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Rating: 
Summary: Gath of Baal lays it down
Review: Going way back, this was the first fantasy book I ever read, whichboth opened doors for me as a fantasy fan and a fantasy writer. I was always, of course, a fan of Frazetta's work, with his shadow-faced wizards, his primordial barbarians, and his plump, voluptuous damsels in their hip-hugger bikinis. After reading the first Death Dealer I also became a huge fan of James Silke, though sadly, I've never found any more of his work aside from the three sequels to the Prisoner of the Horned Helmet.Gath of Baal is a barbaric guardian of a realm called the Shades, which stands between a race of forest-dwellers and the nomadic encroachment of a vast desert empire. Gath's enemies, he soons discovers, are armed and armored with steel, a precious resource, though he soon discovers that not even steel will be enough. He forms a dark pact with the beautiful, ivory-skinned sorceress called Cobra, who in turn leads him to the demonic Horned Helmet. Wrought by the Master of Death, the Horned Helmet makes Gath almost invulnerable when he wears it, along with giving him access to other supernatural abilities. But there's a catch---the fact that he can't remove the helmet once he's put it on. Enter the nubile, innocent Robin Lakehair, who is virtuous enough to remove the helmet for him. This book is one of the great ones. Just like a Frazetta painting. Lusty, naked women that glisten beneath a primordial sun. Ravening, bloody battles. Demons. Barbaric sorcery. The Death Dealer books are cut from the cloth of Conan, and I'm talking about Robert E. Howard's Conan. Also a great deal like Bloodstone and the rest of the Kane books by Karl Edward Wagner. As long as you appreciate naked girls, two-fisted honor and axe-heavy battles, you'll love the Prisoner of the Horned Helmet as well as the three others after it.
Rating: 
Summary: Fantasy at its best.
Review: i first read this book only a couple of years after it came out. since then i have periodically re-read the entire series. silke pens amazing imagery with vivid colour and detail, setting an incredible backdrop for the main figure: the death dealer. if you want an idea of this character before reading the book, go look at frazetta's most famous work: the warrior on the horse with the axe. it is, afterall, who the book was written about, and the picture is on the back of all four books. and what a character he is, deserving to be in the company of the best known fantasy heroes, and yet he is, strangely, an unkown. (but he would prefer it that way). i'm not telling you anymore. read the book. the writing of this book is in a somewhat unique style for this type of work: the 3rd person is somewhat laid back, matter of fact, and a little contemporary. It makes for marvelous tale-telling. a pleasant departure from the 19th century-ish tolkien writing (of which i am so terribly fond-i am a HUGE tolkien fan--mae govannen to all you others out there). very readable, highly addictive, never boring, re-reads like its the first time. a very rare thing to be said about a book i think. a few other points of interest: this is adult reading. not ideal for a jr. high book report. explicitly violent, sensuous, and dark, but never overdone so as to obscure the plot or become unenjoyable. it is exactly what fantasy storytelling should be. also, these four (prisoner of the horned helmet, lords of destruction, tooth and claw, plague of knives, resp.) are the only books. what a crying shame. and they are out of print. so, get them, enjoy them, and take good care of them--you'll be reading them over and over for years to come. they will only get harder to find as more people write rave reviews--unless, of course, someone makes a major motion picture out of them and then tor might reconsider. wouldn't that be nice.
Rating:
Summary: tie between the pen and the swor....er...axe
Review: i first read this book only a couple of years after it came out. since then i have periodically re-read the entire series. silke pens amazing imagery with vivid colour and detail, setting an incredible backdrop for the main figure: the death dealer. if you want an idea of this character before reading the book, go look at frazetta's most famous work: the warrior on the horse with the axe. it is, afterall, who the book was written about, and the picture is on the back of all four books. and what a character he is, deserving to be in the company of the best known fantasy heroes, and yet he is, strangely, an unkown. (but he would prefer it that way). i'm not telling you anymore. read the book. the writing of this book is in a somewhat unique style for this type of work: the 3rd person is somewhat laid back, matter of fact, and a little contemporary. It makes for marvelous tale-telling. a pleasant departure from the 19th century-ish tolkien writing (of which i am so terribly fond-i am a HUGE tolkien fan--mae govannen to all you others out there). very readable, highly addictive, never boring, re-reads like its the first time. a very rare thing to be said about a book i think. a few other points of interest: this is adult reading. not ideal for a jr. high book report. explicitly violent, sensuous, and dark, but never overdone so as to obscure the plot or become unenjoyable. it is exactly what fantasy storytelling should be. also, these four (prisoner of the horned helmet, lords of destruction, tooth and claw, plague of knives, resp.) are the only books. what a crying shame. and they are out of print. so, get them, enjoy them, and take good care of them--you'll be reading them over and over for years to come. they will only get harder to find as more people write rave reviews--unless, of course, someone makes a major motion picture out of them and then tor might reconsider. wouldn't that be nice.
