Rating: 
Summary: Good read
Review: I have read several of Wilber Smiths works now. Really a great writer. This is one of his best.
Rating: 
Summary: Amazing
Review: This is a review of the cassette version and I must say I was rivetted to this story. I sat in my car long after I arrived at my destination listening in fastination.However, the hero Tanus, is just a little too outrageously perfect for me to give this a full 5 stars. You know, never tires during combat, never loses his cool, never makes a fatal mistake. I would have enjoyed a less god-like hero.
Rating: 
Summary: Really a 3.5 star rating
Review: Rating System:
1 star = abysmal; some books deserve to be forgotten
2 star = poor; a total waste of time
3 star = good; worth the effort
4 star = very good; what writing should be
5 star = fantastic; must own it and share it with others STORY: The rise and fall of Egypt and the forbidden love caught in the middle of the conflict. But more importantly how one man (slave) can change the face of a nation. MY FEEDBACK:
1) SETTING: There is always something magical about ancient Egypt and Smith crafts a story utilizing the full effect of this setting. Got to love it. 2) CHARACTERS: Heroism and valor generate instant liking to a couple of the characters. Clever solutions to impossible tasks make us totally love the character of Taita. 3) PLOT: This was really two shorter stories in one. The first is a novelette on how Tanus falls in love with Lady Lostris and with Taita's help they cleverly overcome many obstacles. Much of this story was telegraphed and not surprising. But Smith takes the story on a whole different direction as we go (very quickly) through the fall of Egypt to the Hyksos. This was full of unexpected twists and was a nice storyline. 4) CONTENT: Unlike his sequel, The Seventh Scroll, this was a "clean" story. There wasn't a need for overt sex in this story and I think it paid off that the author chose to leave things to the imagination instead. Some gruesome violence but otherwise a PG-13 rated story. 5) READER: The reader of the audio-book did a fine job of voices and acting. Some of the voices made me feel like I was watching the movie The Prince of Egypt. A fine job. OVERALL: I enjoyed this story and thought it was more than just "good". It was a story that leaves something to be desired at first but then pulls it all together later on. I gave it a 3.5 rating because it was just a bit above good, but not great.
Rating:
Summary: Five+++++Stars
Review: One of the best novels I've read. Enjoyable from cover to cover. Clever, original, touching, witty, heartbreaking. I've recommended this book to many who normally don't read historical fiction. They agree with my opinion of River God.
Rating:
Summary: the best i have ever read
Review: I read all wilbur smith books and i can say tah this is the best. After i read this book i couldn't forgot taita, tanus and lostris.
argument: taita is a slave of a bad person. this person has a daughter called lostris. she loves a man called tanus but this love is forbidden. The faraon knows lostris and get married with her but lostris keep seing tanus and they have a son. they pass a lot of adventures trying to save egypt from the hicsos.
I love this epic story.
Rating:
Summary: The Best - Nuff said
Review: This is one of the best books I have ever read! I have read several thousand books including about 15 of Smiths.
Rating:
Summary: Epic in the Cecil B. DeMille Tradition
Review: This novel is perfect for those who like 'Gone With the Wind' epics. There is a cast of hundreds, a larger-than-life hero and heroine, and a narrator who adds a bit of narcissistic comic relief. The plot involves the love of Tanus, a noble of ancient Egypt (the date is c. 1780 BCE) for Lostris, the daughter of Lord Intef (the main villain). Lord Intef ruined Tanus' father secretly, and only the narrator, Taita the slave, knows the true story of Lord Harrab's disgrace and his son's inability to marry Lostris. When Lostris is married to the weak Pharaoh Mamose, it seems as if the lover's will never be together. Enlisting Taita's help (as a eunuch, he is no threat to Lostris and is her personal slave), true love does triumph; however, it is bittersweet. This is not the only plotline, however: there is everything from desert bandits, to the conquest (briefly) of Egypt by the Hyksos, to the removal of the Egyptian royal court into Ethiopia. Through all these events, Taita provides his very unique opinions on everything from a slave owning society (a necessity that's 'natural' to him, even though he is a slave), to his many inventions (he claims to have invented or perfected grandstands, brain surgery, and chariots, amongst other things), to his many investments in 'river front property'. Some of the events are quite gruesome - such as when Intef finally gets his just desserts - but the dramatic story holds up, no matter how fantastic the events become. Smith has really created a modern classic with this novel, which combines good history with good storytelling.
Rating:
Summary: I always wanted to know what Ayla would look like as a man
Review: I guess when you can't have sex you can get a lot done in life. This was the first book of ancient Egypt that I read and now I am hooked. Meren, Amerotke, Bak are all good but Taita is still the best by far.
Rating:
Summary: Epic
Review: This was one of the best book i have ever read, It was like i really felt i was living every moment and shared the same feelings as the characters
Rating:
Summary: Satisfies readers of many stripes
Review: This book has three main characters: Tanus, a godlike general, Lostris, a Queen who is both ethereal and earthy, and Taita, the "slave" genius. This triad of lovers conspires to rescue their nation from a barrage of traitors, sadists, embezzelers, and murderous armies, while harnessing massive forces of nature, taming enemies, turning disasters into opportunities at every turn, and simultaneously managing to fulfill their complex and intertwined personal passions.
This book is multidimensional--it can satisfy equally and fully, readers interested in history, romance, adventure laced with magic, or psychology and intruigue.
For me however, the most fascinating theme in the book is the transcendence of misfortune and fate by Taita,a castrated slave, who epitomizes the theme repeated throughout the book in many forms, of turning adversity into advantage. He manages to parlay his lowly status and his mutilation into unique strategic assets to gain the position of trust and influence that his genius merits.
The only fault I can find in the book is the somewhat stereotyped sex roles--yet this is mostly compensated for by the great dialogue, and the multidimensional characterization of many protagonists.
Read this richly woven book--you will not be disappointed.
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