Submitted by Anonymous  (Aug 30, 2002) David Gemmell is my luckiest find. I picked him at random in a used book store and have since read 11 of his books(I think). Morningstar is probably my favorite. As with all Gemmell books, it includes larger-than-life characters with surprisingly regular emotions. These characters are real. Heroes and villains alike possess both noble and ignoble qualities.
The idea of the book is that a national hero, be he Lincoln, Columbus, or whoever, is a myth; the person behind the myth may little resemble his or her image. In Morningstar, Jarek Mace is anything but a hero. But people need heroes, so they make them out of men. Of course, they choose Jarek. The reason Morningstar is my favorite Gemmell book is because it got me thinking about people we call heroes. Who are they? Should we care? Is the legend more important than the person? There are many discussions of heroism throughout the book.
Of course, being a Gemmell book, Morningstar contains plenty of blood and guts. Gemmell may be pondering some aspects of humanity, but he throws in loads of cold-hearted violence, just for the fun of it. He loves placing various types of people in battle situations, where the best and worst of humanity is revealed. But his violence is too entertaining to be taken all that seriously. It's just fun.
This is easy-to-read fantasy, with action, blood, vampires(sort of), wizards(sort of), and plain-ol' humanity. Gemmell is a superior writer, but he's not above being cheesy for entertainment's sake(I mean that in the best way). This is pure entertainment. Check it out, or any of Gemmell's books. He may be your luckiest find, too.
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