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A review by scachop
Knights of Dark Renown by David Gemmell
2.0
I always fall back into my teenage years when I read or re-read David Gemmell books. The writing is inviting and the pages usually fly by at an accelerated pace. This book, which takes place more than a thousand years before the events described in the Drenai Tales, contains references that characterise all the books in this series: shamanism, chivalry, unusual heroes, etc.
I was nevertheless disappointed with my reading: there is too many characters and those are not very interesting, and the story takes too long to set up: when we arrive at the end, it seems rushed, and no emotion is generated. Add to this the way the women are represent (repeated and detailed rape and assault scenes, the emphasis is almost always on their physical attributes, with one exception they always need to be protected and saved, etc.): a criticism that comes up in almost all of Gemmell's novels, but which seemed even more obvious to me in this case.
I was nevertheless disappointed with my reading: there is too many characters and those are not very interesting, and the story takes too long to set up: when we arrive at the end, it seems rushed, and no emotion is generated. Add to this the way the women are represent (repeated and detailed rape and assault scenes, the emphasis is almost always on their physical attributes, with one exception they always need to be protected and saved, etc.): a criticism that comes up in almost all of Gemmell's novels, but which seemed even more obvious to me in this case.