Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't Put it Down
Review: Before I picked up Wilbur Smith's newest book, I made the mistake of reading the reviews directed at it on Amazon and began to wonder why I had been looking forward to its release to paperback. I was amazed, in view of such harsh criticism below, at how much I enjoyed the book. I could barely put the book down. Subsequently, I couldn't understand the venom I had read in the Amazon reviews. I was not put out in the least by the "mysticism" or the historical inaccuracies. I am a great lover of non-fiction history but I didn't have any expectations before I began this book that it would be a book of history. It's fiction. Further, the "mysticism" that the author delved into drew a fair bit of criticism as well but I have to give Smith credit for trying a new direction. I thought it refreshing. It certainly didn't overshadow the plot as much as I thought it would after reading the reviews below. All in all, I was sorry to see the book end which is probably the best thing that an avid reader can say about a book. And, it's been awhile since I could say that with any honesty. Fun adventure read!
Rating: 
Summary: Warlock of the Rings
Review: I have been reading Wilbur Smith books for 20 years. His characters might all come from a lumber yard, but you can bank on Wilbur to dish out sustained, fast-paced action, poetic descriptive passages, and lots of gut-wrenching violence. He's written so many books that, naturally, there have been duds. But this one takes the biscuit. After 500 pages I was still waiting for something interesting to happen. Nothing did. Then it ended.The plot is as formless and meandering as the desert landscape that is its setting, the "surprises" in it visible from the horizon, and the dialogue so stulted that I laughed out loud as if reading a Ben Elton book. To make matters far worse, Wilbur has chosen to spice the whole thing with magical mumbo-jumbo so that Taita now resembles Yoda the Jedi Master more closely than the intelligent and wily character of "River God." Thus the book lurches from boring arcane ceremony to ridiculous magical intervention to boring banquet and back to boring arcane ceremony. Yaaaawwwwwwwn. Wilbur has written some marvellous and evocative books set in the ancient past ("The Sunbird" is perhaps the best, but "River God" is not at all far behind), but the notion that ancient Egyptians could see psychic auras, read minds, move things about with their mental force, and generally had access to occult arts really belongs in the New Age claptrap of Graham Hancock or Robert Bauval than in one of Mr. Smith's books. In short, a crushing disappointment. Let's hope Wilbur regains the plot in his next outing.
Rating: 
Summary: certainly not his best work
Review: he likes to write long books, but this one is too much. The magic is too much, the boring conversation is too much & the constant references to an aging eunuch are especially too much.
His series on the Ballyntynes is much better in all regards.
Rating: 
Summary: Return of Taita
Review: The third in a series of books about ancient Egypt, WARLOCK returns to Taita, an eunuch slave who has served several pharaohs. Readers who met Taita in the first books of this series will love being able to read about him again in his latest mission. After getting a vision from the deceased Lostris, the queen Taita faithfully served and loved, he returns from his solitary life in the desert to help her grandson, Nefer Seti. Taita protects Nefer as he is thrust into a dangerous position at the young age of fourteen. He aids Nefer in honing his natural warrior and intellectual abilities, all the while helping Nefer reclaim the throne from Naja, a traitor who killed pharaoh and assumed leadership of Egypt. This book is exciting from the very beginning, opening with a scene of the Pharaoh's fighting chariots racing towards battle. The plot keeps up its breakneck pace from there to the very end, filled with battles, tests of courage and endurance, as well as some magic and mystery. Wilbur Smith does a great job of adding extra twists to the story, which makes it all the more interesting. Smith's vivid language also draws the reader in, though in some scenes the action described is nauseatingly gruesome. Though this book is thick, the pages fly by in no time at all. Those who enjoyed RIVER GOD and SEVENTH SCROLL will love Warlock.
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: If you loved River God, you'll hate this novel
Review: I was so incredibly disappointed with this novel. The beauty of it's prequel River God was that it was a touching, human story (with just a touch of mysticism.) I love the book so much I have read it many, many times. In this "sequel" the author chooses to discard or ignore characters from the first novel, and instead focuses on extremely unrealistic magic. It almost made me ill to see such wonderful characters brought so low. And be warned: it was written to allow for at least one more book. I certainly will not read another book based on this rubbish. (I will however read River God again. And again.)
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: One of the best authors teamed with one of the best narrators.
I preferred this book to both River God and the Seventh Scroll.
Rating:
Summary: Didn't want it to end!
Review: Could hardly put this book down, as with all others. Love the ones about ancient Egypt.
Rating:
Summary: a bit careless by Smith...
Review: Well, I highly enjoyed "River good" as well as "the seventh scroll", but I must say that "Warlock" was a bit disappointing. This latest novel by Wilbur Smith (one of my favourite authors) clearly differs from his previous books by the seemingly lack of narrative quality. Whereas "River good" distinguished itself by the astounding account of the ancient landscape, the suspense and drama of the story and fascinating characters with charming Taita as a finishing touch, "Warlock" fails to convey a suitable continue to the story. Right from start several questions remains unanswered, and Smith seems to get out of control in the events that follows. The main character Nefer (a stereotype hero) and the other personalities are simple and boring, and Taita (now written in third person) only appears like a mysterious spirit relying on sorcery, in fact rather a supernatural ghost than man. One who has read "River good" will be missing the close and human relation to Taita that was passed on in the first volume. The compulsory villains act excessive; it felt that Trok for instance both in name and personality could as much have been taken from "Conan the barbarian" or something else in that way. The tale is interesting but predictable. One thing that felt odd and irritating was the uneven flow of events. The author builds up foundations for potential future happenings that are interrupted and forgotten, whereas many events don't fit in the context. Also, the intense focus on extreme violence and sex only seemed exaggerated and weird, it felt as if Mr Smith tries to break his boundaries and let all his fantasies out. Another thing that adds to the cheap quality of the book is the lack of knowledge on Egypt that the author is clearly showing.
Mr Smith may be a master in the art of conveying the African landscape (where he grew up) but he fails to present a true to life view of ancient Egypt, a culture of which I have a keen interest in. In the book, I didn't recognized the ancient Nile valley society at all, and the numerous Arabian expressions like zenana or chamsiin plus for the time improper names like Cambyses (a later Greek Persian name) or Mintaka (Arabian) made the story felt like it was set in a Islamic nation much later in time. Though some of the characters names are borrowed from real history, "Warlock" just feels like fantasy based on "the Arabian nights" rather than a historical novel, that "River good" actually felt more like. I don't read the story as a reference to history, but even in a fictional novel that is out to be "a novel of ancient Egypt"; the lack of correspondence with history is frustrating. I really hope that Mr Smith will follow this volume up with a much better sequel, thus repairing this otherwise wonderful suite of books about Taita and his life.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully written
Review: I have read all of the books in this series, however not exactly in order, (I read this one first and then last) I absolutely loved it. I hope there will be another one for this series.
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