The Wilbur Smith Discussion Forums

This author; of “The Thorn Birds” fame has a fantastic historical fiction series set in ancient Rome. I think it comprises six volumes so far; and probably that will be it, because it has been sadly reported that Colleen is losing her sight and may not write that much anymore.

I have read the first volume of the series only titled “The First Man in Rome” and if you are a serious historical fiction junkie (like me) you’ll enjoy it!

Really?! Had no idea!! I watched the movie of the book - was very painful & somewhat annoyingly boring...

I tried reading another historical book by her & never got past page 5. How sad that she's loosing her sight - my absolute worst nightmare.

I'll look the book up, now that I'm back in school and shoud be applying myself to an education

They are long books and they do take some effort to get into. I remember the first one had a 100 pages glossary of terms at the end. So much research go into them that we have to give her credit. But I have to admit they are not for everyone.

If you want "lighter" historical fiction. Try Bernard Cornwell.

About her sight it has been reported that she may continue writting if she can dictate to somebody. But it will not be the same...

Has anyone read Morgan's Run? It was recomended by a friend but I am reading other stuff right now.

Yes, I've read & own a copy of Morgan's Run. Loved it. I love her style of writing & think she has a wonderful sense of humour. Her "Afterward" notes state: "The saga of Richard Morgan is not ended; he was to live for many years to come and experience yet more adventures, disasters and upheavals. I hope to continue with his family's story". I'm still waiting & I will definitely read it if & when she writes it.
Colleen is an expert at 'faction' - a mix of facts/history with fiction. WS of course is similar but I think Colleen uses more 'fact' but don't quote me - this is just my opinion!

Thanks for the tip, I'm reading it now Ada, I'll let you know what I think.

^ Did you finish Morgan's Run Son of the Silver Fox? What did you think of it?

I received two more of Colleen's novels for Mother's Day:

Angel Puss and On, Off.

I'll post my review's when I finish them.

Not yet, but I will.
I have had my house on the market and I have no idea where my wife put it .
I am sure that it will at latest show up when I move.

Good luck with selling your house Son of the Silver Fox. I hope your move goes smoothly. I moved ten times between leaving home and where I live now. Packing and unpacking became a familiar task. At least books are easy to pack and can't break.

The Masters Of Rome series was magnificent. About half-way thru the 6th and last book. Second time I've read the series, and it was even better than the first itme!

Glad you enjoyed The Masters of Rome series. There are rumors of a seventh volume of the series in the future...

I finished Colleen’s Angel Puss and On, Off and have finally got around to posting my reviews.

Angel Puss was one of the quirkiest books I’ve ever read. Written as “Diary Entries”, it is very “Australian” and IMO more suited to Aussie women readers although there may be some guys who would like it. It is set in the 1960s in Sydney’s infamous Kings Cross. I absolutely loved it and highly recommend it to all Aussie women interested in bygone eras and a smidge of ESP.

On, Off, is a ‘who done it’ which as a rule isn’t my cup of tea. (Although I have read Agatha Christie and Dick Francis books.) This one is set in 1965 in Holloman, Connecticut, USA. It is quite gruesome in parts and there are numerous dead bodies involved – i.e. it’s about a serial killer. I struggled at the start with umpteen characters and ended up writing them down. (I was determined to finish this book as I had requested it as a gift. ) I eventually really got into it and was pleased that the killer was discovered 7 Chapters (80 paperback pages) before the end of the book – i.e. it followed through with the trial etc. Nearing the end I thought, yeah, Colleen, it’s OK, a pretty good story & I hadn’t picked the killer yada yada but not exactly your best effort…..and then, I read the last Chapter/5 & a bit pages. OMG, what a twist. It was worth reading the other 495 pages just to get to these last pages. It’s probably not a book I would read again however I do recommend it to the ‘who done it’ fans.

Amost finished with "Antony and Cleopatra" and it is just as good as the rest of the series. Didnt know it was coming and was real happy to see it in the store.

My wife is reading "Antony and Cleopatra" but I don't think I will touch it. Some of her books read like textbooks from a university course.

I'm not a big fan of hers. Tried reading the Thornbirds, and another book I don't remember the title of.

But I am a big Egypt book fan, so I might give it a go.

Ada, I finally found and read Morgan's Run. I really did enjoy it. I also liked the post-script where she explained that her husband was a decendant of Richard Morgan and Christian Fletcher (HMS Bounty).

Loved "Morgans Run".
Wonder if there will be another?