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pvantees's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
pshamburg's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
sandin954's review
3.0
A decent read but not up to par with the author's previous works. I did enjoy the main character, the rural South African setting, and I learned quite a bit about the environmental issues facing South Africa. Unfortunately the resolution of the plot was overly complicated and too unrealistic for my tastes and the book was a bit overlong.
liberrydude's review
4.0
Masterful as always Meyer has written another riveting read. Environmentalism, tourism, geo-political intrigue, and corporate greed all merge in this thriller. I just wish I had more geographical familiarity with the topography of South Africa (SA)-but he does a good job trying to familiarize you. About the only thing I didn't like about this book was its title, which seemed quite incongruous given the American idea of safari. This is a book about violence,vengeance and justice, about fear and living in the shadows, and finding yourself. As much as SA looks to the future it can't escape its recent past. I liked too how Meyer fashioned his modern day showdown on the site of the Zulu victory over the Swazi's. Unlike other writers who fixate on particular characters and create a series, Meyer creates new characters and we are left early on in the book feeling very comfortable with these new people. Meyer does a superb job of introducing us to them quickly. They seem familiar but also mysterious. Perhaps the series or character is the country itself.
misajane79's review
3.0
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Engaging mystery (with a resolution I didn't see coming), and I enjoyed the setting in South Africa, even though there were many words and phrases I wasn't familiar with.
But, I never really connected with Lemmer, the protagonist. No desire to really read anything else by Meyer.
Engaging mystery (with a resolution I didn't see coming), and I enjoyed the setting in South Africa, even though there were many words and phrases I wasn't familiar with.
But, I never really connected with Lemmer, the protagonist. No desire to really read anything else by Meyer.
diannehult16's review against another edition
4.0
Mystery set in South Africa and translated from Afrikaans.
cdeane61's review against another edition
4.0
Love his characters, with all their flaws, and the weight of the county's history on their shoulders.
His storylines are fast paced, filled with interesting cultural information, evocations of the land, and just plain good.
The books are translated from Afrikaans, but read to me like they were written in English.
Have not read one of his books that I did not like, each one is a treat.
His storylines are fast paced, filled with interesting cultural information, evocations of the land, and just plain good.
The books are translated from Afrikaans, but read to me like they were written in English.
Have not read one of his books that I did not like, each one is a treat.
raytheron's review against another edition
5.0
~ English version of the review follows the Afrikaans ~
Wat 'n boek! Dis my eerste Deon Meyer, maar gaan beslis nie my laaste wees nie.
Meyer is 'n bobaas storieverteller, sy karakters is beide geloofbaar en volrond en sy navorsing is uitstekend. Ons voel met en vir karakters soos Emma, Lemmer en Jacobus, want hulle is bo alles menslik, met al hul swakhede en sterktes.
Die manier waarop hy kontensieuse gebeure uit beide die (boek se) hede en Suid-Afrika se verlede ineen werk, is uitstaande. En langs die pad laat Meyer so terloops sy siening van sake uit, maar dit is nooit indringend of ongeplaas nie. Wat hy by monde van Lemmer van die "Ryk Afrikaner" dink, byvoorbeeld, is onafskeidbaar van die wel en wee van sy karakters.
Die spanningslyn in "Onsigbaar" gun die leser min kans om asem te skep. Meyer vleg die elemente van sy storie baie behendig tot 'n vloeiende geheel. Die draaiboekskrywer in hom help beslis as dit by sy skryfwerk kom. Ek is geweldig beïndruk deur "Onsigbaar" en kan dit nie sterk genoeg aanbeveel nie.
Nou moet ek net meer van sy boeke in die hande kry, iets wat nogal moeilik is hier in Australië.
***
What a novel! This is my first Deon Meyer, but will definitely not be the last.
Meyer is a master storyteller, his characters are both credible and fully rounded, and his research is excellent. We feel with and for characters like Emma, Lemmer and Jacobus, because they are, above all, human, with all their strengths and weaknesses.
The way in which he works contentious events from both the (book’s) present and South Africa’s past into his story is outstanding. Along the way Meyer almost casually drops hints as to his view of things, but these are never intrusive or unnecessary. What he (by way of Lemmer) thinks of the “Rich Afrikaner”, for instance, is an essential part of the lives of his characters.
