Shout At The Devil

Shout at the Devil – Wilbur Smith (Pan Books, 1976)

Two unlikely allies – a drunken Irish adventurer and a stiff-lipped English aristocrat – take on the whole German colonial empire in East Africa during the First World War. What could possibly go wrong? Cue elephant hunts, explosions, German gunboats, moustache-twirling villains, and Wilbur Smith’s trademark knack for turning pulp adventure into a ripping yarn you can’t quite put down.

This is vintage Smith: larger-than-life characters, a plot that barrels forward like a rhino on fire, and prose so gloriously over-the-top you’ll either cheer or wince (probably both). Perfect for anyone who thinks The African Queen would have been better with more gin, dynamite, and shouting.

Condition? Well, it’s Pan Books 1976, so expect yellowed pages, a spine that’s seen more battles than the Royal Navy, and that weird old-book smell. But hey – that’s part of the charm.

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