"Now alone on the slope before the great castle, the sound of Venain's evil laugh reached Virdil and that very sound sapped his spirit. He knew there was no escape..." John Timmis' Deathling of Dorn explores the fantasy genre in a new, exciting way. From the outset, John contrasts themes of human lust, tenderness and loyalty with graphic violence and betrayal in his fast-paced, haunting story. The story follows the 'Dorn' and the 'Southlands' people, who are protected by Wizard Virdil and have known peace for millennia. But now, with Virdil slain by the evil sorcerer Venain, that balanced tide of life is set to end forever... Left reeling from the loss of their wizard, the Southlands easily fall prey to ravening hordes of Baeths who are barbaric killers and greedy for the spoils of conquest. Will life ever return to normal? Amid this desperate struggle, love and honour strive to endure among the common folk of the Southlands as they endeavour to meet the threats which will steal their lives and the future of mankind in the world. But what is on the surface is not all that festers in these lands. The chaos of conflict spawns a Deathling - with consequences as unpredictable as far-reaching; awakening dormant forces; seeding despair and hope and jousting with the balance of life and death itself. Will the Southlands and the world be drenched in evil corruption forever, never knowing peace again? Only time will tell...