River God was published by Macmillan in 1993. The narrator is Taita — a slave, a eunuch, a polymath (physician, architect, poet, warrior, spy) — who serves the Lady Lostris in Upper Egypt during the reign of the pharaoh Mamose (roughly the Hyksos period, around 1650 BCE). When the Hyksos invaders conquer Lower Egypt, Taita engineers the court’s escape up the Nile into the unknown lands of Africa.
Smith reinvented himself with this novel. After thirty years of African adventure fiction set in the colonial and modern periods, River God demonstrated he could handle a completely different milieu — ancient Egypt — with equal assurance. His research is extensive (though he takes historical liberties freely), and Taita’s narrating voice — brilliant, arrogant, self-pitying, devoted to Lostris beyond reason — is Smith’s most complex creation.
The Egyptian series continued with The Seventh Scroll (1995), Warlock (2001), The Quest (2007), Desert God (2014), and Pharaoh (2016). Together they span several centuries of Egyptian history, always narrated by or centered on Taita. River God became Smith’s biggest international seller, particularly in continental Europe where it outsold all his previous work combined.
The Taita Character
Taita is Smith’s most complex creation: a eunuch whose physical limitation fuels an overcompensating brilliance in every other domain. He is physician, engineer, warrior, poet, spy, and lover (in the emotional if not physical sense). His devotion to Lostris — passionate, hopeless, enduring beyond death — gives the Egyptian novels an emotional depth that Smith’s modern adventure fiction sometimes lacks.
Collecting River God
First edition (Macmillan, London, 1993): Boards with dust jacket.
Approximate market values:
- First edition, fine/fine: $40–$100
- Very good/very good: $15–$40
Projected values (2026–2036): Strong appreciation. Smith’s most successful international novel and the beginning of his most popular series.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Egyptian series reading order? The core Taita novels in internal chronological order: River God (1993), The Seventh Scroll (1995), Warlock (2001), The Quest (2007), Desert God (2014), Pharaoh (2016). However, each novel works as a standalone.