| Title | : | The Legend Of Deathwalker (Drenai) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 385 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1996 |
The Legend of Deathwalker
continues the extraordinary tale of Druss among the Nadir started in Legend
For centuries the tribes of the Nadir have suffered under the despotic tyranny of their Gothir overlords. Disunited and distrustful of one another the tribes await the coming of a Messianic warlord, who will unite them against the oppressors.
Into this swirling, chaotic landscape come three men who will change the fate of the continent: Talisman, the mysterious, enigmatic Nadir warrior, haunted by his past and filled with dreams of finding the Uniter; Sieben the Poet, searching for the mysteries of life and love; and Druss the Axeman, determined to find two mystic gems to heal a mortally wounded friend.
Together they will journey across a war-torn land, and descend beyond the gates of Hell, where a long-dead king holds the key to a secret that will change the world.
The Legend of Deathwalker, this battle-charged tale of Druss among the Nadir, completes the circle begun with Legend and Druss the Legend.
Published in 1984, David A. Gemmell's award-winning first novel, Legend, has become a classic. His most recent Drenai and Rigante books are all published as Bantam Press hardcovers and Corgi paperbacks. Hero in the Shadows, Ravenheart and Stormrider are Sunday Times bestsellers. His most recent novel, The Swords of Night and Day, is now available from Bantam Press.
Widely regarded as the finest writer of heroic fantasy, David Gemmell lived in Sussex until his death in July 2006.
The Legend Of Deathwalker (Drenai) Reviews
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The Legend of Deathwalker (The Drenai Saga, #7), David Gemmell
The Legend of Deathwalker is a heroic fantasy novel written by British author David Gemmell, it was first published in 1996.
The Legend of Deathwalker is the 7th book released in the Drenai Series. The book details the life of the character Druss and is set chronologically after the main events in The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend but prior to events in Legend.
The novel begins during the defense of the fortress Dros Delnoch from the Nadir, Druss begins to tell a young warrior a story from his past. He tells how he and his friend Sieben traveled to the land of the Gothir and how he became involved in the political affairs there. Owing to a prophecy that the King made, Druss must lose a tournament; when he refuses to do this men are hired to kill him.
In the course of the attempt on his life his friend Klay is shot in the spine with a crossbow leaving him paralyzed and mortally wounded. To help him Druss travels to the land of the Nadir where a mystic has told him there are gems that can heal any wound.
As he travels to the shrine of Nadir hero Oshikai, the Gothir send a force of 2,000 men to destroy it. Druss arrives at the shrine hoping to find the jewels but is unable to do so before the Gothir arrive, and so he helps four Nadir tribes defend the shrine under the guidance of a Gothir-trained Nadir soldier called Talisman. Talisman is on a quest to find "The Uniter", a man with blazing violet eyes called Ulric, who will unite the Nadir tribes after centuries of warfare. ...
تاریخ نخستین خوانش روز پنجم ماه ژانویه سال2020میلادی
عنوان: افسانه مرگ پیما؛ نویسنده دیوید گمل؛ مترجم سیدسجاد حامدحیدری؛ تهران: کتابسرای تندیس، سال1398؛ در440ص؛ شابک9786001825750؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان بریتانیا - سده20م
جنگ بین دو قبیله با نام های «نادیر» و «گوتیر» بر سر جواهرات افسانه ای است؛ اسطوره ی تبردار تاریکی «دراس»، که با نام «مرگ پیما» شناخته می‌شود، باید در مسیر ماموریتی، از برای خون، و از برای افتخار، به جنگجو «تالیسمان» بپیوندد؛ «دراس» میخواهد دوست در حال مرگ خود را نجات دهد، و سپس قبیله های «نادیر» را، در برابر شرارت «گوتیر»ها هم پیمان کند؛ «دراس» جستجو برای پیدا کردن جواهراتی که سده ها است، در گور «اشیکای اهریمن‌کش»، بزرگ‌ترین قهرمان «نادیر»، پنهان شده را می‌پذیرد؛ پیشگویی شده، که با پیدا شدن سنگ‌ها، متحد کننده ای خواهد آمد، جنگجویی بی نظیر، که «نادیر»ها را، از ظلم و ستم «گوتیر»ها، رها خواهد ساخت؛ اما «گارن_تسن»، نخست وزیر روانی، که قدرت کشور «گوتیر» را، در دستان خویش دارد نیز، به دنبال همان جواهرات است؛ او هم برای بدست آوردن آن جواهرات، دو هزار سرباز مسلح، و آموزش دیده را، به جنگ تعداد کمی وحشی «تالیسمان»، و یک جنگجوی «درنای» می‌فرستد
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 19/03/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ 08/02/1401هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی -
A book that grasps the reader at the first sentence and does not let them go until the last page.
