This book is the third book in Wilbur Smith's ancient Egyptian series although, chronologically, it is a direct follow-up to the first book, "River God" which ranks among my all time favorite historical novels. The second book of the series, "The Seventh Scroll" actually takes place in the present day and concerns some archeologists/anthroplogists that become embroiled in a mysterious adventure dealing with the events of the first novel. So now, here in the third novel, the author returns to the era of Taita, his protagonist of "River God", attempting to recreate the magic (and the hugely popular reviews) of that book. So the question is...did he achieve that? Was he able to garner the forces of whatever muse inspired him that other time?

Pretty close. This isn't the super shining star that was "River God" but it is a shining star none the less. I think there are two main differences between the two novels that led this novel to be inferior to the first. One is just that: it isn't the first. Had this one been the first of a series or a stand-alone novel it might well have been held to the same kind of reverence. But since we have "River God" to which to compare it, it loses a little bit in the originality department.

But not much I have to say. The prose is equally well done and the pace of the novel is spot on. It reads easily like a quick novel despite it's length and you have that same desire that all good novels inspire...wanting to sneak off and find time to read more of it. There were only a couple of spots where I wished events would speed up. The plot itself is not unique, basically a story of bad guys usurping power from the rightful good guys and how the good guys make things right and come back into power. But since the good guy's army is always outnumbered, he and his allies must use intelligence to find ways to win battles. It sort of reminded me of "Braveheart" in the numbers of ways outnumbered armies can find cool ways to win.

The other main difference that makes this novel slightly inferior to "River God" is that it is told in third person point of view. This is probably necessary because this time Taita is not always where the action is occurring. We have multiple major characters all over Egypt making it impossible for 1st person POV. But the author loses the intimacy that comes with 1st person POV. In "River God" we really know the character of Taita and come to understand his foibles as well as his matter-of-fact superiority to those around him. We know his thoughts when he acts as puppet master whereas in this book, he seems more aloof and somehow, less interesting. There are times, especially during the climactic scenes near the end where he is hardly involved.

All in all I enjoyed this book as a darn good read despite the inevitable comparisons I had to make to an actual masterpiece. 4 and 1/2 stars.

Farland continues to impress with this second volume in the Runelords Saga (now up to eight volumes). By expanding the scope to include more story-lines, BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF has a more epic feel than its predecessor, and while some readers have found it slower, I actually enjoyed it more than The Sum of All Men. With the continued development of the characters and setting, and the addition of some great new elements to the story, this book seems to be where the series really takes off. Like THE SUM OF ALL MEN, this one takes place over only a four day period, but even though I would think that such restrictions would detract from the story, Farland pulls it off masterfully here. Very impressive, him being able to give this story such an epic feel with such a limited time-frame.

BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF picks up the day after the close of the previous book, with Gaborn trying to decide how to deal with Raj Ahten's continued threat. We learn that Gaborn and Iome, and Borensen and Myrimma have quickly gotten hitched, and much of the world seems to be gathering at Sylvarresta to pay homage to the newly christened Earth King. The sense of celebration is short lived as a new threat is introduced in the Darkling Glory, a sort of elemental hunter summoned by Raj Ahten's flameweavers, presumably to seek out and destroy Gaborn. From there, the story branches out into a number of very interesting side stories that introduce some excellent new characters. A Wing Rider named Averen is among the first to witness the invasion by the Reavers, and is charged with a quest to deliver the news to the authorities. Her character promises to become one of the main focal points for the rest of the series as she finds herself helping/being helped by the elemental wylde summoned by Binnesman in book 1. Also of key importance in this book is Raj Ahten's most favored concubine, Saffira, who has been endowed with thousands of women's glamour and voice, and sets out to convince Raj Ahten to end the war by seeking peace with the Earth King. Remarkably well-developed for a secondary character, Saffira is one of my favorite parts of this book. Eventually all of the story-lines come together for an epic battle that takes up about a quarter of the book as the forces of man meet an unstoppable-seeming hoard of reavers (which turn out to be every bit as big and bad as they were sold as being). An awesome and devastating battle, this clash serves to demonstrate the talent of Farland and makes me eager to read more of the series.

There are many great aspects about these books, but what stands out the most is the uniqueness of the setting. Obviously, the endowment system stands out as original, but I also like the elemental magics, which give the elements themselves personalities and desires. You can take it literally when the Earth speaks to a character here. Also, the continued proliferation of strange and well-envisioned creatures makes this book stand out from other epic fantasies. Not just frowth giants, flameweavers, and ferrin; but draaks, reavers, glories, and world-worms populate these pages. I hope Farland can keep up the originality in the rest of the series. He's got a really good thing going here, and I look forward to reading more of it! Highly recommended.

Brotherhood of the Wolf (The Runelords, Book Two) Features

• ISBN13: 9780812570694
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.