Egyptian Glory. Review on Warlock - Wilbur Smith

Wilbur Smith is a celebrated South Africa based author having many Bestsellers to his credit. Some include When the Lion Feeds, A Sparrow Falls, River God, The Dark of the Sun, Evil in the Sky and many more. His books are generally Africa based and he has a series on the Courteney Family. His Novels are a heady mixture of exotic locales , intrigue , action and a little erotica. River God was a book that has got him into writing more on the ancient Egyptian Civilization based stories. .

When Archeologists stumbled across a cave during one of their expeditions they found an ancient tomb. When one of the workers accidentally fell on a false wall , many alabaster jars were revealed which contained papyrus. This was regarding an ancient story almost a diary by a person called Taita. Translation of the papyrus and a gentle weaving of the story into a fiction was River God. Wilbur Smith continued from there as he got an idea of a civilization based fiction , then there was Warlock.

The Background

The Richness , the believable Egypt lands, the escapades, the story , the pace of the book hooks you on like marijuana locks a druggist to its embrace. The story almost continues from River God. Here is the background of River God. Taita is a Eunuch , a converted Eunuch , the dastardly act done by his master when he dared to love. He is all forgiving and has special powers, he has excellent knowledge in Medicine, Astrology, and the alike, all in all a wonderful Strategist. He is a great friend of his Master’s Daughter Losiris who is in love with the General Tanus. Unfortunately she is wedded off to the Pharaoh but carries the child of Tanus. River God continues thus and ends in the death of Queen Losiris and Tanus and how Taita now spends his life caring about the new Pharoah and Queen Losiris’s Son and has transformed himself into a Hermit and studies the occult and has become …the WARLOCK.

The Story

Nefer Seti is fourteen years old and is a good friend of Taita. His father the Pharaoh and son of Losiris is killed by the Egyptian General who is half Egyptian and half Hyskosian. He is now forced to be the pharaoh of Egypt but under the watchful eyes of the Regent who is the Egyptian General. A truce is tried with the Hyskos and Nefer seti falls in love with Mintaka the Hyskosian princess.

But this sweet dream plan falls into trouble and Mintaka finds herself married to Trok the General and now Pharaoh of the Hyskosian part of Egypt. What happens to our Young Prince … will he find his betrothed Mintaka again.

Will Taita the Warlock help the Prince, can the 200 year old Warlock still weave his charm and strategy.

The story is filled with Ancient Egyptian Cities and Tales. Chariot battles are galore and so are Sword fights and mystery intrigue , the occult , divine intervention.

The Verdict

Superb is the Verdict , nothing short of brilliance. The Book is just irresistible, I had to finish the book once I started it. The book is not small spanning around 600 pages filled with vivid descriptions of Ancient Egypt. The way the story unfolds , one can feel he is with Taita and Egypt and holds you like the eyes of the cobra Hypnotizes you … Go ahead and get your copy !!!