Rating:
Summary: Cotton Candy Fantasy but Great!
Review: I have been on a big fantasy kick lately and I remember my friend was reading these years ago so I went to pick them up. They are out of print but if you can find the means to get them do it. They are not traditional and are quite interesting. Based on the great comic they tell the tale of Gath of Baal and how he is tricked into becomming a prisoner of the Lord of Darkness. The story introduces you to all the characters and we learn that Gath is one mean mother. He is a loner and does not take to well to visitors but with the offer of more power Gath gets tricked into accepting a helmet which should make him the fiercest fighter in the land. But the helmet does not have an immediate effect on Gath and he fights the evil temptations and uses the helmet to make himself better. Through the quest Gath meets a young girl Robin and she becomes the focal point of the story and Gath's mission. I won't get into much more detail and the story is quite good. The books are short so not a lot of explanation is done it is just good story telling. Most of the characters are good and the fighting is done well. They are not traditional and many surpirses are offered.
Rating:
Summary: Fantasy at its best.
Review: I have been reading fantasy (Conan; Kull; LOTR, etc) since I was fourteen. I am now fourty two, and Deathdealer is the first fantasy I've read in years, and WOW! What a book. After reading it I instantly bought the other three Deathdealers off the internet. It's been a while since I read a novel as good as this one. I've turned into a couch potato; I couldn't put it down. Truly, I have had sleepless nights reading Deathdealer all hours of the morning. For anybody out there who likes raw, cut- to-the-bone fantasy, Deathdealer is a must have book.
Rating: 
Summary: Great cover art, but VERY weakly written
Review: I've read well over a thousand science fiction and fantasy books in the last 20+ years, and this book easily ranks as one of the most poorly written I've encountered. Great story premise ... but poorly written.
Frazetta should stick with painting, because he's great at it ... but as a writer, he's a trite and amateurish hack.
Save your money, and just admire the cover art, trust me. Better still, go buy some of Robert E. Howard's original Conan books, if you need a decent heroic-fantasy fix. If you like your sword and sorcery a little more exotic, try Michael Moockcock.
Rating:
Summary: Prisoner of the Horned Helmet
Review: james silke did a great job adapting frank frazettas most famous paintings into a novel series,far better than the trashy comic glen danzig put out !the story is very good,the characters really come alive.while the series may not be for every one due to it's violent nature and graffic content,but if you like dark fantasy this book is for you!and i highly recommend the other books in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Death Dealer #'s 1, 2, 3 & 4
Review: This is quite possibly the best series I have ever read. I just recently finished the 4th book and I was amazed how James Silk could keep such a good storyline throughout the entire series. I personally recommend these books to my friends and they have had nothing but rave reviews for them also. Very descriptive, makes you feel like you're there.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent reading by an excellent Author!
Review: Too bad that all the books I tend to like seem to go out of print. I read this whole series and it so phenomenal! At first, I read this book becuase Frank Franzetta is one of my favorite artist! I saw the cover and I had to have this book. So when I found out James Silke was the writer, I was a bit skeptical because I never heard of this guy. But much to my surprise, I was exilerated by the captiving story! I'm surprised that James Silke does not have any other books out there besides this series! I've always feel that this character should be recogonized & exploited but I don't think it will ever happen! If anyone ever get a copy of a book of the this series, please never let it go! It one of those series that will be legenadary in your life and be willing to talk about!
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