Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful-Brutal. Slave's story of ancient Egypt
Review: In literature, sagas of ancient Egypt have been told by
archaeologists, detectives, ancient kings and warriors, but
now we witness this luscious and violent land through the
eyes of a slave: Taita. As an advisor to royalty, Taita's
life is an epic tale of violence, beauty, war, betrayal and victory. Down the Nile from Luxor to Thebes to Nubia and beyond, we are taken on a stunning adventure through a land
where life is cheap and man is cruel and barbaric. In the midst of this Hell that is his everyday Egypt; Tatia invents
the fantastic, builds the great and beautiful and shows that
there is good and compassion in the human spirit.
Rating:
Summary: Gods, Guts, Glory & Gold!
Review: The "River God" is the timeless story of star-crossedlovers, Lostris and Tanus, and the unrequited love of the narrator,Taita, for Lostris. The setting is ancient Egypt and we follow Lostris' life from a beautiful girl to the elegant queen of Egypt married to Pharaoh Mamose. Childhood friend and companion to Lostris, Tanus fulfuills his destiny to become Lostris' lover and the warlord of Egypt regardless of the numerous attempts by his enemies to keep them apart and end his life. Through it all Taita's boundless love of Egypt, poetic soul, foresight and intelligence are instrumental in creating the advanced civilization of historical Egypt. The irony of this is that as a slave he was not origianlly from Egypt. Wilbur Smith, author, is a master storyteller and he brings the pageantry and barbarism of life in ancient Egypt alive.
"The Seventh Scroll" continues the story into modern times - 4,000 years later. It has a completely different flavor from the first book. It is a hair-raising, roller-coaster of a novel compaarable to the adventures of "Indiana Jones." Dr. Royan Al Simma, beautiful Egyptologist, teams up with millionaire and adventurer, Sir Nicholas Quenton-Harper, for the ultimate treasure hunt. Always the practical joker, Taita put clues to the location of Pharaoh Mamose's tomb which he designed in a series of autobiographical scrolls found in the tomb of Queen Lostris. You find yourself holding your breath, cursing and rooting for the marvelous villains and inspiring heros and heroines as the plot twists and turns. Mr. Smith evens pokes fun at himself, in the same vein as Hitchcock would do in his films, by being the author of the fictionalized account of Taita's scrolls.
Either book could be read and enjoyed on its own but reading both gives you the historical background and a literary relationship with the characters which makes each one more exciting and meaningful. Review by Kathy Hill.
Rating:
Summary: SMITH, MASTER STORY- TELLER.....TRUELY MAJESTIC
Review: WHAT A BEAUTIFUL SAGA OF LOYALTY, ROMANCE
AND ADVENTURE. WIBUR SMITH IS OUTSTANDING
IN CAPTURING YOUR SENSES AND BEING DRAWN
INTO THE STORY, TRUELY A MASTERPIECE OF RUNAWAY
IMAGINATION AND SPECTOR
Rating:
Summary: The Einstein of Ancient Egypt? A fabulous tale.
Review: After viewing an Ancient Egypt show on the History Channel, I decided to depart from my predominant obsession with thrillers and seek some historical fiction for a diversion. River God was a first for me in this genre and I was so blown away with the crisp, rich, inventive, and exciting tale-telling that I read everything I could find, including all of Smith's books. River God (and the others in this series on Egypt) set such a lofty standard that I may never recover enough to fully appreciate the works of others in this category. Granted, historians and purists may take issue with the historical accuracy but when writing like this has the capacity to captivate your interest and emotions so completely, who cares? It's not a textbook and not promoted as one. I've got to say, I read (and write) a lot, and this is a top-shelf tale that blew me away. I have recommended it to numerous friends and not one has been disappointed. Bravo, Mr. Smith. Thanks for introducing a new excitement into my life.
Rating: 
Summary: I wish I didn't like this book so much.
Review: I really like to think of myself as a fairly serious history buff who focuses in on non-fiction with an occasional foray into historical fiction, which is how I got to River God.
That's where the trouble started. See, I like to like serious historical fiction, not schlock about an Egyptian Eunuch who still lusts after the Princess he cares for, but I just couldn't help myself. The problem is that the story is really well-written, the characters are classic good-and-evil types, and there is just enough history to make it palatable to history snobs like me.
Go ahead and dismiss me for liking this book - I know I do - but then go read it, I'll bet you like it too.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Book Ever!
Review: I thought I was in love with ancient Egypt then I read Warlock and discovered Wilbur smith's amazingly artistic storytelling.This made me go a-searching and I found River God. I pride myself in being a very critical and cynical person but this book kept me entirely spellbound throughout.It is truly an EPIC, better than anything Hollywood has ever come out with. I like the fact that Taita was perfect except for the fact that he was a eunuch. Everythihng in this book is well written. Mintaka and Nefer stole my heart and even though they could be larger than life and too good sometimes, you will not hold it against them for a second. It will keep your heart on overdrive even when you've managed to put it down and catch an hour night's sleep.
I cried when someone I had coerced into reading it (I feel that the magic should be shared with as many people as possible), lost my copy. It was that precious.
EVERYONE PLEASE READ IT AND SEE!
Rating:
Summary: An extraordinarily masterful story
Review: Simply, this is the best Wilbur Smith story out there. Masterfully told with excellent detail of the era. Smith brings ancient Egypt alive for the reader in this story on a level that everyone can identify with, the common man's level - but with a twist - Tiata the slave is NOT a common man. A slave becomes the savior of the empire and forever wins your heart. While the story is somewhat gruesome at times, it reflects the trecherous and barbaric era accurately, and reminds us that civilization has not advanced mankind's basic nature in many, many ways.
Rating: 
Summary: River Guru !
Review: River Guru!Taita the super slave as one reviewer put it, is so correct. His one failing-no equipment but no mind he can do anything else. This Guru invents everything from microbiological warfare to military strategy to complex engineering marvels. But wait! he is a doctor too and an adviser and a lawyer and a prophet. Perfect Taita. By the way, he doesn't want to be free! He likes being a slave!
Hmmm... This one person shaped the destiny of an entire country. Really now! The only thing more off putting was the constant adulterous relationships. If you like soap operas or slavery then this will certainly impress you. For others it will be a waste of time.
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.
|
