colchon

The 30, gotta love those crazy warrior-priests! Can't remember the name of the psycho who led them either, but I do remember he appeared in "The King Beyond The Gate" facing the Joinings.

"Winter Warriors" is one of my favourite Drenai books. Set 100+ years after "Legend" it's about the Drenai king sending the old soldiers home after years of campaign conquering several lands, Ventria being the most important. 3 of the best old Drenai warriors stay behind and along with a young officer (Dagorian) help the pregnant ventrian queen flee the capital of her native land which is being haunted by demons that drive it's inhabitants crazy and are the minions of an ancient evil sorcerer who is after her and the child she's carrying. Brilliant tale. Although tragic at times, it features great characters and some of the most noble acts of heroism ever depicted in the saga.

As for the Jerusalem Man, I've read nothing but positive reviews about the books he's featured in. I'll check them out after finishing the Drenai saga.

Come on... Comment! ask! Any doubts? DRENAI Timeline? who's your favorite HERO / VILLAIN?

I never knew how cool fantasy novels could be until I read Gemmell. My idea of the genre was based upon what Tolkien had written, I tried to read his RING saga but wasn't my coup of tea. One day, more than a few years ago, my dad bought me a copy of Legend along with other 3 or 4 books. I finished all of them but didn't bother to open Legend. A couple of months later, desperate and without nothing to read I decided to give the book a try.

I was expecting fat furry creatures as protagonists, finding myself reading endles, tiring passages used to describe a place and an eternal wait until something interesting actually happened. What I found instead was amazing: fast paced writting, a world filled not so much with magic as with dread and a feeling of reality intertwined with the mythical roots of the story's background. Flawed heroes, some past their prime, easy to sympathise with, brilliant opponents rather than villains, lost causes, vivid fight descriptions that dind't shy from depicting the raw, gory nature of close, steel against steel combat... and It left me breathless!

Although I've learned to respect Tolkien (have to admit the man was a genious, the craftman who defined epic fantasy as we know it today) his books still arent my coup of tea, to me FANTASY = GEMMELL.

All that said I would be very happy to get in touch with fans of late David Gemmell's work and, of course, the Drenai saga and it's heroes in particular. In my opinion his greatests ink creations are:

DRUSS THE LEGEND (Legend, The first chronichles of Druss the Legend, The legend of Deathwalker, White Wolf, The swords of night and day)

CHAREOS THE SWORDMASTER (Quest for lost heroes)

SKILGANNON THE DAMNED (White wolf, The swords of night and day): I'm halfway through White Wolf and so far he may be Gemmell's best character alongside Druss, still have to read Swords of night and day.

TENAKA KHAN (The king beyond the gate)

DAGORIAN (Winter warriors)

ANTIKAS KARIOS (Winter warriors)

WAYLANDER (Waylander, In the realm of the wolf, Hero in the shadows): I've only read the first book of his trilogy but that's enough to include him among the best.

DRENAI FANS, RAISE YOUR HANDS AND MAKE A COMMENT...