Author:Laurens Van Der Post
This is a story of an almost vanished Africa; a world of myth and magic in which the indigenous peoples of the continent lived for uncountable centuries before the Europeans came to shatter it.
The main character is a boy who has a relationship with this Africa not unlike Kipling's Kim with the antique world of India. François Joubert, whose Huguenot ancestors settled in Africa three hundred years ago, lives as a solitary child on his father's farm. 'Hunter's Drift'. Here, in the far interior of Africa, he experiences the wonder and mystery of an ageless, natural primitive life, his perception of it heightened by the influence of three people in particular - his Bushman nurse, the head herdsman of the local Matabele clan (his father's chosen partners in the pioneering of Hunter's Drift), and a hunter of legendary fame, now the chief ranger of a vast game reserve nearby.
François' meeting with an untamed Bushman, Xhabbo, whose intuitive teaching nourishes his spirit; his strange pilgrimage to the distant krall of a powerful witch-doctor; his dramatic encounter and relationship with the daughter of a retired colonial governor; all are examples of African point and European counterpoint, in a highly original theme, moving to a strangely presaged and omened climax.
Imagine the claustrophobic mystery of The Constant Gardener mixed with the danger of Blood Diamond. Woodhead creates a fascinating, frightening world that draws you into the very heart of darkness. Brilliant
—— Ben FogleWoodhead takes you deep into the dark and thrilling heart of modern-day Africa. The Secret Chamber is page-turning storytelling at its best - adrenalin-fuelled adventure, danger and romance. I loved it
—— Lucy MooreFabulously funny . . . ace
—— HeatDavid Malouf writes with the voice of a poet; his graceful fiction deals in truth and is always beautiful... This is a book that will engage and inspire... In writing this novel Malouf is honouring a great work and also making his own
—— Irish TimesIn bringing something radically new, yet sensitively overlaid, to an already powerful epic, Malouf proves that an "untold tale" can be every bit as rewarding as its ancient original
—— Philip Parker , Financial TimesDavid Malouf has written a rich, moving and sometimes disturbing novel, one to read, as it demands, in a sitting and then to return to and read slowly. It is a worthy tribute to Homer and to the enduring fascination with the Iliad and Odyssey exert on our imagination
—— Allan Massie , The ScotsmanThis is a great story...Malouf's beautiful language puts fresh flesh on to these ancient characters
—— Claire Allfree , MetroFew writers possess the natural lyric grace of Malouf
—— Eileen Battersby , Irish TimesMalouf's poetic yet muscular prose is wonderful
—— Ronald Wright , Times Literary SupplementA marvel- beautifully written, surprisingly moving, quietly rather brilliant
—— Harry Ritchie , Daily MailWhile Malouf's chief interest is in the human impulses that lie behind the epic deeds, he remains faithful to the beliefs and values of the ancient world
—— Edmund Gordon , Times Literary Supplementimmensely moving, modern novel
—— Elizabeth Speller , IndependentA dignified performance ... in writing this novel Malouf is honouring a great work and also making a great work of his own ... his graceful fiction deals in truth and is always beautiful
—— Eileen Battersby , Irish TimesBeautifully written and very moving, Ransom is a reimagining that respects Homer's original while expanding expertly on its themes.
—— Alastair Mabbott , HeraldMalouf captures the moving humanity of Priam's grief
—— Robert Collins , Sunday TimesLyrical reworking of the final scenes of The Iliad
—— MetroThis superb novel goes by in a heartbeat, so smooth and engrossing is David Malouf's prose...It is a touching tale, full of pain, but rendered beautifully by Malouf's humanity
—— Lesley McDowell , Independent on SundayAn audacious reworking of Homer's Iliad.
—— Holly Kyte , Sunday TelegraphDavid Malouf...has given Homer's epic fresh life in this haunting mood piece...a graceful, eloquent text dominated by rage and sorrow
—— Eileen Battersby , Irish TimesThis novel explores the timeless motifs of epic, in miniature
—— The TimesYou know it ends in death, and so do Malouf's haunted protagonists, but this telling, at once unfussy and wonderfully poetic, breathes warm life into a great epic
—— James Smart , GuardianBreathtaking skill...an extraordinary emotional charge.
—— Colm Toibin , Guardian, Christmas round upA finely honed, writerly and wise revisiting of one of the most famous episodes in The Iliad, when Priam the King of Troy goes to bring home the body of his dead son Hector. No-one in prose has managed to better Malouf's imaginative recreation of the Homeric world.
—— Robert Crawford , Sunday Herald, Christmas round upa potent new yarn... Beautifully written in simple language freighted with meaning, Ransom explores a king's impulse to act as a mourning father.
—— James Urquhart , Financial Times