“Legend of Deathwalker” is the seventh volume in the history of the Drenai. The action of this novel takes place between the events described in the “The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend” and “Legend.” Druss, once again will have to face the destiny and undertake a dangerous quest to save his friend.
While Druss will always have a special place for me, in this book he has been dwarfed by another protagonist: Talisman. I bet that Mr Gemmell modelled him on a real-life character; figure dark and surrounded by even darker myths. Analogies to the Vlad the Impaler, known more widely as Vlad Dracula, were apparent to me. Vlad, just like Talisman, was taken captive to the hostile state (the Ottoman Empire) in his childhood. This was meant to a guarantee that his father would never attack the sultan's authority. Talisman also goes to the elite military school where he turns out to be a talented strategist and a warrior (Vlad trained with the Janissaries). Anyone who would like to explore the history of the prince transformed into a vampire by Bram Stoker should read
Vlad III Dracula: The true story of Dracula, the Impaler.
Back to the novel at hand. We have everything here: a crazy emperor, lost artefacts with healing powers, ghosts of long-dead heroes, fights, political machinations, more fights… Sometimes it feels a bit too much. Especially, the magic and miracles department is well endowed. I like Mr Gemmell a lot more when the heroes have to rely only on themselves and their strength or cunning instead of waiting for a lightning from heaven or sudden recovery are very much like deus ex machina solutions. I have had the impression that the Author either ran out of ideas halfway through or had too many of them and did not manage to work them neatly into one coherent piece.
Still, it is not a bad novel. It fills some gaps in the Drenai history: where did the greatest Nadir commander come from? How did he manage to unite his people? Who was he before he became famous? If Mr Gemmell developed these threads and gave up on the miracles, my rating would be higher.
It is my seventh Drenai novel and it is difficult to find something new in this book. Mr Gemmell uses the same schemes, tropes, and arc. However, what is surprising is that despite certain repetitiveness, I always read Mr Gemmell’s books with real pleasure. I recommend the Drenai saga, but I cannot say that this is the finest specimen in the series. Or maybe it is. Read it, and let me know what you think.
Note on the rating: 3,5 rounded to 4 stars (for Druss).
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Also in The Drenai Saga:
1.
Legend ★★★★★
2.
The King Beyond the Gate ★★☆☆☆
3.
Waylander ★★★☆☆
4.
Quest for Lost Heroes ★★★★☆
5.
In the Realm of the Wolf ★★★☆☆
6.
The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend ★★★★☆
8.
Winter Warriors ★★★☆☆
9.
Hero in the Shadows ★★★★★
10. White Wolf RTC
11. The Swords of Night and Day RTC -
اگر باقی کتاب های درنای رو خونده باشید ، از القاب و اسامی مختلف جناب دراس خبر دارید.
افسانه، ارباب تبر، تبردار و صد البته مرگ پیما .
این کتاب به صورت خاص به داستان تبدیل شدن دراس به مرگ پیما می پردازه و اون داستان رو در قالب چند صد صفحه ی مفرح، هیجان انگیز ، پر از خون و خون ریزی و پند های اخلاقی به جا برای شما تعریف می کنه.
من کلا طرفدار جناب گمل-رحمه الله علیه- بوده و هستم و تا به امروز ازش کتاب بد نخوندم.
شما هم اگر علاقه به ادبیات فانتزی دارید و از مجموعه هایی مثل هری پاتر و ارباب حلقه ها خوشتون اومده ، آگاه باشید که کتاب های گمل براتون همون لذت رو دوباره می تونه به ارمغان بیاره.
