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The Okapi Promise
A new drug that promises a cure for rabies is discovered in the heart of Africa in 1990. Two adversaries, unknown to each other, join a small tour group to gain the serum. One wants to use the cure for the good of all mankind; the other for personal glory and profit. Amidst dramatic scenery, the nine travellers are threatened by wild animals, civil unrest and appalling conditions. The physical and emotional challenges leave none of them unchanged, but one of them won't come out alive.
212 pages, Paperback
First published November 19, 2010
12 people want to read
About the author
Paula Boer
17 books5 followersPaula Boer started her lifelong love of horses when she first rode a pony on a ranch in Canada, aged 7. On moving to England at age 9, she commenced weekly riding lessons and became hooked. Her horse infatuation led to Paula’s bedroom being filled with toy stables, posters of golden stallions, horse gear and, of course, horse books. Her books included non-fiction works as well as novels, most notably Elyne Mitchell’s The Silver Brumby series.
Paula’s own writing career started at school where she wrote a story from the horse’s perspective for her final English exam. Combining her love of horses with her passion for travel, she raced the native horses in Mongolia, climbed the heights of Colombia on horseback, and competed in Endurance rides around Australia. She claims the best way to experience a country is from the back of a horse.
Although not always on horseback, Paula has travelled in sixty countries on six continents. After retiring from the hectic life of computer consultancy, she wrote her first novel, The Okapi Promise, based on her adventures in Africa in 1990. This fictional memoir was published by IFWG Publishing in November 2010.
From her own experiences of catching and breaking in brumbies, Paula decided to set her next novel in the Snowy Mountains of NSW. The Brumbies series was created, with the first book of five becoming an Amazon ‘Best Seller’ in 2012.
Paula went on the create The Equinora Chronicles, a horse fantasy trilogy. Equinora is a world ruled by unicorns, supported by tiny dragons, where people live in a symbiotic relationship with the herds.
Paula lives on 500 acres in the Snowy region of New South Wales, Australia, which, since the 2020 bushfires, has become a wildlife sanctuary.
Paula’s own writing career started at school where she wrote a story from the horse’s perspective for her final English exam. Combining her love of horses with her passion for travel, she raced the native horses in Mongolia, climbed the heights of Colombia on horseback, and competed in Endurance rides around Australia. She claims the best way to experience a country is from the back of a horse.
Although not always on horseback, Paula has travelled in sixty countries on six continents. After retiring from the hectic life of computer consultancy, she wrote her first novel, The Okapi Promise, based on her adventures in Africa in 1990. This fictional memoir was published by IFWG Publishing in November 2010.
From her own experiences of catching and breaking in brumbies, Paula decided to set her next novel in the Snowy Mountains of NSW. The Brumbies series was created, with the first book of five becoming an Amazon ‘Best Seller’ in 2012.
Paula went on the create The Equinora Chronicles, a horse fantasy trilogy. Equinora is a world ruled by unicorns, supported by tiny dragons, where people live in a symbiotic relationship with the herds.
Paula lives on 500 acres in the Snowy region of New South Wales, Australia, which, since the 2020 bushfires, has become a wildlife sanctuary.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 10, 2011
Well , what did I think, That Paula knows how to spin a story. I am African and shook my head at all that happened in the forests. I am not so sure I agree with the doctor in withholding the promise of the Okapi to humanity. I took with a dim view his pretensions that he would like us to remain savages for long. He played the classic Zeus complex. I hurt at the unnecessary murder of Derik and felt Paula did not show us the proper justice that was coming to Cheryl. Okapi promise finally had my full attention from being a simple travelogue to murder. Like the African weather Paula was unpredictable and took me through a variety of emotions but I was held through out by her expertise.Loved the story and felt sad about tragedy prone Derik. Congratulations Paula.
February 25, 2018
This book begins more or less as a travelogue following the characters as they travel in a truck across Central Africa. It is initially slow-moving but past the halfway mark the plot kicks in and it becomes a thriller.
Despite the initial slow pace, I really enjoyed this book. Based on a true story, I think I would have enjoyed it more if it had have been a non-fiction. I liked the realist nature of the story and the time that was taken to get to know the characters. When the thriller kicked in, I initially thought no stick with the travelogue. However, I was soon enthralled and couldn’t put the book down. My only disappointment was that the book provided no justice towards the villain. I would recommend the book to anyone who loves travel and or reading about other countries and cultures.
Despite the initial slow pace, I really enjoyed this book. Based on a true story, I think I would have enjoyed it more if it had have been a non-fiction. I liked the realist nature of the story and the time that was taken to get to know the characters. When the thriller kicked in, I initially thought no stick with the travelogue. However, I was soon enthralled and couldn’t put the book down. My only disappointment was that the book provided no justice towards the villain. I would recommend the book to anyone who loves travel and or reading about other countries and cultures.
October 2, 2012
I loved it. Here is my review.
The Okapi Promise
By
Paula Boer
This book is a must read. Ms. Boer managed to create compelling, unique characters and then made each come alive as she changes the point of views and you climb up inside each of their heads. You care about all of them. Boer places these characters together to journey across the African continent. Each one has a strength and a weakness that plays on the success of the long, hard safari.
With an international cast of characters, there seems to be different things each character wants to accomplish. Africa is rugged enough and high risk is some areas, which affects the goals of individuals. Boer must have made a similar junket because the book is laden with minute details about Africa and the people. I got lost in the book, huffing up Mt. Kilimanjaro, feeling the oppressive heat and dust, impatiently waiting to get the old modified Bedford TK to pull out of the jungle pot holes and puddles, and sweated with them as they hacked through the jungle to clear a new road to get around the stuck vehicles that had no inclination to move.
