Book excerpt: The Zulu kingdom established by King Shaka was robust and self-sufficient, but royal rivalries and newly arrived white colonialists made it a bloody period that shaped the face of modern Africa. This detailed depiction of day-to-day combat during nine of the most influential battles--from Thuleka in 1838 through the Civil War to the breaking of the royal house--pulses with excitement. All the courage and horror of hand-to-hand fighting and strategic genius come through on every page.