فقط یادتون هم باشه که این کتاب هفتمین کتاب از مجموعه ی درنای است و نباید با این شروع کنید. -
This astonishing heroic fantasy is the 7th part of the "Drenai Saga" series, written by the amazing author, the late David Gemmell.
Storytelling is of a top-notch quality, the story is superbly executed, and all characters featuring in this fascinating tale come all tremendously to life.
All these characters with their own cultures and customs, whether they are Roman, Celt, Viking, Indian, Mongol, Tartar, Chinese or any other, are all wonderfully related and interwoven with each other in this great heroic story.
The book is about Druss the Legend, who after being directed by the shaman Nosta Khan, is on a quest to find the legendary jewels, the Eyes of Alchazzar, and he's accompanied on this quest by the only friend he has, and that's Sieben the Poet in an effort to save the life of Klay the great fighter.
Also on this quest for the legendary jewels is a man called Talisman, accompanied by the beautiful woman, Zhusai, a mystic who's haunted by the ghost of a long-dead Nadir Queen called, Shul-sen, and they are also sent by the same shaman as Druss, all in an attempt of bringing the Uniter back, and so to lead all the Nadir tribes and conquer the world.
Not to forget the evil behind the mad Gothir Emperor's throne, a man called Garen-Tsen, is very much interested in these legendary jewels, for it can bring him ultimate power, and so he sends an army, with at their head General Gargan, to the shrine of the long-dead Nadir ruler, Oshikai, to obtain these famous jewels by force and death.
What will follow is a captivating heroic adventure, in which some things are repeated, like going to the Void to recue someone, but that in my opinion can be overlooked, for the tale as a whole is superbly told and brought to us in a most marvellous action-packed fashion, containing on the one hand a lot of betrayal, war and bloodshed, but on the other it also treasures a lot of loyalty, honour, glory.
Highly recommended, for this is another terrific tale about Druss the Legend as Deathwalker, and one that I would like to call as: "A Glorious Heroic Fantasy Adventure"! -
This was the last book in the Drenai Saga that I hadn’t read, so reading it was a very bittersweet experience. On the one hand, this one is just as good as all the other books in the series, and made me want to revisit Legend and some of the others. On the other hand, I knew that once I’d finished it, there wouldn’t be any more Drenai books left. So I took it slow for the first half, but naturally I finished it at a breathless late-night sprint a day or two later.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about why I love David Gemmell’s books so much. There are many reasons, but I think the main reason is that his writing is honest. He strips away all the incidental stuff and gets right at the heart of the stuff that matters. He doesn’t pussyfoot around, either–if his characters do something despicable, he doesn’t make any excuses for them. He tells it like it is. This can make for a very brutal story, but it also makes for a very cathartic one.
The other reason I love his books so much is because he does such a good job depicting raw, unrepressed manhood–not the stupid stuff like driving big cars and eating meat, but manning up and facing your greatest fears. It’s about friendship, and honor, and fighting with all of your strength for something you believe in. It’s about all that raw, pent-up energy we all have, that animal urge that drives us to competitive sports and first person shooters, and channeling it for a heroic cause.
The craziest thing is that the fight itself is actually more important than whatever side the characters are fighting on. In this book, Druss is actually fighting to help bring about the rise of the Nadir khan who later None of that matters, though, because Druss doesn’t fight with malice. For him, it’s all about fighting for something, not against something, and the battle itself is just as important as the victory. I don’t think I can put it better than this:
“Can we win here?” Sieben asked, as the shaman’s image began to fade.
“Winning and losing are entirely dependent on what you are fighting for,” answered . “All men here could die, yet you could still win. Or all men could live and you could lose. Fare you well, poet.”
The best thing about David Gemmell’s books is the fact that none of the characters–not even the bad guys–are defined by their own evil. The Nadir are supposed to be the evil chaotic race of the Drenai universe, but when you come to understand what they’re fighting for, their hopes and dreams for a better future, you can really see what’s good in them. Likewise, the more civilized Gothir are kind of like the evil white men who want to put down the savages and keep them in their place, but there are good and honorable men among them too.
