Kill the Dead [Mass Market Paperback]

Tanith Lee (Author), Don Maitz (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 1980

Out of the dusk he comes striding, the stranger, the man in black, inevitable as death itself: Parl Dro—Ghost Slayer.

Some have bought his services for gold, and some have blessed him for his work. But not everyone welcomes an exorcist who will remorselessly deprive them of their beloved dead.

Dro began his vocation at an early age. And now he will not be turned aside, no matter how you may threaten, curse or weep. He is seeking too the greatest stronghold of the deadalive: Ghyste Mortua, the ghost town in the mountains, and he means to destroy it.

If he will face that, what use the pleas of the desperate sisters, Cilny and Ciddey, what use the rage of Myal, with his genius for music and his imperfect talent for crime?

Only one thing, it seems, motivates Parl Dro.

His determination to kill the dead.

"Tanith Lee is one of the most powerful and intelligent writers in fantasy." —Publishers Weekly

"With Lee… expect the unexpected." —Starburst

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: DAW; First Edition edition (September 2, 1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879975628
• ISBN-13: 978-0879975623
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #982,958 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ghostbusters for Grownups, April 17, 2000

By 

K. Freeman (Apple Valley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Kill the Dead (Mass Market Paperback)

Containing all the dark, sardonic sensuality of Lee at her best, this is the story of a man whose calling it is to put ghosts to rest. He finds that the dead don't always do what one might expect...

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A short but wonderful book, July 30, 2011

By 

K. Ayres (D.C.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Kill the Dead (Paperback)

A short novel, 172 pages in the old mass market paperback version, but packed with more ideas and originality than some novels twice its length.

The main character is Parl Dro, a "Ghost Killer", one who can see and banish the dead from the mortal realm. He travels from town to town until he runs afoul of two sisters, one living, one dead, and a local musician in love with the living sister.

The book is quickly read, and can be finished in a spare afternoon or a day at the beach. The author doesn't bog down on details, or spend entire pages on a room's description unless needed. Though some of the starting background may seem a bit generic, the ending is highly original and unexpected, with several twists in between.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kill the Dead, January 28, 2011

By 

Ronald J. Orso (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kill the Dead (Mass Market Paperback)

I first read this book when I was stationed in the Philippines in 1980. It was a Sunday afternoon and I could either go back to the barricks, drink some hootch and read the book, or run the bars in downtown Angeles. Luckily I decided the former. What a book! I read it in one sitting. The story of Parl Dro, the Ghost killer and his relationship with 2 sisters, one quick the other dead, along with his search for Tulotef - the ultimate ghost city a la Pompei.

WELL WORTH THE READ!!!