The Book of Silence [Paperback]

This is the fourth and final book in the "Lords of Dus" series. A very under-appreciated fantasy series, in my opinion. While these books are neither as intricate nor as well written as many of the big names in fantasy, ("Lord of the Rings" for example) they are well thought out and very original stories with very memorable characters. Entertaining enough to be read several times, but straight-forward enough to be a reasonably quick read.

In this book, the main character, Garth the Overman, unwillingly assists the immortal Forgotten King (the high priest of the god of Death) to work his final magic. Magic that will finally bring an end to his immortality, but may kill many others in the process.

If you've never read the other books in this series, I recommend that you pick up "Lure of the Basilisk", "Seven Altars of Dusarra", and "Sword of Bheleu" first. But if you've read those three already, then I definitely recommend that you pick up this one as well.

Garth the Overman has a knock for finding trouble. First an angry basilisk, then a plague on the city of dark Gods, the a sword with an extremely bad temper. Finally, with the damage to Skelleth repaired and trading reestablished, things have returned to a low rumble. Having cause all these crises in the first place, Garth's welcome in the barren northern city was worn thin at best. And the City Council of Ordunin, his original home, felt the same way. Separated from family, with few friends, Garth was reduced to drinking in the same tavern where the King in Yellow lived. The only good thing about being stuck in a room with the high priest of Death was that he rarely said anything.

Garth escapes the tedium by going on a dragon hunt only to discover that the dragon wasn't what he thought it would be and that some things had best be left alone. And on his return to Skelleth he found that the cult of Aghad, the god of hatred and violence, had initiated a program of revenge against Garth. Starting out by torturing and killing his wife. Suddenly what had been a lighthearted story develops fangs as Garth launches his own revenge campaign - one that will totally change the world.

To get what he wants, the return sword of Bheleu, Garth must agree to fetch The Book of Silence from its hiding place in the crypts of Ur-Dormulk. The results of this quest are as expected - Ur-Dormulk is left facing total destruction, Garth gets the sword, the old king gets the book, and the cult of Aghad starts losing large numbers of worshippers. But the story doesn't stop there. Crisis after crisis must be faced right up to the end of time.

As this series has progressed, Watt-Evans has taken what was at first a somewhat humorous adventure story and fleshed it out into a serious piece of fantasy in an era when all to much fantasy was either about magical princesses or sword waving barbarians. In the process he deals with a few interesting theological questions about divine planning and the interruption thereof. The books went on to be great successes in their time, Watt-Evans establish himself as a solid writer, and even today The Lord of Dus is a cult classic. I find that they have lost none of their edge over the years since I first read them. Consider this a strong recommendation.

it's strangely, but compulsively, readable. Evans displays his usual talent for strong, realisic characters set in a world that's interesting and makes sense.