And yet, even though the two sides clash, and good men die on both sides, it somehow isn’t tragic. That’s the crazy part. It’s almost like you can feel the characters salute each other as they die in a good cause, the way In David Gemmell’s world, honor and courage are more important than life or money. Everyone dies; dying well is more important than living without honor.
This book is incredible. As I was reading it, I decided it was the best David Gemmell book I’ve ever read–which is something I do every time I read one of his books. I feel like I’m a better man for having read them. If he had written a hundred books in this series, I would happily read them all. The fact that there are no more new ones deeply saddens me, but I know I’ll revisit these stories again in the future. -
I loved eveything about this. I love Druss, and I adore his friendship with the flamboyant poet Sieben. They're so different, but this is how friendships work - you need people in your life who can fill out the things you lack.
It goes both ways. Druss does not always understand why he feels a need to fight the good fight, but Sieben can explain it to him from a philosophical POW. Druss will fight it but ends up agreeing. You seriously need to read their debates on this cos it is incredibly well written, and I don't want to spoil it for you.
On the other hand Sieben, a scholar, a popular poet and writer of heroic epics, a desirable sexual partner, is bored, and admits to himself that his life of seeking physical pleasure is empty, and he follows Druss on his mad quests because he needs to feel alive.
This is some of the best character development I've ever read. These characters are incredibly self-aware, even if they cannot change their nature.
Even if the characters you follow are "the enemy", you never end up feeling that way because Gimmell writes in a way so you can relate to all of them. What a writing skil to pull that off! -
Leído y comentado en 2013:
Libro V de la Saga Drenai.
No os cuento nada más que lo ya dicho, leñe, que es el quinto de la saga y no es que aporte nada nuevo. Es más de lo mismo, pero si te han gustado los anteriores seguro que te lees este también. Mantiene los valores de los anteriores, que no es poco. Y seguimos con Druss el hachero. -
فقط یک دشمن واقعی در دنیا وجود داشت؛ نفرت. تمامی شرارتها از این احساس پست نشئت می گرفت. فناناپذیری و ابدی، نفرت همیشه در قلب انسانهای تمامی دورانها رخنه می کرد.
این جنگ به خاطر چیه؟ مثل همه جنگها این جنگ هم به خاطر طمع و ترسه؛ طمع به این خاطر که گوتیرها ثروتمند هستن و دوست دارن اوضاع به
همین منوال باقی بمونه و ترس به خاطر اینکه اونها نادیرها رو تهدیدی بذای ثروت و جایگاه شون میدونن. تا به حال کدوم جنگی به خاطر دلیل دیگه ای صورت گرفته؟
دیوید گمل
افسانه مرگ پیما
سیدسجاد حامدحیدری
انتشارات کتابسرای تندیس
Stand-alone books
1- Dark Moon (1996)
2- Echoes of the Great Song (1997) (پژواک آوای دوران) 6⭐️
The Drenai Saga
1- Legend (1984)(اسطوره) 5⭐️
2- The King Beyond the Gate (1985) (پادشاه آن سوی دروازه) 5⭐️
3- The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend (1993) (نخستين ماجراجوهايي هاي دراس اسطوره)
4- The Legend of Deathwalker (1996) (افسانه مرگ پیما) ✔
5- Waylander
. Waylander (1986)
. Waylander, In the Realm of the Wolf (1992)
. Hero in the Shadows (2000)
6- Quest for Lost Heroes (1990)
7- Winter Warriors (1997)
8- Skilgannon (The Damned Books)
· White Wolf (2003) (گرگ سفید) 5⭐️
· The Swords of Night and Day (2004) (شمشیرهای روز و شب) 4.5⭐️
9- Stand-alone
· Knights of Dark Renown (1989) (شوالیه‌های بدنام) 6⭐️
· Morningstar (1992) (ستاره صبح/ تولد یک قهرمان) 5⭐️
Troy series
1- Lord of the Silver Bow (2005) (ارباب کمان نقره‌ای) 6⭐️
2- Shield of Thunder (2006)(سپر آذرخش)
3- Fall of Kings (2007, completed by his wife Stella Gemmell) (سقوط شاهان)
Stones of Power
1- Ghost King (1988)(شیح شاه) 4.5⭐️
2- Last Sword of Power (1988)(آخرین شمشیر قدرت) 4⭐️
Macedon
1- Lion of Macedon (1990)(شیر مقدونیه) 5⭐️
2- Dark Prince (1991)(شاهزاده سیاه) -
unbelievable! as always....
