Well, I honestly don't know what to say about this one that doesn't give too much away. A general view, then, before I move into the heavy duty spoilers.Simon R. Green does not disappoint in this stunning, fantastic and wrenching conclusion to this part of the Deathstalker Saga. The delightful banter, almost unbelievable worlds, huge problems and last-minute rescues continue in this installment, as well as many monumental plot twists.Also, if you thought that the prophecies of the young esper boy back on Mistworld were insignificant - you were wrong. Everything the young boy said comes to have a deeper meaning, some of the predictions coming true in the cruellest of ways.Well now, onto the spoilers that I feel myself bound to address. You should read these spoilers for either of these two reasons: 1. You have already read the book and therefore feel no compunction about reading what I thought of parts of the book, or 2. You desperately want to know why, after all my glowing praises, I have only given the book four out of five stars, and therefore do not really care about spoilers (like myself, sometimes).Spoiler #1 - Kit SummerIsle: (view spoiler)[ Phew. What can I say? *cries uncontrollably into handkerchief*. When I said that some of the prophecies come true in the cruellest of ways, this, without a doubt, is what I meant. The smiling killer, the shark in shallow waters, the man who will not be stopped, save by his own hand. Kid Death... When the prophecy was quoted and I realized exactly was about to happen, I couldn't help crying. Yes, Kit SummerIsle's sword is turned aside and thrust into his own body by Owen Deathstalker, who had also just gouged his eye out. Now, some of you may think I am utterly crazy shedding tears over The Smiling Killer, but let me address the two reasons why his death was utterly disappointing.Firstly - Kit had never had a great life. His family turned him into the killer he was. He was born into blood and death, and learned to like it, because he knew no other way of surviving. He killed his family in retribution for the childhood they never gave him, and then was trusted by no-one. He gained a friend, Lord David Deathstalker, who tried to teach him about the quieter pleasures of life. Kit began to bloom into something else, beginning to realize the potential that had always been there, and would have bloomed earlier if not for his Family. His Family deserved to die, in my opinion, for what they did with such promise. But upon becoming happy, for the first time in his life, Kit was forced to kill his one and only friend. So, what is most heartbreaking about Kit's death is that right before his death, though he had realized that he could never get away from his fascination with killing, he also realized some of what David had been trying to teach him. So he began to kill for the right reasons, rather than the wrong ones, and saved the lives of Constance and Robert. It is truly unbearably cruel that Owen killed him just as he began to make something of his life.Secondly - I am beyond belief disappointed in Owen Deathstalker. I mean, honestly, you are running back through time from killer aliens, the Recreated, and you just had to stop and kill the SummerIsle. I guess I can sympathize, seeing as he had just said goodbye to the father Kit had murdered, but Kit had changed since then. And what is most disappointing is that while Kit had changed for the better, it seems that Owen had changed for the worse. In Deathstalker War, Owen says - "And what if I don't like what I've made of myself, whom am I to blame? Sometimes I think I've become everything I ever hated. A man of violence, driven by revenge. Just another pawn in my father's plots and schemes to bring down the Empress." Well, Owen, this is why I was so disappointed with you. You should have felt grateful to the SummerIsle for freeing you from your father's clutches. And not only that, in killing the SummerIsle you proved, once and for all, that you have become almost (I say almost, because I still believe in Owen, despite my anger and protestations) everything that you despised and hated, a man of violence. And in the end, you killed the SummerIsle for your father, not yourself, continuing to be a pawn long after he was dead. In the moment Owen killed Kit, I missed the old Deathstalker, the historian who was appalled at his destiny. (hide spoiler)]
A terrific way to wrap up Owen Deathstalker's story (the following trilogy is the Deathstalker Legacy which, from reading the back of the first book, does not directly follow Deathstalker Destiny but is related). Once again: tons of action and jumping between character perspectives. This book keeps you reading for sure (though, I love the multiple perspectives; I know this is not everyone's favorite). I was actually surprised at how much is explained and wrapped up in this book-- story lines you didn't necessarily think would be touched upon again were finished quite nicely. It was a satisfying finish.
