27 replies to this topic

[BloodNGore]

One of my favourite authors after REH has to be David Gemmell, i've heard a few things mentioned about him here so I was just wondering, what do you all think is DG's best novel?

For me I think it has to be Midnight Falcon, but closely followed by the swords of night and day which is even closely followed by Legend.

[PaulMc]

One of my favourite authors after REH has to be David Gemmell, i've heard a few things mentioned about him here so I was just wondering, what do you all think is DG's best novel?

For me I think it has to be Midnight Falcon, but closely followed by the swords of night and day which is even closely followed by Legend.

I've only read three Gemmells so far (I have others waiting on my shelf.) Of those three so far, Waylander has been my favorite.

[Lee]

Its's a hard one to pick out. I have all of David Gemmells novels and I love them all. My favourites would have be any that include Waylander of Druss the legend.

[Kane]

I'm going to have to stick withthe first Gemmell novel that I read, Legend.

[Eli]

I really dug the Jon SHannow novels.

[Jaqhama]

King Beyond the Great followed by Legend.

I thought Kind Beyond the Gate was really epic. Many different characters. All drawn to Tanaka Khan for one reason or another. And Ananis the horribly disfigured ex golden boy of the empire, turned arena figher, and Decardo the ice cold killer swordsman who never lost a duel were excellent.
Quite a few surprises and shocks in KBTG.
David Gemmel's second novel, back before those shocks and surprises became standard fare in all his books.

Cheers: Jaq.

[Athelstane]

Gemmell's Drenai books have always been my favourites, particularly Legend, The King Beyond The Gate, and Waylander.
They have a vibrant, dynamic quality to them and a punchy, fast paced prose style which is lacking from so much modern fantasy.

The Jon Shannow trilogy is also great.

[MoeTheBarman]

The Rigante books for me, although the Troy Trilogy come a close second. All his work is excellent in my humble opinion.

[Almuric]

I love the Rigante series as well. Needs to be mentioned around here more often (pseudo-Celts vs. pseudo-Romans, very Howardian).

[Dave the Rage]

I really dug the Jon SHannow novels.

Yip loved them novels too. The Druss Legend. The idea of the source of mgic was good, reminded me of the Force etc, but unique to Gemmel way of telling it.

[drush9999]

The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend is probably my favourite of the Drenai books. The Rigante series is very good as well.
Never ever been able to put down a Gemmell book, keeps me reading till dawn

[Athelstane]

There was a great short story by DG called "Dawn of a Legend" which was exclusively published in a UK magazine called "G.M." back in the late 80s, which featured Druss and Rowena's wedding, and Rowena's subsequent abduction.
Gemmell said it was a section from a novel he wrote after Legend called "The Chaos Warrior", which his publishers rejected.
The material was eventually reworked by Gemmell for inclusion in "The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend," but the short story remains markedly different in many respects, and is a great early work which all Gemmell fans should read.

I believe it's now online as a PDF somewhere.

Edited by Athelstane, 06 May 2012 - 06:23 PM.

[Libaax]

Gemmell has many books that can be my fav book. My fav series is Jon Shannow books. He captures a western hero alà Clint Eastwood in post apocalyptic SFF world.


Wolf in Shadow is my fav Gemmell book just ahead of The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend(better version of Legend book).

Other books that would be my fav if not for the books above are:Swords in the Storm, Lion of Macedon.

[Libaax]

I love the Rigante series as well. Needs to be mentioned around here more often (pseudo-Celts vs. pseudo-Romans, very Howardian).

"It is generally accepted that the Rigante series are Gemmell's interpretation of the wars fought by the Scottish Highlanders against the invading English, a point supported by the single landmass and the mountainous northern regions portrayed in the book. However, two of the key forces within the series, the Morrigu and Cernunnos, are both taken directly from Irish and other Celtic legends."

You could see the Rigante was Scottish highlanders in the way they lived and the Romans was just another conquerer but the legends was Celtic. He mixed there.

Edited by Libaax, 20 May 2012 - 10:55 AM.

[MoeTheBarman]

You could see the Rigante was Scottish highlanders in the way they lived and the Romans was just another conquerer but the legends was Celtic. He mixed there.

I always got the impression the Rigante were based on the Brigantes Celtic tribe of Northern England before becoming Highlanders in later books (He took one letter off the Iceni to make the Ceni tribe too). Stone is so obviously Rome and he captures their impending arrival as a shadow over everything very dramatically.

Gemmell mixing as you say, taking his fantasy version of a sort of ancient Britain to make a quite beautifully quadrilogy.

[Libaax]

You could see the Rigante was Scottish highlanders in the way they lived and the Romans was just another conquerer but the legends was Celtic. He mixed there.

I always got the impression the Rigante were based on the Brigantes Celtic tribe of Northern England before becoming Highlanders in later books (He took one letter off the Iceni to make the Ceni tribe too). Stone is so obviously Rome and he captures their impending arrival as a shadow over everything very dramatically.

Gemmell mixing as you say, taking his fantasy version of a sort of ancient Britain to make a quite beautifully quadrilogy.

Brigantes must be close to Highlanders in way of life then but then those isles people,their cultrues are confusingly mixed for us outside Ireland,Britain.

I took Ancient Celtic course recently and the old peoples in those places was very similar early on.

Gemmell took historical times,people for most of his books.

Edited by Libaax, 20 May 2012 - 11:32 AM.

[Almuric]

To clarify, the first two are definitely Celts vs. Romans, the last two are Highlanders vs. English.

Edited by Almuric, 20 May 2012 - 04:07 PM.

[Libaax]

To clarify, the first two are definitely Celts vs. Romans, the last two are Highlanders vs. English.

That is clear to me now but i was thinking about when i read the book 5-6 years ago. I didnt know anything about Celts, just assumed the Highlanders part.

Now that i have read about Celtcs,their warfare,culture history it would be much clearer to see them in the first two books and in earlier period Rigante.

Gemmell should have used more history inspired peoples in his fantasy. I meen more than Nadir=Mongols thing in Drenai.

[VonKalmbach]

Waylander.

The pebble in the moonlight scene was inspired by an interview David Gemmell had with an SAS soldier when he was still a journalist.

Great book.

[Haemogoblin]

I loved the Troy series, but I've got to go with Legend for this. Nothing beats that first Druss book.