Booktopia Comments
Fans of Wilbur Smith's novels will love this entertaining memoir which gives us the stories behind the novels and charts Wilbur Smith's path from child hunter to international bestselling novelist. Ranging from late 1940s Rhodesia to the present day, On Leopard Rock is as filled with as much adventure, romance and action as any of Smith's novels and is, as a result, unputdownable. The perfect gift for any Wilbur Smith fan - John Purcell
Product Description
The first ever memoirs from the Number One global bestselling adventure author.
Wilbur Smith has lived an incredible life of adventure, and now he shares the extraordinary true stories that have inspired his fiction.
I've been writing novels for over fifty years. I was lucky enough to miss the big wars and not get shot, but lucky enough to grow up among the heroes who had served in them and learn from their example. I have lucked into things continuously. I have done things which have seemed appalling at the time, disastrous even, but out of them have come another story or a deeper knowledge of human character and the ability to express myself better on paper, write books which people enjoy reading.
Along the way, I have lived a life that I could never have imagined. I have been privileged to meet people from all corners of the globe, I have been wherever my heart has desired and in the process my books have taken readers to many, many places. I always say I've started wars, I've burned down cities, and I've killed hundreds of thousands of people - but only in my imagination!
From being attacked by lions to close encounters with deadly reef sharks, from getting lost in the African bush without water to crawling the precarious tunnels of gold mines, from marlin fishing with Lee Marvin to near death from crash-landing a Cessna airplane, from brutal school days to redemption through writing and falling in love, Wilbur Smith tells us the intimate stories of his life that have been the raw material for his fiction. Always candid, sometimes hilarious, and never less than thrillingly entertaining, On Leopard Rock is testament to a writer whose life is as rich and eventful as his novels are compellingly unputdownable.
Industry Reviews
A thundering good read is virtually the only way of describing Wilbur Smith`s books * The Irish Times *
Wilbur Smith ... writes as forcefully as his tough characters act * Evening Standard *
Wilbur has arguably the best sense of place of any adventure writer since John Buchan * The Guardian *
Wilbur Smith is one of those benchmarks against whom others are compared * The Times *
Best Historical Novelist--I say Wilbur Smith, with his swashbuckling novels of Africa. The bodices rip and the blood flows. You can get lost in Wilbur Smith and misplace all of August * Stephen King *
Action is the name of Wilbur Smith's game and he is the master * The Washington Post *
A master storyteller * The Sunday Times *
Smith will take you on an exciting, taut and thrilling journey you will never forget * The Sun *
Noone does adventure quite like Smith * Daily Mirror *
With many best-selling novels under his belt, Wilbur Smith has earned a reputation as one of the world's great action writers ... along with an enviable style * High Flyer *
With Wilbur Smith the action is never further than the turn of a page * The Independent *
In an autobiography reminiscent of his famous characters' white-knuckled adventures all over Africa, South African Smith serves as the reader's personal travel guide... Fans will bask in the backstory of Smith's tireless pursuit of the ultimate life, one filled with exhilaration, danger, and heartbreak * Booklist *
Honest and intimate, Smith's memoir tells of an extraordinary life of writing * Publishers Weekly *
Kudos, Mr. Smith, for such a detailed piece. I learned a great deal and it has helped me develop an even greater appreciation for you as a man and author. I hope many of your fans will take the time to find this book, as it enriches the reading experience * Pechey Ponderings *
The style is brash, as is the author... yet there are examples of love for his fellow man and unashamed love for animals that persuade his readers to forgive his brashness. Like his father before him he is a "cussed old bastard", but one whose novels have offered joy and surcease of pain over many, many years. His memoir is recommended reading if only because he has filled a gap in our knowledge banks that was absent until now. An enjoyable, enlightening read * Queensland Reviewers Collective *
Always candid, sometimes hilarious, and never less than thrillingly entertaining, On Leopard Rock is testament to a writer whose life is as rich and eventful as his novels are compellingly unputdownable * New Books Magazine *
The master of storytelling...sure to delight * PaperPlus NZ *
An entertaining read; Smith's life has been so eventful that his escapades keep you turning the pages * Historical Novels Society *
