Absolutely loved this book. I have read most of Wilbur Smith’s books and have enjoyed them all. He has to be one of my all time favourite authors. Thank you to Netgalley for letting me read this advance copy.

I recommend this book for Wilbur Smith fans. This series is set in the antebellum US and in Africa. Mungo St. John's family has long owned slaves to work their Virginia plantation. Mungo is in love with one of them, Camilla.

When his father dies, the land and property is confiscated by a ruthless banker who has been working towards the goal of owning it for years. Thinking Camilla has died, Mungo goes off to earn a fortune to return and make Chester pay for her death and his family's destruction. After becoming a slaver himself, Mungo finally returns to ruin his nemesis. He learns Camilla has not died, but there are complications. She has a child and the child is the son of the man who ruined his family.

Mungo St. John loses what he valued most. The ending sets the scene for another adventure-filled story in true Wilbur Smith tradition.

I have never been a lover of prequels but, as with all his great tales, Wilbur Smith has not disappointed me with this one. It was great to read more about the earlier ;life of the rascal Mungo St. John.

I did find the ending rather abrupt and would love for there to be more .

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

As a long-time Wilbur Smith reader, I had always wondered about the early days of Mungo St. John, before he became such a player in the Ballantyne saga. This book does not disappoint, and it is fascinating to see the evolution of such a strong character. Recommended.

Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC of this book, my first introduction to Wilbur Smith. I'd heard a lot about his wonderful writings describing Africa, and I understand this novel is a prequel to one of his series.
The novel is set in the 1840s, when the slave trade was illegal but happening anyway, and slavery was alive and well in the United States. The action spans from England, to Virginia, to Africa, and finally, to New Orleans.
The main protagonist, Mungo St. John, the privileged son of a white plantation owner, is called home from university in England because of his father's death. When he arrives home, he finds that his father's lawyer, Chester Marion, has wiped him out, taken over the family estate, and sold all the slaves, despite the elder St. John's promise to free them upon his death.
Camila, his mother's maid, is Mungo's childhood sweetheart, and the story is told from alternating viewpoints.
When Mungo confronts Chester, he is overpowered by Chester's men and neighbors who have turned against him. He barely gets away with his life and thinks he witnesses Chester shooting Camila.
Mungo's maternal grandfather calls in a favor and helps get Mungo a fresh start as a sailor on what he later learns is a slave ship. In his quest for revenge against Chester and justice for Camila, Mungo essentially sells his soul to the devil.
Meanwhile, Chester sells the St. John property and builds a cotton plantation outside New Orleans, becoming one of the richest men in the state. He keeps Camila as his slave and makes her his mistress. She bears his child. He learns she has a head for business so he sends her to New Orleans, partially to spy on his unwitting business associates (who don't think a slave woman can read or understand their discussions), and partially to keep her from raising her son as her own.
Eventually, Mungo learns that Camila is alive and makes his way to New Orleans to exact his revenge on Chester. There is plenty of action throughout the book, and the finale is certainly exciting, but it left me cold.

Great book! The character of Mungo St. John really draws you in with all his quests to reclaim his family plantation (which had been swindled from them by their lawyer) & his moral dilemmas' to do so. HIs upbringing was during the time of slavery still practiced in the south. The love of his life is Camilla, a black girl whom he was brought up with & was also stolen from him. Enjoyed totally, recommend highly. Thanks to NetGalley & Zaffre publishing for a copy of this book.

I enjoyed reading this story by one of my favorite authors. The story is engaging with medium pace. I really enjoyed the Mungo character. My only complaint that I have is that the plot seems to be the same as many other Wilbur Smith books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnier Zaffre USA for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Call of the Raven:

This is the story of Mungo St. John, the most violent, crass, sexy, irresistible hero I have ever met in the pages of an adventure novel. The story begins when Mungo receives word that his father has passed. He leaves Harvard and returns to Virginia to the family plantation, the Windemere. He is heir to the estate and plans to free Camilla, a slave he has fallen in love with. He is vexed by Chester Marion, his father’s attorney, who swindled his father before he died by buying his loans and calling them, driving the elder St. John into bankruptcy. In a further complication, Marion has destroyed the will which freed all the slaves from Windemere. Marion has stolen everything Mungo had including Camilla.

Mungo narrowly escapes Windemere and is avid for any offer that would make him a wealthy man again so he can take revenge on Marion.

After promising Camille that he would come back for her, he visits his mother and his maternal grandfather, Amos Rutherford, who sets him up on a merchant ship named the Blackhawk. Mungo has yet to realize that the Blackhawk is a slaver ship set out to Africa.

