David Gemmell (1948–2006)

A fun and easy-to-read fantasy adventure story. My main disappointment with Knights of Dark Renown is that it threatened to be something more, something special: author David Gemmell creates this great scenario of a so-called 'Coward Knight' which is never fully utilised. This knight, Manannan, fled when the other eight knights of his legendary Order entered a portal into a hellish magical plain to battle the demons there. The eight never returned, and now, years later, his past is coming show more back to haunt him.

It's a compelling idea, but Knights of Dark Renown doesn't exploit it. We have little on Manannan's guilt and even less on how the world perceives this apparent 'coward' as he tries to make his way in the world with that stain on his character. Early chapters hint at it, but the story never mines the drama, angst or pathos of it, and the novel becomes a pretty standard good-vs-evil story with magic and swordfights and the other conventional fantasy trappings. Manannan is relegated to becoming the Ishmael of his own story, as Gemmell weaves a (passably interesting) tale of a rebellion brewing against an evil King. Even here, one of the more compelling secondary characters, the reluctant Robin Hood-like commoner Llaw Gyffes, becomes a peripheral figure by the end.

Ultimately, the one-volume Knights of Dark Renown – a rarity in a genre known for its huge tomes and multi-volume epic storylines – doesn't have the bandwidth for the story it wants to tell. The plot-driven story of the rebellion (complete with world-building) cannot be told satisfactorily in 400 pages, let alone allowing space to explore Manannan's angst and redemption, or the character arcs of others like Llaw Gyffes (there are also numerous other characters who could make a reasonable claim to more page time). In the final chapters, all the tantalising threads have been hastily wrapped up, the early promise and originality snuffed out. The perfunctory epilogue has a "Poochie went back to his home planet" vibe and is scant reward for the reader. But it's not solely about the ending: an earlier chapter after Manannan faces his fears and enters the hell-portal devotes a mere couple of sentences to how he battled through the ranks of demons before winning clear and returning to continue the plot. Knights of Dark Renown is a perfectly fine fantasy adventure – an inspiration for the Elder Scrolls video game Oblivion – but becomes rushed and conventional where it threatened to become remarkably original. The book is a creditable one but there is a pang in knowing the story of the Coward Knight could have been so much more. show less

If I ever forget what good storytelling is, then I can safely turn to David Gemmell for a sterling reminder.

Sword in the Storm exhibits all the traits that made me love his style (have read Troy series, Lion of Macedon series, Stones of Power series) and in particular the very real-feeling portrayal of Connovar, the flawed hero. Every character has a touch of this, no archetypal villains or infallible good guys in this story, and the people of the Roman/Kelt-like world only become tainted show more as good or bad because of their choices and actions.

Sword in the Storm is the first in the Rigante series and it's a safe bet that I'll be reading the rest after this masterpiece.

If you're a historical fiction fan, don't let the fantasy aspect put you off. This book is a must read. show less

Fantastic heroic fantasy (historical fiction this time around) from David Gemmell, who is quickly becoming the face of the genre for me. I'd previously only read Legend, written some 20 years before this novel, and there's a very clear step up here in writing quality and characterization. The writing style is breezy and not difficult, but avoids being simple or childish.

Drawing heavily from the famous figures of the Greek epics, Gemmell weaves a tale here that's both subtly familiar and show more refreshingly unique.Being familiar with many of the major characters (namely Aeneas, Odysseus, Hektor, and Priam) from the Iliad, Odyssey, and the Aeneid, at first I was a bit confused since Gemmell's characterizations didn't match up 1:1 with how they are presented in the original works. Once you cast aside those preconceived notions and realize this isn't simply a retelling of myth, you can really sink into the writing and appreciate it.

There's not a single bad or flat character in the novel. Some get more screen time and have their motivations explored more deeply, but everyone feels like a human. The characters are larger than life, perfect representations of the Age of Heroes, and Gemmell paints the Greek world vividly, masterfully capturing the themes and emotions that have made Ancient Greece so famous.

Much like Legend, this book also features a siege. And like that novel, it's done so well. I've read a lot of fantasy and historical fiction and so have read more than a few sieges, but I don't think anyway does it better than David Gemmell. Tense and visceral throughout.

This was a hard book to put down. Gemmell is slowly working his way up into my favorite authors, and while he's sadly no longer with us he has quite a collection for me to get through. show less

Another excellent entry in the Rigante series that builds upon and improves on the first. Midnight Falcon jumps ahead 20 years, and the characters from the first novel are older, wiser, and a little colder. Connovar is King, and enemies from the the first book are trusted friends and allies,
With the time jump comes fresh characters and new plotlines. Much less of the story focuses on Conn, with the majority of the novel following his bastard son, Bane, and the son of the Stone merchant, show more Banouin, from the first novel. These new characters are flawed, deep, and interesting, molded by the experiences of the previous generation. More of the world is explored, with large chunks of the novel taking place in Stone, this world's Rome analogue. It's not incredibly fleshed out, but Gemmell does a nice job contrasting the wealth and industrialism of Stone with the tribalism of the Rigante without ever feeling patronizing.

The writing is as good as ever. Gemmell is a true master of the heroic fantasy genre. He's not writing poetry, and doesn't get lost in the thesaurus, but his writing is always poignant, emotional, and sparse without being dull.

The book ends with all of the plotlines from the first novel wrapped up nicely, maybe a bit too neatly. There are 2 more books in the series, and I've got no idea where it will go from here, but I'll read anything by David Gemmell. show less