Desert God
 Hardcover edition | |
| Author | Wilbur Smith |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | The 'Egyptian' novels |
| Genre | Fiction |
| Publisher | William Morrow and Company |
Publication date | October 21, 2014 |
| Media type | Print, e-book, audiobook |
| Pages | 424 pp. |
| ISBN | 978-0062276452 |
| Preceded by | The Quest |
Desert God is a novel by author Wilbur Smith first published in 2014. It is part of a series of novels by Smith set to Ancient Egypt and follows the fate of the Egyptian Kingdom through the eyes of Taita, a multi-talented and highly skilled eunuch slave.
Plot summary
From a Thebes redoubt, young Pharaoh Tamose rules part of a divided Egypt. Hykos invaders control the lower Nile. Tamose, however, has a secret weapon: the eunuch former slave, Taita, a polymath genius. To reclaim lost land, Tamose, with Taita carrying the emblem of absolute authority (the royal hawk seal), must form alliances with King Nimrod of Babylon and the Supreme Minos of Crete. First, Taita leads a false-flag raid on the Hykos’ Mediterranean fort of Tamiat, looting a treasure of silver ingots. Next comes a cross-desert trek to Babylon, all thirst and duplicitous Bedouins. Along the way, Taita loses his battle to preserve the virginity of the pharaoh’s nubile sisters, Tehuti and Bekatha, meant as brides for the Supreme Minos of Crete, meaning sure diplomatic complications. Finally, amid sea battles and barbaric rituals involving giant aurochs, Taita, guided by visions of the goddess Ishtar, secures the alliance, an arduous undertaking because "the Minoans in general were a sullen and difficult people, and extremely hostile towards strangers and foreigners." Taita serves Tamose well and becomes "a nobleman and a member of my inner council," but as a protagonist, Taita is a one-note hero: constantly self-congratulatory, too inevitably right, too sure to survive. Smith, in fact, tends to write characters as uniformly good or bad. In a narrative that often seems rushed, key elements are covered by quick exposition to accelerate the plot, as when Mount Cronus erupts and Taita rescues Tehuti and Bekatha. However, there’s also much action, battles and gore, and sufficient particulars of landscapes and people, food and drink to satisfy history buffs. With Minoan civilization destroyed by the eruption, Taita routs the Hykos, albeit still in perilous control of lower Egypt.
Character
- Taita - the genial slave who is the narrator of this story.
- Memnon - son of Lostris and Tanus, but presumed to be son of Pharaoh.
- Tehuti - elder daughter of Lostris and Tanus.
- Bekatha- younger daughter of Lostris and Tanus.
- Zaras - the Captain of the Blue Crocodile division of Royal Guards. lover of Tehuti.