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The Sound of Thunder
- Courtney, Book 2
- Narrated by: Sean Barrett
- Series: Courtney, Book 2
- Length: 15 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Action & Adventure
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Excellent
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Great story
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A Falcon Flies is the first best-selling novel in Wilbur Smith's epic tale of Africa, The Ballantyne Novels. In search of a father they barely remember, Zouga and Dr Robyn Ballantyne board Mungo St John's magnificent clipper to speed them to Africa. But long before they sight that mighty continent, Robyn knows that she and Mungo will battle with all the fury of natural enemies - and love with all the desperation of those unable to evade the commands of fate.
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fantastic book well worth the money
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Pure Gold from Wilbur once more
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Brilliant
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A Sparrow Falls
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From the trenches of France, General Sean Courtney comes back to fame, fortune and a seat in the government. Mark Anders, the courageous young South African whom he has come to regard as his own son, returns to nothing, his grandfather murdered and his property seized by an unknown company. At the bottom of the mystery is Sean's son Dirk, the jealous, violent and power-crazed genius whose all-consuming hatred can only end in blood.... A Sparrow Falls is the thrilling third novel in the Courtney series, continuing from When the Lion Feeds and The Sound of Thunder.
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- By Vivien Green on 12-12-18
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Excellent
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Great story
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fantastic book well worth the money
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Pure Gold from Wilbur once more
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Excellent
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The Syrian plane disintegrated, evaporating in a gush of silvery smoke, rent through with bright white lightning, and the ejecting pilot's body was blown clear of the fuselage. For an instant it was outlined ahead of David's screen, cruciform in shape with arms and legs thrown wide, the helmet still on the head, and the clothing ballooning in the rush of air.
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loved it
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The hijacking of a jumbo jet off the Seychelles galvanises antiterrorist chief Peter Stride into the action for which he has spent a lifetime training. But even in the hail of bullets which follows, he knows that this is only the beginning of a nightmare. Stride is the one man who might find the twisted genius who holds the world hostage - if only his every move were not anticipated by the enemy....
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A pale comparison to earlier work
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Robbed of his wife and ousted from his huge shipping empire, Nick Berg is hell-bent on vengeance. It is the sea which gives him his opportunity. When his arch-rival's luxury liner is trapped in the tempestuous Antarctic, Nick stakes all to pit his powerful salvage tug, the Warlock, in a desperate race against time and the elements....
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Hungry as the sea
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If a man beats you, you never let your anger show, never at the time. You wait until he least expects it, until nobody remembers that you were angry at all.... In 1860s Southern California, life on the Burn ranch has been peaceful for 15-year-old John Evert since the death of his father. But recently there have been violent raids on nearby properties, where it's not just cattle and horses that are taken but women, too. And when the white-painted men arrive at the Burn ranch on horses in the dead of night, John Evert is near-fatally injured, his beloved mother spirited away, and their house torched to the ground.
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The Dark of the Sun by Wilbur Smith
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The Hunt Begins…Two men are responsible for the death of Hector Cross’ wife and only one is left alive: Johnny Congo – psychopath, extortionist, murderer, and the bane of Cross’s life. He caught him before and let him go. Now, Hector wants him dead. So does the US government.<
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Usual Smith
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Fortunes rise and fall in Wilbur Smith's tale of warring siblings and illegal diamond trading, The Diamond Hunters. The Van Der Byl Diamond Company, willed by its founder to his son Benedict, his sister Tracey and their estranged foster brother Johnny Lance, turns out to be a bequest of hatred. For it is couched in such terms as to offer Benedict the instrument of destruction of his bitterest rival. 'Destroy Johnny' is the old man's implacable message. And so, consumed with envy for Johnny, Benedict sets out in ruthless pursuit of this goal.
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Great as far as it went.
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Summary
The second novel in Wilbur Smith's The Courtneys series, The Sound of Thunder is a powerful story of family tragedy set against the backdrop of the ravages of the Second Boer War.
'Only once in his life had Sean met a man whose strength matched his own - and now, again, they were pitted against each other....'
Sean Courtney, impulsive adventurer of When the Lion Feeds, returns from the wilderness a rich man - until he is robbed by the Boers of his wagons, his gold and the girl he loves. A grim homecoming finds his country in the cruel grip of war. But in the bloody days ahead, conflicts within his family will prove far more bitter than any fought on the veld....
