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Post by Von K on Sept 25, 2022 16:49:56 GMT -5
I just finished Legend, which I greatly enjoyed. The ending seemed to be a bit of a deus ex machina, but the story had me hooked from the very start, and I also really liked his writing style. I'm interested in reading more of the Drenai saga, for sure. Here's the internal chronological order of the Drenai tales: Drenai Saga:Knights of Dark Renown (1989) Morningstar (1992) Waylander (1986) Waylander 2: In the Realm of the Wolf (1992) Waylander 3: Hero in the Shadows (2000) The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend (1993) The Legend of Deathwalker (1996) White Wolf (2003) Legend (1984) King Beyond the Gate (1985) Quest for Lost Heroes (1990) Winter Warriors (1997) The Swords of Night and Day (2004) www.gemmellawards.com/david-gemmell-chronological-order/You have a lot of fine reading ahead if you get into them. I envy you being able to read them for the first time.
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Post by alexander on Sept 26, 2022 6:17:46 GMT -5
David Gemmel is my favourite S&S author alongside REH, at least his first books. As they became thicker the pace slowed (e.g., there were few actions scenes in the 1st 2 Rigante books). I've just re-read the Jon Shannow trilogy. Highly recommended to any Solomon Kane fans.
I think my favourite books are Knights of dark renown, Morningstar and the Sipstrassi tales. There are still a few books I have to read.
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Post by irondavith on Sept 27, 2022 3:55:04 GMT -5
He is awesome. Favourite characters? There are so many to choose from but I'm gonna go to a supporting character and choose Rage. Legend.
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Post by Von K on Jun 17, 2024 10:51:47 GMT -5
Big thanks to Dave Ritzlin of DMR Books for hosting this: David Gemmell on the Art and Craft of Writing
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Post by irondavith on Jun 18, 2024 11:02:21 GMT -5
Big thanks to Dave Ritzlin of DMR Books for hosting this: David Gemmell on the Art and Craft of Writing
Such a brilliant writer, and he understood a lot about life.
Just happened to finish Ghost King (Stones of Power #1) last week. I only have a couple of novels left from the great man so I'm taking them veeeeery slowly. Maybe Ghost King isn't one of the all time greats, but it was still a solid and enjoyable read, and I'm looking forward to part 2. After that I've only got the two Macedon books left (and the couple released after his death as well). Legend.
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Post by Von K on Jun 18, 2024 19:41:37 GMT -5
Big thanks to Dave Ritzlin of DMR Books for hosting this: David Gemmell on the Art and Craft of Writing
Such a brilliant writer, and he understood a lot about life.
Just happened to finish Ghost King (Stones of Power #1) last week. I only have a couple of novels left from the great man so I'm taking them veeeeery slowly. Maybe Ghost King isn't one of the all time greats, but it was still a solid and enjoyable read, and I'm looking forward to part 2. After that I've only got the two Macedon books left (and the couple released after his death as well). Legend. Coincidentally I just finished a re-read of Ghost King and it's follow up a couple of days ago. Part 2 (Last Sword of Power) is every bit as good as the first maybe even better and continues the narrative. Together they make a great diptych and an interesting spin on the Arthurian mythos as seen through a Gemmellian lens.
The Macedonian duo of books is great too. The two other books were written earlier in his career both of which are also a great read; distinctly Gemmellian even though they are not heroic fantasy.
I too have a few unread novels to look forward to. For me it is the Troy trillogy.
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Post by irondavith on Jun 19, 2024 3:47:59 GMT -5
Such a brilliant writer, and he understood a lot about life.
Just happened to finish Ghost King (Stones of Power #1) last week. I only have a couple of novels left from the great man so I'm taking them veeeeery slowly. Maybe Ghost King isn't one of the all time greats, but it was still a solid and enjoyable read, and I'm looking forward to part 2. After that I've only got the two Macedon books left (and the couple released after his death as well). Legend. Coincidentally I just finished a re-read of Ghost King and it's follow up a couple of days ago. Part 2 (Last Sword of Power) is every bit as good as the first maybe even better and continues the narrative. Together they make a great diptych and an interesting spin on the Arthurian mythos as seen through a Gemmellian lens.
The Macedonian duo of books is great too. The two other books were written earlier in his career both of which are also a great read; distinctly Gemmellian even though they are not heroic fantasy.
