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shahrun's review against another edition
3.0
I remember absolutely loving Wilbur Smith's Ancient Egypt Trilogy a few years back - so I was super excited to find the series had been expanded! That was until I actually read this. It wasn't total shite, but was sorely lacking in that Wilbur Smith Magic of the earlier page turners, that left me hungry for more.
What we have here could have been the most epic, action, adventure, dangerous and exciting story, but somehow fell short. I felt the dialogue was sometimes quite atrociously cliched, the plot lacked a bit of imagination (things were just too perfect to be believable) and there was a massive anti climax with the battle between Truth & the Lie. But then there were some interesting characters (like the Shilluk and female warriors).
I'm only so picky because when Wilbur gets it right he's so good. There are two more books in the series, I have ordered the next one and am prepaired to delve into it with an open mind. Let's hope I'm rewarded...
What we have here could have been the most epic, action, adventure, dangerous and exciting story, but somehow fell short. I felt the dialogue was sometimes quite atrociously cliched, the plot lacked a bit of imagination (things were just too perfect to be believable) and there was a massive anti climax with the battle between Truth & the Lie. But then there were some interesting characters (like the Shilluk and female warriors).
I'm only so picky because when Wilbur gets it right he's so good. There are two more books in the series, I have ordered the next one and am prepaired to delve into it with an open mind. Let's hope I'm rewarded...
amiry's review
4.0
Loved it almost as much as River God and more than Warlock. Once again, Wilbur Smith has left the story of Taita open for another chapter. And I must say that I do hope he does another novel with these characters.
alibubba's review
4.0
Despite being written by my favorite author, I had a really tough time getting into this book. By the end I was hooked, but I'm used to being grabbed and sucked in right from the start. Definitely more supernatural than the others in the River God saga, but overall, not bad.
iloveloony's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Sexist as all hell. Also some pedo shit. Common WB. :(
axelholmgren's review against another edition
2.0
My pros and cons
Pros:
-Well written.
-The most unique boss fight I have ever read.
-The plot setup is sort of intriguing.
Cons:
-The main character raises a child only to have sex with her when she has come of age.
-The plot is very slow.
-The book should have ended much earlier.
-Too many fantasy elements (I thought the book would be more rooted in reality).
-The main character is too perfect. He knows everything and loses the only physical flaw he had (his old age) at the end of the book, which makes him even more perfect.
Pros:
-Well written.
-The most unique boss fight I have ever read.
-The plot setup is sort of intriguing.
Cons:
-The main character raises a child only to have sex with her when she has come of age.
-The plot is very slow.
-The book should have ended much earlier.
-Too many fantasy elements (I thought the book would be more rooted in reality).
-The main character is too perfect. He knows everything and loses the only physical flaw he had (his old age) at the end of the book, which makes him even more perfect.
brixdan's review against another edition
1.0
I couldn't get past page 5 of this book. It opened with a big orgy scene and that took my drive to read it completely away. Guess this will be one trilogy I do not finish...
angelahayes's review against another edition
4.0
Wilbur Smith books were a familiar fixture in our household when I was growing up. As I grew older and went looking for more ‘interesting’ things to read, Mr. Smith was amongst the first ‘adult’ reads that I gravitated to. I read everything he had written up to that point, and then through the years I kept up with each new release. It had been many years since I last read one of his books, but in the past few months have found myself exploring them once more.
Wilbur Smith is one of my mother’s favourite authors, and as she has been in and out of hospital over the past 6 months, I had given her a Kindle so she would have something to read while she was in there. On the days she isn’t well enough to read for herself, I read them to her- but I also read each book she is reading, too, so she can discuss them with me in detail when I am there to visit her. It has been a great bonding experience for us, and I have enjoyed revisiting Mr. Smith’s work.
The Quest is the fourth book in the Ancient Egypt series and is a fantastic, epic, action-packed, sometimes brutal and quite graphic, adventure that has the author’s special twist on Ancient Egyptian history. There is war, plagues, catastrophes, disasters, magic, a little of the supernatural/paranormal, drama… and so much more. I have always been fascinated by Ancient Egypt, so this book/series completely enthralled me.
Mr. Smith has a great knack for writing a great suspenseful and exciting read, and even though my tastes have evolved as I have gotten older, I still really enjoyed revisiting this book/series.
