Desert God

A Novel of Ancient Egypt

By: Wilbur Smith

Narrated by: Mike Grady

New York Times bestselling author Wilbur Smith—hailed by Stephen King as the “best historical novelist” and one of the world’s biggest-selling authors—returns to Ancient Egypt in this breathtaking epic that conjures the magic, mystery, romance, and bloody intrigue of a fascinating lost world.

Game of Thrones meets Ancient Egypt in this magnificent, action-packed epic. On the gleaming banks of the Nile, the brilliant Taita—slave and advisor to the Pharaoh—finds himself at the center of a vortex of passion, intrigue, and danger. His quest to destroy the Hyksos army and form an alliance with Crete takes him on an epic journey up the Nile, through Arabia and the magical city of Babylon, and across the open seas. With the future of Egypt itself on his shoulders, Taita enters a world where the line between loyalty and betrayal shifts like the desert sands, evil enemies await in the shadows, and death lingers on the edges of darkness.

Another Great Taita Story from Wilbur Smith but...

I am a huge fan of Wilbur Smith's Egypt books with The Seventh Scroll being my favorite. I was super excited to learn of this book having been left wanting more after listening to The Quest. However, I was disappointed to discover it was not a sequel but in fact a prequel to The Quest and happens sometime after the events of Warlock the 3rd of Wilbur Smith's Egyptian series. I did manage to overcome my disappointment and became absorbed in the narrative that Wilbur Smith weaved.

All said and done, it was still a W.S. Egyptian novel with all the trappings therein. Although, I would say though that this is probably my least favorite of them all. It lacks the depth and grandeur that the others have. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Was I somewhat disappointed? Yes. Now this may be due to the fact that it felt like i was taking a step backwards after the incredible events that occurred in The Quest, but I couldn't get as excited or as enthralled in this book as I had the others.

If you're new to the series, I definitely can't recommend this one as a standalone story. Do yourself a favor and go read River God or Warlock. River God is the first in the series but Warlock is a better and more engrossing narrative. Myself, I started with Warlock, then Seventh Scroll, followed by River God and then finally the Quest. Personally I find Warlock and Seventh Scroll the best of the series.

However, if you're already a fan of Wilbur Smith's writing and his other Egyptian series, then I can definitely recommend this one. While not being as epic as his others, it is still an engrossing story about Egypt and Taita, and it will not disappoint.

Fantastic history of the ancient world

this is a classic of historical fiction going back Millennia into ancient Egypt and using a eunuch demigod as its numerator. I call it fantastic because part of the tale unfolds using the Pantheon of ancient gods from various civilizations. In all it tours 4 Nations the Egyptians Hyksos Mesopotamian and minoan from Crete. While at times the choice of narrator can seem a little corny, given that he always triumphs, this is an effective device for exploration into the ancient past.

WS still thrills

A great epic story well written which brings alive the time of kings and gods - enjoyed it thoroughly

History with a good story line

What made the experience of listening to Desert God the most enjoyable?

Mr Smith made his characters seem real and gave insight as to why they were motivated and had the combo of the good and bad mixed

Who was your favorite character and why?

Well, Tata and his two princesses along with his crew.Each had a personality but poessed a sense of honor and duty

Have you listened to any of Mike Grady’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Mr Grady is a true professional in his art of story telling, he did more than justice to each of his characters

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

At the end how brave and bold each acted to save each other

Any additional comments?

Enjoyed the book a nice twist in a time and place we seldom think about

Desert God is a wonderful sequel

Would you listen to Desert God again? Why?

I would recommend reading the first books in this series before reading this one, but they are absolutely worth the read. This series is Wilbur Smith's best series.