I too have a few unread novels to look forward to. For me it is the Troy trillogy.
Ha, what are the chances? Good stuff. Yes, absolutely, that Gemmellian lens is very clearly there. The same with Troy - awesome you've still got those beauts to look forward to!
Definitely looking forward to the Macedonian books. The other two I know very little about - my brother got them me for my birthday a couple of years ago to round off my collection, and I've purposely stayed away from reading much about them. But I've no doubt I'll enjoy them!
Interesting quote from the interview above:
"What style do you prefer?
I like the spartan style of story telling, keeping descriptive prose to a minimum, and making the reader work a little.
I tried a more lyrical style for the story [Echoes of the Great Song]. It did not work for the majority of my fans and I probably won’t try it again."
Funnily enough, Echoes of the Great Song is one of my favourite stand-alones. It was a bit darker overall, and the main avatar was very much a b**d (we're not allowed bad words here, are we? ![:D](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/grin.png) ) for a lot of the book, but still had his own strong moral code that he stuck to. Actually much like Conan, now that I come to think of it.
As was also mentioned above, I had never put Solomon Kane with Jon Shannow either, but there are absolutely parallels there, too!
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Post by Von K on Jun 19, 2024 23:50:21 GMT -5
Coincidentally I just finished a re-read of Ghost King and it's follow up a couple of days ago. Part 2 (Last Sword of Power) is every bit as good as the first maybe even better and continues the narrative. Together they make a great diptych and an interesting spin on the Arthurian mythos as seen through a Gemmellian lens.
The Macedonian duo of books is great too. The two other books were written earlier in his career both of which are also a great read; distinctly Gemmellian even though they are not heroic fantasy.
I too have a few unread novels to look forward to. For me it is the Troy trillogy.
Ha, what are the chances? Good stuff. Yes, absolutely, that Gemmellian lens is very clearly there. The same with Troy - awesome you've still got those beauts to look forward to!
Definitely looking forward to the Macedonian books. The other two I know very little about - my brother got them me for my birthday a couple of years ago to round off my collection, and I've purposely stayed away from reading much about them. But I've no doubt I'll enjoy them!
Interesting quote from the interview above:
"What style do you prefer?
I like the spartan style of story telling, keeping descriptive prose to a minimum, and making the reader work a little.
I tried a more lyrical style for the story [Echoes of the Great Song]. It did not work for the majority of my fans and I probably won’t try it again."
Funnily enough, Echoes of the Great Song is one of my favourite stand-alones. It was a bit darker overall, and the main avatar was very much a b**d (we're not allowed bad words here, are we? ![:D](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/grin.png) ) for a lot of the book, but still had his own strong moral code that he stuck to. Actually much like Conan, now that I come to think of it.
As was also mentioned above, I had never put Solomon Kane with Jon Shannow either, but there are absolutely parallels there, too!
I too liked Echoes - never could figure out where he got that impression from. Long time since I read it but did you mean the madman Viruk (who thought he was a god?), one of those ruthless characters that David Gemmell makes relatable and even strangely likeable at times. He reminds me somewhat of Dace from Dark Moon the alter ego of Tarantio, and of Decado reborn in Swords of Night and Day. I plan to read Echoes again sometime.
I do think Kane and Shannow are both manifestations of the avenger archetype from which springs also characters like the High Plains Drifter and the Pale Rider. It's also hinted that those last two may be revenants, like The Crow, who is also of that type. DG being a fan of westerns I'd guess that some of Pale Rider's dna found it's way into Shannow.
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Post by Almuric II on Jun 20, 2024 11:42:48 GMT -5
Speaking of Echoes of the Great Song, I learned something interesting about it that changed my POV on the novel. I used to think that it was taking place in some kind of prehistoric setting, but apparently Gemmell told someone that it was actually the future of the Drenai world (which is actually our future, if you read between the lines).
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Post by Von K on Jun 20, 2024 19:10:27 GMT -5
Speaking of Echoes of the Great Song, I learned something interesting about it that changed my POV on the novel. I used to think that it was taking place in some kind of prehistoric setting, but apparently Gemmell told someone that it was actually the future of the Drenai world (which is actually our future, if you read between the lines). Wow, never knew that but it makes sense. I'd always previously looked on it as a standalone post apocalyptic novel. Like REH DG sems to go for repeated cataclysmic cycles so I guess Echoes would come after the (also post apocalyptic) Shannow novels.
