Sword in the Storm - David Gemmell > Reviews > True love,true lust and true Heroism!

Author's product rating:   

Would you listen to it again?	Yes
Story	Outstanding
Characters	Outstanding
Listenability	Pretty compelling but not addictive
How does it compare to similar audio books?	Excellent
How does it compare to audio works by the same author?	Excellent

Advantages:	beautifully written,engaging,realistic characters
Disadvantages:	slightly slow paced

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

One of my favourite things about going on holiday is the fact I get extra time to read. In the evening when there is no internet to distract me, only 5 terrestrial channels and a baby in bed the best thing to do is t curl up on the sofa and read.

This years holiday book was one I bought from Amazon with a gif certificate I had. It cost me £6.99 but as I spent over £20 at one go I got the Postage and packaging for free.

The front cover of the book looked exciting. David Gemmell written in large white print splattered with gold and a coloured picture of a warrior with a sword and shield and a ghostly bear standing by a large knarled tree. Below the picture is the name of the book in plain white bold print and the background colour to all this is a mix of orange, red and black.

David Gemmell is one of my all time favourite Authors. He writes what is classed as Heroic fantasy. Basically all his stories involve war, fighting and battles set in fantasy world where high tech is chain mail and a running stream at the end of your field! There is always plenty of love, sex, heroes and villains. Any book by David Gemmell is the perfect way to escape in to another world for a few hours.

The particular book I am reviewing is called “Sword in the storm” and is book one of the four booked Rigante Series. With David Gemmell I find you do not have to read the series in order because each story stands alone but book one is always a good place to start.

Connavar’s Father was killed when he was tiny. He was stabbed in the back. Leading to rumours that he was a coward, when in fact he was anything but. This coloured Conn’s childhood as he was determined to show that he was a real warrior and did not carry his father’s perceived cowardice in his genes.

Meri and Connavars stepfather Ruathian have an argument and split. They do not divorce but just live in separate houses. This effects Connavar and his 2 stepbrothers a lot and the teenager Connavar takes a trip into the Seidh woods at night to seek out supernatural help for his parents. What he finds is a Fawn caught in a bramble bush. He rescues this fawn and lets it go, not knowing that the Fawn was in fact a Seidh in disguise. The Wood spirits give to him a present of a dagger which will fit any palm and whose blade will ever be razor sharp.

Conn’s life is followed closely by the Fey Seidh, in his quest for glory the Malevolent Morrigu sets a bear upon him. His body is ripped to shreds and only the sacrifice of Vorna’s magical abilities used up in healing his wounds saves him but this trial brings him great glory in his village in his clan and the whole world over.

This book follows Conn’s early life and trials. Through it you meet his friends, family, enemies and true love’s. Conn has a destiny and in this book you start to see it unfold.

This is a meander through the young hero’s early life. If you enjoy your action fast paced and razor sharp this is not the book for you. This book weaves and winds and creates the tapestry of Conn’s existence stitch by stitch. There are no short cuts and sometimes no pattern but it all comes together beautifully in the last few chapters of the book.

I loved this book and found it a compelling read. I love the way David Gemmell spends lots of time introducing his characters. Each one is lovingly revealed. His hero’s and villains are not simply black and white/good and evil but they are complex and real. His hero’s are always tortured souls and Conn is no exception to the rule.

The world of the Rigante is slowly revealed to you, their traditions and way of life weaved into the story and by the end of the book I could clearly picture the lands, settlements and people of this proud tribe.

Now I am a girl who loves her guts and gore and David Gemmell never fails to produce the most graphic descriptions or battle, war and death. I recommend that if you have a weak stomach that you either don’t read this book or you have a sick receptacle to hand as you do!

Although his battles are tough and bloodthirsty he writes romances like the best Mills and Boon author imaginable. He writes romance and love and lust with such passion that it often moves me to tears. In this book alone there are many tragic and joyful love stories, each one poignant and incredibly well written. This is not soppy romance, this is not happily ever after stuff but it is real love in real life.

David Gemmell explores the human nature thoroughly in this book. Each person has a myriad of experiences and personality flaws or strengths and the way they react and interact is fascinating. Like watching reality TV. There maybe myth and magic, the fickle Seidh Spirits and the chanting druids but the people are real. Connavar and his family and friends could easily be people you know. They are intrinsically human. I think Gemmell is an incredibly talented author to be able to make his characters so very real and believable.

David Gemmell is an English Writer, Born in London in 1948. He was expelled from school for organising a gambling syndicate at the age of sixteen He then became a labourer and a nightclub bouncer at night. He started writing in 1984 and has written thirty-Six books up until the present day. All but one being heroic fantasy novels.

I am a big Gemmell fan and I really enjoyed this book. I am not sure if it would be the best introductory book to someone who’s not read his works before, one of his faster paced novels like “Morning Star” would be better I think.

This is a wonderful book for those of us who enjoy a good leisurely read. You do not feel hurried or harassed by the plot. The plot wends and winds its way through the descriptive revelation of each character and their lives. It is beautifully detailed and lovingly written; I definitely feel compelled to read book two as soon as I possibly can!