Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
The Sunbird cover art

The Sunbird

By: Wilbur Smith
Narrated by: Piers Hampton
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £20.99

Buy Now for £20.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

Elephant Song cover art
River God cover art
Gold Mine cover art
The Eye of the Tiger cover art
Cry Wolf cover art
Call of the Raven cover art
The Dark of The Sun cover art
The Diamond Hunters cover art
Shout at the Devil cover art
Eagle in the Sky cover art
A Falcon Flies cover art
When the Lion Feeds cover art
Hungry as the Sea cover art
Children of the Plains cover art
Darkness & Light cover art
Indigo cover art

Summary

A lost civilisation. A curse reborn.

Dr Ben Kazin has only a blurred photograph and a gut instinct that there is a lost city to uncover somewhere beneath the Botswana cliffs. Soon, a whispered curse and a chance encounter with a local tribe lead him to discover much more than city foundations.

The curse, it seems, is real, and will link Ben, his oldest friend and the woman they both love with a forgotten leader from 2,000 years ago, in a city of glory and honour that subsequently disappeared without a trace. But what happened to that ancient civilisation? And what is it that connects that lost empire to Ben and the violent dangers he must face in the present day?

An action-packed archaeological adventure from global best seller Wilbur Smith.

©2019 Wilbur Smith (P)2019 Audible, Ltd

What listeners say about The Sunbird

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    268
  • 4 Stars
    77
  • 3 Stars
    28
  • 2 Stars
    8
  • 1 Stars
    11
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    260
  • 4 Stars
    61
  • 3 Stars
    19
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    6
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    229
  • 4 Stars
    72
  • 3 Stars
    29
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    13

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

My desert island book…

This was the first novel I read as a young adult, A couple of thousand books later it still may be the best. Astonishingly well written. The two stories weaved together in a compelling narrative. First time I have listened to it and it doesn’t lose quality in the change of medium (I’ll even tolerate the dodgy South African accents). Interesting all these years on to reflect on the socio political sub themes of South Africa as was which run through. Some of the language and nuances are of that era. But I’ll forgive that too. Story telling of the very highest order.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

An absolutely fabulous read

I have read this book 3 times in my life , the first time when I was 19 the second in my 30 s and this time on audible, it’s beautifully written and achingly sad , it leaves the reader moved and shaken , it’s a must read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Classic Wilbur adventure at its best

Written in 1972. I’d never heard of it. I’m a big fan of the River God, and Seventh Scroll. If you like those, you will LOVE this.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Staggering

One of the most remarkable books of historical fiction from the master story teller Wilbur Smith which, although already read twice years ago, achieved a new level with this incredible narration.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Superb

Once again Wilbur Smith has produced an amazing story, Piers Hampton performs well so all told a great buy.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Cracking story!!

After a rather slow or what seemed to be a laboured start; this brilliant tale kept me spellbpund with the author's usual mastery of descriptive language, engaging characters and sheer gripping storytelling.
Well done that narrator!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Magic

Wilbur Smith's finest work. Comparible only to River God. When I first read this in my teens, I fell in love with it. It had everything I wanted from a book; archeology, history, battle, gods, everything that made my heart beat just a little faster. I hadn't read the book for over 20 years, and downloaded it with trepidation, concerned that it would no longer hold magic. But, I'm delighted to say, it's still wonderful, and brought to life by an absolutely fantastic performance by the narrator. This book inspired me to be a writer. And now I am, having written three novels and a number of plays and screenpays.

Www.bjedwards.co.uk

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

29 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

The struggle for freedom that I needed to read.

It all started all super white supremacist and ended up sounding like a successful Shaka Zulu tale. Well done, Wilbur Smith.
Any society that insists on keeping slaves deserves to be destroyed even in fiction.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Tiring

The authors limited range of emotional depth turns the story more repetitious before the second half.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable book, great narration

I enjoyed the story, although the structure of the story meant that the second half of the book was lacking (no spoilers).
Piers Hampton does a great job with the narration (quickly becoming one of my favorites on Audible) even though he does let the Afrikaans accent slip at times.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!