Book Review River God by Wilbur Smith

Of the three books we were asked to read, I chose River God by Wilbur Smith. This book was published in 1993 and comes in at approx. 644 pages. Wow! Quite a read. I found out later that this book is the first of four ‘Egyptian Series’ books written by Smith. The setting of the story is ancient Egypt and follows the life of the main character Taita written in a first-person perspective.

I chose this book because it focuses solely on ancient Egypt and the lives of ancient Egyptians.

I find learning about Egypt to be very fascinating. This book was a difficult read because of its length although I decided to purchase an audiobook which helped the process and my comprehension level significantly. It goes without saying that the blend of both historical and fictional content keeps you interested in the story. The plot spans over the course of 25 years from start to finish wish gives you a clear understanding of the lives of these characters.

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I really liked the main character, Taita. Wilbur Smith writes this character up to be arrogant, but likable. I would say that he’s a little too clever at some points in the story. Still, Taita is quite a personality in his own right and manages to carry the story.

Taita is a slave, but because he is so knowledgeable and skillful he is informed by his master, Lord Intef,, that he will be put in charge of his daughter, Lostris. The book focuses mostly on the chronicles of Taita’s life as a slave to Lord Intef, who should be mentioned is second only to the Pharaoh of Egypt.

It also focuses a great deal on the forbidden love between Taita and Lostris. Lostris becomes the first of Pharaohs' wives. She later gives birth to a son and the pharaoh is not the father. This is where things start to get interesting as we see the characters desperately trying to cover this up as it would devastating to all involved if this information was leaked. The plot of the book is well constructed despite the fact that it feels as though it goes beyond the bounds of a story.

Egypt, at this particular time, is considered to be the most “civilized” and “advanced” nation in the world even though they are still behind in terms of technology and insist on the worship of the Egyptian gods and goddesses. At one point in the story, the Hyksos invaded Egypt equipped with horses, chariots, and bows which worked easily to defeat the Egyptians, driving them out. In turn, Egypt is overwhelmed and surrenders. They are very clearly intimidated by the introduction of this new technology. Taita becomes fascinated by these advances in technology and works to improve upon these concepts. All and all, I think this is an interesting novel that gives more of a story and somewhat of a history lesson as some things that happen in the story are historically accurate such as the previously mentioned invasion of the Hyksos. Most of the book, however, is fiction and far-fetched. Still, it is interesting to recognize the parts of this story that are true. While reading this book you get attached to these characters because you get to know them and watch the development of their lives throughout the story.

The characters of the story are very vibrant and the danger that threatens them keeps you on the edge of your seat. Your emotions may even be stirred as you watch some of the characters that you come to know so well meet their untimely demise. My favorite thing about this book was the main character as I thought he was very well written and somewhat believable for this time. I also very much liked, for the sake of reading this for a history class, was that it mentioned true historical events in detail. This event was even discussed further in class which made the story even more enjoyable. My least favorite thing about this book is the length as it seemed to be dragging out at times. The battle scenes went on for far too long. I would not recommend this book for anyone under the age of 18 as it deals with some sexual explicitness. Mostly concerning Intef’s sexual interest in young boys which albeit not uncommon for an ancient ruler of the time, is disturbing nonetheless. I would give this book a 4 out of 5 and recommend that you read along to an audiobook like I did as it very much helps me visualize the story and keep a steady flow.