“Pharaoh” by Wilbur Smith

About the book

“Pharaoh” is a novel by Wilbur Smith published in 2016.It is one of many novels by Smith about Ancient Egypt.It follows the fate of Taita, an ex-slave, who now is an Advisor and General of Tamose’s armiesand we learn about this story through his eyes.

About Wilbur Smith

Wilbur Addison Smith was born on 9 January 1933 in Rhodesia, which is an unrecognized state in Zimbabwe.He has written many other books, such as “River God”, “When The Lion Feeds”, “King of Kings”, “The Seventh Scroll”, and “Monsoon”. In 2014 he had sold more than 120 million copies worldwide.

Brief Summary

Pharaoh Tamose is mortally wounded, while the city of Luxor is surrounded by the Hyksos.The Egyptians plan to attack, although the soldiers are tired and most of them are severely wounded. Out of the blue an ally appears and slaughters the remaining forces of the Hyksos, ending this bloody and long-lasted war. Sadly Pharaoh Tamose is dead after the combat and his heir is a weak and cruel person, Utteric. He is a man of poor character and guilty of some truly unspeakable acts and even worse desires.

Now, the other son of Tamose, Rameses needs to make a decision. He can either stay loyal to his half-brother and remain in the darkness of his brother’s rule, or… He can help Taita bring balance to Egypt and not leave Egypt in darkness.

Thankfully, Rameses chooses to help Taita and they escape to Sparta.In Sparta the royal family was once part of the Egyptian royal family.With their help, Rameses and Taita go on a mission, to overthrow Utteric and then have Rameses as the new Pharaoh of Egypt.

My review

The book was great, though a substantial role for this plays the fact, that I adore ancient Greek and Egyptian history. I would recommend it, while I would suggest doing your own research about the book, because, of course, it is not everyone’s cup of tea. All in all, it is a great book, with a captivating back-story and a great character development, something that I had missed dearly.

Being a fiction story on a historical background, the book provides some unexpected events, which should be essential in today’s society. Selena and her mother are two women, with a really strong opinion, just like the men, while having the same saying in many matters, such as war and politics. This shows the real equality between the two genders, while it shows their feminine nature and the mother instincts that Tehuti has.

Apart from this, the book depicts a corrupt system in Egypt, which is crumbling due to the war and the newly enchained Pharaoh. This, of course, shows the ideals and the mentality of every character, who is on the “good” side. Every major character, except Utteric, puts the good of Egypt above themselves and they act in order to save Egypt, even with mutiny. All in all, this mirrors a situation that could happen nowadays and it reflectsupon the responsibilities that we will have as members of the society. In other words, it makes us reflect on our inner self, our true self, in order for us to become one of the leading heroes and choose our path.

Lastly, since the prequel of this book, “River God”, shows how someone can go from zero to hero with dedication, hard work and above everything else, good character, this one is the story of Taita, who was a slave and he has now become the most trusted advisor to the late Pharaoh Tamose and a general of the Egyptian army.

Δημήτριος Πατσιούρας (Β3), Πρότυπο ΓΕΛ Ευαγγελικής Σχολής Σμύρνης