Shaka II, by Mike Resnick

As with Stephen Baxter’s Starfall, it’s thrilling to read a story that could have been stretched out over 800 pages compressed into 80.

This one is all about the damage that can be done by a determined, intelligent, brutal person who doesn’t care about the consequences of their actions, in this case a man determined and, he believes, destined to restore the Zulu kingdom (and then some).

A fine book, but at times it felt like watching an expert play an extremely efficient game of Civilization…

Shaka II, Mike Resnick, PS Publishing, hb, 94pp