The night before the Blackhawk is set to sail, Mungo, bereft and reckless, goes out to drink and gamble. He inadvertently makes enemies with Lanahan, who he has yet to find out is a mate and his boss on the Blackhawk, during a poker game which culminated in a fist fight. The rivalry between Mungo and Lanahan heightens the tension on the Atlantic. The ship faces storms and damage and a British ship tasked with stopping the slave ships. Mungo shows nearly superhuman strength as he hangs from masts and swings on jibs, nearly flying on ropes for his life. He befriends a giant named Tipoo who turns out to be a loyal friend and ally through to the conclusion.

The Blackhawk, through a series of encounters with the British ship and Mungo's clashes with Lanhan and his crew, Mungo saves one woman from rape by unleashing all the slaves, resulting in mutiny, murder and the ultimate failure of the ship to become profitable.

Mungo, though his smooth moves and connections, manages to acquire his own ship, the Raven. His intention is to collect a very tough crew, sail to Africa and collect elephant tusks to be sold as ivory. Mungo and his crew fight their way through African jungle hunting the huge animals with no experience and manage to fill the ship with the valuable ivory. However, after clearing the Cape of Good Hope, the Raven is caught in a storm that threatens to destroy her. The crew battles the storm but, because of an upcoming reef that will sink the ship, Mungo is forced to dump all the ivory to save the ship.

The Raven barely survives the storm but must stop to repair the ship. While doing so, the crew meets an African tribe. This tribe has the right to “broker” the slave trade and take a cut. The leader of that tribe convinces Mungo to fill the ship, not with more ivory, but with slaves. The tribe and Mungo’s men then join forces to return to the states to overcome Marion and take back what he lost.

Mungo once again faces the irony of kidnapping and selling slaves for the purpose of freeing a slave and taking revenge on Marion for holding slaves. This dilemma is the strongest theme of the work. There is no way to combat the rich unless you are rich and there is no way to get rich other than to behave in the same boorish way as the people you want to combat.

Interestingly, the piece addresses the issues of oppressive working conditions and labor practices which replaced slavery. The freed slaves got less when they were not housed, fed and clothed by their masters. The pay they could get as free men was lower and less secure. Change is on the precipice and Mungo is on the fault line.

Mungo plans to find Camilla by selling the slaves to Marion on his return. The final showdown on the Mississippi River reunites Mungo with Camilla only to put them both through the battle of their lifetimes. Mungo must choose the love of his life, now also the mother to the child of Marion, or exact his revenge. The final pages where he makes his inevitable and fateful decisions are tight and tense.

I am not a regular reader of adventure novels although I have read my share. This was the most exciting writing I have encountered in the genre. There was never a dull moment and never a “boring part” in the entire novel. This character is complex and loveable and hateful and charming and cruel all at the same time. I recommend this novel with high praise and, I for one, can’t wait to get into another novel by Wilbur Smith.

this was a great mystery novel, the characters were great and I really enjoyed that this was a prequel so I wasn't so confused.

okay well first off. didn't see the ending coming. like wow lmfao. that was. climatic? still didn't really care for the book tho. didn't like the characters for the most part and the story was, tho not horrible just not the historical fiction i care for.

Another great adventure by Wilbur Smith. This one a prequel to A Falcon Flies.
Augustus Mungo St. John, wealthy, privileged, receives word while he is away at university that his father is bankrupt. Windmere, the lovely plantation home he is to inherit has been shrewdly stolen by an unscrupulous lawyer and his father murdered in disgrace.
Mungo returns vowing to seek revenge from the conniving attorney, and regain his family’s plantation home.
Great mix of adventure from America to Africa. Mungo must use all his skills to survive what fate has dealt him, save his childhood sweetheart (he thought was dead) and destroy Chester Marion, the devilish lawyer and his cronies.

Thanks Netgalley, this was a great adventure, I appreciate the ARC in exchange for comments.

In all honesty, I did not expect to enjoy this book. Given the backdrop I was skeptical. I have not read the Ballantye series by Mr. Smith however it definitely on my list at this point. Thank you to Mr. Wilbur Smith and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this novel.

The main character Mungo St. John is presented as the bad guy of this series. I don't see it that way. The real villain is the historical setup of society. Mungo goes along willingly and he is not conflicted about that. He feels that he and his family are "conscious owners" of slaves who "treat them like family". Listen, we all know that is bull**** but it goes to the thinking of some participants in the slave trade. The author does a great job of dialing that point back and calling it what it is and not romanticizing it.

Mungo comes off in an unlikeable way from the beginning. He pushes all the buttons but is that all there is to the man? This is a great historical fiction read. The complexity and intricacies of the times are honored and explored even in the most uncomfortable scenes. You grow with the character. You ask yourself some pretty big moral questions. What would you do to honor your father and your history? What would you do for the honor and dignity of the woman you love? What compromises would you make in your moral compass to make sure that you would overcome the evil that harmed your family? This is an intriguing read and I believe you will enjoy greatly the Call of the Raven and the rest of the Ballantyne series.