So if you are a history buff, love everything Ancient Egyptian, want a book that will hold your interest and that you can immerse yourself into- then this may be the book/series for you!
Wilbur Smith is one of my mother’s favourite authors, and as she has been in and out of hospital over the past 6 months, I had given her a Kindle so she would have something to read while she was in there. On the days she isn’t well enough to read for herself, I read them to her- but I also read each book she is reading, too, so she can discuss them with me in detail when I am there to visit her. It has been a great bonding experience for us, and I have enjoyed revisiting Mr. Smith’s work.
The Quest is the fourth book in the Ancient Egypt series and is a fantastic, epic, action-packed, sometimes brutal and quite graphic, adventure that has the author’s special twist on Ancient Egyptian history. There is war, plagues, catastrophes, disasters, magic, a little of the supernatural/paranormal, drama… and so much more. I have always been fascinated by Ancient Egypt, so this book/series completely enthralled me.
Mr. Smith has a great knack for writing a great suspenseful and exciting read, and even though my tastes have evolved as I have gotten older, I still really enjoyed revisiting this book/series.
So if you are a history buff, love everything Ancient Egyptian, want a book that will hold your interest and that you can immerse yourself into- then this may be the book/series for you!
readwithbells's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-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
Please do not read this book.
Without addressing the tonal inconsistencies, the convenient plot tropes, or the gratuitous violence, the story of The Quest defaults to an old man grooming a child for sex. I don’t know who approved this and I will be hesitant to read more Wilbur Smith in the future. Taita resolves the story by raping two different women - something that is completely irredeemable. He winds up BECOMING the goddess he hoped to destroy and yet is praised as a hero, and there is no rhetoric in the novel that suggests we should see anything evil in his actions.
The ending is boring and cookie-cutter, the resurrection of Lostris is uncomfortable at best, and Taita is no hero.
If you are going to read any of these books, stick to River God and Seventh Scroll. They are the purest form of the Ancient Egypt series and the ones that follow are a bastardization of the original characters and not worth your time.
Without addressing the tonal inconsistencies, the convenient plot tropes, or the gratuitous violence, the story of The Quest defaults to an old man grooming a child for sex. I don’t know who approved this and I will be hesitant to read more Wilbur Smith in the future.
The ending is boring and cookie-cutter, the resurrection of Lostris is uncomfortable at best, and Taita is no hero.
If you are going to read any of these books, stick to River God and Seventh Scroll. They are the purest form of the Ancient Egypt series and the ones that follow are a bastardization of the original characters and not worth your time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, and War
Also includes heavy overtones of child grooming without awareness by the authorlisa_setepenre's review against another edition
2.0
Wilbur Smith knows how to tell a damn good story.
Unfortunately, The Quest wasn't a story I particularly wanted to read.
I just feel like it's disappointing. I'm not a big Wilbur Smith reader. I read the first books in his Ancient Egypt series eight years ago, so it may be that I'm older and more critical, or it could eb that Smith's writing has gone downhill. I'm tempted to say it's the latter, as my father (who has read every book of Smith's) has expressed the same opinion.
I side-eyed a lot of things – the plot, the characters, the morals of Taita – and still, to Smith's credit, I was able to get swept up in the story.
Unfortunately, The Quest wasn't a story I particularly wanted to read.
I just feel like it's disappointing. I'm not a big Wilbur Smith reader. I read the first books in his Ancient Egypt series eight years ago, so it may be that I'm older and more critical, or it could eb that Smith's writing has gone downhill. I'm tempted to say it's the latter, as my father (who has read every book of Smith's) has expressed the same opinion.
I side-eyed a lot of things – the plot, the characters, the morals of Taita – and still, to Smith's credit, I was able to get swept up in the story.
macindog's review against another edition
3.0
Another entertaining installment in the Taita saga, which takes our hero South into deepest Africa in search of a witch who is trying to destroy his beloved Egypt.
It's a well crafted tale, if a bit predictable, and an entertaining enough read although Taita, as ever, is a wee bit too good to be true. Maybe just too good here though as Smith has elevated him to almost Godhood in this story.
It's a well crafted tale, if a bit predictable, and an entertaining enough read although Taita, as ever, is a wee bit too good to be true. Maybe just too good here though as Smith has elevated him to almost Godhood in this story.