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.