River God
Ratings37
Average rating4
DNF 9%. I was looking forward to historical fiction set in ancient Egypt as it's so rarely done. Unfortunately the writing style is not for me. I found myself skimming and speed reading just to get to the meat of the story until I realized I didn't actually care for any of the characters. The best thing I read in this book was the dedication.
I don't usually write a review about a book I haven't finished, but I'm half way through it and I can't endure it anymore.
I've read my share of bad books in my life, but this is closer to a fanfic than a book, which is why I've decided to write this.
The story is about Gary Stu Taita, the slave, the most perfect man in all Egypt. By age of 30, he has mastered all known disciplines and not only does he knows everything there is to know about everything, he's also the best at anything you can think of, as he reminds you on every possible occasion.
He's the best architect, engineer, hydrologist, botanist, animal tamer, doctor (diagnostician and surgeon), chemist, painter, singer, cook, illusionist, lip reader, actor, writer, philosopher, historian, astronomer and astrologist (and I'm probably forgetting something) He's also a VERY beautiful man with a beautiful body. His only defect is that he's an eunuch :(
He befriended another perfect man, Tanus, the most perfect soldier in all Egypt. He's brave and beautiful, and his honor is beyond reproach. There isn't a single defect on this viking-looking Egyptian man.
Taita is devoted to his mistress, the most perfect woman in all Egypt. On the tender age of 14, this green-eyed, blonde Egyptian bombshell is as knowledgeable as her slave. She also has the most perfect breasts in the world (yes, the 14 years old girl's breasts are described with detail several times), is an excellent singer, dancer and actress.
Together, they'll face several challenges that they will obviously overcome easily, since they are perfect and they can do anything, so there's not much conflict throughout the story (also known as lazy writing)
The only thing that would redeem this book would've been that it was all a dream and Taita was only another slave dreaming of glory. But I skipped to the end, and no, he's perfect until the very last moment.
So to all the people who rated this book with 4 and 5 stars, are you sure you were reading this book and not another by the same name?
Not sure why I picked this one up in the first place, but it was a worthwhile read. The first 30 pages made me contemplate giving up on reading it any further as
it began to sound like a saucy romance of ancient Egyptian nature. Somewhere after the 50th page or so the plot begins to unfold and a great story of deception and devotion unravels. There are a few places where the outcome of an event is telegraphed to you but it does not take away from the suspense enough to ruin it.