Very high-interest story. Even though this is a relatively long book, The author was able to maintain suspense and interest throughout. There are parts that are brutally violent, but if you can get by those the story is an enjoyable, quick read. ( )

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. ( )

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 ( )

Slow ( )

This sequel to River God has the same protagonist, the eunuch-sage Taita, but is set a generation-and-a-half after its predecessor in ancient Egypt. It has all of the drama of the first book, often in double helpings. As the title suggests, however, Taita's magic in this book is actual supernatural sorcery, instead of just cutting-edge bronze-age technology as it had been before. Now an elderly and famous figure, Taita continues in his role of mentor to Egyptian royalty and foiler of usurpations.

Author Smith writes with excellent pacing and provides vivid characters, but sometimes his prose falls a little flat. After he mentioned "the divine presence of the god," (281) I was ready to encounter "the wet presence of water." There's plenty of violence, including some bracing gore, and lots of sex (for a novel that's not really about the sex, as such).

Overall, I liked this second volume a little better than the first. The two could be read in either sequence without significant confusion or spoilers, although the first does set up the context of the Hyksos domination of lower Egypt that the second takes for granted. Since I had liked River God without being smitten with it, an extra impetus was required to get me into Warlock, in fact. That goad was provided by my recent enthusiasm for the tabletop game Kemet, and I was well-pleased to find that Warlock matched the spirit of that game quite neatly.