Desert God (Ancient Egyptian Series #5)

by Wilbur Smith, Mike Grady (Read by)

Overview

Game of Thrones meets Ancient Egypt in this magnificent epic from one of the world's biggest-selling authors. Conjuring the magic, mystery, and bloody intrigue of a fascinating lost world, Desert God presents Wilbur Smith at the helm of one of the greatest stories of all time.

On the gleaming banks of the Nile, the brilliant Taita—a freed slave and advisor to the Pharaoh—devises a plan to destroy Egypt's most feared enemy, the mighty Hyksos. His quest will take him on an epic journey up the ancient river, through Arabia and the magical city of Babylon, and across the open seas—all in the company of the Pharaoh's exquisite sisters. With the future of the kingdom itself on his shoulders, Taita plunges into a world where the line between loyalty and betrayal shifts like the desert sands, evil waits in the shadows, and death lingers on the edges of darkness.

Hundreds of millions have fallen in love with the magic of Wilbur Smith. In Desert God, he is at the peak of his powers, transporting readers to an extraordinary time and place. This is a novel of supreme adventure, blazing action, heart-racing romance, and a sense of history so real that you will feel the dunes moving beneath you and the Nile lapping at your feet.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062350916
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	10/21/2014
Series:	Ancient Egyptian Series , #5
Edition description:	Unabridged
Pages:	14
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 5.70(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Wilbur Smith is one of the world's most popular novelists, with more than 125 million copies of his books sold worldwide in twenty-six languages. A native of central Africa, he divides his time between Cape Town and London.

Editorial Reviews

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

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

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

James Rollins

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

08/01/2014
Octogenarian Smith (River God) is still going strong and so is the eunuch Taita, one of his major recurring characters. The cunning Taita, an adviser to the pharaoh, is warlike and athletic, unlike his more stereotypical brethren. He sees danger for ancient Egypt from an alliance between the Minoans and the Hyksos, warlike nations that have cut off Egypt from the Mediterranean. Taita must break up the alliance and see to it that both of Egypt's enemies are defeated. VERDICT What's the recipe for commercial fiction success? Start with solid history along with plenty of action, sex, and brutal violence. Mix some mythical creatures, volcanic eruptions, and tidal waves with a dollop of true love, and the result is an entertaining adventure. Smith's fans in general and fans of Taita from the Egyptian series will be pleased.—Robert Conroy, Warren, MI

Library Journal

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