Take a deep breath ... ready. Hold it ... set. Read James A. Moore ... GO!

Reading a James A. Moore novel is a test of character and constitution. You will hold your breath for long periods of time because of the excitement level, and you'll have to work through with a great deal of carnage.

Brogan McTyre began a war with the god when the gods took his family for their sacrifice. The war has ravaged the world and only one of the five kingdoms remains - and that one is now bursting with refugees seeking a safe harbor from the fighting. Brogan and his army set out by sea to the Gateway - the only place where the gods can enter the earthly realm and the only place where they can be killed. But Brogan and his warriors will have to face the He-Kisshi - demons who cannot be killed, sent by the gods - as just one of the obstacles before the Gateway.

If you follow my reviews on my blog, you'll know that I think pretty highly of Moore's books. These are high-action, fast-paced, modern sword-and-sorcery books of the very best ilk. Think Conan, think Elric, think Kane. But these classic heroes will be left in the wake of destruction that Moore leaves in his books.

Aside from the great action that we get in a James A. Moore novel, we also get a complex story that on one level is a simple revenge story and on another level is deicide with all of the earth and heavens taking sides.

And unlike many of the sword-and-sorcery heroes of old, we get characters who feel like real people. Brogan's anger and determination is so fit for a man who has gone through what he has. There is a sense that he' achieved more than he ever expected (when fighting gods one might expect to be killed pretty quickly) which has motivated him further.

But I think it is Berone who appeals to me the most. Here is a man who has been turned into the fighting arm of his gods. He fails, is picked up, healed, and sent back into the fray. He cannot die, but perhaps he also cannot win. What a terrible existence. But he has no choice and faces his role as well as possible and fights on.

I can't help but like these people and despise the gods that rule them and I like the what they fight for. This is a series that has really been enjoyable and it is highly recommended for fans of high adventure, high action fantasy. My nineteen year old son has already read through the series and sought out more James A. Moore books.

Looking for a good book? <em>Gates of the Dead</em> is the third book in James A. Moore's The Tides of War series. It is breath-taking in scope and action and recommended.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Gates of the Dead is the third book in a series. I didn't know that going in. I recommend reading the series in order. Unfortunately, I just felt lost and ended up skimming through. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

James A. Moore writes love stories. Aha! I can almost see you raising your eyebrows in disbelief. You are thinking, Moore writes horror; Moore writes dark fantasy, but love stories? I stand by what I've said, heretical as it may seem. No, they are not romance novels, but they are love stories. His books, first and foremost, convey a fierce love of family even when the overriding story is dark and horrific.

In some ways I feel cheated having not read the first two books in this series. However, even without the benefit of the groundwork from previous books, it is easy enough to understand what is happening, and to really get caught up in the action.

Brogan McTyre loves his family more than life itself. Everything he does is for them; they are his raison d'etre. His family, demanded for sacrifice by the gods, is gone. Now he seeks vengeance upon the gods who saw them as less than nothing.

One of my pet peeves about epic fantasy is the use of unpronounceable names. Kudos to Moore for keeping these to a bare minimum. There are several multisyllabic names, and all of them can be pronounced once you look at them as individual syllables strung together. In that respect, they are much like many German words.

Now that I've read book three in this series, I will undoubtedly read the first two, and probably re-read this one. I've been reading books and stories by James A. Moore for a very long time. He never disappoints.

The gods were defied and demanded the men who defied them to be their sacrifices. Then one of the gods brethren were struck down and the gods determined to wipe the world clean and start over. They want Brogan McTyre dead, but he has powerful help and other plans. Plans to end the gods that murdered his entire family.

Gates of the Dead was an enjoyable conclusion to The Tides of War trilogy. Brogan has had one goal since partway through the first book of the series, to kill the gods who killed his family. He's been fortunate to have trustworthy friends and unlikely allies. It helps that the gods indiscriminately try to kill everyone because of the choice of a few individuals. They are truly a petty bunch.

This book had reasonable explanations to the series questions which were largely provided by the Galeans. The gods told Galea much about the world and their nature including the truth about the demons and gods themselves. The Galeans didn't know or understand everything, but they had substantial knowledge of the world and unveiled it to Brogan and his allies.

The gods were honestly just massive pricks. I guess becoming an unquestioned power could make anyone arrogant and dismissive, but they and their servants the He-Kisshi took it to another level. I seldom have wanted a group to be destroyed as badly as the gods and their servants.

Gates of the Dead was a fun revenge tale told on a massive world altering scale.

4 out of 5 stars

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.