Customer Reviews

Lord of Silence

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When the great hero of the city of Idriss is murdered it is up to Vidar, Lord of Silence, to find the killer and defend the city against the terrors lurking in the dense forest that surrounds it. Vidar is complex, having no recollection of his past or why he has a vampire jewel that requires him to draw on the life energy of others to survive. This is not your normal vampire book by any means, it is a fantasy book first and foremost.

To find the murderer he must solve a 3 thousand year old mystery and face the dangers in the forest.

The story centres around this quest. There is high adventure, daring deeds and a mad dancing magician. All the main characters work together nicely, all have their own issues and flaws which keep them believable. There is some light banter in amongst excellent action and enough side stories to give it depth.

This is swords and sorcery with a smattering of vampire, horror and sci fi thrown into the melting pot. What comes out is an enjoyable fast paced tense fantasy/thriller/horror. Well worth a read.

It appears "Lord of Silence" is a stand alone fantasy novel set at Idriss, a city isolated from the rest of the world by a menacing forest filled with threatening creatures. Many aspects of the classic fantasy genre enrich the story. Characterizations and environmental descriptions adequately tell a tale of desire, power, magic, and villainy without much depth. The author originates from England with word spellings such as "organisation" and "artefacts" may surprise American readers.

The archetype anti-hero Vidar possesses the Vampire Jewel, a gem requiring a life force at unspecified times to revitalize him for mostly unknown rewards. Joining him in the city are two fellow Crimson Hunt guardsmen and Inquisitor Rhiannon. Since the focus is on Vidar, the jewel could have been more fully explored. Other items of interest populate the world but a limited few are visited, leaving opportunities for future novels. I would have enjoyed further discovery into the magical characteristics of those objects, what is sacrificed for the powers granted, and how they interact beside and opposing each other.

A detailed map of the significant terrains and comprehensive appendix would have been useful.

Thank you.