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Combattere per il nemico
"La tua visione del mondo, Druss, è molto semplicistica, per te tutto è fuoco o ghiaccio. E questo punto di vista, in se stesso, non è sbagliato. Ma come tutti gli uomini dalla mente chiusa e dai piccoli sogni tu cerchi di prendere in giro ciò che non comprendi. Le civiltà sono state costruite sulle parole, Druss, e vengono distrutte dalle asce."
Importante tassello del mosaico che si incastra nelle cronache di Druss, seppur narrato - in medias res - durante il celeberrimo assedio di Dros Delnoch.
La narrazione epica sposa l'approccio romantico che scorre sotterraneo ai rapporti che intercorrono fra gli innumerevoli personaggi coinvolti nel dramma.
Lo scontro tra culture livella la desueta ripartizione fra ciò che è giusto o sbagliato: si combatte per sopravvivere, per vendetta o al fine di dominare altri, ma l'inesorabile incedere del tempo restituirà dignità a chiunque sia vissuto per onorare un ideale senza calpestare quello per cui combattono coloro di fronte a noi. -
Gemmell sabe manejar a la perfección el género. Sabe mezclar con las dosis suficientes tanto realismo y crudeza como magia y fantasía. Un genio que daría paso al futuro Grimdark.
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A typically excellent fantasy novel by David Gemmell, something of a prequel of sorts to his first book, LEGEND. In fact, it has a couple of book-end chapters that directly link it to the events of that story, but the majority of the tale is set years previously.
This is one of the best Drenai novels. The plot is familiar, taking on yet another siege scenario, but the characters are among the most interesting yet and Gemmell makes full use of the opportunity to explore the various characters caught up in the events. There's a huge cast in this one and yet the character delineation is spot on to the degree that even the minor characters stay in the mind.
Druss is, of course, head and shoulders above everyone else, but Sieben is particularly likeable here (as is his developing relationship with Niobe), and the characters of Gargan, Talisman, Nosta Khan, Kzun and Klay are all well drawn and interesting to read about. The action is splendid, invariably, but the philosophising and ruminations behind the story are even better. I particularly enjoyed the way that the bad-guy Nadir are the heroes here, allowing Gemmell to make the point that there is no good and evil, just men capable of great good and great evil on either side. -
This is a fun book, which is an excellent prelude to 'Legend'. Gammell seems to have a love for sieges, although he has this tendency to being vary anti-climatical in the end.
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La tua visione del mondo, Druss, è molto semplicistica, per te tutto è fuoco o ghiaccio. E questo punto di vista, in sé stesso, non è sbagliato. Ma come tutti gli uomini dalla mente chiusa e dai piccoli sogni tu cerchi di prendere in giro ciò che non comprendi. Le civiltà sono state costruite sulle parole, Druss, e vengono distrutte dalle asce.
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Me encanta, tiene todo lo q me gusta en un libro, acción, aventura, risas, y muchas muchas peleas... Historia muy muy bien escrita, redonda. David Gemmell q bueno q entraste en mi vida!!!
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8/10
In ‘The Legend of Deathwalker’ Druss’s legendary cycle of adventures comes to an end as Gemmell takes us, once again, to the past, in a story of how Druss actually earns the title of the Deathwalker and also of how fate sends him at the siege of Dros Delnoch.
The story starts 30 years before
Legend, but after the main events of the
First Chronicles, with Druss still trying to find himself in the world, along with Sieben, his most loyal friend and poet master.
But when they get involved into Gothir's political intrigues, a friend’s life will come into mortal danger and they will have to travel to the land of the Nadir to seek the “Eyes of Alchazzar”; but that, will put them in a new, and even greater adventure.
