Al Smith

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...I have long been a fan of Wilbur Smiths books, having read all the Courtney books and few others, River God falls into to 'other' category of Smiths books. The book has come from an original transcription of Egyptian scrolls, found in 1988, by Dr Duraid ibn al Simma in a tomb on the west bank of the Nile in the Valley of the Nobles. Smith was asked to put the story contained within the scrolls (written by an Egyptian slave) into a style that everyone would be able to read and understand and thus was born The River God. The story is told by the eunuch slave Taita, he is the companion to Lostris, his master The Lord Intefs 14 year old daughter. He is a wily slave and has many talents, physician, seer, accountant, matchmaker to name a few. The story of how and why he became a eunuch is told in parts throughout the book, anyone... Read review

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Advantages: Accessible fantasy, gripping from the first page.
Disadvantages: You have to wait another month for the second book!!

...I picked this up in the W H Smith at Heathrow airport because I couldn't find anything by my usual authors ( David Gemmill, Raymond E Feist et al). I have to confess I don't always adapt to new authors styles very well but I found this book instantly enthralling. The storyline picks some established fantasy themes and adds some new twists and touches that give it a truly original style. Interesting new races abound and are conjured with an impressive level of detail and depth that fills the imagination of the reader with a world of implied history. You are brought up to speed with this new environment within the first few chapters and are dropped into the thick of the action. If you enjoy good fantasy like me as the escapism it is intended to be you will love this book.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: A great book
Disadvantages: Last in series

...I loved these books when I was younger! There are six in the series, and "Sophie's Lucky" is the last one. The main character of the books is, of course, Sophie, a 7-year-old girl with a love for animals and a determination to be a 'lady farmer' one day (along with her best friend Andrew, who she recently became engaged to). In this book, Sophie and her family go to visit their great-great-aunt Al in the Highlands of Scotland. It's funny, with a very sad but very satisfying ending to the series. As well as Sophie there are her brothers (identical, sports-obsessed twins Matthew and Mark) her best friend Andrew (a farmer's son) Dawn (her girly, blonde arch-enemy) and many more. Dick King-Smith writes very well, capturing all the different characters excellently. This is a great series of books which I'd definitely recommend for 6... Read review

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