River God [Hardcover]

Wilbur A. Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1994

A sprawling recreation of the grandeur of ancient Egypt follows the fortunes of the clever and scheming eunuch Taita; the beautiful Lostris, a lord's daughter; and Tanus, an ambitious soldier. 150,000 first printing. $150,000 ad/promo.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A bestselling writer in England but not as yet well-known here, Smith ( Elephant Song ) may attract a wider audience with this compulsively readable historical novel based on the little-known facts behind the Hyksos invasion of Egypt, circa 1780 B.C. Containing all the standard elements of great adventure--intrigue, romance, greed, cruelty and furious action--the yarn is spun by the clever eunuch Taita, who reports on events with an irony akin to a 20th-century sensibility. Taita is the slave of Egypt's scheming Grand Vizier Lord Intef, whose daughter Lostris is in love with Tanus, a young army officer whose father's demise was brought about by Intef's greed. Knowing of his daughter's love, Intef devises a plan for her to become the bride of Pharaoh Mamose. These maneuvers set the stage for the story of two warring Nile kingdoms, the arrival of the Hyksos and the ultimate exodus of the Egyptian court, now ruled by Queen Lostris. Taita is a curious creation. We know that he is clever and wise, but we don't know how he became so learned or what his country of origin is. The brilliant slave invented a system for calculating the rise and ebb of the Nile, is extremely knowledgeable in the ways of healing, improves upon the wheel and trains horses (both of which were brought to Egypt by the invading Hyksos). He is also clever enough to manipulate the Pharaoh into believing that he is the father of Prince Regent Memnon, the offspring of a forbidden tryst between Lostris and Tanus. Somehow, this doesn't ring true. At times the prose is curiously flat and juvenile (it could be Everyday Life In Ancient Egypt), but the events covered in this narrative have enough intrinsic interest to sustain the reader through to the rewarding and satisfying conclusion. An author's afterword claims that this is a rewritten version of scrolls discovered in a tomb newly opened in 1988. 150,000 first printing; $150,000 ad/promo.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Smith, whose 23 adventure yarns have sold more than 50 million copies, sets his most recent epic in civil war-torn ancient Egypt. The first print run is 150,000 copies.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 530 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; First American Edition edition (March 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312106122
• ISBN-13: 978-0312106126
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 1.7 x 6.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (280 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #42,564 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Wilbur Smith was born in Central Africa in 1933. He was educated at Michaelhouse and Rhodes University. After the successful publication of WHEN THE LION FEEDS in 1964 he became a full-time writer, and has since written 30 novels, all meticulously researched on his numerous expeditions worldwide. His books have been translated into twenty-six different languages

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

148 of 153 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bad history; Great fiction, January 7, 2000

By 

Doug Vaughn - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: River God: A Novel of Ancient Egypt (Mass Market Paperback)

One can quibble about the historical innacuracies in Smith's The River God and be a bit put off by the the lead character's propensity to be smarter than anyone else in the story, but really - is this a great story, or what? A departure for Smith, whose previous books focused almost exclusively on his native South Africa, this book deals with Egypt 4000 ago. But as typical of his novels, this one speeds along with great action and wonderful characters.

Taita, the brilliant eunuch slave who narrates the story, is an inspired creation. Larger than life while being, as a eunuch, somewhat removed from the passions that move many of the characters in the book, he is the perfect spectator/participant. He sees and understands everything and his inventions and interventions move the plot in unexpected ways. The book meanders a bit because it follows a whole life and its many turnings, but it is fascinating at every juncture.

This simply is one of the most FUN books I have read in years. Being transported to an unfamiliar time and place, and having that milieu come alive so vividly - to be able to vicariously experience the rise and fall of pharohs, cities, kingdoms, suffering and success - this is the best kind of vacation from the ordinary world we inhabit.

I highly recommend this book. It is intelligent, exciting, creative and memorable. What more could one want?

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars nmc's opinion of River God, May 12, 2000

By 

nmc (Butte, Montana, usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: River God: A Novel of Ancient Egypt (Mass Market Paperback)

River God is one the best books that I have ever read. It is a wonderful example of the imagination of Wilbur Smith. I have read three of his books so far, including the sequel to River God, and River God is the best of the three. The book is a combination of love, fear, desperation, leadership, and triumph. The main plot is the love between Lostris, the wife of the Pharoah of Egypt, and Tanus, a commander of an army of Pharoah and a trusted friend of the narrator. The story is told from the perspective of a lowly, yet loved and respected slave named Taita. His mistress is coincidentaly Lostris and he helps to maintain the love between her and Tanus. All through the book, the two lovers try to secretly share their love. The story goes on through battles not only between nations but between individuals. It is not only another "love conquers all" book with mushy, romantic love scenes, but is also a book that offers a historical perspective of ancient Egypt. It is obvious throughout the novel that the author went to great lengths to research the topic and make it sound so truthful you would think it wasn't fiction. One of the best aspects was that it held my interest more than any other book that I have ever read. I was not able to put it down. Wilbur Smith is an expert at making the reader seem that he or she is actually a character in the book. The emotions of the characters were explained wonderfully with the use of metaphors and similes. They were portrayed throughout the novel and it was as though I was actually there seeing the battles and landscape and experiencing the love and hate. I laughed and cried and just plain thouroughly enjoyed the entire book. I strongly recommend it for anyone old enough to handle detailed war scenes and love scenes.

30 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What a Great Story!, September 26, 2001

By 

"p_trabaris" (Naperville, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: River God: A Novel of Ancient Egypt (Mass Market Paperback)

River God: A Novel of Ancient Egypt by Wilbur Smith is an exciting book of adventure, love and war. Having never read any ancient Egyptian stories before I found River God to be a refreshing experience. I cannot vouch for the historical accuracy used in the story but I find that to be of lesser importance than the over-all plot. Remember this is FICTION. As a matter of fact, its pretty good fiction.

Smith paints a picture of an ancient society that is fascinating. The reader can visualize the Nile flowing in ancient Egypt and see the importance of their deities and customs. Furthermore, justice is carried out swiftly in ancient Egypt and the punishment is usually not pretty. People are routinely executed for misdeeds. As the reader is drawn into Smiths world you feel that you were part of the scenery. This is where Smith excels. This is my first book by Smith but it will not be my last.

The storys main character and narrator is the eunuch slave Taita. I will not give away the whole storybut in nut shell Taita helps his mistress the fair Lady Lostris maintain an illicit love affair with Tanus, a General in the Pharaohs army. During the course of the story Taita is beaten, starved and nearly killed by a host of enemies. Taitas old owner the evil and twisted Lord Intef (the Pharaohs Grand Vizier), desires to rule the empire. It becomes Taitas job to foil his old boss and struggle to remain alive.

Only a few times did the story lose itself. Taita is truly a Renaissance man (or person), in the book he invents a toilet, concocts a home pregnancy kit and creates penicillin-like drugs. He is a virtuoso singer, painter and writes books. He is an accomplished spy-master and maintains his own informer network. Additionally, he was awarded the Gold of Praise which is highest award given to any Egyptian citizen (even though he is a slave.) I can go on and on but you can get the picture. He was so perfect that while I was reading the story I sometimes I pitied his enemies. However, this is a minor complaint to an otherwise great story and fun read.