Rating: 
Summary: The Warlock's Powers are Waning.
Review: In 'River God' Wilbur Smith created magic, intrigue and character with Taita - the slave, eunuch, Pharoah's confidant, artist, architect and bombast. Readers could not get enough of him, and salivated at the prospect of his return, finding glimpses of him in 'The Seventh Scroll'.'In Warlock, Taita returns : ancient, arcane and mystic from his hidden desert cave, where he'd been communing with his beloved mistress Lostris-she's now a Goddess in the pantheon and his protector. She wants him to return to action and save her grandson, Nefer Memnon-the boy pharoah from the turmoil and intrigue that will arise with the assassination of her son and present pharoah Tamose. It's open season for the slaying of gods as both Tamose and Apepi, the Hyksos pharoah are brutally murdered by rivals who plot to rule both the upper and lower kingdom and rule the world. From this turmoil, Taita extricates Nefer and Mintaka-Apepi's daughter and smoothens their ongoing romance, even as they rebuild their lost kingdoms in the deserted city of Gallala. In the midst of the battles and the political intrigue, Taita's formidable new weapons of magic and his shadowy presence overlook all the principal characters: he is 'the magus'- the warlock and adversary to his enemies, and 'Tata'- the father figure to his friends. The 'River God'is by far, the best book that Wilbur Smith has written and you can see him trying hard to replicate his success by building on the character of Taita. But without Tanus and Lostris-Taita's god and goddess, he struggles to find inspiration. Or, did Wilbur Smith make the fatal mistake of forgetting that we liked Taita when he told us his story in a first person narrative, so that we could laugh and cry with his charms and foibles? Wilbur Smith's fans all over the world will find it strange that 'Warlock'is the first book that is not dedicated to his wife, Danielle. The truth is that she died in 1999 and this is the first book that hasn't been inspired by her. Instead he has a new love in his life, and I suspect that his present romance kept him from fleshing out the characters of Nefer and the villain Naja in better detail. Still, a page-turner for all of us Taita fans and Egyptologists. Let's just appeal to Wilbur Smith and say : 'Make Warlock the second part of your trilogy (ignoring 'The Seventh Scroll'which is set in modern times) and we'll ensure that it is compulsory reading, before he comes out with the concluding book in the Taita series.
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: 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: 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: 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: 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 !!
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