This novel RIVER GOD, first published in 1993, is the lead book of a 4 part Egyptian series. His historical fiction and adventure novels have continually received high praise, maintained a strong following, and for those who were fortuitous in starting a library collection of his earlier works, provided a fairly good return on their financial investments. However, his first major novel was published in 1964 and since that time he has written over 30 additional titles with sales exceeding $65MM. Rhodesian born author Wilbur Smith is not as well known in the US as in the UK and many other countries throughout the world. Basically if Taita had not existed, Egypt would have collapsed 4000 years ago.The writing is better than the DaVinci Code, but not by much. And i shouldn't forget to mention how amazingly beautiful he is, irresistible to men and women. He is more annoying in that he's in no way modest since he's narrating, he constantly tells you how good he is at everything, not that he's trying to brag. He is amazing at everything he does and touches - writing, invention, music, invention, military strategy, architecture, sculpture, invention, painting, invention, science, weather prediction, cartography, astrology, fortune telling, invention, etc. It is full of 2-dimensional characters who never change (or change from one flat personality to another), constant deus ex machina (in the form of actual egyptian gods) and somewhat creepily sexual writing that is out of place and excessive.River God is narrated by a slave Taita, who, the way the book tells it, is the pinnacle of human life. In general the story isn't bad, but the writing made me cringe at best, and annoyed or angry at worst. I didn't hate the book, but i sure hated parts of it. A decent story about life in egypt around 2000BC is marred by hamfisted writing.

The river god series