Pharaoh
Written by Wilbur Smith
Narrated by Mike Grady
4/5
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About this audiobook
A thrilling new instalment in Wilbur Smith's beloved Egyptian series.
Egypt is under attack.
The ancient city of Luxor is under attack. Pharaoh Tamose lies mortally wounded. All seems lost.
Taita prepares for the enemy's final, fatal push. The ex-slave, now general of Tamose's armies, is never more ingenious than when all hope is dashed. And this is Egypt's most desperate hour.
With the timely arrival of an old ally, Taita's army repels the enemy invaders; for now at least. But upon his return to Luxor, Taita is seized and branded a traitor. Tamose is dead and a poisonous new era has begun. The new Pharaoh has risen.
Pharaoh Utteric is young, weak and cruel, and threatened by Taita's influence within the palace -- especially his friendship with Utteric's younger and worthier brother, Rameses. With Taita's imprisonment, Rameses is forced to make a choice: help Taita escape and forsake his brother, or stay silent and condone Utteric's tyranny. To a good man like Rameses, there is no choice. Taita must be set free, Utteric must be stopped and Egypt must be reclaimed.
From the glittering temples of Luxor to the Citadel of Sparta, Pharaoh is an intense and powerful novel magnificently transporting you to a time of threat, blood and glory. Master storyteller Wilbur Smith is at the very peak of his powers.
'An old-fashioned adventure ... [Wilbur's] legions of fans will demand this latest in the series in order to follow the next chapter in Taita's very long, exciting life' Booklist
Wilbur Smith
Described by Stephen King as “the best historical novelist,” WILBUR SMITH made his debut in 1964 with When the Lion Feeds and has since sold more than 125 million copies of his books worldwide and been translated into twenty-six different languages. Born in Central Africa in 1933, he now lives in London.
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Pharaoh: A Novel of Ancient Egypt Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Tiger's Prey: A Novel of Adventure Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Predator: A Crossbow Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Golden Lion: A Novel of Heroes in a Time of War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for Pharaoh
39 ratings6 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Another good, gory read by Wilbur Smith. I love the character Tatia, he makes me laugh with his grand opinions of himself. I read 'Warlock' years ago so I was familiar with Tatia and the author is consistent with his personality. A fun read, recommended.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Not too bad a read... had some good points Some good drama
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Easy read but superficial and silly plot. Not one of Wilbur Smith's better works.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I am a huge Wilbur Smith fan and buy all his books because I sometimes really enjoy an adventurous romp through time. His ancient Egypt novels are exactly that and Pharaoh follows in this gendre. Pharaoh is told in first person by Taita who is half human and half divine and a characher constant in the Egypt story.We also meet Rameses and Serrena who is to become Cleopatra.They are all larger than life.Even thought I really enjoyed "Pharaoh", I still prefer Wilbur Smith's Africa series.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Pharoah, the sixth entry in author Wilbur Smith’s Ancient Egypt historical fiction series, opens with Luxor under siege. Pharoah Tamose is mortally wounded and ex-slave Taita is now general of Egypt’s army. When he is victorious against all odds, he returns to the city as a hero but the new Pharoah, who calls himself Utteric Turo the Great sees him as a threat and declares him a traitor. Taita is imprisoned but Utteric’s brother Ramases, who is also a potential threat, manages to free Taita and the two escape to Sparta where there are both allies and family. Ramases falls in love with Serrena, daughter of King Hurotas at first sight and the feeling is reciprocated. A marriage is planned but, before it can take place, she is kidnapped by one of Utteric’s men. Soon both sides are preparing for war. This is the first book I have read by Smith in years but I didn’t find my lack of background particularly troubling here. I did find the dialogue at times stilted and the characters somewhat one-dimensional – the good guys are very very good and the bad guys, well, they’re awful. The story is narrated by Taita and, for the most part, it was fine except for his tendency to constantly boast about his skills, his prowess, his popularity, in short, pretty much everything about himself – think ancient Egyptian boastful rap lyrics.Despite this, however, I enjoyed Pharaoh quite a bit. There’s plenty of action and what is lost to the dialogue is recovered by Smith’s descriptions of both ancient Egypt and Greece. There’s war, betrayal, torture, escapes by chariot, swordfights, a bit of magic and divinity in the shape of a couple of Greek gods and their offspring, and a bit of romance. Overall, an entertaining read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Really enjoyable fast-paced romp, albeit one that plays fast and loose with Egyptian history. This is the 6th in Smith's fantasy series revolving around Taita, the long-lived adviser to a succession of Pharoahs. In this book, Taita finally sees off the Hyksos menace, but then finds himself exiled when the new Pharaoh turns out to be a capricious tyrant. Taita is forced to seek out old friends in the nascent kingdom of Sparta in order to return the throne of Egypt to the rightful heir. Smith has long since abandoned any attempt to stick to actual history and now presents a full fantasy novel loosely based around the ancient Mediterranean and with a spattering of well-known Egyptian names (Ramsses, Cleopatra) thrown in for a bit of verisimilitude. Historical purism aside, this is an entertaining read, very fast-paced and deftly handled by a masterful writer. Not going to tax your brain, but very good light reading.