j2teapot's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
A great adventure and easy to read
lordnikon's review against another edition
5.0
Stunning start to finish. Absolutely loved it. Loved it so much I'm right onto the second book already!
gkolocsar's review against another edition
3.0
Lectura de playa. Aventura, violencia, aventura, sexo y más aventura. Para pasar el rato.
straaawbs's review against another edition
5.0
How can you possibly resist a book about ancient Egyptians?
River God was a pleasure to read. At over 600 pages it still managed to keep the action flowing right until the end and it doesn't hurt that Taita is one of the sweetest and most likable characters I've come to know in a long time.
At first I wasn't too sure about this book. I bought it on a spur of the moment and didn't know what to expect from it. Taita comes across as a priss to begin with, and there is that question of how Egyptian society flourished for thousands of years without him, considering the fact that he invents just about everything. But the fact that he's a slave, and a eunuch, set him apart from the prototypical hero. He's not exactly what you'd expect from a slave, however, as he's well loved and respected and wields a good deal of power and influence. And his his being a eunuch means the book isn't filled with the gratuitous sex scenes which plague so many others of its ilk! He was lovely. Smart, resourceful, gutsy and loyal, and definitely not suffering from that irksome macho-man syndrome. He might be a bit vain, but we get to see his flaws too. And he's pretty. Don't give up if the first few pages don't grab you immediately. It should grow on you.
The action just kept coming, and it's been a while since I was so hooked on a book, constantly wanting to know what happens next. It was an epic. Seriously. I loved it. Though the writing was a little cheesy at times, but it was still readable so that's a very minor quibble. There's something for everyone in this book. There were battles, wars, murders, marriages, medical emergencies, animals, gods, births, deaths, journeys, friendships, enemies... You won't have time to get bored.
I can't vouch for the book's historical accuracy, although obviously I would expect Taita's story to be completely fabricated, but it didn't seem too far off the mark in general aspects of Egyptian life. Besides, authors are allowed to take liberties in historical fiction.
I'm not sure how quickly I'll rush on to the next books in this series, if only because I want to preserve the memory of Taita as he is in River God. But this will certainly be a re-read somewhere down the line.
River God was a pleasure to read. At over 600 pages it still managed to keep the action flowing right until the end and it doesn't hurt that Taita is one of the sweetest and most likable characters I've come to know in a long time.
At first I wasn't too sure about this book. I bought it on a spur of the moment and didn't know what to expect from it. Taita comes across as a priss to begin with, and there is that question of how Egyptian society flourished for thousands of years without him, considering the fact that he invents just about everything. But the fact that he's a slave, and a eunuch, set him apart from the prototypical hero. He's not exactly what you'd expect from a slave, however, as he's well loved and respected and wields a good deal of power and influence. And his his being a eunuch means the book isn't filled with the gratuitous sex scenes which plague so many others of its ilk! He was lovely. Smart, resourceful, gutsy and loyal, and definitely not suffering from that irksome macho-man syndrome. He might be a bit vain, but we get to see his flaws too. And he's pretty. Don't give up if the first few pages don't grab you immediately. It should grow on you.
The action just kept coming, and it's been a while since I was so hooked on a book, constantly wanting to know what happens next. It was an epic. Seriously. I loved it. Though the writing was a little cheesy at times, but it was still readable so that's a very minor quibble. There's something for everyone in this book. There were battles, wars, murders, marriages, medical emergencies, animals, gods, births, deaths, journeys, friendships, enemies... You won't have time to get bored.
I can't vouch for the book's historical accuracy, although obviously I would expect Taita's story to be completely fabricated, but it didn't seem too far off the mark in general aspects of Egyptian life. Besides, authors are allowed to take liberties in historical fiction.
I'm not sure how quickly I'll rush on to the next books in this series, if only because I want to preserve the memory of Taita as he is in River God. But this will certainly be a re-read somewhere down the line.
kezmo's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing book that grips you from the beginning to the end. This book is full of wonders and delights from ancient Egypt. The characters stories are captivating, from forbidden love to conquering quest.
Everyone needs a Taita in their life.
