misterrj's review
1.0
A hollow imitation of a great original.
I originally read and fell in love with River God nearly thirty years ago. Dazzled as I was by the depth of history, the sense of place, the carefully woven tapestry of story and character filling every page.
This has none of that. Instead reeking of cynical, profit-driven, mass production that adds nothing and takes away too much from the legacy of Wilbur Smith.
Don’t do it.
I originally read and fell in love with River God nearly thirty years ago. Dazzled as I was by the depth of history, the sense of place, the carefully woven tapestry of story and character filling every page.
This has none of that. Instead reeking of cynical, profit-driven, mass production that adds nothing and takes away too much from the legacy of Wilbur Smith.
Don’t do it.
rhour3's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
A standard sort of novel of complication, resolution, without a lot of tension or suspense. I think it ties in with one of the other novels in the series but I can't remember which one. An okay book to read.
demonkyojin's review
4.0
** This review was gathered by a snippet that was provided by BookishFirst**
I've always been fascinated with Egyptian history. Something about Ancient Egypt has just kept my attention for as long as I can remember. I search for books set in Ancient Egypt a lot and surprisingly there aren't too many. I'm so glad to have found a fiction series set in the time period! As soon as I read "A grand destiny lay ahead of him, if those higher powers were willing, and tonight he would take his first step along that road to glory." I knew I was hooked. Hui and KyKy have a friendship that I already adore. I love their dynamic, Hui being the bold and courageous one and KyKy the more cautious and apprehensive one of the duo. Not to forget Quen of course, the older brother to Hui. The 3 set out to raid a Shrike camp but what they find is a dangerous threat and a very sinister message for strangers, that only death lay ahead for them. I'm very interested in this book and this series.
I've always been fascinated with Egyptian history. Something about Ancient Egypt has just kept my attention for as long as I can remember. I search for books set in Ancient Egypt a lot and surprisingly there aren't too many. I'm so glad to have found a fiction series set in the time period! As soon as I read "A grand destiny lay ahead of him, if those higher powers were willing, and tonight he would take his first step along that road to glory." I knew I was hooked. Hui and KyKy have a friendship that I already adore. I love their dynamic, Hui being the bold and courageous one and KyKy the more cautious and apprehensive one of the duo. Not to forget Quen of course, the older brother to Hui. The 3 set out to raid a Shrike camp but what they find is a dangerous threat and a very sinister message for strangers, that only death lay ahead for them. I'm very interested in this book and this series.
daniel_ballard's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book was awesome. I was super interested from the get go. Strong beginning, solid development of characters and a somewhat satisfying ending.
ajnel's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
"The New Kingdom" (like "Titans of War"), brings in the adventures of a new protagonist into the word of Taita. Unfortunately, Hui is a polarising protagonist (unlike Taita or Piay), whose ignorance and sometimes outright stupidity, will either endear him for his youthful flaws or cause the reader to root for the so-called "bad guys". As with "Titans of War", the novel follows a clear incident-to-incident formula with a main theme loosely interweaved throughout . The adventures in "Titans" however felt better connected and more diverse than those depicted in "New Kingdom". The pace does pick up in act two but dwindles down around the climax, which again is improved on in "Titans". The writing somewhat lacks the rich descriptive elements for which the Egypt series is known, and character development is largely focused on the main protagonists. This despite, the novel does have enough adventure to it to make it a worthwhile Sunday afternoon read.
kinghawk's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
talktomegoose's review
3.0
I found this book really infuriating which is annoying, as I love Egyptian history/mythology and I really want to read more historical fiction set in this time period. The first third of the book promises a juicy and engaging story, but then the rest of it is spent with Hui zig-zagging between different loyalties and camps in order to get back to Lahun and get revenge for events that transpired earlier (yawn). If anything I really wanted him to stay with the Hyksos for the majority of the book as they were the most interesting faction that we see, and it seems like Smith is setting us up to get used to staying with them, but then he just...doesn't?
Like how is he suddenly considered one of the best generals of the Pharaoh's elite guards when we have zero reason to believe that - he's not proved himself as even halfway decent at battle strategy, let alone one of the best of the best?? Also, how much time actually passes between the start and finish of the book?? Hui is 17 (I think) at the outset, but somehow by the end he's a trusted general and skilled in combat, and I can't even remember any significant portions where Smith actually mentions time passing. If he does, it's never actually made clear how much time passed between when the book started and where it ended up. Confusion.
Honestly skimmed the final quarter of the book as I couldn't wait for it to end so I could start something else, which is a shame as I really, really wanted to like this one. I don't want to rate this any lower than 3* because there were some genuinely good moments - Smith is really good at crafting very visceral and engaging fight/battle scenes and moments of sudden action, but a bit like a generic action movie the story really starts to lull and drag as soon as these moments are over and it's more character based.
Initially rated this one 4 stars as Goodreads (frustratingly) doesn't let you do half-stars, so downgraded this from 3.5* to 3* as I can't quite bring myself to give it 4.
Like how is he suddenly considered one of the best generals of the Pharaoh's elite guards when we have zero reason to believe that - he's not proved himself as even halfway decent at battle strategy, let alone one of the best of the best?? Also, how much time actually passes between the start and finish of the book?? Hui is 17 (I think) at the outset, but somehow by the end he's a trusted general and skilled in combat, and I can't even remember any significant portions where Smith actually mentions time passing. If he does, it's never actually made clear how much time passed between when the book started and where it ended up. Confusion.
Honestly skimmed the final quarter of the book as I couldn't wait for it to end so I could start something else, which is a shame as I really, really wanted to like this one. I don't want to rate this any lower than 3* because there were some genuinely good moments - Smith is really good at crafting very visceral and engaging fight/battle scenes and moments of sudden action, but a bit like a generic action movie the story really starts to lull and drag as soon as these moments are over and it's more character based.
Initially rated this one 4 stars as Goodreads (frustratingly) doesn't let you do half-stars, so downgraded this from 3.5* to 3* as I can't quite bring myself to give it 4.
rockyrocksit's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75