Fire on the Horizon

Fire on the Horizon by Wilbur Smith and Imogen Robertson is a gripping tale set against the backdrop of South Africa in 1899. The smouldering hostility between the Boers of the Transvaal and Orange Free State and the British colonies of the Cape and Natal is about to burst into flame. War is imminent, and no one can prevent it.

Colonel Penrod Ballantyne, hero of Abu Klea and Omdurman, is sent to Mafeking, 'the place of stones', to recruit and train men for the battles ahead. Amber, his wife and a successful novelist, accompanies him, eager to see more of the country her husband is about to risk his life for. However, when war is declared, Amber must flee with their baby son, praying for her husband's survival against impossible odds.

Eight hundred miles to the south, in Cape Town, Ryder Courtney—adventurer, maverick, and industrialist—is using his wealth and connections to support the British war effort. His artist wife, Saffron, frustrated by stuffy Cairo society, has joined him with their three children. There is peace in the Courtney household, or so Saffron believes, until their eldest son, Leon, stows away on a train to the front line, determined to join his distinguished uncle, Penrod Ballantyne, in changing the course of history. Saffron and Ryder have no choice but to leave the safety of the Cape Colony and follow. Leon is convinced that his parents lack honour and courage; little does he realise that he has no chance of escaping the people they used to be.

This story unfolds with two families torn apart, caught up in a battle for the heart of a country at war with itself.

Fire on the Horizon is a new book in the long-running epic historical saga of the Courtney family from Wilbur Smith, where the Courtneys and the Ballantynes come together once again in the sequel to worldwide bestsellers The Triumph of the Sun and King of Kings.

Readers are loving Fire on the Horizon:

• 'Gripping, thrilling and heartwarming' * Reader review
• 'Great book, hard to put down' * Reader review
• 'Nobody knew the history of Africa like Wilbur did' * Reader review
• 'Absolutely brilliant from beginning to end with a nice twist' * Reader review

Don't miss the brand-new novel from Wilbur Smith, Crossfire. Available now.