Maybe Smith could have gotten readers to accept Taita had he spent more time on the character- or rather, on more than just a surface view of his personality. To hear him tell it, he is single-handedly responsible for most of the rise of the Egyptian empire, although he keeps such facts between himself and the reader. He's too sure of himself for the reader to relate pats himself on the back every chance he gets.

Taita serves Tamose well and becomes 'a nobleman and a member of my inner council,' but as a protagonist, Taita is as boring as the book tries to be interesting. The book spares no opportunity to give gory and graphic details in order to titillate the reader's senses. Their hair-raising journey is seasoned by incidents of kidnapping, fierce battles, betrayal and encounters with bandits for good measure. To do this, Taita takes the two royal princesses, Tehuti and Bekatha, to Crete's ruler, the Supreme Minos, and offers them in marriage. 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. Smith, being a masterful story-teller, spins well-blended yarn with threads of intrigue, action and suspense set in 16th century BC Egypt at a time when the country was struggling to repel the invading Hyksos people. The book focuses on the eunuch Taita-who was first a slave and worked his way up to become a close advisor and confidante to the Pharaoh Tamose. Smith- a master weaver of historical fiction-transports the readers once again to 16th Century BC Egypt, with all its intricate politics and casual treachery.

River god book review