The tension in the storyline of “Onsigbaar” (available as “Blood Safari” in English) is relentless and does not give the reader any opportunity to pause for breath. Meyer masterfully weaves the elements of his story into fluent whole. His work as scriptwriter definitely helps when it comes to his narration. I am deeply impressed by “Onsigbaar” and cannot recommend it strongly enough.
Now I need to get hold of more of his books in Afrikaans, not always easy when one lives in Australia.
Wat 'n boek! Dis my eerste Deon Meyer, maar gaan beslis nie my laaste wees nie.
Meyer is 'n bobaas storieverteller, sy karakters is beide geloofbaar en volrond en sy navorsing is uitstekend. Ons voel met en vir karakters soos Emma, Lemmer en Jacobus, want hulle is bo alles menslik, met al hul swakhede en sterktes.
Die manier waarop hy kontensieuse gebeure uit beide die (boek se) hede en Suid-Afrika se verlede ineen werk, is uitstaande. En langs die pad laat Meyer so terloops sy siening van sake uit, maar dit is nooit indringend of ongeplaas nie. Wat hy by monde van Lemmer van die "Ryk Afrikaner" dink, byvoorbeeld, is onafskeidbaar van die wel en wee van sy karakters.
Die spanningslyn in "Onsigbaar" gun die leser min kans om asem te skep. Meyer vleg die elemente van sy storie baie behendig tot 'n vloeiende geheel. Die draaiboekskrywer in hom help beslis as dit by sy skryfwerk kom. Ek is geweldig beïndruk deur "Onsigbaar" en kan dit nie sterk genoeg aanbeveel nie.
Nou moet ek net meer van sy boeke in die hande kry, iets wat nogal moeilik is hier in Australië.
***
What a novel! This is my first Deon Meyer, but will definitely not be the last.
Meyer is a master storyteller, his characters are both credible and fully rounded, and his research is excellent. We feel with and for characters like Emma, Lemmer and Jacobus, because they are, above all, human, with all their strengths and weaknesses.
The way in which he works contentious events from both the (book’s) present and South Africa’s past into his story is outstanding. Along the way Meyer almost casually drops hints as to his view of things, but these are never intrusive or unnecessary. What he (by way of Lemmer) thinks of the “Rich Afrikaner”, for instance, is an essential part of the lives of his characters.
The tension in the storyline of “Onsigbaar” (available as “Blood Safari” in English) is relentless and does not give the reader any opportunity to pause for breath. Meyer masterfully weaves the elements of his story into fluent whole. His work as scriptwriter definitely helps when it comes to his narration. I am deeply impressed by “Onsigbaar” and cannot recommend it strongly enough.
Now I need to get hold of more of his books in Afrikaans, not always easy when one lives in Australia.
rmichno's review
2.0
Lost my interest. Main charcacter was too much of an enigma. The plot ran out of steam 2/3 of the way through. I stopped caring about the mystery so I gave up.
yorugua1891's review
4.0
Deon Meyer does an outstanding job in engaging the reader in this thriller. He does so in a couple of different ways. First, using the first person narration by Lemmer, the main character, who is a bodyguard with a turbulent past and that shies away from any meaningful human interaction. Second, by presenting us with Emma, the client that at times seems really fragile and at others a bundle of energy and strength, and that presents Lemmer with some challenging situations, both personal and professional. Finally, by weaving an intricate plot, that keeps us guessing all the way to the end, and adding doses of action and a little bit of romance to spice things up.
The main reason why I am giving this novel 4 stars instead of 5 is that towards the end, the way in which the main plot is resolved is certainly lackluster. It left me with a feeling that I have been cheated out of a great novel and almost made me mad. I had to wait a day before writing this review, because if not, I would have probably focused much more on this negative aspect and forget about the myriad of positive ones. So beware, if having an ending that is kind of a let down in terms of its quality is a big issue for you, you may be thoroughly disappointed in this novel. But if the journey getting there is what matters most, you will probably love it. For me, I ended up somewhere in between.
The main reason why I am giving this novel 4 stars instead of 5 is that towards the end, the way in which the main plot is resolved is certainly lackluster. It left me with a feeling that I have been cheated out of a great novel and almost made me mad. I had to wait a day before writing this review, because if not, I would have probably focused much more on this negative aspect and forget about the myriad of positive ones. So beware, if having an ending that is kind of a let down in terms of its quality is a big issue for you, you may be thoroughly disappointed in this novel. But if the journey getting there is what matters most, you will probably love it. For me, I ended up somewhere in between.