obiter wrote:
How do you know it was Wales?? How many sheep/male voice choirs were seen in the background??? Or was the store keeper called Evans the Storekeep???

In Wales it is often the sound of anxious sheep in the background I am told.  

anyway St Patrick was welsh so who am I to throw stones ...

Having spent my second & third years at college sharing with
(a) a welsh speaking son of a welsh sheep farmer and
(b) going out with a welsh girl who  learnt english at secondary school, and whose father was a winning bard of the gorsedd at the eisteddfod

i apologise to all sheep who have been offended by the suggestion that they would have intimate relations with any welshman.

Badmike wrote:I am embarrassed to say I must have missed this entirely..I remember hearing David Gemmell was having heart surgery, apparantly it had a sad ending.  He passed away at the age of 57:

Transworld Publishers: Books, Authors, etc...

The world has lost a top notch fantasy writer whose books are very inspiring to RPG gamers and DMs.  Also he was in the middle of quite an incredible trilogy about Troy, which I doubt now will ever be finished.  Isn't this a reader's worst fear?  Your favorite author dying before finishing a book/trilogy/series? The worst part is we might have had another 10-20 years of great novels from this talented writer.  I don't know how I didn't hear of this until now...

Mike B.

wow that truly is a shame! whilst i didnt like a fair bit of his stuff, i REALLY liked Legend, Waylander (especially) and the Jon Shannow novels. They really gave my imaginationa whirl for its money and yes, a damn big loss.

Al

MShipley88 wrote:The only Gemmel novel I've read is Morningstar.  I liked it.  I was struck that it was a book by a D&D gamer without much of the baggage that such books often carry.  Sad news.

Mark  

Mark, pick up "Legend" or "Waylander".  Both are "first" books in series, and both very superior to Morningstar.  Morningstar is generally considered a "lesser" effort.  Of course, Gemmel's lesser stuff blows 90% of other fantasy writers out of the water...
 His books are very D&D like in structure...a band of misfits gathers to complete a quest, rescue a maiden, destroy a villain.  Most if not all of the band is the best at what they do, but the world has passed them by.  They face overwhelming odds, yet must complete the task to either prove themselves (the newbie heros) or prove something TO themselves. They are flawed but in this quest have a chance to redeem themselves.  Typically not all of them survive...Gemmel's novels are not guaranteed to have happy endings, which makes them very mature in the genre.  Gemmel is one of the few current fantasy authors to actually write about "heros", that is people who accomplish something that logically cannot be done through great sacrifice to themselves.  His books were recently quoted in no less than Wall Street Journal where a editorial writer bemoaned the lack of heros in both movies and recent books, but pointed to Gemmel's writings as a bright spot (ironically this is where I suddenly found out the death of Gemmel, as the author mentioned it in the article).
 The Drenai saga composes some ten odd books, dealing with a lore rich world that I wish to God someone would convert to D&D....although with the details packed into Gemmel's novels and his love of historical background, it might take years to get it right.  Anyway, this saga contains snapshots of different heroes (mostly Druss and Waylander) who operate at different times...each novel skips many years between them, sometimes decades, creating a unique and interesting perspective...by the last Drenai novel, heroes such as Druss and Waylander are only long ago remembered legends.  
 His historical based fiction is also superb...he had a real love for the ancient world, one series is based on Troy and one on King Arthur.  He has another four book series dealing with a people called the Rigante, very myth and historically influenced.
  I just can't recommend him enough.  I don't think he's for everyone, though.  If you enjoy the tree hugger/lesbian/men are wussies type of "new" fantasy you might not like this, his books are testosterone driven to the max, his men are MEN, and his violence is gripping, well described and gory.  Good stuff!

Mike B.

Badmike wrote:I just can't recommend him enough.  I don't think he's for everyone, though.  If you enjoy the tree hugger/lesbian/men are wussies type of "new" fantasy you might not like this, his books are testosterone driven to the max, his men are MEN, and his violence is gripping, well described and gory.  Good stuff!

   

Sounds like he is worth a read.

Mark  

Badmike wrote:I am embarrassed to say I must have missed this entirely..I remember hearing David Gemmell was having heart surgery, apparantly it had a sad ending.  He passed away at the age of 57:

Transworld Publishers: Books, Authors, etc...

The world has lost a top notch fantasy writer whose books are very inspiring to RPG gamers and DMs.  Also he was in the middle of quite an incredible trilogy about Troy, which I doubt now will ever be finished.  Isn't this a reader's worst fear?  Your favorite author dying before finishing a book/trilogy/series? The worst part is we might have had another 10-20 years of great novels from this talented writer.  I don't know how I didn't hear of this until now...

Mike B.

I have been rather slack in reading novels for the last couple of years Im sure I'll pick some of his up in time... I almost had a heart attack though  and thought you meny David Gerrold, I send him an email only last week seeing if he was ever going to finish his Chtorr books! (Chtorr!) as it hadn't been updated for ages.... I've been waiting 20 odd years for the series to be finished...

Brette:)

killjoy32 wrote:
ah you know what i got em mixed up. the 2nd one is where he hides away and the king sends some horrors after him or something isnt it - forget now....

then the third one is where he is in a village and he is well respected and he has a daughter? who is super-duper with the sword n stuff and its summit to do with demons and he dies in the end...

i got it about right-ish?

must go back and pull em out - prb about time they got another read anyway.

Al

Bingo, that's the one.  I'm with you Al, I'm going to pull out the Druss series today and read them in chronological order, instead of the order written.....never done that. Also, have to finish the Rigante series, I have the last two books left, Unfortunately since he's not writing anymore I'll have to devour these slowly to savor.....

Mike B.

Badmike wrote:  That's why I'm leaving the new Stephen Donaldson trilogy alone until he's done.

Mike B.

Smart move there . . . I was so excited when it came out . . . and now?  2-3 years between books just sucks!

But the first book was so good . . . and, of course, it ends making you deperately want to read the next book . . . but it just isn't there.  

Hey, if you want to recommend reading Gemmel's work.....how about not revealing the ending to the novels here, on this site?  

Mark