Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Smith, in full force and robust form, returns to ancient Egypt, where, in the spectacularly successful River God (1994), he explored in luxurious detail a society about which he could demonstrate scholarly knowledge and by which he could display his taste and talent for dramatic storytelling. His sequel to that splendidly rich novel once again brings readers into the life of Taita, slave and advisor of Pharaoh Tamose, who, in this installment of his story, perceives the necessity (and the need to convince Pharaoh of the correctness of his convictions) of forming an alliance with Crete to defeat the dreaded Hyksos, who have driven the Egyptians from their native lands. Once Pharaoh is behind him, Taita leads an expedition with a complicated diplomatic purpose: to turn the Hyskos against the Cretans, a situation that can only benefit the Egyptians. Smith presents a wide canvas on which to execute what he does best, marshaling a wealth of details about geography, military materials, sociology, politics, and religion for a narrative he serves up in a style the reader will appreciate as both careful and easy. As always, Smith is a delight to read. High-Demand Backstory: A wide distribution of ARCs will match a national ad campaign in bringing the reading world's attention to Smith's latest great read.--Hooper, Brad Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
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.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
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 (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
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. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
