David Gemmell (1948–2006)
Author of Legend
About the Author
Disambiguation Notice:
(ger) Pseudonym: Ross Harding
Image credit: from Lifeinlegacy.com
Series
Works by David Gemmell
Drenai Tales, Vol 3: The Legend of Deathwalker / Winter Warriors / Hero in the Shadows (2002) 26 copies
Drenai Tales, Vol 2: Quest for Lost Heroes / Waylander II - In the Realm of the Wolf / The First Chronicles of Druss… (2002) 25 copies
Legend aka Against the Horde; Waylander; Hero in the Shadows; Winter Warriors; The Legend of Deathwalker; Chronicles of… (1995) 14 copies
Le Lion de Macédoine, tomes 1 à 4 : L'Enfant maudit - La Mort des nations - Le Prince noir - L'Esprit du chaos… (2003) 8 copies
Le Lion de Macédoine - L'Intégrale 3 copies
Troja Pan Srebrnego Luku 1 copy
The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend[1ST CHRON OF DRUSS THE LEGEND][Mass Market Paperback] 1 copy
Troja Tarcza Gromu 1 copy
Király a kaun túlról 1 copy
Az örökkévaló Sólyom 1 copy
Hajnalcsillag 1 copy
Ironhangs daughter 1 copy
Kétes hírű lovagok 1 copy
Drenai 6 Book Set: Legend, The King Beyond the Gate, Quest for Lost Heroes, In the Realm of the Wolf, The Legend of… (2013) 1 copy
Gemmell, complete works 1 copy
The Lost Crown 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Gemmell, David Andrew
- Other names
- Harding, Ross
- Birthdate
- 1948-08-01
- Date of death
- 2006-07-28
- Burial location
- Udimore, East Sussex, England
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- London, England, UK
- Place of death
- Udimore, East Sussex, England, UK
- Cause of death
- Coronary artery disease
- Places of residence
- Hastings, Sussex, England, UK
- Occupations
- journalist
- Relationships
- Gemmell, Stella (wife)
- Organizations
- Hastings Writers' Group
Members
Reviews
Lists
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 99
- Members
- 27,819
- Popularity
- #732
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 297
- ISBNs
- 713
- Languages
- 16
- Favorited
- 108
There are (most) of the familiar characters (Agamemnon, Paris, Hector, Priam Odysseus)and there are many new ones. As of this first volume Achilles is notably missing, however, one of the main characters, the eponymous Lord of the Silver Bow or simply Helikaon seems to be a close match. He also reminds me, to a certain degree, on Homer’s Aeneas and interestingly enough that is another of the names this important player goes by.
The characters are not of the black and white kind, they are complex real life characters which entails that we love them as much as we may hate them other times. As we read on we hunger for the introduction of characters we so intimately know from the Iliad and wonder what re-inventive literary magic the author is able to apply to them. Noteworthy is also the mention of the Trojan Horse which does not refer to the mystical wooden horse but in a witty wordplay is, in fact, Hector’s elite cavalry force.
There is the well-known plot but there are many twists and additions to it. His narration adds dimension and explanatory depth as he often has two very different characters tell of the same event. His narration never feels divided. There are no seemingly lost strands of events, nor does the author gets carried introducing too many characters and their stories. At all times newly introduced events, characters and their flashbacks dovetail seamlessly into the storyline. Yes, and of course, to continue the deserved praise, the end of this first volume is both touching and ingenious. It ties all that happened neatly together and at the same time beautifully opens the conflict and suspense for what is sure to follow in volume two.
On a final note, David Gemmel knows his Greek mythology and the ancient Greeks overall. He shows great imagination in his writing but bases it on some very educated guesses of what could have given rise to the manufactured myth. Whether you have read the Iliad or not, this should be a great read for anybody. - very recommendable. 😀… (more)