Elephant Song

[michaelsmum]

I read this years ago and it's still with me. I presonally think it's his absolute best.

[John R]

High praise indeed! I will have to read this one sooner rather than later.

[michaelsmum]

It's worth it!

[audacter]

I finished this a couple of weeks ago for a break before jumping on the Ballantyne series. Great, Great book, I wouldn't rate it his best but it is well worth a read, but I might be biased I'm a huge fan of the Courtney books and would put many of those higher...

[Son of the Silver Fox]

I read this one a few years back and just gobbled it up, a good fast paced story that will make you think afterwards. 8 out of 10

[Matbow]

Think this is going to be my next read. I've heard good things, lets hope I enjoy it!

[Penitent]

One of the best stand-alone together with "Eye of the Tiger". At least for me.

[Bids]

Just finished this last night. Fantastic book. Action packed the whole way. The only thing i was a little dissapointed in was the way it finished. It all happened really quickly. I thought the Armstrong v Cheng showdown could have gone for a little longer and been a little more exciting. Otherwise loved the book. Im just lost as to what im going to read now. Thinking of starting on the egyptian series as ive done the Courtney's, Ballantynes and a few stand alone novels now

[Danny Ramone]

Can someone post up a quick blurb of this one? I have never got round to reading it but i have heard people talking about it allot.

[Nefer]

Elephant Song

Blood was the fertiliser that made the African soil bloom...

From under the shadow of the Mountains of the Moon and the deep, brooding Forests of the Tall Trees, to the hidden opulence of Taiwan and the panelled boardrooms of power in the heart of London, a tough, determined man and a dedicated woman begin their fight against the forces of greed, evil and corruption...

In Zimbabwe, Dr Daniel Armstrong, world-famous TV naturalist, films the slaughter of a herd of elephant: closing in as their blood stains the soil and their death song echoes around the stillness of the valley, his professionalism is tinged with a deep sadness.

In London, anthropologist Kelly Kinnear is forced into violent confrontation with the shareholders of the most powerful conglomerate in the City of London, warning them of the destruction of an African country and of a people – the Bambuti – she has come to love as her own.

Combining breathtaking realism with thrilling suspense, Elephant Song is a gripping adventure from the world's master storyteller – a journey deep into the heart of a wild, magnificent continent, threatened for ever by the destructive hand of man.

From WS website He has blurbs of all the books there.

[delby]

I think if Elephant song is not the best of King Willies work it is by far the best standalone
I was gripped and could not put it down

[merdiolu]

I agree this is one of best WB stand alone novels. Not only he mentions illagal trade of ivory (at the cost of elephant and human blood ) and other items he also enlist reader's interest to politics of African nations which are like toys for big companies and their investments in his detailed and gripping telling....Dr. Armstrong should have found a reliable cameraman (or woman) much sooner though...

[kurt9]

Yes, Elephant Song is definitely my favorite of his "stand alone" novels. Daniel Armstrong is definitely one of my favorite characters and I enjoyed Ephram Taffari, even though he is one of the bad guys.

Given that he wrote it 20 years ago, I would be interested in knowing his thoughts about Africa and its future. Will Smith write another novel that takes place in the present time? One of his interviews he suggests that he will not because things are changing so fast and he feels that any such novel would be dated before he completed it. I think he should write such a novel. Being African himself (a white African, but an African, nonetheless), he gives perspective about Africa in his novels that an American like myself is simply not going to get without visiting Africa and actually spending time there, not just as a tourist.

As one of the most successful novelists of our time, Smith is a spokesperson for Africa even if he does not see himself in this role.