The New Kingdom – Wilbur Smith with Mark Chadbourn
In the heart of Egypt
Under the watchful eye of the gods
A new power is rising
In the city of Lahun, Hui lives an enchanted life. The favoured son of a doting father, and ruler-in-waiting of the great city, his fate is set. But behind the beautiful façades a sinister evil is plotting. Craving power and embittered by jealousy, Hui’s stepmother, the great sorceress Isetnofret, and Hui’s own brother Qen, orchestrate the downfall of Hui’s father, condemning Hui and seizing power in the city.
Cast out and alone, Hui finds himself a captive of a skilled and powerful army of outlaws, the Hyksos. Determined to seek vengeance for the death of his father and rescue his sister, Ipwet, Hui swears his allegiance to these enemies of Egypt. Through them he learns the art of war, learning how to fight and becoming an envied charioteer.
But soon Hui finds himself in an even greater battle – one for the very heart of Egypt itself. As the pieces fall into place and the Gods themselves join the fray, Hui finds himself fighting alongside the Egyptian General Tanus and renowned Mage, Taita. Now Hui must choose his path—will he be a hero in the old world, or a master in a new kingdom?
My thanks to Zaffre/Bonnier Books for the review copy and to Tracy Fenton at Compulsive Readers for the opportunity to revisit the books of an author I haven’t read for too long!
When I was still at school I was the reader in our house. My parents enjoyed reading but were too busy to read much so I relied upon the local bookshop (when funds permitted) and the local library (always). Occasionally I’d peruse the family bookcase but nothing really grabbed my attention until one day I realised my dad had over a dozen books all written by Wilbur Smith. As a boy who liked a series (and I still do) I decided to give one a try. I read all those books over the next couple of months then shopped for the titles my dad didn’t own – I was hooked.
Once I’d hit my limit and blitzed Mr Smith’s back catalogue I stopped reading. This was the late 1990’s – more books were released but I didn’t read any of them. Until now…I’ve got some catching up to do! I started with The New Kingdom and more will follow.
In The New Kingdom we are following the story of Hui – the intro kindly reminded me Hui had featured in earlier books and would be a familiar name for returning readers (after 30 years you will have to forgive me if I didn’t recall him). Fortunately this book is a great jumping on point for Hui’s story as we meet him as a young man in the cusp of adulthood.
Hui, his older brother Qen and his best friend are on a bold (read foolish) mission to steal a valuable stone from a group of dangerous bandits. They plan to sneak into the enemy camp, steal the Ka Stone while the bandits are sleepy and drunk then make their escape before they are discovered. Sadly for Hui his plans don’t run smoothly and only two of the three “would be” heroes rerun from the raid.
The outcome of his foolish venture is not just the loss of a friend – the events which open the story will define Hui’s journey. He will be betrayed, cast out, accused of murder and will be left to find for himself in the toughest of environments.
Egypt is a dangerous land and there are bandits and warring factions intent on pillage and plunder – Hui will need his wits about him to avoid their interest and keep himself alive. But Hui’s luck will only hold so far and he invariably finds himself captured and at the mercy of his enemies.
The authors have delivered up a pulsating page turner. Hui’s adventures see him betrayed, framed, imprisoned, on the run and forced to learn new survival skills to avoid a brutal death. The chapters zipped by and I remembered why I loved reading Wilbur Smith’s adventure stories all those years ago.
Soldiers, bandits, warriors and a witch. Wenches, servants, traders and grooms. All had their role to play under the hot Egyptian Sun and their stories are woven around Hui’s in an absorbing manner. Great fun and perfect for the beach (which is where I read my copy)
The New Kingdom is published by Zaffre and available in digital and paperback format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B08PKYX4ZX/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1688394714&sr=8-1https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B08PKYX4ZX/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1688394714&sr=8-1
Watch for more Wilbur Smith reviews over the coming weeks by searching for the #TeamWilbur hashtag on social media platforms