Boer’s voice is strong, and she makes you see the animals and the people, smell the heated fruit in the open markets, hear the sounds of the jungle, and taste the horrible chlorinated water.
The story is a thriller, a story of intrigue, and deception. The reader eventually finds out why each one really traveled in Africa. It wasn’t the holiday each felt in the beginning. You experience the serene Africa, the happy extremely poor people, and the crossfire of a Civil War.
Without giving too much away, you have a new challenge or surprise in every chapter, which rises to an unthinkable climax and an ending I never expected. This story changed the characters forever and you, too, will not be the same after reading it.
The Okapi Promise
By
Paula Boer
This book is a must read. Ms. Boer managed to create compelling, unique characters and then made each come alive as she changes the point of views and you climb up inside each of their heads. You care about all of them. Boer places these characters together to journey across the African continent. Each one has a strength and a weakness that plays on the success of the long, hard safari.
With an international cast of characters, there seems to be different things each character wants to accomplish. Africa is rugged enough and high risk is some areas, which affects the goals of individuals. Boer must have made a similar junket because the book is laden with minute details about Africa and the people. I got lost in the book, huffing up Mt. Kilimanjaro, feeling the oppressive heat and dust, impatiently waiting to get the old modified Bedford TK to pull out of the jungle pot holes and puddles, and sweated with them as they hacked through the jungle to clear a new road to get around the stuck vehicles that had no inclination to move.
Boer’s voice is strong, and she makes you see the animals and the people, smell the heated fruit in the open markets, hear the sounds of the jungle, and taste the horrible chlorinated water.
The story is a thriller, a story of intrigue, and deception. The reader eventually finds out why each one really traveled in Africa. It wasn’t the holiday each felt in the beginning. You experience the serene Africa, the happy extremely poor people, and the crossfire of a Civil War.
Without giving too much away, you have a new challenge or surprise in every chapter, which rises to an unthinkable climax and an ending I never expected. This story changed the characters forever and you, too, will not be the same after reading it.
January 25, 2011
This starts off slowly and you don't know what the story is going to be about. At first it seems like the journey of a mixed group on an African safari. A beautiful travelogue that moves leisurely along without much excitement but lots of interesting things to see along the way. It moves at a leisurely pace and we get to know the travellers slowly. Any relationships that develop are tentative and wary. Nothing really close until they get to the interior. Then slowly, like an onion being peeled back layer by layer, you realize there is a deep mystery, an Agatha Christie-worthy cast of characters and lots of intrigue from within the group and danger from Africa itself.
By 2/3rds into the book, things really start moving at a brisk pace and it becomes a...but that would be telling.
At the end, the writer pulls an unexpected rabbit out of the hat the story becomes an adventure complete with guns and drugs and uprisings.
I must admit the ending wasn't as satisfying as it could have been, but the explanations and reveals were worth the journey.
Excellent work, Paula.
By 2/3rds into the book, things really start moving at a brisk pace and it becomes a...but that would be telling.
At the end, the writer pulls an unexpected rabbit out of the hat the story becomes an adventure complete with guns and drugs and uprisings.
I must admit the ending wasn't as satisfying as it could have been, but the explanations and reveals were worth the journey.
Excellent work, Paula.
September 8, 2014
“I really enjoyed this story,here is a piece from the books description:
A new drug that promises a cure for rabies is discovered in the heart of Africa in 1990. Two adversaries, unknown to each other, join a small tour group to gain the serum. One wants to use the cure for the good of all mankind; the other for personal glory and profit. Amidst dramatic scenery, the nine travelers are threatened by wild animals, civil unrest and appalling conditions. The physical and emotional challenges leave none of them unchanged, but one of them won't come out alive.
The scenery of Africa and the animals were described beautifully by the author, who also includes some beautiful B/W photos which related to the story. The only thing I was a bit disappointed with was the ending which I would have like more of.”
A new drug that promises a cure for rabies is discovered in the heart of Africa in 1990. Two adversaries, unknown to each other, join a small tour group to gain the serum. One wants to use the cure for the good of all mankind; the other for personal glory and profit. Amidst dramatic scenery, the nine travelers are threatened by wild animals, civil unrest and appalling conditions. The physical and emotional challenges leave none of them unchanged, but one of them won't come out alive.
The scenery of Africa and the animals were described beautifully by the author, who also includes some beautiful B/W photos which related to the story. The only thing I was a bit disappointed with was the ending which I would have like more of.”
November 29, 2010
This is a very good read, and something different for the reader.
I don't want to spoil the new reader, so in a nutshell, it is about a group of tourists taking an extensive safari in Africa, and aside from the adventure that trip itself, there are serious complications - intrigues.
This is a fun adventure, and exciting. Also, which is a bonus, are a number of pertinent black and white photographs in the African part of the story (the bulk).
Well worth a read for those who love adventure and travel.
I don't want to spoil the new reader, so in a nutshell, it is about a group of tourists taking an extensive safari in Africa, and aside from the adventure that trip itself, there are serious complications - intrigues.
This is a fun adventure, and exciting. Also, which is a bonus, are a number of pertinent black and white photographs in the African part of the story (the bulk).
Well worth a read for those who love adventure and travel.
February 8, 2011
The adventure of the trip is the book.
In the grand tradition of several books on India and Africa, this books depiction of the trials and dangers of their group, from animals to broken universials makes a compelling adventure.
The ending was not what I expected and I'll leave it there.
An excellent read.
March 6, 2016
An African safari holiday brings together a number of different individuals from across the globe. But they're not all there for the wildlife or scenery. But who is after what ?
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews