A review by angelahayes
A Falcon Flies by Wilbur Smith

4.0

Wilbur Smith books were a familiar fixture in our household when I was growing up. As I grew older and went looking for more ‘interesting’ things to read, Mr. Smith was amongst the first ‘adult’ reads that I gravitated to. I read everything he had written up to that point, and then through the years I kept up with each new release. It had been many years since I last read one of his books, but in the past few months have found myself exploring them once more.
Wilbur Smith is one of my mother’s favourite authors, and as she has been in and out of hospital over the past 6 months, I had given her a Kindle so she would have something to read while she was in there. On the days she isn’t well enough to read for herself, I read them to her- but I also read each book she is reading, too, so she can discuss them with me in detail when I am there to visit her. It has been a great bonding experience for us, and I have enjoyed revisiting Mr. Smith’s work.
A Falcon Flies is the first book in the Ballantyne Series by Wilbur Smith. it is powerful, shocking, engrossing, and dramatic. It is set in the 1860's, when the slave trade was rife. This chronicles the history of the Ballantyne family and their connections to Africa. There are conflicts of morality and passion, naval action, tension, danger... and so much more. An engrossing read!
Mr. Smith has a great knack for writing a great suspenseful and exciting read, and even though my tastes have evolved as I have gotten older, I still really enjoyed revisiting this book/series.
So if you are a history buff, love a powerful read and want a book that will hold your interest and that you can immerse yourself into- then this may be the book/series for you!