I received this book from the publisher through Netgalley for review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is a rollicking adventure through history. A prequel to the Mungo tales that have fascinated readers for years; this book will be a favorite for many and a fine addition for the genre. I just confess to not reading the prior novels so for me this was a wonderful introduction to the man and his ways. Excellent book, highly acclaimed adventure and worth the read even if you've read the others.

It must take a lot of courage for an author to write a prequel to a best-selling series and feature a prominent series character that readers “love to hate”. Especially considering that character is a slave trader intent on capturing blacks in Africa and selling them in America. Nevertheless, Wilbur Smith has teamed up with Corban Addison to so just that.

This novel is, essentially, Mungo St. John’s origin story. Born to wealth and privilege in 1840’s America as the son of a plantation owner, Mungo attend university in England only to return to find his inheritance stolen from him. His family’s enemies have colluded to manipulate loans and properties and their leader, Chester Marion, has even stolen Mongo’s childhood sweetheart, a black slave girl named Camilla that Mongo had grown up with. What follows is an extraordinary tale of revenge and the slow tragic decline of Mongo’s personal ethics. Despite Mongo’s choice of occupation, he actually makes for a great protagonist and I found myself rooting for him all the same.

Wilbur Smith fans will know what to expect from this novel and there is plenty of it. Adventure on land and sea, double-crosses, swashbuckling fights, sexy dalliances, duels for honor, unlikely but loyal friendships, and conniving plans all combine to make this one page-turner of a story. The novel is billed as part of the ‘Ballantyne’ series, but the only tie-in is Mongo, himself. No Ballantyne’s to be found.

This is another fun read by Wilbur Smith. I have no idea how much he wrote (considering his age of 87) and how much was written by Corban Addison but the result sure rings true to Wilbur’s style. I discovered Wilbur Smith’s books a couple of decades ago and always enjoy reading them, even if some of them are a little “over-the-top”. If adventure is what you’re looking for in a work of fiction, and you haven’t tried Wilbur Smith, then you are in for a treat.

Picking up a Wilbur Smith novel is a guaranteed thrill ride. Along the way you’ll meet fascinating characters and be educated about the life and times. This was no exception. Enjoyed it thoroughly.

Wilbur Smith fans know that he writes big swashbuckling novels and this is no exception. If you haven't read him, this is actually a good place to start because it is a sequel to one of his series. Set in the pre-Civil War US. it's the story of Mungo St John and Camille, an enslaved woman. There's a plantation, there's cruelly, there's a villain (boy is there a villain!), there's love, hatred, jealousy, revenge, and so on. In other words, it's packed full of drama. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is one that might have you shaking your head in spots but still turning the pages.

Wilbur Smith puts out another great book!The story gives a look into the slavery issue,and how one man,due to hardship,finds himself involved in the issue.Very good story.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. Having not read the rest of the series this prequel has piqued my curiosity to read further into the story. Excellent adventure story!

It's the middle of the 19th century and slavery is on its way out from most of the developed world. Mungo St John, the flamboyant scion of a much regarded family owning a big tobacco plantation, suddenly loses his family, his plantation and the love of his life to the cunning Chester Marion. Now Mungo is forced to become a slave trader, though it could be argued that he might have had a choice in the matter, in order to become rich enough to exact his revenge on Chester. He is driven by his thirst for vengeance through perilous voyages across the Atlantic ocean and adventurous expeditions in Africa followed by a brutal showdown back in America. This, in a nutshell, is the story of Call of the Raven by Wilbur Smith with Corban Addison.

Mungo St John is a well established character from Smith's famous Ballantyne series and this novel intends to show the readers what made Mungo the man he is. His is a highly conflicted character, with fairness, and a ruthlessness, that make him hard to like or dislike straight away. The other major characters are well rounded, too; they can’t be easily classified as good or bad, making this novel an engaging read.

The plot moves along at a fast pace and there is no dearth of action, either on sea or on land. The descriptions of the naval matters and the African jungles feel vivid and authentic. The plight of the slaves is described in heartrendingly gory detail. The issue of slave-trading is examined from both points of view but the ending, where Mungo seemingly goes slaving again with no justification for the action, leaves a bad taste. Maybe this has been done it to preserve the continuity with the Ballantyne series for which this is billed as a prequel. Some of the sequences, like the slaves taking over the ship, feel exaggerated.

I can’t point to any specific negatives in this novel other than the treatment of women, especially Camilla, that many readers may find unpalatable. Apart from that, it is a well-written, entertaining saga that kept me hooked from start to finish and I would rate it a solid 4 out of 5. Readers who enjoy historical drama will like this a lot, and those who have read the Ballantyne series will enjoy this more.

Wilbur Smith has consistently delivered numerous bestsellers during his long career and this one looks promising to join that list. I am grateful to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book was not one I would normally go for. But saying that I did enjoy it. I always find it difficult review a book without giving things away. I think most people will enjoy this book. Wilbur Smith has always written well