River God (The Egyptian Series Book 1) by Wilbur Smith

Book Blurb

IN THE LAND OF GOLD
WHERE THE WEAK PHARAOH RULES
A NEW CIVILISATION WILL BE BORN

Taita is a humble slave; an expert in art, poetry, medicine and engineering, as well as the keeper of important secrets. He is the most treasured possession of Lord Intef. Yet when Intef’s beautiful daughter Lostris is married to the Pharaoh, Taita is commanded to follow her, and swiftly finds himself deeper than he ever could have imagined in a world of deception and treachery. But outside the palace, the great kingdom of Egypt is divided, and in even greater danger. Enemies threaten on all sides, and only Taita holds the power to save them all . . .

My Review

Wilbur Smith is a name nearly all of us will have come across in the world of books, he has written over fifty books. I have to admit knowing of him but I have never read any of his books until now, thanks to Zaffre and Tracy Fenton. I have had a life long fascination of classical civilisations with Egypt being one of my favourites, so when I found out he had written a series of books set in ancient Egypt I was really excited. River God is the first in an eight book series that was inspired by the discovery of a Tomb of an unknown Queen dating from 1780BC. This was a turbulant time in Egypt’s history, with Two Kingdoms fighting for control. This makes the perfect backdrop for a novel that has battles, political intrigue, corruption, and a love triangle.

The central character in River God is Taita, a slave in the house of the cruel Lord Intef, who is held in high esteem by the Pharaoh. He is eunach after being gelded at as a teenager as a punishment for falling in love with a slave girl. However, he has a high place in the household, he is highly intelligent, a scribe, an architect, medic, seen as a brother to the other young slaves and given the responsibility of educating and taking care of Lord Intef’s daughter Loris. I really liked Taita as a character, I had sympathy for the horrors infilicted on him at the hands of Lord Intef, but it was his intelligence, loyalty to Loris and his warm and witty personality that I was drawn to. Whilst he is the main character, Lorn Intef’s daughter Loris and Tanus and officer of the Pharaoh’s elite guard are also major characters. Loris is only fourteen at the start of this book, and like Taita is intelligent, single minded and kind and caring. Her father marries her off to the Pharaoh, and it is Taita she takes with her for protection and as an intermediary between Loris and her true love Tanus. I enjoyed Loris’s story, how she matured, accepted her role, even if she played it to her advantage giving her power. All of the amazing characters in this book are beautifully drawn with a depth to their characters that make them feel real, both the good and the bad, they were in full technicolour to me.

I love my historical fiction, and River God is one of the most impressive books I have ever read. The historical and fictional detail is amazing, so much so that it took me longer than usual to read as I didn’t want to miss anything it was that good. What impressed me most was the social, cultural and political details; the medical knowledge of the period, how they used the Nile for irrigation, the architectural knowledge, the building of a tomb the flora and fauna of the period. I was able to visualise, and feel I was part of the story and landscape, it really made me wish I could have been there and seen it in reality. There are a lot of battle scenes in this book, described in minute detail in both strategy and fighting detail that can be a bit gory in parts, but it is true to the time period. The writing is masterful, it is fast moving and has so many different layers to it that make it such an all encompassing read.

River God is a simply stunning reading experience, that is a feast for the senses with graphic and colourful prose. With its layers of political intrigue, secrets, corruption, and a love triangle there is so much to keep your attention, and add into this the wonderful characters you really do have a perfect novel. I found this to be an an all encompassing read, and one I didn’t want to end, I’m so excited that I have another seven books to read. If you haven’t tried Wilbur Smith, then I highly recommend you do as this is such a impressive read.

I would like to thatnk Zaffre Books and Tracy Fenton of Compulsive Readers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for my honest review.