Warlock: A Novel of Ancient Egypt

Rating:
Summary: Not quite up to par with The Seventh Scroll or The River God
Review: But definitely an entertaining read. No one writes adventure like Wilbur Smith. Smith is known for writing stories that take place in his beloved continent of Africa. Usually, his novels contain lots of history, politics, violence, sex, romance, magic, and mystery. And this one follows that tradition.

The central character of Warlock is the wise sage, Taita. Taita, now an older and wiser man, attempts to help the rightful heir attain the rulership of ancient Egypt. Powerful forces, ofcourse, are in opposition to that goal. The timeline of the story falls between River God and the Seventh Scroll. However, this is actually the third book in the series.

Those who have read The River God and The Seventh Scroll have already read this novel, most likely. I recommend reading the previous two books first, prior to reading this one. It doesn't really matter which of the two you read first.

Rating:
Summary: It had potential but..............
Review: I fall in the category of those turned off by the vivid descriptions of death, torture and cruelty to animals. When Mr. Smith wants to, the story could be extremely interesting. His description of a sandstorm was magnificent. His descriptions of different forms of death and violence are also magnificent, but just a big turnoff for me. A particularly gruesome chapter was the one about "running the red road". I can only assume that the "red road" is named for the amount of blood spilled along the way. I found that the only way I could finish the book was to skip all the parts where he started describing war strategy and skimming the really bloody parts.

Rating:
Summary: Had to Hurry Up & Finish the Book, I see...
Review: I LOVE Wilbur Smith. I read River God twice just because I wanted to make sure I didnt' miss a single word. I loved Warlock, I couldn't put it down.

And then... All of a sudden, there was a "Star Trek" Ending. By this I mean that the whole story builds and builds toward a gut wrenching end, and then it just wraps up in the last few pages. It's almost like Mr. Smith realized he had to turn in the manuscript and had less than 24 hours to finish.

Don't get me wrong, the story was wonderful. Wilbur Smith is an excellent writer, but I was very disappointed that the story dropped off and was put away nice and neat almost instantly. I would recommend reading this, but don't count on a monumental ending.

Rating:
Summary: Turn off.
Review: I'm relieved to see I'm not the only one disappointed in Warlock, because it's only the second Wilbur Smith I've read, and the other was much better. I was very uncomfortable with the soft porn relating to children in Warlock, which was completely unnecessary, and also the description of the suffering of animals. I actually found myself covering up the offensive text with a pen as I went so that nobody else would have to see it. Mr. Smith's descriptive talent was used much more effectively in Sunbird. I'm relieved that Warlock is the exception, rather than Sunbird.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but the first one was better!
Review: Jedi Master Taita- oops- the warlock Taita- returns in the third installment of Wilbur Smith's Egypt series. In this book, Taita, now an elderly and influential man, is asked by the spirit of his deceased mistress Lostris to care for and protect her young son Nefer. This proves more difficult than it seems because Nefer is heir to the throne with some powerful (and sadistic) enemies.

I really enjoyed the first half of Warlock, even if Smith deviates a bit from his first novel by employing supernatural elements. (Not a problem in itself, but inconsistent with the first story). Taita was lovable as always, Nefer, much like his father and his Nefer's girlfriend much the same as queen Lostris.

Negatives: be prepared for some truly gruesome descriptions of rape, torture and mayhem as well as human cruelly which at times was so severe I felt nauseated. Particularly the sacrifices to the Babylonian god Marduk and the fate of the Babylonian women at the hands of the pharaoh Truk.

I also thought the 'running the red road' ritual was really unbelievable. How conceivable is it that the a warrior brotherhood would condone killing so many people. just to initiate two boys into the guild? Silly. Especially in a time of war.

This was a fine work, but it was marred by senseless violence, and some fantastic elements, not in keeping with the first in the series.

Rating:
Summary: a travel through time
Review: Mr. Smith has done a beautiful work of transcending us into the magical world of Egypt. With an easiness for writing that is characteristic he transformed historical places and events into a wonderful kingdom of fiction. Excellent book !!

