[Loque]

Who here likes David Gemmell? I have heard people say that he does not write 'proper' fantasy because he doesn't use elves and the like, personally i think his apporach to writing makes him one of the most refreshing authors around. Unfortunately he does not seem to have the fame of authors such as Eddings who seem happy to keep churning out the same old stuff time after time. Maybe I'm wrong but he seems to be rarely mentioned here or anywhere else. What do you guys think?

Gemmell fans head to: http://www.darkstorm.org/gemmell

[Wolfstar]

Yeah, I love Gemmell.
The Rigante Series is one of my all time favourites.
I just finished Dark Moon a couple of weeks ago.
I have read them all except King Beyond the Gate which I can't find anywhere.

Wolfstar

[James Barclay]

Whoever uses that argument against DG is just plain daft. Gemmell writes classic heroic action fantasy which is, more often than not, excellent IMO. He is one of my top two or three fantasy authors of all time. I've been reading him since the days of Druss the Legend and, though I haven't read everything he's written, I've enjoyed pretty much all I have read.

Have you delved into 'The Jerusalem Man' books? Splendid stuff.

It's all the sort of stuff some hate because it has been written to entertain. But for me, that should be the purpose of most novels, fantasy or otherwise.

Thanks for the link too.

[Hope for Humour]

I read David Gemmell. His books are on my 'to keep' shelf.

I find the stories very exciting and I like the way his characters persist in the face of huge obstacles. Redemption is often a theme in his books and I appreciate that too.

[Loque]

shannow kicks arse, or shoots it to be more precise, he is possibly my favourite gemmell charater, either him or waylander. I own and have read them all except last sword of power which i cannot find anywhere.

[Loque]

I love the characters of gemmell most of all, the worlds usually aren't that interesting to be honest, i mean, they are interesting, but not to the level of tolkein and some others, similarly the plots are nothing special, it is the characters that drive gemmells books for me, the fight scenes are well realised, it is obvious that gemmell knows what he is talking about and i have heard that he choreographs such scenes in his room with actual weapons. He has, by all accounts, led an interesting life and I think this is what gives him the experience to write so convincingly. Love his books.

[Loque]

oh, stormrider is out in early april in the uk http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

[Loque]

you know what else i like about gemmell, there are no reall good guys and bad guys, nobody is beyond redemption or corruption, but, his main characters are always ultimately people who i can admire, they are all flawed (some heavily) but in the end they are all good (yes i realise this is slightly contridictory)

[Vitriol]

Yep, I'm a big fan of Gemmel (partly BECAUSE his books aren't full of generic elves).

I'm with Loque; his strength is in creating realistic characters. I particually like Morningstar, where the main character is a complete b*stard.

The only problems I have with him are his fondness for Deus ex Machina solutions (though there is usually a reason for them, set up earlier in the book) and the fact that he wrote the Druss prequels (they were alright, but the point of Legend was that Druss was, well, legendary).

[Hope for Humour]

You hAve a point about prequels but at least Gemmell maintains quality.

I quite disliked BELGARETH and POLGARA by Eddings.