Member Review
Review by
Aravind R, Reviewer
Before I start my review of The Elephant Conspiracy by Peter Hain, I wish to express my sincere appreciation for the author’s passion and his contribution towards the wellbeing of South Africa. His deep distress about the corruption the country has plunged into, far away from the ideals of Nelson Mandela, can be felt in each paragraph he has written.
The Elephant Conspiracy deals with, among other things, the devastation humans are wreaking on the population of African Elephants—the world’s largest land animals—encroaching on their habitats and killing them mercilessly for ivory. The astronomical amounts of money generated by the illegal ivory trade are being used to fund all sorts of criminal enterprises, including terrorism and state capture. Shockingly, the biggest perpetrator of poaching and many other forms of corruption ranging from misappropriation of government funds to international money-laundering is the premier of a province himself! Nicknamed Star, the leader of Free State aspires, with an eye on the topmost office in the country, for unlimited power and wealth and employs ruthless means, from intimidation to outright murder, to acquire both. Aiding him in his campaign of corruption are criminals and killers of various classes, one of them an Irish assassin from the ranks of the IRA.
The country’s new president, renowned for his contribution in the anti-apartheid struggle, is fighting hard to get things on track after years of corruption and cronyism by his predecessor, who was deposed following the explosive occurrences that formed the previous novel, The Rhino Conspiracy. But he seems to be powerless against the likes of Star, who occupy most of the influential positions in the government and are determined to keep enriching themselves at the cost of the nation's progress. Fortunately for the country, there are people—both at home and abroad—who have the will and the means to fight the bad ones, led by the Veteran—an anti-apartheid hero who, despite being hobbled by old-age and the injuries he sustained in his previous adventure, is on the forefront. Yasmin Essop—the minister of security, Thandi Matjeke—the Veteran's young protégé, Isaac Mkhize—Thandi's husband and a fearless ranger, and a few other fine people put their careers and lives on the line to stop Star's deadly machinations.
A novel with the subject I’ve summarised above should be relentlessly gripping, more so because most of the people and events it covers are real and relevant. But The Elephant Conspiracy is far from gripping, and the main reason for this is the profuse descriptions of everything that plagues the rainbow nation. Hain stuffs so many facts about the anti-apartheid struggle and what has gone on in the country in the decades of democracy that the actual story is left without much space to develop. Unconnected to the South African issues, Hain also provides an overdose of the history of the Northern Ireland conflict, also known as The Troubles. Despite having all the ingredients of a solid thriller—conspiracies, killings, kidnappings, assaults, and breathless chases, The Elephant Conspiracy feels heavy and tedious. While I wholeheartedly appreciate Hain’s earnestness in detailing the evils that assail South Africa, I look for certain basic things from a novel, that too a thriller, such as a riveting plot and engaging action, which are sadly absent from The Elephant Conspiracy. Hain's way of presenting factual history—as reminiscences of his characters irrespective of their situations and circumstances—breaks the narrative flow and makes the reading tedious.
The Elephant Conspiracy, though having its heart in the right place, fails to hold the reader’s attention for more than a few pages at a time, which is unfortunate because the story is important and needs to reach a wider audience. My rating for this well-intended but poorly executed novel would be 3 out of 5, averaging 5 and 1 for intent and execution respectively.
I would like to thank Muswell Press for the advance copy of The Elephant Conspiracy through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
The Elephant Conspiracy deals with, among other things, the devastation humans are wreaking on the population of African Elephants—the world’s largest land animals—encroaching on their habitats and killing them mercilessly for ivory. The astronomical amounts of money generated by the illegal ivory trade are being used to fund all sorts of criminal enterprises, including terrorism and state capture. Shockingly, the biggest perpetrator of poaching and many other forms of corruption ranging from misappropriation of government funds to international money-laundering is the premier of a province himself! Nicknamed Star, the leader of Free State aspires, with an eye on the topmost office in the country, for unlimited power and wealth and employs ruthless means, from intimidation to outright murder, to acquire both. Aiding him in his campaign of corruption are criminals and killers of various classes, one of them an Irish assassin from the ranks of the IRA.
The country’s new president, renowned for his contribution in the anti-apartheid struggle, is fighting hard to get things on track after years of corruption and cronyism by his predecessor, who was deposed following the explosive occurrences that formed the previous novel, The Rhino Conspiracy. But he seems to be powerless against the likes of Star, who occupy most of the influential positions in the government and are determined to keep enriching themselves at the cost of the nation's progress. Fortunately for the country, there are people—both at home and abroad—who have the will and the means to fight the bad ones, led by the Veteran—an anti-apartheid hero who, despite being hobbled by old-age and the injuries he sustained in his previous adventure, is on the forefront. Yasmin Essop—the minister of security, Thandi Matjeke—the Veteran's young protégé, Isaac Mkhize—Thandi's husband and a fearless ranger, and a few other fine people put their careers and lives on the line to stop Star's deadly machinations.
A novel with the subject I’ve summarised above should be relentlessly gripping, more so because most of the people and events it covers are real and relevant. But The Elephant Conspiracy is far from gripping, and the main reason for this is the profuse descriptions of everything that plagues the rainbow nation. Hain stuffs so many facts about the anti-apartheid struggle and what has gone on in the country in the decades of democracy that the actual story is left without much space to develop. Unconnected to the South African issues, Hain also provides an overdose of the history of the Northern Ireland conflict, also known as The Troubles. Despite having all the ingredients of a solid thriller—conspiracies, killings, kidnappings, assaults, and breathless chases, The Elephant Conspiracy feels heavy and tedious. While I wholeheartedly appreciate Hain’s earnestness in detailing the evils that assail South Africa, I look for certain basic things from a novel, that too a thriller, such as a riveting plot and engaging action, which are sadly absent from The Elephant Conspiracy. Hain's way of presenting factual history—as reminiscences of his characters irrespective of their situations and circumstances—breaks the narrative flow and makes the reading tedious.
The Elephant Conspiracy, though having its heart in the right place, fails to hold the reader’s attention for more than a few pages at a time, which is unfortunate because the story is important and needs to reach a wider audience. My rating for this well-intended but poorly executed novel would be 3 out of 5, averaging 5 and 1 for intent and execution respectively.
I would like to thank Muswell Press for the advance copy of The Elephant Conspiracy through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
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