Gepak met hope avontuur, passie
Gepak met hope avontuur, passie

Gepak met hope avontuur, passie

Lloyd Zandberg
J.B. Roux - Die een ding waarvan Wilbur Smith nie beskuldig kan word nie, is luiheid.

Sedert When the Lion Feeds in 1972 verskyn het, het hy nog 42 boeke geskryf. (On Leopard Rock, ’n outobiografie, het laas jaar verskyn). Courtney’s War is nr. 42. David Churchill is nader geroep om te help skryf.

Saffron Courtney het haar buiging in War Cry gemaak en sit haar avonture in Courtney’s War voort. Dié keer bevind sy haar in die Tweede Wêreldoorlog as lid van die SOE, ’n Britse ondergrondse organisasie wat mans en vroue ná streng opleiding na onder meer Frankryk stuur om die Duitse oorlogmasjien te ondermyn.

Saffron blaas treinspore op en maak Duitse soldate met gemak dood, onder meer deur ’n hoedespeld in ’n offisier se oog te druk.

Die vroue in Smith se romans het nie altyd ’n man nodig om hulle teen onheil te beskerm nie en hulle knetter tussen die lakens. Hiervan is Saffron Courtney ’n sprekende bewys.

Dan is daar Gerhard von Meerbach, ’n Duitse vlieënier. Saffron en Gerhard is verlief, maar hulle paadjies skei – met die hoop dat hulle weer verenig sal word.

Courtney’s War is stewig gestruktureer, met die vaart van ’n luiperd op vlug. Die karakters, indien ’n mens hulle met karakters in Smith se ander boeke vergelyk, is generies, maar ’n mens lol nie met iets wat werk nie.

Ons sal nooit presies weet hoeveel boeke – literêr én populisties – oor die Tweede Wêreldoorlog geskryf is nie, maar dié oorlog sal nog lank met ons wees.

Daar het soveel in dié tyd gebeur dat dit nog heeltemal moontlik is om iets boeiends en oorspronkliks daaruit te haal. Gepak met avontuur en passie en met genoeg kinkels en draaie om lesers enduit te boei staan Courtney’s War geensins terug vir ander romans (in hierdie genre) oor die Tweede Wêreldoorlog nie.

J.B. Roux is ’n vryskutresensent van Riebeek-Wes. - Netwerk24

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Republikein 2024-05-18

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Premier League: Manchester United 3 vs 2 Newcastle | Brighton 1 vs 2 Chelsea LaLiga: Real Sociedad 1 vs 0 Valencia | Almería 0 vs 2 Barcelona | Las Palmas 2 vs 2 Real Betis | Celta Vigo 2 vs 1 Athletic Club | Getafe 0 vs 3 Atletico Madrid | Sevilla 0 vs 1 Cadiz | Rayo Vallecano 2 vs 1 Granada SerieA: Fiorentina 2 vs 2 Napoli European Championships Qualifying: Southampton 3 vs 1 West Bromwich Albion | Leeds United 4 vs 0 Norwich City English Championship: Southampton 3 vs 1 West Bromwich Albion | Leeds United 4 vs 0 Norwich City Katima Mulilo: 10° | 31° Rundu: 10° | 30° Eenhana: 12° | 31° Oshakati: 13° | 31° Ruacana: 12° | 31° Tsumeb: 14° | 29° Otjiwarongo: 12° | 27° Omaruru: 13° | 30° Windhoek: 12° | 27° Gobabis: 13° | 27° Henties Bay: 19° | 33° Wind speed: 41km/h, Wind direction: NE, Low tide: 06:32, High tide: 12:50, Low Tide: 18:28, High tide: 00:56 Swakopmund: 20° | 23° Wind speed: 30km/h, Wind direction: SE, Low tide: 06:30, High tide: 12:48, Low Tide: 18:26, High tide: 00:54 Walvis Bay: 22° | 32° Wind speed: 30km/h, Wind direction: SE, Low tide: 06:30, High tide: 12:47, Low Tide: 18:26, High tide: 00:53 Rehoboth: 12° | 27° Mariental: 16° | 29° Keetmanshoop: 17° | 29° Aranos: 16° | 29° Lüderitz: 19° | 35° Ariamsvlei: 16° | 31° Oranjemund: 14° | 31° Luanda: 24° | 28° Gaborone: 13° | 27° Lubumbashi: 11° | 27° Mbabane: 11° | 23° Maseru: 8° | 23° Antananarivo: 14° | 24° Lilongwe: 15° | 26° Maputo: 19° | 26° Windhoek: 12° | 27° Cape Town: 15° | 20° Durban: 16° | 24° Johannesburg: 15° | 24° Dar es Salaam: 24° | 32° Lusaka: 15° | 26° Harare: 12° | 26° Currency: GBP to NAD 23.01 | EUR to NAD 19.73 | CNY to NAD 2.51 | USD to NAD 18.15 | DZD to NAD 0.13 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.3 | EGP to NAD 0.38 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.7 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.55 | RUB to NAD 0.2 | INR to NAD 0.22 | USD to DZD 134.35 | USD to AOA 847.42 | USD to BWP 13.49 | USD to EGP 46.86 | USD to KES 130.48 | USD to NGN 1467 | USD to ZAR 18.15 | USD to ZMW 25.45 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index 79530.63 Up +0.03% | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1754.58 Up +0.81% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 13426.13 Up +0.11% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 26142.84 Up +3.27% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI 9151.06 Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - 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Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 414.72/OZ UP +1.55% | Copper US$ 5.04/lb UP +4.12% | Zinc US$ 3 059.30/T UP 0.11% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 84.28/BBP UP +0.60% | Platinum US$ 1 084.88/OZ UP +2.19%