David Gemmell produces masterpiece after masterpiece. Dark Moon is no exception, combining an evident delight in swords and sorcery with a refreshing maturity of thought and style, and binding the whole together with an understanding of and a poignant capacity to describe the ties of love, comradeship and social integration that make his characters so accessible and involving. David Gemmell hasn't yet produced a novel that has disappointed me, and I have read them all, though it is hard to keep up with his prolific output at times. He knows exactly what makes a truly great fantasy novel; he brings knowledge and wisdom to his work, and even the most jaded cynic among us cannot fail to be inspired by the way he presents genuine human emotion. His work often teaches as well, though not in an obvious, grating way: his knowledge of history and ways of warfare is immense and enhances his writing enormously - not that it needs any enhancing. Dark Moon is a strange study in psychology - schizophrenia - and demonic possession, and a little off the beaten track for Gemmell, though no less powerful for that. It is humorous and tragic; it subverts our notion of heroism; it is a great story. Read it - read all of Gemmell's work. He's one of the truly, truly greats.