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  • River God

  • Ancient Egypt, Book 1
  • Written by: Wilbur Smith
  • Narrated by: Mark Meadows
  • Length: 28 hrs and 36 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (53 ratings)

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River God cover art

River God

Written by: Wilbur Smith
Narrated by: Mark Meadows
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Publisher's Summary

Fame and popularity breed envy in high places, and the adulation of the mob is fickle. They often take as much pleasure in tearing down the idols that they have grown tired of as they did in elevating them in the first place. It is safer by far to live unseen and unremarked, as I always attempt to do.

An ancient kingdom. An incredible destiny.  

Taita is a humble slave, an expert in art, poetry, medicine and engineering as well as keeping important secrets. He is the most treasured possession of Lord Intef. Yet when Intef's beautiful daughter, Lostris, is married to the Pharaoh, Taita is commanded to follow her and swiftly finds himself deeper than he ever could have imagined in a world of deception and treachery.  

But outside the palace, the great kingdom of Egypt is divided and in even greater danger. Enemies threaten on all sides, and only Taita holds the power to save them all....

The first audiobook in the epic Egyptian Series.

©2018 Wilbur Smith (P)2018 Audible, Ltd

What listeners say about River God

Average Customer Ratings
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not what I remember

I don’t know if it’s the narration or if the story doesn’t resonate with me any longer, but I remember liking this book back in the day. Got a quarter way through before dropping it.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Classic Wilbur Smith

If you like ancient Egypt or Wilbur Smiths writing, then you will love this novel.

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  • LM
  • 2019-04-01

Abridged

The .epub version of this and the audiobook are not the same. This is abridged or there are different editions with changes to the story in the print or eBook versions.

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15 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • KarenB_AZ
  • 2019-03-31

very good book

all in all, this is a very good book. I found myself having to break away from the book at different times because I found the narrator monotone. this is not a bad thing, it is more a matter of preference. I don’t know if I can put into words what I really think here, I did not know how much I liked this book, until I got to the end. I wonder if I should call this a slow burning book, one sneaks up on you, and surprises you at the end.
I will say this, you will care about the characters in this book. you will laugh at their jokes, cry at their defeat, and feel their pain and agonize with their suffering as as they go through their lives. That in the long run is the mark of a very good book or story.
I would recommend this book to an adult audience.

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12 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Michele Haines
  • 2019-12-12

Start With This Series

If you haven’t read Wilbur Smith YOU NEED TO! I am so sad because I have now finished all of his series along with all but one of his novels. I’m saving that for an up coming road trip with my husband.
Mr. Smiths writing style is so very extraordinary, vivid, alive, I feel like I am a character in one of his stories his novels are so easy to melt into. I feel as though I can, smell the air, taste the salt of the sea, feel the stinging heat of the desert, touch the minerals and rocks, hike through the jungles, go on Safari, feel the splashing rain, smell the mineral iron smell of blood, ride a horse....I JUST DO NOT KNOW HOW TO EXPRESS HOW FABULOUS THESE NOVELS & SERIES ARE!
***THANK YOU Wilber Smith for sharing your stories with the world, I for one am richer for it.

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10 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • Jill Siler
  • 2019-10-02

Historical fiction with a flair

Beautifully crafted, extensive tale that I would have happily given 5 stars except for the extensive descriptions of animal and human suffering.

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9 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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  • A
  • 2021-03-02

I Chose It Because Of All The Good Reviews

I’m so selective of my monthly audible credit, that I have quite a few criteria set up that a book must meet. It has to be over 12 hours and if it is more, the better. I read every review people write before I choose a book. This one was so highly recommended. I guess it’s just not my style. Maybe the first couple hours are ok. But it is just long for no reason. The writer uses the same descriptors and metaphors over and over. There really is no character arc. No reveal. No climax. Just a long fictional saga with no logical end. But a lot of other people like it?

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7 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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  • N. Saul
  • 2019-07-03

Slow, cardboard characters, and racist stereotypes

I got about 1/2way through this. Past the virginal good female protagonist vs her 'hussy' (African) ladies in waiting. Past the perfect male protagonist who is more clever, more talented, more honorable, and more politically savvy than any one of the other scores of 2 dimensional characters....a glaring feature of this book to the point of boredom. But by the time Smith got to all of the endless ways that "Savage Kushites Are Savage", I remembered that my life is too short for such simplistic BS and tried to figure out if there was a way to return the book. I felt like Maxine Waters and wanted to announce: Reclaiming My Time.

Save your money. Audible has an amazing selection. There is something better out there.

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6 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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  • Eden
  • 2019-11-24

Ridiculous

The main character sounds like an egomaniac and the book is melodramatic and preposterous. Somehow I got charged $23 for this thing - not sure how that happened. And I can't seem to return it, which I really want to do because it isn't worth a credit let alone $23.

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5 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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  • Sylvane
  • 2019-06-12

I was bored

I kept waiting for something to happen. It didn't. Then when I realized the book had 140+ chapters, I gave up.

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Dianna Lichtenwalner
  • 2019-08-05

Outstanding performance!

I have read this book numerous times before, but it's an absolute pleasure to have it read to me by so great a performer. I'm very capable of bringing it to life in my imagination during my own reading, but Mark Meadows adds to the story with his own considerable talent. I highly recommend this book to everyone I discuss books with, and now I'll recommend this version as well.

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Angel
  • 2019-02-14

Wow!

Absolutely love it!!! This is a perfect story to capture the spirit of ancient Egypt! Eloquently written and the narrator has a soothing voice, I would highly recommend this read!

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4 people found this helpful