Everyone needs a Taita in their life.
drewanabri's review against another edition
2.0
I peaced out about four chapters in. The author first went out of his way to tell us how 14 year old girls are hotter than adults because they're so innocent and fresh, and then he just kept on lovingly describing the preteen girl's breasts and buttocks, in great detail, over and over, until I gave up.
On top of all that creepy, disgusting, what-the-hellness, the narrator just wasn't enjoyable to listen to. He reminded me of Ayla from Clan of the Cave Bear, magically somehow being super good at everything and inventing everything all the time, which got very old very quickly. It was hard to even get into the story because everything kept being interrupted for the narrator to brag about his inventions or explain the absolute basics of Ancient Egyptian culture to the reader.
I've always heard this was one of the best Ancient-Egyptian series out there, and I was super disappointed. It probably deserves a one star review, but it didn't feel fair to rate it so poorly when I hadn't finished it.
On top of all that creepy, disgusting, what-the-hellness, the narrator just wasn't enjoyable to listen to. He reminded me of Ayla from Clan of the Cave Bear, magically somehow being super good at everything and inventing everything all the time, which got very old very quickly. It was hard to even get into the story because everything kept being interrupted for the narrator to brag about his inventions or explain the absolute basics of Ancient Egyptian culture to the reader.
I've always heard this was one of the best Ancient-Egyptian series out there, and I was super disappointed. It probably deserves a one star review, but it didn't feel fair to rate it so poorly when I hadn't finished it.
kinghawk's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Spoiler
Tanus's death 😭 absolutely incredible moment between father and secret sonusbsticky's review against another edition
5.0
I must have read this book 10 times and it's one of my favorite. However, it's only one this last reading that I've found fault with it. First a synopsis:
This is a book on ancient Egypt based on history, the background is the Hyksos invasion of ancient Egypt and per the epilogue is based on actual scrolls found in an Egyptian tomb. The central character is Taita the slave. He is a brilliant engineer, artist, politician (in his own words) able to design build any structure, a master warfare technician, engineer able to build and design mechanical devices of any kind, able to draw murals, write songs, etc. He is the loyal slave to an aristocratic princess. He guides her from a young girl through the Hyksos invasion, marriage to the Pharaoh, retreat to the land of Kush and subsequent return as well as her love life. Taita makes the whole book and sets the tone of the whole book (based on the writer of the scrolls) and I think Wilbur Smith did a fantastic job of it. The whole book is a saga and is full of love, intrigue, exploration and battle.
I loved the book the first 9 times I read this. This last time however, I seemed to have developed a more critical eye. Many things are too pat and unrealistic. For some reason I seemed not to have noticed or cared before. Still as I kept reading, I fell in love with the book again like I did before. The book doesn't really end here. You have to read the sequel The 7th Scroll to really enjoy it as this book is really a 2 book set. Forget about the other 3 books in the series, they are rubbish. But if you like Wilbur Smith's books and you like ancient Egypt and sweeping sagas, I would highly recommend this one.
This is a book on ancient Egypt based on history, the background is the Hyksos invasion of ancient Egypt and per the epilogue is based on actual scrolls found in an Egyptian tomb. The central character is Taita the slave. He is a brilliant engineer, artist, politician (in his own words) able to design build any structure, a master warfare technician, engineer able to build and design mechanical devices of any kind, able to draw murals, write songs, etc. He is the loyal slave to an aristocratic princess. He guides her from a young girl through the Hyksos invasion, marriage to the Pharaoh, retreat to the land of Kush and subsequent return as well as her love life. Taita makes the whole book and sets the tone of the whole book (based on the writer of the scrolls) and I think Wilbur Smith did a fantastic job of it. The whole book is a saga and is full of love, intrigue, exploration and battle.
I loved the book the first 9 times I read this. This last time however, I seemed to have developed a more critical eye. Many things are too pat and unrealistic. For some reason I seemed not to have noticed or cared before. Still as I kept reading, I fell in love with the book again like I did before. The book doesn't really end here. You have to read the sequel The 7th Scroll to really enjoy it as this book is really a 2 book set. Forget about the other 3 books in the series, they are rubbish. But if you like Wilbur Smith's books and you like ancient Egypt and sweeping sagas, I would highly recommend this one.
greyathena's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0