The Courtney Series Books in Order

The Courtney Series by Wilbur Smith is one of the longest and most ambitious adventure fiction series in English — following the Courtney family across four centuries of African history, from the seventeenth-century Cape of Good Hope through apartheid and beyond. Smith wrote these novels across his career, creating a multigenerational saga that is simultaneously adventure fiction and a portrait of a continent in transformation.

Smith wrote Africa with the authority of someone who loved it deeply — the landscapes, the wildlife, the cultures, the specific textures of life across different eras and regions. The Courtney novels are unabashedly old-fashioned adventure fiction: big, sweeping, populated with larger-than-life heroes and genuine villains, set against historical upheavals rendered with cinematic scale.

The series has been continued after Smith's death by authorized co-authors, extending the Courtney dynasty into new historical periods and territories while maintaining the adventure fiction conventions that defined Smith's original vision. The co-authored entries vary in quality but maintain the series' commitment to African settings and historical sweep.

Begin with When the Lion Feeds — the original Courtney novel and one of Smith's finest books — and follow the publication order or internal chronology depending on your preference. Essential for fans of adventure fiction, historical novels, and Africa. Smith at his most characteristic.