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Post by Von K on Jun 21, 2024 17:16:27 GMT -5
Here's a link to what I think is the main David Gemmell fan group on Facebook: David Gemmell Fans
Some great fan anecdotes and posts over there including this Druss the Legend mini:
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Post by irondavith on Jun 24, 2024 1:34:01 GMT -5
Ha, what are the chances? Good stuff. Yes, absolutely, that Gemmellian lens is very clearly there. The same with Troy - awesome you've still got those beauts to look forward to!
Definitely looking forward to the Macedonian books. The other two I know very little about - my brother got them me for my birthday a couple of years ago to round off my collection, and I've purposely stayed away from reading much about them. But I've no doubt I'll enjoy them!
Interesting quote from the interview above:
"What style do you prefer?
I like the spartan style of story telling, keeping descriptive prose to a minimum, and making the reader work a little.
I tried a more lyrical style for the story [Echoes of the Great Song]. It did not work for the majority of my fans and I probably won’t try it again."
Funnily enough, Echoes of the Great Song is one of my favourite stand-alones. It was a bit darker overall, and the main avatar was very much a b**d (we're not allowed bad words here, are we? ![:D](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/grin.png) ) for a lot of the book, but still had his own strong moral code that he stuck to. Actually much like Conan, now that I come to think of it.
As was also mentioned above, I had never put Solomon Kane with Jon Shannow either, but there are absolutely parallels there, too!
I too liked Echoes - never could figure out where he got that impression from. Long time since I read it but did you mean the madman Viruk (who thought he was a god?), one of those ruthless characters that David Gemmell makes relatable and even strangely likeable at times. He reminds me somewhat of Dace from Dark Moon the alter ego of Tarantio, and of Decado reborn in Swords of Night and Day. I plan to read Echoes again sometime.
I do think Kane and Shannow are both manifestations of the avenger archetype from which springs also characters like the High Plains Drifter and the Pale Rider. It's also hinted that those last two may be revenants, like The Crow, who is also of that type. DG being a fan of westerns I'd guess that some of Pale Rider's dna found it's way into Shannow.
Right exactly, Viruk is who I meant. I don't remember Dace so well, it's been quite a while since I read Dark Moon. Sounds like a re-read is in order though! I definitely enjoyed the book, that I do remember. Decado was class!
Good to know about Gemmell and Westerns, hence Pale Rider!
I do also remember knowing that Echoes was a futuristic one, and its placement would make sense after Shannow.
Will check out those groups!
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Post by Von K on Jun 25, 2024 13:17:03 GMT -5
I too liked Echoes - never could figure out where he got that impression from. Long time since I read it but did you mean the madman Viruk (who thought he was a god?), one of those ruthless characters that David Gemmell makes relatable and even strangely likeable at times. He reminds me somewhat of Dace from Dark Moon the alter ego of Tarantio, and of Decado reborn in Swords of Night and Day. I plan to read Echoes again sometime.
I do think Kane and Shannow are both manifestations of the avenger archetype from which springs also characters like the High Plains Drifter and the Pale Rider. It's also hinted that those last two may be revenants, like The Crow, who is also of that type. DG being a fan of westerns I'd guess that some of Pale Rider's dna found it's way into Shannow.
Right exactly, Viruk is who I meant. I don't remember Dace so well, it's been quite a while since I read Dark Moon. Sounds like a re-read is in order though! I definitely enjoyed the book, that I do remember. Decado was class!
Good to know about Gemmell and Westerns, hence Pale Rider!
I do also remember knowing that Echoes was a futuristic one, and its placement would make sense after Shannow.
Will check out those groups!
On the Facebook group David Gemmell's daughter Kate just posted today some pics of the original first version of Snaga the Sender (Druss' axe) that Raven Armoury forged for him back in the day.
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Post by Von K on Jul 6, 2024 14:52:02 GMT -5
A picture of the house in which David Gemmell lived later in his career:
Was posted on DG's Facebook group (link in post above) so don't know how long the image will last.
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Post by irondavith on Jul 8, 2024 3:55:37 GMT -5
A picture of the house in which David Gemmell lived later in his career:
Was posted on DG's Facebook group (link in post above) so don't know how long the image will last.
Wow, unusual house. I can't quite make out the arrows slits though...
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