Ageing author still has it
Courtney’s War By Wilbur Smith, Allen & Unwin, $39.99
Eighty-five-year-old Wilbur Smith has sold well over a hundred million copies of his books, since he first hit pay-dirt with When the Lion Feeds. Many of his books are centred on Africa, which is where he grew up with his parents on their farm in Zambia.
I am not sure how many of his
30-something books I’ve read, but he has been a constant in my toread pile for decades now.
It’s inevitable there will be a degree of uneven-ness with a prolific writer like Smith, but in his case that isn’t so. And Courtney’s War proves once again a talented writer can deliver, despite age and a long list of earlier publications.
The setting is World War II, the main characters become separated on opposite sides of the conflict, Saffron Courtney, born in Africa but based in England, and her beloved German boyfriend Gerhard Von Meerbach. They both have a tough war, with courage and commitment to their causes prominent, at least until Gerhard becomes disenchanted by the Nazi dogma.
It’s rather refreshing to be able to thoroughly recommend a new novel by an ageing rock star of the novel writing world. Courtney’s War is every bit worthy of that recommendation. — Tony Nielsen
AFTER COMING together almost by accident, the four members of what was to become Led Zeppelin rehearsed in a small room below a record shop in London’s Gerrard St. The plan was to honour a series of gigs that were booked for the Yardbirds in Scandinavia. The first official gig together was in Denmark on September 7, 1968.
To celebrate the 50 year milestone of their beginning, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones have collaborated to create a 400-page masterpiece tracing the history and the success story that Led Zeppelin became. It’s the first and only official illustrated book by the band. And they have spared nothing to make it a wonderful commemoration.
The 400 plus page chronologically portrays the 50 years that Led Zeppelin has been at the forefront of the rock music genre. There are literally hundreds of exclusive and carefully curated images and artworks personally selected by the trio.
Page, Plant and Jones have also written their own exclusive annotations so you get to live the life of Led Zeppelin through their eyes and through the images only they have access to, including material from the Atlantic Records archives.
For any fan of Led Zeppelin this is an essential record of the band, for rock fans in general it’s also a stunning book to trace the life of a foursome who had no peers during their tour of duty 1968 through to 1980 when the death of drummer John Bonham signalled the end of Led Zeppelin. The band has since performed occasionally, usually with Bonham’s son Jason at the drum stool.