The Quest (Ancient Egyptian Series #4)

by Wilbur Smith

Overview

The fourth book in the epic Egyptian series

The fourth book in the epic Egyptian series 'She is omnivorous. No matter age or appearance, physical frailty or imperfection. It is not their flesh that feeds her appetites, but their souls. she devours the young and old, men and women. She leaves only a desiccated husk.' An unspeakable evil. An impossible gift. Renowned magus Taita is now over a hundred years old, and has ascended to a new level of wisdom and understanding about his world. But he must prepare himself for the greatest threat Egypt has ever faced: the great plagues and the fair of the Nile, brought about by the fire witch Eos, an ancient force of sheer evil. Taita must risk his soul to battle against Eos, or his homeland and everything he has ever loved will be lost forever. But there are other reasons for Taita to fight — since success could also mean rewards he could never have thought possible...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781499861082
Publisher:	Bonnier Zaffre
Publication date:	06/05/2018
Series:	Ancient Egyptian Series , #4
Edition description:	Reissue
Pages:	644
Sales rank:	221,092
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Wilbur Smith was born in Central Africa in 1933. He became a full-time writer in 1964 following the success of When the Lion Feeds, and has since published over fifty global bestsellers, including the Courtney Series, the Ballantyne Series, the Egyptian Series, the Hector Cross Series and many successful standalone novels, all meticulously researched on his numerous expeditions worldwide. An international phenomenon, his readership built up over fifty-five years of writing, establishing him as one of the most successful and impressive brand authors in the world.
The establishment of the Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation in 2015 cemented Wilbur's passion for empowering writers, promoting literacy and advancing adventure writing as a genre. The foundation's flagship programme is the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize.

Wilbur Smith passed away peacefully at home in 2021 with his wife, Niso, by his side, leaving behind him a rich treasure-trove of novels and stories that will delight readers for years to come. For all the latest information on Wilbur Smith's writing visit www.wilbursmithbooks.com or facebook.com/WilburSmith

Editorial Reviews

Fans of bestseller Smith's ancient Egyptian series will welcome the fourth book in the saga, which picks up where Warlock(2001) left off. The powerful magus Taita and his loyal ally, Col. Meren Cambyses, have returned to Egypt after a journey of many years only to find the country beset by a series of plagues that include giant flesh-eating toads and river water turned to blood. Pharaoh Nefer Seti asks the pair to find—and eliminate—the source of his country's torment, a mission that sends Taita and Meren on a perilous quest in which they must contend with fierce creatures both natural and supernatural. Once again Smith deftly blends history, fantasy and mythology, but newcomers should be prepared for grisly deaths and mutilations. 225,000 printing.(May)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

Publishers Weekly

Smith brings back the warlock Taita, who finds bad news when he's compelled by the pharaoh to discover why the Nile has failed. Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

A perceptive Egyptian eunuch who starred in Smith's 1994 River God returns, 100 years older and wiser, ready to take on the stinking bitch goddess who has brought ruin to Egypt. The Egyptian magus Taita, castrated more than a century previously at the peak of his virility, has traveled to the Indian subcontinent with his trusty younger companion, Meren, seeking new wisdom. Undergoing a ghastly operation at the hands of a lady colleague, Taita acquires a handy second sight that lets him see the auras we all throw off, radiances that tell whether we're straight shooters or lying dogs. On the way back to Egypt, Taita and Meren team up with Demeter, a savant even older and wiser than Taitu, who has a whale of a story for them. It seems that an ancient she-devil, who's taken the name of Eos, is gunning for them. She's a liar. She can change herself into anything, and she can suck the goodness right out of you while you are having sex with her. When the two wise men and Meren finally reach Egypt, they find their beloved homeland reeling from the effects of a seven-year drought. The Nile is down to a trickle where nothing lives but giant flesh-eating toads that gobble poor old Demeter, but not before Taita has picked his brains for every scrap of magic wisdom. The drought is the doing of Eos, of course. Taita's friend the pharaoh sends him and Meren and a small army with orders to travel to the source of the Nile, find Eos and put a stop to the misery. Their journey, told in the breathlessly epic Smith tradition, takes years and costs the lives of hundreds of men and thousands of beasts. Taita runs into some really good magic in Eos's horrid lair, and finds love with a reincarnated beauty. Atough slog.

Kirkus Reviews

Best historical novelist: I say Wilbur Smith.” —Stephen King

“Smith brings to life…the world of Egypt so much so you can almost feel the heat and taste the dust as the narrative builds to cracking pace.” —Irish News

“Fans of blockbuster thriller writer Wilbur Smith will not be disappointed with The Quest.” —Financial Times

“Smith writes with a fresh, crisp style... full of zest... The Quest is a hefty but gratifying read, long-awaited by his legion of admirers.” —Daily Express

“No one does adventure quite like Smith and, true to form, his latest is a swirling torrent of unexplored depths and manliness in ancient Egypt.” —Daily Mirror

“This eagerly awaited sequel to Smith's gripping Egyptian series continues in a truly magical tale.” —Woman magazine

“The Quest is not a book for the easily queasy. After reading the scene about Bronze Age brain surgery, you'll never look at bamboo shish kebab skewers the same way again. It is a novel that is violent, fast moving and utterly engrossing.” —Edmonton Journal

“It's the sort of book readers live for, the sort that sates, however fleetingly, the primal need for story that so often these days doesn't get fed.” —Vancouver Sun

“Fans of bestseller Smith's ancient Egyptian series will welcome the fourth book in the saga, which picks up where Warlock left off. … Once again Smith deftly blends history, fantasy and mythology, but newcomers should be prepared for grisly deaths and mutilations.” —Publishers Weekly

“Smith's Africa is bewitching. We see and hear elephants, lions, hippos, and wild, weird creatures. Lakes and plains stretch as far as the horizon. His descriptions of the landscape are so real it seems we should be able to find these places on the map. … Smith's narrative is a page-turner. His characters are absorbing and believable. We fear for our heroes and cheer for them when they triumph in bloody battle. … When supernatural powers open up the ground before us, we teeter on the brink and can hardly stand to look over the edge… and yet, we must.” —The Salt Lake Tribune

From the Publisher

Wilber Smith’s saga of ancient Egypt continues. Taita, beloved advisor of the pharaoh, sets out on a quest to rid Egypt of the plagues that threaten the kingdom. Taita knows that the witch Eos is behind the troubles and that he must travel to the source of the Nile to confront her. Simon Vance is an indefatigable narrator. Long narrative passages move swiftly, and dialogue is sharp. Vance keeps the rhythm of the story moving as Taita and his comrades face difficult odds in the conflict with Eos. Their struggles and the accompanying suspense are intense. While Vance’s portrayals of the main characters are strong and forceful, he also depicts the tenderness between Taita and Fenn, and their friendship with Meren. J.E.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

DEC 07/JAN 08 - AudioFile