Zulu Dawn

22 January 1879. Across the slopes of Isandhlwana, there came the sound of thunder.

Assegai shafts pound against drum-tight shields.

Fifty thousand voices cry in one dread voice the Zulu word for ‘kill’: ‘U-SU-THU! U-SU-THU!’

Against the sweeping landscapes of Southern Africa, Lord Chelmsford’s army of eight thousand soldiers moves inexorably into Zululand.

Their aim: to subdue a proud and unyielding warrior nation.

But what starts as an imperial adventure turns into one of the bloodiest episodes in African history. It becomes a struggle to the death between Chelmsford’s Redcoats and a fearsome army of fifty thousand Zulus, fighting for their nationhood and birth right.

Lieutenant William Vereker is young, light-hearted and keen for war.

However, seeing the torture and slaying of Zulu warriors at the hands of his comrades hits Vereker hard.

Yet his determination to fight for his Queen and Country is unwavering.

Lieutenant Coghill firmly believes in the great destiny of the British Empire, whilst his close friend Lieutenant Melvill thinks the army need to get the Zulus before the Zulus get them.

Can these young officers survive that fateful day on the slopes of Isandhlwana?

Zulu Dawn is the story of the tragedy and shattering human drama of that struggle. A powerful action adventure tale, it was made into the hit film Zulu Dawn in 1979.

Praise for Zulu Dawn
‘A remarkably forward thinking work.’ – Mountain Xpress

Cyril Raker Endfield (1914 – 1995) was an American screenwriter, film director, theatre director, author, magician and inventor. He was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, attended Yale University and began his career as a theatre director and drama coach, becoming a significant figure in New York's progressive theatre scene. He was based in Britain from 1953.