On the other hand Smith manages to take us into a real place, and even the peculiarities of his art-collecting villain manage to avoid the implausible scenarios of a fantasy akin to the likes of Indiana Jones. While Haggard’s stories may have been original, his storylines had more place in comic book fiction. It would be impossible not to draw a comparison here with the writing of Henry Rider Haggard, and Smith’s hero (Nicholas Quenton-Harper) does have more than a passing resemblance to Allan Quartermain, but I’m not complaining. Instead of giving us another adventure with Taita, Smith presents us with a modern day treasure hunt, but with the River God story acting as the map! Immediately I found myself returning to the question: was Wilbur Smith’s remarkable first venture into Egyptian history simply a work of fiction? The pursuit of the truth (and the treasure) is immaculately portrayed, tantalising the reader like a set of hieroglyphs that are both beautiful in presentation, and mysterious in their translation. (I’ll leave you to make your own enquiries!)Īnd then along came a sort of sequel that I was not expecting: The Seventh Scroll. So much so, that I nearly found myself checking through history books to see if Smith’s story and characters had any basis in fact. I was captivated by the character of the eunuch Taita.
Well! I was stunned by an epic tale revealing the sweeping grandeur of Ancient Egypt, and narrated with the same authority and attention to detail that I had already encountered in at least a dozen other of Smith’s novels. I followed the Courtneys and the Ballantynes, and then came River God. I was immediately immersed in historical fiction the like of which I have never experienced throughout the thirty or more years since that holiday.
When The Lion Feeds was my introduction to this most diligent of writers. I needed something to read, and there were several paperbacks left behind in our rented villa. I was first introduced to Wilbur Smith’s writing several years ago while laid up with my leg in plaster halfway through a holiday in Lanzarote.
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