Lords of Destruction (Death Dealer, Book 2)

Rating:
Summary: C'mon, if you read the others, this is a must have..
Review: Great sequel, just like the others. He, in the mask of destruction, her, qwelling the beast within him. His axe, drinking the deformed enemies. Great, fun, Conan like adventure.

Rating:
Summary: Good entertainment (no more, no less)
Review: I had been a long time away from reading fantasy when I picked this one. It brought me back into fantasy stuff. The books strong points are it's agile storytelling and it's bizarre concepts. The author isn't excessively wordy, doesn't describe the settings and actions neither more nor less than he should. Concise writing. Good. He is also a little on the twisted side, as far as his villains are concerned. The evil on them is not comic book evil, or James Bond films evil - which are "light" villains. Silke's bad guys are "heavy"; really insane and mean. They don't need to boast to be cruel. There's a lot of sexuality in the book, which, added to the violence, would make me label it dark fantasy. And good one at that. For fans of the genre (who aren't disturbed by strong violence), I recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Good entertainment (no more, no less)
Review: I had been a long time away from reading fantasy when I picked this one. It brought me back into fantasy stuff. The books strong points are it's agile storytelling and it's bizarre concepts. The author isn't excessively wordy, doesn't describe the settings and actions neither more nor less than he should. Concise writing. Good. He is also a little on the twisted side, as far as his villains are concerned. The evil on them is not comic book evil, or James Bond films evil - which are "light" villains. Silke's bad guys are "heavy"; really insane and mean. They don't need to boast to be cruel. There's a lot of sexuality in the book, which, added to the violence, would make me label it dark fantasy. And good one at that. For fans of the genre (who aren't disturbed by strong violence), I recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Simply excellent
Review: I picked this one up in an antiques/collectibles shop while wandering around the books section. I had just enough money to get it. I pondered for a couple minutes, then thought "What the heck, it looks good. If not, it'll look nice on the 'Mideival Novels' section of my bookshelf.". I brought it home and started reading. Within five minutes, I was hooked. I finished it in 2 days, mostly due to my sudden inability to put it down. Then I read it again. I thought "Wow! I've never read a better fantasy novel in my life!". And that's saying a LOT. This inspired me to read the whole series. I started with book 1, then read book 2 again. I just finished book 3. On to 4! I would recommend this book to anyone interested in warriors, enchantments, monsters, gloom and doom, death in general, cool-ass characters, or just a good book.

Rating:
Summary: THIS BOOK IS TOPS.
Review: I READ THIS BOOK AND FOUND IT TO BE ONE OF THE BEST FANTASY BOOKS OUT ON THE MARKET. THE FIGHT SCENES ARE BEAUTIFULLY DESCRIBED AND SEEM TO COME ALIVE TO ONE'S IMAGINATION. THE COLORFUL DESCRITIONS OF SCENERY IN THIS DESOLATE LAND PORTRAY THE CREATINESS OF THE AUTHOR. THIS BOOK IS THE APITOMY OF FANTASY WITH PLENTY OF PLOT TO SPARE...

Rating:
Summary: Praise of the Death Dealer series and James Silke.
Review: Never has an author inspired my senses the way that James Silke has in the Death Dealer series. The writings of this author have inspired me to seek out his works and follow Gath upon his quest. To this day I still see the Bukko and his sons slaying those that seek to end Gaths life. Not only has the Death Dealer series captured my heart but also my imagination. All that I can say about this series can be summed up by reading the first encounter by Gath with the Kitzaaks at lemontrail crossing in the first book "Prisoner of the Horned Helmet." After that sequence your senses will come to know why I enjoy reading the work of James Silke. I only pray that another book is published....I cannot help it if this seems to be a bit on the over zealous side however, you would agree with me after you read the first book. The only problem is that once you finish the first book you will want to continue through the rest of the series. You will also find out that finding these books to be an immensely difficult task. I have been searching for this series ever since the first ones became how shall we say worn.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I've read
Review: This book is one of the best books I've ever read. The whole series is just killer. If you like in your face and no-holds barred fantasy this is the series for you. I own the series once and lost it. I'm dying to get it again. the books have everything you could ask for in a series. Action, magic, suspense, and the good guys aren't always the nicest people nor do they always survive. For any SciFi/Fantasy buff this is the series to get. Have a nice day!!!!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: The Lords of Destruction
Review: This one was my favorite of the four books. It picks up immediately after Prisoner of the Horned Helmet. Gath of Baal is on a quest to find and destroy the Master of Darkness and tame the power of the Horned Helmet once and for all. Towards that end, he has taken the beautiful sorceress Cobra captive, intending to use her as a guide. Cobra, through her dark ties with the Master of Darkness, is able to remove the helmet, enabling Gath to wear the helmet without the threat of its imprisonment. But Cobra soon discovers that she has lost her power, and once again Gath is a prisoner of the helmet, which both makes him nearly invincible and yet feeds upon his great strength at the same time.

Meanwhile, The Nymph Queen of Pyram, Tiyy, a high priestess to the Master of Death emerges in the wake of Cobra's fall from power. The enchantments that have maintained her unnatural youth and beauty for so many years have weakened, and Tiyy senses the existence of a girl whose spirit might sustain her forever. This girl is Robin Lakehair, the girl that Gath loves, and now the only one capable of removing the helmet. Tiyy enlists the aid of the Lord of Destruction, Baskt, a primordial shark transformed into a manlike demon by the sacred black wine of the Master of Death. Tiyy charges Baskt with task of finding Robin Lakehair so that Tiyy might feed upon the girl's spirit, finally regaining her petulant evil beauty and unholy power.

All four of the books were flawless in my opinion, but this one respresented the high water mark for me. Like the others, the battles are violent, well orchestrated, savage but not mindless. Passions are rampant and destructive, lust, envy, rage. At this stage in the series, Gath is still dark and sometimes ambiguous, not yet quite equal with Conan's drving sense of honor, but more precisely measured with the destroying appetities of Kane. I have to say I fell in love with Cobra, who abandoned most of her evil ways at the end, becoming complicated and vulnerable. Tiyy was a consummate source of malevolence, a poisoned, corrupt beauty. Robin Lakehair tended to be the least developed of the characters, because she was simpler, more benevolent character with far fewer flaws and textures. The fight between Gath and Baskt was one of the best fights I've ever read, with Baskt far and away being one of my favorite villains ever.

I could not begin to recommend this book enough, if you enjoy this type of fantasy. It's a simpler, more elemental tale that hits you like a hammer. The primary experience is the writing, the journey, and their tribute to Frazetta. I don't know what ever happened to James Silke, But I mourn the fact that there were only the four books. Based upon the background I've read, the books came along at a time in which fantasy had lost some of its allure, and though there were originally plans to do more books, it just never happened. So treasure these four, and if you get your hands on them, do not give them up.

Rating:
Summary: Ahhh.... Yes. I needed that!
Review: Unthinkably gripping and intense, I read this in the Italian translation and now I feel compelled to read this tale in the English version for a more compleate understanding of this manificent author's woork!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Very rarely does an author make me stop and reread his work just to savour the imagery and artistic detail that he manages to carve out. Silke is one of these, and although this book has not enjoyed widespread success (the reason is beyond me) it is one that I quickly recommend to anybody who wants to read a fantasy novel or is just looking for some quality writing. His work may not be as far-reaching in scope as Robert Jordan's WoT series, or Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, but in terms of writing, it is much richer in detail and imagery. A must for anybody who enjoys excellent writing.