Brother to the Caliph of the Omani Empire in Muscat
Tahi		Fat woman gaoler of Dorry
Yasmini		Daughter of Al Malik with whom Dorry fall in love
Batula		Dorry's lance bearer
Lady Alice Grenville		Unhappy wife of William Courtney
Francis Courteney		Son of William and Alice Courtney
Christopher Courteney		Bastard son of Tom and Caroline Courtney
Fundi (The Adept)		Elephant hunter from Lozi
Andries van Houten		Dutch gold-digger
Fall & Zete		Aboli's Lozi wives




Interesting Information
	First published in 1999 by Macmillan.
	UK first edition recommended retail price: £17.99
	Book dedication: I dedicate this book to my wife, Danielle Antoinette, whose love down all the years has been the monsoon wind that, constant and true, has been my life direction. (Note: This is the last dedication to his late wife, Danielle.)
	The navigation wheel on the left begins each chapter.
	The jacket illustration for the UK hardcover release was done by Syd Brak.




Reader Reviews
	From Andre' Mes -
	Another great novel from the master of story-telling! MONSOON picks up about twenty years after BIRDS OF PREY when Hal has now fours sons from three different and now-deceased wives. Hal is sent on a mission to stop and capture the sea pirate, Jagiri, who is attacking merchant ships on the trade route to the east. Hal takes his twin sons, Thomas and Guy, and his youngest son, Dorrian, on his voyage and, in true Smith style, their pursuit of their target is filled with violent, sexy and horrific twists. I finished the book in a few days and even now (I read it a year ago) the story still lingers in my mind. Smith knows how to play with his readers. His descriptions are spot-on and stimulate the imagination more than any film could. Of course, the novel ends with you wanting more and one can only hope that Smith will continue this terrific series.
	Let yourself be blown away by the hurricane of storytelling that is MONSOON...a fantastic reading experience - Sunday Times
	Tremendously enjoyable... meticulously researched, with a narrative drive as relentless as the green Atlantic rollers... one hell of a read. - Daily Mail
	The writing is never less than vivid, the plot is neatly crafted. - Mail On Sunday
	Wilbur Smith is one of those benchmarks against whom others are compared. - The Times
	His writing is crisp and decisive and his plots keep the reader hooked. - Belfast Telegraph

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