Rating:
Summary: rollicking good read!
Review: Ok, if you haven't read river god - read that first, and then warlock. Warlock speaks of the tale of nefer seti - Tanus' grandson. The book is fast paced, violent and terrific to read. Wilbur smith has a way with his words and paints the pictures of ancient egypt.

This book is in the third person unlike River God which was like a story narrated by taita - I preferred that but it doesn't hurt the narrative in any way. The book is pretty violent, and can gross out some people. If you are squeamish about blood and torture then this book isn't for you. But if you're looking for a rollocking adventure - you shouldn't miss this.

Rating:
Summary: An Great Read, But Slightly Weaker Than River God
Review: River God was a maseterpiece. I didn't expect Warlock to exceed it,and it doesn't, but even still, it is a damn good book. Taita is enigmatic as ever (and has become "one with nature" from wondering for years in the wilderness) and has such a powerful presence that he has earned himself the distinguished honor of being my second favorite character of all time (behind Sinuhe from "The Egyptian"). Mintaka (the hyksosian princess)replaces Lostris as the beautiful,charming and intelligent heroine. Nefer (the young pharoah) is all but a splitting image of his grandfather, and Naja & Trok (and Ishtar) provide some serious hellraising as the usurpers.
As with River God, the reader is transported back through time to the 14th dynasty. Wilbur Smith is so descriptive (without boring the reader)that you will be able to feel the sand grains in your eyes, hear the flowing of the nile and feel how the common Egyptians felt regarding their leaders. The plot, which contains plenty of planning, cunning and deceit, unfolds beautifully. The story is action packed, adventurous and loaded with gruesomely gory scenes, and some rather steamy sex scenes are thrown in as well. Readers with weak stomachs are to be cautioned because there are several scenes which would make Stephen King cringe. Overall, this is an exciting action packed love story, set in ancient Egypt during the years of the Hyksos, written by an excellent story teller with a special knack for detail. There you have it.

Rating:
Summary: Warlock locked in war
Review: This book cetainly is a journey of exploration in teretory unknown. Wilbur Smith is one of the few authors that manages to avoid making 20th century western hang-ups into BC hang-ups, and that makes his story so much more believeble. In this book the attitudes towards life and death, violence, nobility, religion and clothes are probably a lot closer to ancient thinking than in other works. This is my first historical novel by W. Smith, but the others will be on my bookshelf soon.
Having said all this, I must admit that some of the historical accuracy, or rather lack of it, was somewhat jarring. If the story is set at about 1600 BC, (time of the expulsion of the Hyksos)there would not have been any falluca's, dhows, centurions, galeys and matrasses around. Nor would a Thebes based Pharaoh have called his son Seti (based on the Hyksos god Seth), even Pharaoh Seti I, who lived a lot later, changed his name towards the end of his life.
It is somewhat bizarre to read about a Dhow (a ship of AD times) rigged with a lateen sail (Invented after AD, and not used on Dhows anyway) sailing down the Mediteranean (Dhows sailed the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean)
Having said all that I still maintain that this book presented for me the most enjoyeble reading adventure this year (so far). There may not be a lot in the way of character development, but there is action, suspension, and adventure galore, and there is never a dull moment.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This was an excellent book. A traditional epic saga, involving love, violence, treachery and honour, Warlock transports the reader to the dangerous and somewhat mystical times of ancient Egypt.

It was written in a similar style to River God, and although it matched it in terms of sheer entertainment, it was not as tight and brilliant as the first book in this series. Among its shortcomings were the apparent shallowness of significant characters, such as Meren, Shabako and Merykara, and the rather abrupt ending.

People have complained that this book is overly violent, but they must take into account the fact that those were times when extra-judicial killings, rape and cruelty to animals were very common. To cross out with a pen any lines that contained violence -- as one reviewer here did -- so other people will never be able to read those parts (I'm assuming that it was a library book) is immature.

There have also been complaints about the 'magic' in the book, such as that used by Taita and other shamans and Magi, as well as complaints about racial slurs made by the nameless narrator. It must be realised that the narrator isn't really supposed to be Wilbur Smith, the author living in the 21st century; but rather someone from ancient Egypt who probably believed in magic like most ancient Egyptians did, and who held the racial prejudices common to those times.

All in all, a great and compelliing (if slightly flawed) read.