Goodkin & Gemmell

[dominions]

Well, I'm up to page 15 on Midnight Falcon and it's looking a bit glum. But! I shall persevere!

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[MILAMBER]

I loved Goodkind. One of my favorite series to read after Feist. There were a few things about the books that pissed me off, but that is true with anything I read. In general, they are extremely well written and well thought out books. Promise you will read them!

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"The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his."
-General George Patton (1885-1945)

[Balgin]

Midnight Falcon, haven't read that one myself. Books by Gemmel worth reading (don't bother with the others): Legend, The King Beyond the Gate, Waylander, Winter Warriors, Searching for Lost Heroes, the earlier chronicles of Druss the Legend, Deathwalker, (there's another Druss one but I can't remember the title), Wolf in Shadow and one of his other Jon Shannow books (the fourth one).

I thought I'd see Throntar here, penning his poisonous anti Gemmel remarks and decided to put a little positive light on the matter. Some of Gemmels work is outstanding, especially Legend (such a shame that a movie with that name has already been made, damned shame), Waylander and Wolf in Shadow. I personally like his gritty fantsy style where life is tough and people who you like die, but I reckon he could take out about two thrids of the sex and violence and still write best sellers. What your friend said about everbody dying was a slight exageration. Not evrybody dies, normally the ones that you don't expect to cop it near the end. I remember one of his books (WInter Warriors) in wich the toughest party member (a big, thick soldier) realised that the camp was under attack and that their main hope had just been shot in his sleep. Grabbing the two children he ran out of the clearing, an arrow ripped into him and he didn't stop. He made it through the forest to a clif and began to climb the zig zagging ledges only stopping when the path ended. Turning he found that two of his attackers had followed him. The big, loveable lug, turned to the children, assuring them of their safety and then faced his attackers once more. " "I've got wings," he said" big wings" and spread his arms wide". He then ran at his assailants, having dropped his shortsword as he fled them, and ran at them, taking them both off the ledge with him and a good hunrder yards to the forest floor below. This kind of selfless sacrifice often finds it's way into Gemmels work and often catches you by surprise. Gemmel also obviously has knowledge of weapon use (short bows and sabres at least) and allows his characters such knowledge but does not bestow it upon them all. Not that many of his women get raped, although it's still a scarily large proportion. Just thought I'd balance the scales a little as it where.


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Balgin, the Dwarf

[Kinslayer]

Gemmell is a great writer! I find his characters a lot more involved than the usual fantasy stereotypes. Nearly all of them are reluctant heroes driven by some sort of personal suffering and his Druss saga is one of my favourite reads. Yes, they may be a bit dark compared to other books of the genre but that is what makes his character so believable.

[Throntar]

Originally posted by Balgin: Midnight Falcon, haven't read that one myself. Books by Gemmel worth reading (don't bother with the others): Legend, The King Beyond the Gate, Waylander, Winter Warriors, Searching for Lost Heroes, the earlier chronicles of Druss the Legend, Deathwalker, (there's another Druss one but I can't remember the title), Wolf in Shadow and one of his other Jon Shannow books (the fourth one). I thought I'd see Throntar here, penning his poisonous anti Gemmel remarks and decided to put a little positive light on the matter.

Balgin...you crack me up! My, "...poisonous anti Gemmel remarks...", LOL!

Hey...everybody has an opinion and mind just happens to be 180 degrees different form yours on the subject of Gemmel. I just find him unbelievably boring...just my opinion though. I tend to get more into a novel or series that is more involved and has multiple plot threads interweaving into a whole at the climax of the series. Redundant? Perhaps... One thing I can say for Gemmel is that if you like to focus on just one straight storyline with nothing else going on outside of that storyline (the world stops moving around the main character in what I've read of Gemmel's tales ), then this stuff's for you.

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Now where did I leave that doughnut?!

[Balgin]

Just showing that I have a sense of humour mate . I suppose the thing that really got me about Gemmel was reading the first few chapters of Legend at about the age of twelve or thirteen, the friend who owned it moving house, not being able to get my hands on another copy for four or five years, reading it, being captivated by the multiple perspectives that not many writers bothered with back then, thoroughly enjoying those two Nadir raiders climbing the ladder and discussing how they where going to split the bounty on Druss' head. I realy sympaphised with those two and was shocked when Druss slaughtered his would be assassins without even learning their names or seeming to understand their motives.I later discovered that he knew more about the Nadir culture than he seemed to, it's just that such things just take to long to consider when your fighting. It was a moving book and probably still ranks among his best. Some of his books aren't very good but I generally get a feel for them quite quickly and stop reading the duff ones. However, I agree with many of your opinions on other things Throntar, I just dissagree over Gemmel.

P.S. Did you notice that around the same time that his early books were being published Peter Morwood's Fantasy trilogy (about a sort of viking samurai culture, look at the names and you'll see sever Saxon similarities) featured a Sorceror called Gemmel Erekren, who'd been everywhere, done everything and seen most of it. I wander if this was a homage, a litarery in joke, or a pure coincidence.

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Balgin, the Dwarf

[dominions]

I've just thought of a David Gemmel book that I have completed and enjoyed very much: It was based around a fellow called Jon Shannow and was extremely un-put-downable. It was a bit dark, but that's what made it.
Thanks for reminding me of it, Balgin.


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