Desert God (Ancient Egyptian Series #5)

by Wilbur Smith

Overview

Taita the fusspot slave, spiritual wiseman and advisor to the Pharaoh is caught in a maelstrom of passion and danger in his efforts to destroy the Hyksos army by forming a dubious alliance with Crete.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062276575
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	07/28/2015
Series:	Ancient Egyptian Series , #5
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	592
Sales rank:	477,754
Product dimensions:	4.20(w) x 7.40(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Described by Stephen King as “the best historical novelist,” WILBUR SMITH made his debut in 1964 with When the Lion Feeds and has since sold more than 125 million copies of his books worldwide and been translated into twenty-six different languages. Born in Central Africa in 1933, he now lives in London.

Editorial Reviews

Best Historical Novelist—I say Wilbur Smith...You can get lost in Wilbur Smith and misplace all of August.

Stephen King

A rich, compelling look back in time [to] when history and myth intermingled.

San Francisco Chronicle on River God

Here is a story as mgical as it is enlightening—not just about history, but about the heart of a heroic man.

James Rollins

08/04/2014
Popular historical novelist Smith spins his latest yarn about ancient Egypt (after The Quest), once again focusing on the eunuch Taita—a slave turned close advisor and confidante to Pharaoh Tamose. Smith is a masterful storyteller, carefully blending intrigue, action, and suspense on a solid foundation of history. In this case, he depicts Egypt in the 16th century B.C.E., when the country was struggling to repel the invading Hyksos people. Taita convinces the pharaoh to seek an alliance with Sumeria and Crete, but before this can be accomplished, the Egyptians must break the secret alliance between the Hyksos and the Cretans. To do this, Taita takes the two royal princesses, Tehuti and Bekatha, to Crete’s ruler, the Supreme Minos, and offers them in marriage. The journey is marked by bandit attacks, kidnapping, desert pursuit, betrayal, and vicious fighting. Moreover, Taita, who loves the princesses as if they were his own daughters, becomes concerned that their arranged wedding to the Cretan king will end in disaster after Tehuti reveals a dangerous secret to him. Add pirates, chariot racing, and large-scale natural disasters, and the result is a graphic, gory, and exciting tale of ancient conflict and intrigue. Agent: Kevin Conroy Scott, Tibor Jones. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Wilbur Smith: “One of the world’s most popular adventure writers.” — Washington Post Book World

“Wilbur Smith is one of those benchmarks against whom others are compared.” — The Times (London)

“Best Historical Novelist—I say Wilbur Smith...You can get lost in Wilbur Smith and misplace all of August.” — Stephen King

“A rich, compelling look back in time [to] when history and myth intermingled.” — San Francisco Chronicle on River God

“This old-fashioned adventure novel keeps the reader enthralled all the way to its very exciting conclusion.” — Washington Post Book World on The Seventh Scroll

“Here is a story as mgical as it is enlightening—not just about history, but about the heart of a heroic man.” — James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author of The 6th Extinction

“Smith is a masterful storyteller, carefully blending intrigue, action, and suspense on a solid foundation of history...Add pirates, chariot racing, and large-scale natural disasters, and the result is a graphic, gory, and exciting tale of ancient conflict and intrigue.” — Publishers Weekly

“What’s the recipe for commercial fiction success? Start with solid history along with plenty of action, sex, and brutal violence...Smith’s fans in general and fans of Taita from the Egyptian series will be pleased.” — Library Journal

From the Publisher

This old-fashioned adventure novel keeps the reader enthralled all the way to its very exciting conclusion.

Washington Post Book World on The Seventh Scroll

Wilbur Smith is one of those benchmarks against whom others are compared.

The Times (London)

Praise for Wilbur Smith: “One of the world’s most popular adventure writers.

Washington Post Book World

2014-07-23
Delving again into ancient history, Smith (Vicious Circle, 2013, etc.) returns to the adventures of Taita, first a slave and then diplomat-warrior for pharaohs.From a Thebes redoubt, young Pharaoh Tamose rules part of a divided Egypt. Hykos invaders control the lower Nile. Tamose, however, has a secret weapon: the eunuch former slave, Taita, a polymath genius. To reclaim lost land, Tamose, with Taita carrying the emblem of absolute authority (the royal hawk seal), must form alliances with King Nimrod of Babylon and the Supreme Minos of Crete. First, Taita leads a false-flag raid on the Hykos' Mediterranean fort of Tamiat, looting a treasure of silver ingots. Next comes a cross-desert trek to Babylon, all thirst and duplicitous Bedouins. Along the way, Taita loses his battle to preserve the virginity of the pharaoh's nubile sisters, Tehuti and Bekatha, meant as brides for the Supreme Minos of Crete, meaning sure diplomatic complications. Finally, amid sea battles and barbaric rituals involving giant aurochs, Taita, guided by visions of the goddess Ishtar, secures the alliance, an arduous undertaking because "the Minoans in general were a sullen and difficult people, and extremely hostile towards strangers and foreigners." Taita serves Tamose well and becomes "a nobleman and a member of my inner council," but as a protagonist, Taita is a one-note hero: constantly self-congratulatory, too inevitably right, too sure to survive. Smith, in fact, tends to write characters as uniformly good or bad. In a narrative that often seems rushed, key elements are covered by quick exposition to accelerate the plot, as when Mount Cronus erupts and Taita rescues Tehuti and Bekatha. However, there's also much action, battles and gore, and sufficient particulars of landscapes and people, food and drink to satisfy history buffs.With Minoan civilization destroyed by the eruption, Taita routs the Hykos, albeit still in perilous control of lower Egypt, which suggests Smith's eunuch/warrior/statesman has another adventure in store.

Kirkus Reviews