James Michener has found, perhaps even perfected, a formula for commercially successful novels: He begins with exhaustive research on the social, cultural and political history of a particular nation or region; then he dramatizes the results of his research through fictional characters who recapitulate in their lives the experience of the nation or region over time, often a span of centuries. The enormous sales of his novels testify to the popularity of his approach with the reading public. The Covenant, a massive work that begins in prehistoric southern Africa and ends in today's racially troubled Republic of South Africa, is Michener's most recent application of his proven method….

Though historical figures—Dutch, Zulu, British—appear throughout The Covenant, Michener relies on a handful of fictional families to carry the burden of his narrative. (p. 66)

For most of The Covenant, Michener both entertains and enlightens. While his characters are...