The siege of Khartoum is one of the great British imperial epics so it's surprising in a way it took Wilbur Smith so long to get around to writing it. I guess it took place in the Sudan and Smiths patch has traditionally been Southern Africa and Egypt.
This one unites the Courtneys and Ballantynes - actually that's slightly disappointing element. I was looking forward to a big clash but while there's some niggle, both in love with the same girl, neither are really in love with her, and the Courtney, Ryder, isn't in the book much - he disappears for great slabs of time. The real dynamic in the book is Penrod Ballantyne vs a Muslim leader, Osman Atalan, who serves the sort of role that Afrikaaners have in Courtney books in the part.
There are three female characters, all daughters of the British ambassador - all indistinguishable, really. The eldest, Rebecca, just wants cock and becomes a top courtesan - she sleeps with Ryder, Penrod, the Mahdi and Osman, and goes crazy for Osman in captivity. I was hoping Smith would alter history so she'd murder the Mahdi at least (he's got Osman chopping off Gordon's head) but no dice. Her twin sisters are giggling ninnies - one winds up with Ryder and marries him at fifteen and the other marries Penrod at sixteen which I'm sorry just feels a bit yuck.
Smith's dialogue is ropey as ever but his description of action is superb and he is a great yarn spinner. The book is very exciting, and has an epic sweep - it's about Khartoum but goes up to Kitchener's end expedition (I'm surprised he didn't devote a book to that... he also rushes through the fate of Rebecca's children in a few paragraphs when there could be another book in their adventures). There's hellishly evocative accounts of the sack of Khartoum and being imprisoned by the Mahdi. Some of the writing is really good - I just wish he'd devote more time to his fictional characters. (His recreation of historical figures like Gordon and the Mahdi is excellent).
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