Books like Men of men by Wilbur Smith

This vivid historical novel is the second of the Ballantyne sequence of four books about the origins of Rhodesia and its later violent transformation into Zimbabwe. During the reign of Queen Victoria Englishmen answering the call of Empire voyaged out to take possession of half their known world. Their leaders were such men as Cecil Rhodes, Leander Starr Jameson and Zouga Ballantyne. Some of this pioneer company journeyed north from the Cape in search of gold and land, of cattle and loot. Others went for glory and the pursuit of a dream. For Zouga Ballantyne the dream of the north land began in the danger and drudgery of the diamond pits of Kimberley and ended on the rich grass lands of Matabeleland below the Zambezi River – but not before a king had died and a nation of proud warriors had been shattered. Never have this master storyteller's deep love and understanding of southern Africa's history been more forcefully employed to create a novel of spellbinding action and romance.

First publish date: 1981