Pharaoh

May 15, 2016

Since the five novels in veteran author Smith's ancient Egypt series have sold nearly 1.5 million print copies in the United States alone, historical fiction fans will welcome the next entry. Series protagonist Taita, the Pharaoh's adviser, is up to his neck in roiling intrigue.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2016
Smith (Desert God, 2014, etc.) continues the saga of Lord Taita, loyal consigliere to Pharaoh Tamose.Sadly, as Taita drives the last of the invading Hyksos from Egypt, Tamose dies. That's troublesome for Taita because Tamose's eldest son and heir is a cowardly, hedonistic pervert who calls himself Utteric Turo the Great. Utteric fears Taita. Utteric is also wary of his own brother, Rameses, next in line for the throne. Utteric betrays them both, but after imprisonment, derring-do, and escape, Taita and Rameses sail to Greece's Bay of Githion, where they're assured support from King Hurotas. Hurotas was once Tamose's Capt. Zaras, an Egyptian officer, later persona non grata because he eloped with Tamose's sister, Princess Tehuti, after being assigned to escort her to marry Minos of Crete. Tehuti and Hurotas' beautiful daughter, Princess Serrena of Sparta, is like Taita--intelligent, possessor of warrior skills, master of a mythical blue sword with a ruby pommel--and because she was sired by Apollo, divine. Hurotas and Taita contrive alliances among multiple kings to invade Egypt and overthrow Utteric. These Egyptians seemed fascinated with Greek gods, but the novel skids into standard action territory--all swords, chariots, and magic with palace intrigue and set-piece battles. There's a Serrena-Rameses magnetic attraction but little other human drama. Smith's Taita continues to think much of himself--"my abundant charms soothed...my exquisite...protocol prevailed"--but constant self-appreciation creates an unsympathetic hero. The dialogue doesn't distract, and characters are generally all good or all bad. The bad die gruesomely while the pace, like Taita's self-regard, never slackens. A swords-and-sandals action-adventure no worse or better than the first five in Smith's Egyptian series.

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October 15, 2016
Best-selling author Smith continues his Ancient Egypt series (Desert God, 2014) and the story of long-lived warlock, trusted pharaonic adviser, and, now, military commander Taita. Having defeated the terrible Hyksos, both Taita and Egypt seem poised for better times, until barking-mad Utteric ascends to the throne and slates Taita for execution. Narrowly escaping to refuge in Greece with his old friends, King Hurotas and Queen Tehuti, Taita is dragged into intrigue and war to save the Egyptian Empire and those he holds most dear. The amount of exposition and backstory may frustrate Smith devotees, but newcomers to the series will benefit, given the novel's mythological elements and complicated character histories. This is an old-fashioned adventure, with a braggart narrator, villains evincing all the subtlety of Snidely Whiplash, beautiful kidnapped maidens, copious fight scenes, and in-the-nick-of-time saves. It's rumored that Smith no longer writes his own novels, but his legions of fans will demand this latest in the series in order to follow the next chapter in Taita's very long, exciting life.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)