Dark Moon - David Gemmell ****

After Tolkien, Gemmell is my author of choice for fantasy. I have read a number of his books and rarely been let down. Dark Moon was no exception and anyone that is familiar with the author will know what to expect. The basic storyline follows a fantastical world that once inhabited 3 races, Oltor (healers and poets), Eldarin (peaceful nonviolent race) & the Daroth (think evil, sadistic and strong). Today though is primarily the time of man, and the ancient races existence has almost lapsed into mythology… as usual man is at war with himself and the world is divided into sectors, the latest conflict is named ‘The War of the Pearl’ and finds opposing armies nearing depletion, in a last ditch attempt at victory Sirano of Romark tries to harness the power of the mysterious Eldarin pearl, but in doing so summons a force from the past that could destroy all civilisation. It is left to three heroes to try and save the world Karis, a female warrior with a major lust for the men ; Tarantio, the deadliest swordsman of the age; and Duvodas who is able to heal through his music. Expect plenty of action and for those that like bloodshed, there is more than enough gore to go around.

As always with Gemmell the characters are far from 1 dimensional and each has their own personality and quirks that really draw the reader into another world. I think his strength as a writer is that even though his stories are set in lifetimes and worlds so far removed from our own he still manages to make the characters human enough that you feel as if you could also be living in that existence. Although not my favourite novel by him, this is still is a really good read with a few unexpected twists. Unusually for many of his books, this is a standalone novel, and is as good an introduction to the author and his worlds as any. ( )

Drenai Series Remains Gemmell’s Best:
I was initially attracted to Dark Moon because I had already enjoyed much of Gemmell’s entertaining Drenai Series, which ostensibly is Sword & Sorcery (really 90% sword, 10% sorcery) and I wanted to see how he could handle more magic. Dark Moon promised to be that book.

The first portion was outstanding: a complex protagonist (Tarantio/Dace) emerges in a world with an apparently rich history of magic/creatures (three races of alien like humanoids: Daroth Eldarin Oltor). But the plot shifts away from Tarantio and never really capitalizes on the dynamics of the magical cultures. Sorcery quickly takes a back seat with the first protagonist.

Instead, the latter half is dedicated for explaining the intricate working of catapults and ballistae…and instead of developing Tarantio’s awesome background, we are introduced to a dozen other characters as they defend a city (sound like Legend?). In fact, the first 6 books of Drenai were published by the time Dark Moon emerged as a stand-alone book (~1996), but the similarities with Drenai were obvious: the Daroth might as well have been “Joinings” and the city of Corduin could have been “Dros Delnoch.”

So more sorcery was presented, but it was delivered superficially. It did not seem like a new Gemmell experience; instead of offering a new experience, Gemmell demonstrated the limits of his formulaic approach. Not bad, but not nothing spectacular either. ( )

http://speculiction.blogspot.com/2011/09/review-of-dark-moon-by-david-gemmell.ht... ( )

There's a huge amount of content squeezed in to the singular tome of Dark Moon. Other authors would have stretched this out in to a trilogy, however in Gemmell's deft hands an epic struggle for a survival is tidily contained between two covers. Every character has their own arc, ranging from the anti-hero with two souls, the Ice Queen tactician, the bard with a link to a dead race and the malevolent enemy with no fear. This wild range of characters should create disbelief yet the stampeding story offers no time to consider the implausibility of it all. The endgame, the Gemmell standard, is fresh and inventive. Gemmell remains one of the masters of fantasy fiction and Dark Moon is a very good example of his talent. ( )

No one can accuse Gemmell of being a good writer. His dialogue is clunky, his turns of phrase trite, his descriptions dull, and his cod-philosophising groan-inducing. Yet more often than not, a Gemmell novel turns out to be more than the sum of its parts and that is certainly the case here. His characters are painted in broad brush strokes but are vivid and interesting. And while he often plays with the same ideas and themes (the nature of heroism, courage, love etc.), and familiar narrative elements (a damaged hero, doomed love, an epic siege) he is able to put them together in ways that seem fresh and engaging. Overall this is a fine heroic fantasy novel. ( )