River God

River God: A Novel of Ancient Egypt by Wilbur Smith

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



This is compulsive reading - a novel based on the facts behind the Hyksos invasion of Egypt, around 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. 

I really enjoyed this book. Smith veers from his usual style with this book. He normally writes about his native South Africa, but with this one, he gets inside the head of an ancient eunuch in ancient Egypt. The story is thrilling, imaginative and haunting - what more can I say.

It remains one of my favourite reads.
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