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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
Waylander is super cool! I want to grow up and be him someday!
To be honest i pick this book by curiosity, i wasn't excepting much of it. And what a suprise ! Waylander is a really cool book, entertaining and very well written. The story is captivating, the character yes a bit' stereotyped but still great thanks to D. Gemmell wrting. And in the middle of epic battles, with lonely hero, there is even a cute love story, what more do you need?
Gemmell writes good, fast paced entertainment with some morally ambiguous characters. On top of that, this book focuses on redemption and the meaning of heroism for some characters who are decidedly not your standard Paladin/Heroes. This one involves Waylander, an amoral assassin. Earlier in his life, he had some ideals and some strong attachments to others, but things turned to shit and he became an assassin for hire. The book follows his subsequent change of heart as he undertakes an impossible, and likely futile quest for reasons he does not understand.
Like the title character, the other main characters in this book are also mostly broken. There is the commander of the Drenai force who does heroic deeds, but is motivated almost entirely by ambition and self-aggrandizement. There's the soldier rising through the ranks who is extremely talented, but loathes officers on principle, even as he is becoming one. On top of this, there are a couple of other rogues without morals who also have changes of heart for reasons that they, too, simply do not understand. And more centrally, there is the pacifist priest whom Waylander saves at the beginning of the story from torture and murder. He experiences a loss of faith which transforms him into something unknown in this society, and a seeming contradiction - the warrior priest.
Gemmell's prose is efficient and effective, but never all that beautiful. My main issue with this book is that in many respects it seems similar to the other two of his that I've read. We have an extended siege against impossible odds again. We have a chance meeting with a woman at the start which blossoms into an unlikely romantic attachment. We have similar betrayals by bad guys who are almost interchangeable. Yet, with all the similarity of these kinds of elements, I still like the book and think that Gemmell does what he does very well. And, on top of that, they are short. Today, a fantasy writer would likely take this same tale and make it 2-3 times as long.
I will read at least a couple more of Gemmell's books to see whether there is any extended range or development to his writing. Since the books are short and entertaining, I can forgive some of the sameness I'm seeing so far, at least for a while. After all, Ozu made basically the same movie again and again, and they are all wonderful.
Like the title character, the other main characters in this book are also mostly broken. There is the commander of the Drenai force who does heroic deeds, but is motivated almost entirely by ambition and self-aggrandizement. There's the soldier rising through the ranks who is extremely talented, but loathes officers on principle, even as he is becoming one. On top of this, there are a couple of other rogues without morals who also have changes of heart for reasons that they, too, simply do not understand. And more centrally, there is the pacifist priest whom Waylander saves at the beginning of the story from torture and murder. He experiences a loss of faith which transforms him into something unknown in this society, and a seeming contradiction - the warrior priest.
Gemmell's prose is efficient and effective, but never all that beautiful. My main issue with this book is that in many respects it seems similar to the other two of his that I've read. We have an extended siege against impossible odds again. We have a chance meeting with a woman at the start which blossoms into an unlikely romantic attachment. We have similar betrayals by bad guys who are almost interchangeable. Yet, with all the similarity of these kinds of elements, I still like the book and think that Gemmell does what he does very well. And, on top of that, they are short. Today, a fantasy writer would likely take this same tale and make it 2-3 times as long.
I will read at least a couple more of Gemmell's books to see whether there is any extended range or development to his writing. Since the books are short and entertaining, I can forgive some of the sameness I'm seeing so far, at least for a while. After all, Ozu made basically the same movie again and again, and they are all wonderful.
Great character work and world building, much like the previous two books. I did find the non waylander pov not very interesting, however waylander himself is awesome.
4.5 rounded up
This is one of the best hero-saga fantasies that I've read in a long time. I really enjoyed the straightforward language, honest characters, and complex storyline. I would recommend it if you're wanting to read some fantasy, but don't want to get bogged down with the tomes that are currently out there!
This is one of the best hero-saga fantasies that I've read in a long time. I really enjoyed the straightforward language, honest characters, and complex storyline. I would recommend it if you're wanting to read some fantasy, but don't want to get bogged down with the tomes that are currently out there!
http://nyx-shadow.blogspot.fr/2013/12/cycle-de-drenai-3-waylander-david.html
Something of a return to form after the patchy King Beyond the Gate. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2008/03/08/the-reading-canary-the-drenai-saga-part-1/