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pemdas97's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
paul_gallagher's review against another edition
1.0
OK - perhaps because it was a very bad abridgement I listened to on audible - I had to stop reading before I puked.
The plot was farcical, the story-telling clumsy, and the writing uninspired.
Which is all very disappointing, since I really enjoyed River Gods, and had decided to continue the series with the same high expectations.
The plot was farcical, the story-telling clumsy, and the writing uninspired.
Which is all very disappointing, since I really enjoyed River Gods, and had decided to continue the series with the same high expectations.
noryka12's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
mepresley's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I was definitely surprised that this book doesn't continue with Taita as narrator / take place in ancient Egypt. Instead, we begin with Duraid and Royan, two Egyptologists who work at a museum. I was in no way tired of Taita, but I found myself delighted at the unexpected change of framing.
The Seventh Scroll was packed with action and tension. I enjoyed the moral ambiguity of the protagonists and their project. I also really liked having multiple villains-- Boris, Col. Nogo, Jake, von Schiller, Nahoot.
I loved the concept of Nichalas and Royan playing bao with Taita across 4000 years and was super amused at the meta stuff about River God and Wilbur Smith.
I didn't really care for the apparently obligatory romance plotline between Nicholas & Royan. It did make it much more impactful when they betrayed each other, though.
I also ultimately found that even with my willingness to suspend disbelief, I wanted to roll my eyes at several moments, particularly when Nicholas got swept down the Nile again and when there was a second hand-to-hand battle to the death between two men in the Nile.
And for such a dark book, it was a little disappointing to get a sort of fairy tale ending, where all the "good" guys win everything they've ever wanted, and all the "bad" guys are punished with violent death.
The Seventh Scroll was packed with action and tension. I enjoyed the moral ambiguity of the protagonists and their project. I also really liked having multiple villains--
I loved the concept of Nichalas and Royan playing
I didn't really care for the apparently obligatory
I also ultimately found that even with my willingness to suspend disbelief,
And for such a dark book, it was a little disappointing
daniela_g's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-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
2.5
topdragon's review against another edition
4.0
"The Seventh Scroll", by Wilbur Smith is the follow-up to "River God", one of the best historical novels I have read in a very long time. "The Seventh Scroll" was meant to be read after "River God" but it is not exactly a sequel. It actually takes place in the present day with a couple of archeologist types who are out to discover the hidden tombs that were depicted in the first book. What an intriguing concept! What we got to live through before is now seen through the eyes of history, including all the distortions of history that are bound to happen. Afterall, what we assume to be true through archeological research isn't necessarily the way it really happened.
The author does another intriguing thing in this book. He inserts himself into his own fiction, having a main character refer to Wilbur Smith as having authored the fictional "River God" from information uncovered in the first 6 scrolls found in the tomb. Of course it is the 7th scroll that the characters are after in this second book. This leads to some funny moments as the two main protagonists argue about just how accurate Wilbur Smith was in the first book; one of them goes so far as to dismiss Mr Smith as a hack writer who changes the historical record in order to include more sex and violence. It's a twisted loop whereby an author actually negatively critques his own work...I guess you have to be pretty secure in your own writing career to do that. Regardless, it works wonderfully here.
The book itself was only slightly less enjoyable than the first. When you get right down to it, this is a pretty straight forward adventure/treasure hunting story along the likes of "Romancing the Stone". But Wilbur Smith is an outstanding writer who has a knack for making you read just a little more and then still more despite any deadlines you may have to deal with. You know the two main characters will hook up by the end but it's not predictable how that happens. The dangerous scenes in the book are really dangerous and the suspense is spot on. As for historical accuracy...everything sure seemed to be accurate based on my limited knowledge of ancient Egypt and my trip to that country a few years ago. I hadn't planned on reading this series this year but now I am already looking forward to the third book, "Warlock", where we get to return to the ancient times and see what happens next!
The author does another intriguing thing in this book. He inserts himself into his own fiction, having a main character refer to Wilbur Smith as having authored the fictional "River God" from information uncovered in the first 6 scrolls found in the tomb. Of course it is the 7th scroll that the characters are after in this second book. This leads to some funny moments as the two main protagonists argue about just how accurate Wilbur Smith was in the first book; one of them goes so far as to dismiss Mr Smith as a hack writer who changes the historical record in order to include more sex and violence. It's a twisted loop whereby an author actually negatively critques his own work...I guess you have to be pretty secure in your own writing career to do that. Regardless, it works wonderfully here.
The book itself was only slightly less enjoyable than the first. When you get right down to it, this is a pretty straight forward adventure/treasure hunting story along the likes of "Romancing the Stone". But Wilbur Smith is an outstanding writer who has a knack for making you read just a little more and then still more despite any deadlines you may have to deal with. You know the two main characters will hook up by the end but it's not predictable how that happens. The dangerous scenes in the book are really dangerous and the suspense is spot on. As for historical accuracy...everything sure seemed to be accurate based on my limited knowledge of ancient Egypt and my trip to that country a few years ago. I hadn't planned on reading this series this year but now I am already looking forward to the third book, "Warlock", where we get to return to the ancient times and see what happens next!
firefly8041's review against another edition
1.0
Gave up around 150 pages in. Couldn't hold my interest. When he inserted himself as a character in the book for the second time, I'd had enough - ridiculous! The basic plot was interesting, but I found the writing style boring and overly formal (eg barely any contractions in speech). It read as very dated, which isn't always a bad thing, but in this case it was. Edit: I just checked the release date, and this wasn't written nearly as long ago as I had guessed.
kcoleman's review against another edition
5.0
This was my first Wilbur Smith book! I am hooked! What a intense and beautiful story! Very vivid!
adrichem's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
its_a_ryan_thing's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75