Once you start it, you won't be able to switch it off!
How does it compare to similar audio books?
Excellent
How does it compare to audio works by the same author?
Excellent
Advantages:
Good characters, excellent settings and descriptions and a nice flowing story
Disadvantages:
There was a lot more scope in Ceska and his Dark Templars that was never explored
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Having only recently been introduced to Gemmell as an author I decided to follow up reading Legend with the second novel in the Drenai series, The King Beyond The Gate. It was perhaps a subconscious attempt to see if I really had taken to Gemmell's work and Sci Fi fiction in general or whether it was simply just that one book. I had a feeling that I had finally found my way into the fantasy genre and having finished the book in just over a weak it would seem that it was the start of a more permanent habit.
It's been 100 years since the events of the first book at Dros Delnoch. New leaderships have come and gone but the legend of that day lives on in the memory of the Drenai people. Now under the leadership of Ceska, a mad emperor, who wreaks havoc on his own lands, terrorising the Drenai people. There is one man who aims to stop Ceska, although that man is hated by both the Drenai and the Nadir. He is hated both by his parentage in the others family lines and even worse he is a descendant of both The Earl of Bronze and Ulric the former leader of the Nadir who fought each other some hundred years later. That man is Tenaka Khan, The Prince of Shadows and he is hell bent on stopping Ceska.
Like his previous book I found that getting straight into the story made it a lot easier to start reading and get into. I really like the way Gemmell gradually introduces us to the characters and their history. It was something that really drew me into his first novel and it works equally as well with this second. The story flows along quite quickly as he wastes little time in setting the scene and explaining the reasons why Tenaka is so determined to bring down Ceska.
As he adds more characters to the main bulk of the story it also ups the pace of the story and really holds your interest. I found that for the last 200 pages I just couldn't put the book down as I'd become so absorbed and keen to find out what would happen next. This is an addictive edge I found with his first book and it seems that this one held my attention even more. It seems that Gemmell has a way with words that doesn't over complicate things, but leaves you with quite a vivid picture in your mind of each location and battle.
His characterisation has certainly improved and all the characters fit together very well. Unlike his first book there are no weaker characters and I think that certainly improved the readability. He focuses largely on the views of Tenaka and his band of followers as they grow throughout the story. I felt that Tenaka was an excellent main character and made you love him for the most part but showed slight glimpses that he wasn't as much of a hero as he was being made out to be. This I felt showed the two sides of his family lineage as the Drenai in him made him a friendly guy fighting for the cause, while his darker side came from his Nadir roots. I really did feel this was quite clever writing by Gemmell that gave the plot and story a slightly different edge.
Alongside Tenaka I found the character of Ananais to be quite an interesting character as well. His hidden features and his confidence returning the closer to the battle they get. The only criticism I would have of the characters in this book would be the lack of information about the Dark Templars. I thought there was a lot more scope in their characters than actually appeared in the actual story. In fact the same can be said for Ceska himself, I thought he could have appeared in person quite a few more times.
Despite these little grievances I feel that Gemmell's second book is certainly better than his first. The Drenai series really seems to have captured my interest and really changed my mind about the Fantasy genre. They are a series I'll be reading more of in the future and Gemmell has quickly become one of my favourite authors. I would recommend starting with Legend before moving onto any others in the Drenai series and I'll certainly be reading a lot more of his work in the near future.
Amazon.co.uk: £5.59 Amazon Market Place: £1.15
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