Having recently taken to David Gemmell's work I carried on reading the Drenai series with the third book, Waylander. A few people had recommended it to me and said it was possibly one of his best books. Rather than just take their word for it I bought it and started to read, to form my own ... Read review
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Waylander - David Gemmell
The Drenai King is dead - murdered by a ruthless assassin. Enemy troops swarm into Drenai
... more
lands. Their orders are simple - kill every man woman and child. But there is hope. Stalked by men who act like beasts and beasts that walk like men the warrior W...
disappeared but a contract has been put out on his life. A secret society of trained assassins despatches its human hounds on his trail and other dark forces are at work. By the author of "Legend".
of Gemmell's earlier books, is now a middle-aged man looking for peace in a world that will, for the most part, let him alone. The crimes of his past come back to haunt him, however, as he finds himself responsible for a young prince whose grandfather he murdered, and as creatures of doomed legend come back to rule the world with blood and horror. An ageing paladin, and a loud-mouthed braggart whom a magic sword has chosen, and a kitchen girl who is unusually handy with her knives become his allies, along with a priestess who is not telling all she knows, or all she is... Gemmell is one of the best writers of fantasy adventure there is and this new book is attractively gloomy in its atmosphere and has a pervading sense of the ironic. The action sequences are powerful and well visualised--Gemmell always knows how a particular sort of fight would feel. And there are no simple morals here--most of the characters, heroic or villainous, exist in the grey hinterland between dark and light, where evil acts are often performed in sorrow and good actions often have mixed motives behind them. --Roz Kaveney
Advantages: Perhaps Gemmell's most compelling novel of the Drenai series so far, Certainly his best Charachter Disadvantages: None
...Drenai is a warrior named Waylander who has to face a number of obstacles in order to complete his goal. The only problem is a question of trust, as he is the man who killed the King. As this is the third of Gemmell's novels I've read I was expecting the appeal to wear off slightly. The others had been so addictive that I didn't feel that a third would hold my interest as much as those. The result however was quite the opposite. Rather than starting ... ...story itself. The main character Waylander is one of those awe-inspiring characters who you just feel while you read the book would make a decent movie character. The only complaint I had about Waylander's character was the amount of luck he enjoyed. He is a loveable character and someone you can't help but will on to the completion of his mission. But even in a book the guy seemed to have so much luck it was almost unbelievable, but I feel that ...
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Advantages: Enlightening, particularly if you've read the other Drenai novels before hand. Disadvantages: -
...novels, along a timeline, then Waylander would be the first, but that's not the way I believe Gemmell intended them to be read. The first Drenai novel that he wrote was Legend, and Waylander pre dates it by some way. Fortunately such is Gemmell's skill and style, that this novel can be read without having read any of the other Drenai novels, and without giving the game away on any of the others.
So who or what is Waylander? When the story opens ... ...him. Despite being a loner, Waylander allows Dardalion to accompany him, and the story begins to unfold. Because of Dardalion's Talent he knows who Waylander is, who he was and that he slayed the King, an act that does not sit well on Waylander's consciense. You see Waylander wasn't always an assasin. Once he was simply known as Dakeyras, an officer in the Dreanai army, but while out chasing raiders his family were slaughtered. He resigned his commission, ...
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...writer.
The Story of Waylander sweeps along at a cracking pace where the character faces death at every turn. It starts when he saves the young source priest Dardalion from certain death and from there does not stop.
Both Waylander and the priest will never be same again each touching the others soul with their own.
Through accident or design, by some greater good, Waylander becomes embroiled in the war between the Vagrians and the Drenai, all ... ...save the Drenai, and Waylander is charged with the task of getting it
Hunted all the while by man and beast Waylander takes us through the Drenai lands and far beyond eventually into Nadir lands to recover the armour of bronze, a fabled talisman of the Drenai people.
There is so much to this story that I could not possibly mention it all, because there wouldn't be any point in reading it and that would be a crime! If you like your fantasy hard,gritty ...
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Advantages: We learn more about how the legends came to be Disadvantages: None
Waylander goes in the opposite direction to King Beyond The Gate. Instead of being a sequel to Legend, Waylander is a prequel.
The story revolves around an unwilling hero, Waylander the Slayer. The worlds most feared assassin.
On the run from the Brotherhood of Chaos and the Vagrian army, the Slayer has his horse stolen by some theives. Tracking them down, he kills the men who were in the process of torturing a Source priest. Waylander frees the ... ...Egel and Karnak.
The reason Waylander gets mixed up in it all is because he took on the job of killing the King of the Drenai, Niallad. Niallad was the son of King Orien who wore the Armour of Bronze. The armour, whilst not being magical in itself has the effect of inspiring those who see it. Orien comes to Waylander in a dream and tasks him with finding the armour and giving it to Egel to use in the war. Egel, of course, starts the legend of the ...
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Advantages: Brillaint read, outstanding characterisation Disadvantages: His use of English can be a little immature
...typical piece of Gemmell writing, Waylander is perhaps his best book.
With the Drenai king murdered, enemy troops swarm into the Drenai kingdom ordered to kill whatever stand in there wake. But there is hope. From nowhere comes Waylander, a warrior of undisputable skill, a true but reluctant hero in a dark world. If he can fulfil a legend, and journey into the land of Nadir to find the Armour of Bronze, the world could be saved. But Waylander is ...
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Advantages: Completion of an enthralling trilogy Disadvantages: You'll have to have read the other two first!
...I liked the first Waylander novel... I liked the second more. The third and final installment of DavidGemmell's Waylander series is by far the best yet!
The story picks up a few years after the Waylander II and Waylander has become a rich land-owner who just wishes to be left to his own devices. That doesn't mean he has become a slouch, however, and with an attack on one of his charges' farms Waylander is reborn. And just in time too, as banished demons from another realm seek to return to the world of the humans.
This time Waylander isn't alone though. He has assistance from the girl he rescues who is quite adept with kitchen knives, a swordsman and a ditch-digger as well as a mysterious priestess with more about her than she is letting on.
As a final story to complete the trilogy, Gemmell manages to end the story plausibly...
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Advantages: Everything about it Disadvantages: none
...If you enjoyed Waylander, then In the realm of the wolf will blow you away, in my opinion it's even better than Waylanders' first outing.
This time it's Waylander with the price on his head and several of the most ruthless killers in the land are on Waylanders trail.
this is yet another epic tail from the British master of heroic fantasy, just as gritty and hard bitten as the first, in the realm of the wolf sates any appetite hungry for more of the coolest figure in the fantasy genre. It stirred every emotion I have and that in a single book story is rare.
I haven't mentioned any of the plot deliberatly because I wouldn't want to take anything away from anyone who wants to read it. In my opinion anyone who likes the way Gemmell writes, will love this book. I've read twice already!
Waylander 2 In the realm of the wolf. - Read...
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Advantages: Written by Gemmell Disadvantages: None
...become Dakeyras again, and no longer kills for money, however when someone takes a contract out with the Guild of Assassins for his death, it is only a matter of time before Waylander the Slayer rises from the dead.
This is a true fantasy book, with evil sorcerers, strange creatures, heroic swordsmen, battling armies and the obligatory romance. It is written with the same superb timing of all DavidGemmell’s other novels, and will keep you enthralled from the beginning to end....
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02.01.2002
25.01.2001
