Warlock: A Novel of Ancient Egypt (Novels of Ancient Egypt)

by Wilbur Smith

2002

Status

Available

Publication

St. Martin's Paperbacks (2002), Edition: 1st, 704 pages

Description

After the death of his beloved Queen Lostris, Taita heads to the harsh deserts of North Africa to devote himself to a study of the occult, to become a warlock, and to fulfill his destiny to protect the dynasty of Lostris from the evil that threatens ancient Egypt.

User reviews

LibraryThing member Mendoza

Lengthy but seamlessly composed, this epic historical drama tracks a power struggle in ancient Egypt between false pharaohs and a true royal heir, evoking the cruel glories and terrible torments of the era.

Smiths writing takes you there - I was so immensed in the story and visuals I pretty much

ignored the rest of my life until I comleted the novel.

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LibraryThing member jaygheiser

Great adventure

Taita comes off as something of a proto-jedi knight

LibraryThing member solomonkane

I don't know it just felt like he was going through the motions with this one. He really nailed it with Rivergod but this didn't quite live up to those standards

LibraryThing member TheBookViewer

After the awesome Rivergod I jumped into this with great expectations. Unfortunately I was left feeling rather dissapointed. The plot seemed a little weak and the characters uninteresting, a pity, because Rivergod was just so darn good ...

LibraryThing member bcrowl399

I did not enjoy the Egyptian books by Wilbur Smith as much as the others. They were well-written and had lots of adventure, but the characters didn't thrill me the way the Courtneys did.

LibraryThing member bdtrump

I want to call this one 'Taita grows up and decides not to be the center of attention and best at everything', because that's exactly what happens here. I loved River God, but thought that it got a bit ridiculous when Taita was the best at quite literally everything. It's still present here, but

the author spends more time developing the other characters in a way that wasn't present in River God. There are definitely leaps of faith at parts, but overall a fun take on Ancient Egypt.

5/5 for a strong setting, complex characters, and tons of interwoven plot

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LibraryThing member bicyclewriter

I almost didn't read this book. I loved River God, but this one got disappointing reviews from others who loved River God. I will say that while I don't think it was nearly as good as River God, it's still a very good story, and well worth the time reading it.

I liked the first person voice of Taita

better in River God, but using this narrative form allowed the author to more easily be telling several different lines of narration at the same time, which was perfect for this story.

It got a bit slow for a bit in the second half of the book, when the detail surrounding the preparation and running of the "Red Road" was being described, but with this exception, the story kept me engaged throughout. Lots of adventure, a little magic, and great storytelling.

I'm going to stop at this one though, as the next in the series gets such universally terrible reviews. I think I will pick up and try some of Wilbur Smith's other books though, as I think he's truly a master of storytelling.

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