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What listeners say about The Sound of Thunder
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Geraldene Saint
- 30-08-20
Only disappointment is poor pronunciation.
I'm a massive Wilbur Smith fan and have read all of his books most more than once. Having grown up in Central/Southern Africa, I get great pleasure from Wilbur Smith's accuracies concerning local folklore & local places of interest. I can really vitalise myself there, in the story.
I have read the Courtney Saga twice in hard copy and I'm currently on my third run via talking books. My only disappointment is poor pronunciation of common African words & place names.
6 people found this helpful
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- Russ C
- 26-11-20
Fantastic.
Loved it. Brilliantly narrated. Spell bound lost in the dream of South Africa. thank you. wonderful hours lost in the dreary rain whilst at work picturing the lives of those in the book. Narration at its best. can't wait to download the next installment.
2 people found this helpful
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- Vivien Green
- 03-12-18
brilliant
as always Wilbur Smith just could not stop listening just loved the Horse race so dramatic
2 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 02-12-20
Great story to listen too
From the start the story and narration kept me listening. Masterful writing from Wilbur Smith and a great follow up on When the Lion Feeds. Sean Barrett also doing a great job as always. Would highly recommend
1 person found this helpful
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- David
- 21-09-20
Fantastic book
This is the best book or listened to ever. What an imagination this Author has it kept me occupied for hours.
1 person found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 04-06-20
Excellent book
Loved the book. Tried to listen to it as often as I could. A must read.
1 person found this helpful
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- Marg
- 23-03-19
Heart wrenching... I see you Mr Smith
During that time this was South Africa so cruel and yet so stunning. Not for the feint hearted but so powerful a story, I was able to bear the violence.
1 person found this helpful
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- Client d'Amazon
- 11-06-22
À long saga, very graphic in parts
The ongoing saga of the Courtney family, though fascinating, was rather spoilt for me by the graphic descriptions of human on human, and human on animal violence. I realise this was the truth of their lives, but I didn’t need quite such a graphic picture painting.
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- Matt McG
- 17-05-22
Wondering Story
Compared to the first book in the series, this seemed a bit aimless and unfocused .
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- mel
- 18-04-22
who doesnt love a bit of Wilbur Smith for company.
learn so much on history , culture, geography etc intwined with fiction, love the varied story lines, knowing all the characters, through the ages....the research and detail in his books never disappoints.
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- Anonymous User
- 27-04-22
Exceptional.
Story telling in its grandest form of plot, language, pace, suspense and resolution. The quality and drama of Barrett’s narration complement Smith’s writing superbly.
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- Gazza
- 16-04-22
Great saga
If you like historical fiction and your interested in South African history, you will like this. Great story and great characters you’ll care about. Our hero is somewhat indestructible but hey we kind of expect that. Very similar to the Sharp stories by Bernard Cornwell. Highly recommend. Buy these when they go on sale, great value.
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- Kathy-Jane
- 23-02-22
Fabulous
I went through the first book I this series faster than usual and couldn't wait to download the second. Now I am just as driven to get the third book in the series. Absolutely fabulous story, writing, and narration. This will be among my favorite books for sure.
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- olliepop
- 06-01-22
Many generations of South Africans
the story cover a formable period if the history of the formation of South Africa. It was a time similar to the wild west settlement. The author developed many exciting characters and their various relationships through time. I will listen to it again in a long trip.
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- Gareth
- 13-09-21
Places that I remember from Africa
These stories take me back to Africa .. Im an white African, lived in Africa, the smells and experienceswill stay in your heart for ever
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- J. Kronen
- 25-05-21
Fantastic adventure plus searing human drama
Wilbur Smith is a great novelist, I can't recommend this any higher. Even better than book 1 of the Courteney trilogy.
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- Anonymous User
- 03-03-21
absolutely great!
it was absolutely gripping and I enjoyed every minute of it. sean barret was magnificent
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- Sojourner
- 16-01-21
Good read
Engrossing storyline, dated patriarchal values, informative historical background, strong character descriptions, incredible fortuitous turns of events.
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- Oladele O. Olusanya
- 06-12-20
A great saga
Wilbur Smith as usual has written a great saga worthy of a Charles Dickens, and while at first I resented the South African inflected accent of the reader Sean Barrett, the listener soon settles into his cadence.
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- Mike Slabbert
- 16-09-20
Loyal fan
loved it could not stop listening. well researched and captivating. Would unreservedly recommend this book.