Book Review – Legacy of War by Wilbur Smith – Another Worthwhile Sequel added to the long list!
Table of Contents
My Rating – 4 out of 5
Plot Summary – Legacy of War
The long running Courtney Saga is back with Leon Courtney, his daughter Saffron and her husband Gerhard Von Meerbach being the main protagonists in this latest edition of the series, Legacy of War. The setting is late 1940’s and early 1950’s – covering London to Cape Town and on to Mombasa, Kenya. The end of the Second World War has brought an end to the atrocities committed by Germany, though many Nazis are still at large and hiding in plain sight, whiling away their time, still plotting to bring their Third Reich back to life!
Perhaps mankind is doomed never to learn from its past. Perhaps we will always repeat the same mistakes, the same evils, forever….
Wangari in Legacy of War
Gerhard and Saffron have settled in Kenya, in Leon Courtney’s sprawling estate called Lusima. But Gerhard’s evil Nazi brother Konrad – the majority owner of Meerbach Motor Works, has vanished from Germany at the end of the war, with his wife, Chessie. Though many presume that they are dead, Gerhard is sure that they are very much alive and remain in hiding, hoping for better times to re-emerge. They also know, evil that Konrad is, they would be plotting how to get back at Gerhard and Saffron, and Saffron theorizes that they should search for and neutralize the threat Konrad presents.
This is also the time when, India has achieved Independence from British colonial rule and the jittery imperialists across Africa, are worried that Kenya will be next. The British administration of Kenya are not only faced with the Kenyan freedom fighters (who, like in India, prefer the non-violent ways of M.K. Gandhi than armed rebellion) but also the opportunistic Mau Mau rebels, who are nothing but criminals in the garb of armed Freedom fighters looking to establish their primacy. But the Administration’s confusion in identifying the real threat, ends up in heavy-handedness and cruel torture of anybody who they feel is opinionated against British rule.
In this complex political and social backdrop, the story takes off. Leon Courtney is a son of the soil and understands the Kenyan’s urge, need and frustration of being free from Imperial rule. He treats his Kenyan employees well and they stand by him till the very end, but his is a solitary voice in a sea of ham handed settlers – who do not feel or care about Kenya’s cry for Independence. The political situation is close to a boiling point, and its handling by the British occupiers aren’t too far off from Nazi Germany’s handling (read Genocide) of the Jews.
Conclusion – Legacy of War Book Review
Wilbur Smith, master storyteller that he is, has spun a wonderful tale here – replete with historical references and politically correct stances taken by his chief protagonists. As usual, with his first hand knowledge of the African continent and its original inhabitants, he paints a far more realistic picture of the place where civilization is supposed to have originated. The pace of the story is blistering and at no point does it falter or ring a false note and he really spins a mystical web around the reader.
I know I probably sound like a fan-boy (which I am), but this is a jolly good read and though the later Courtney books are not as good as the early ones of the series, they are still very good reads. These books can be read as standalones as well, the references to earlier events would have you wanting to read all about them. So, in case you are so inclined, you should start right at the beginning and come down to the latest. Believe me, that will be a journey to cherish!
* I hope you have liked reading this book review, as much as I have enjoyed writing this! Do watch this space for more such reviews and navigate through the links below for more reviews… Thank you!! *