However, it has been prophesied that when the “Eyes of Alchazzar” are found the “Uniter” will return, the “one” who will unite the Nadir tribes and will bring them back to glory. And so, Talisman, a Nadir warrior, having lived under the dominion of the Gothirs for many years he will, also, begin his own adventures for the “Eyes” and to try to unite the Nadir tribes.
Along the way though, he will discover that the paths of their fate, between him and the legendary Druss, might be much closer than he expected.
I must to say that the story didn’t hold me as much as in the First Chronicles, perhaps because the story doesn’t focus so much on Druss, but I liked more Gemmell’s narrative in this one, as I think it flows better and has definitely better, and more balanced character development.
Of course, what makes this book even better is that Gemmell brought up, yet again, some very emotional moments from the characters, and especially near the end of the book, which I really liked and, I think, it changes the book as a whole.
Overall, the book might not be one of Gemmell's greatest, but he gives a nice background for Druss and Ulric's past, and if you love Druss like me, well, you should not miss it.
Ελληνική κριτική: -
Through a series of misadventures, Druss and Sieben find themselves taking part in a siege while a Nadir tribesman is searching for something to help his people unite under one banner. This is similar in theme to Quest For Lost Heroes - a quest that starts off as one thing then turns into something else that appears to be trivial - but much more uplifting.
Something that I've noticed in these more recent books is how Mr Gemmell has changed the way he writes about friendship. In his early books he spoke a lot about the bonds that form between people - almost entirely men, admittedly - and how they form and make us take responsibility for each other in times of crisis. In the last few books (this one was published in 1996) I've noticed that he's started to show friendship growing and developing after and making people feel obligated to help each other. It's mostly in the friendship between Druss and Sieben, two very different men with some very different views on things, but who understand that they share some core values. This sharing of similarities between friends and opponents is what drives this book and it reinforces the ideas of Legend, which was the rare fantasy epic that had no villains, just protagonists defending their own existence.
While I don't think it's as significant a book as, say, Lion Of Macedon, the stakes that Druss eventually discovers that he's fighting for render this book as being thought-provoking and highlighting the author's own clearly mixed feelings about war and conflict. That said, it's an exciting adventure story that invites you to think harder about its content.
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We find Druss battling the Nadir on the walls of Dros Delnoch and his mind goes back to the past and the events which led to him fighting beside the Nadir. Druss’s search for his wife Rowena led him to become the lethal fighter he turned into, more comfortable with violence and death than a peaceful life.
And so, circumstances send him on a quest for magic stones to save a friend’s life. Stones supposedly in a shrine right in the middle of Nadir territory. Perilous journey, anyone?
The book focuses mainly on the Nadir. We get a deeper view into the Nadir and the kind of people they are. They are considered savages compared to the Drenai and their way of life is incomprehensible but the Drenai are no better. The way the Drenai treat the Nadir as less than human, the cruelty to their children is deplorable.
We also find out the reason why the Nadir are so at odds and separated as a people. Oshikai Demon-Bane and Shut-sen’s story is heartbreaking.
The one lesson prominent in all of David Gemmell’s books is that hate begets hate. The Nadir hate the Drenai and the Drenai hate them back. It’s a vicious circle that never ends.
David Gemmell crafts an impressive plot with Druss and the Nadir fighting together for a noble cause. The conclusion for the Nadir was an impactful one but Druss’s quest? Ah, we’re given one of life’s biggest lessons here – how life never works out the way you want it to.
Posted on Blog -
I do have a passion of David Gemmell books. He is simple in writing, concise in his battles, a great story teller and most of all , very human when creating his characters.
The Legend of Deathwalker brings us the story of Druss and the reason why he had the name of Deathwalker between the Nadir. It also brings the Nadir rising into the powerful army we have seen in the "Legend".
With a incredible simplicity, David Gemmell places Druss as a story teller to a young warrior about times long passed, when he was in his thirties going to the Games as a fist fighter. From that moment forward, anything and everything happened.
I don't like to make big reviews on David Gemmell books because I tend to make spoils. And if one thing is important when reading his books is the details.
So, go and read. Really. It will be worth your time. -
David Gemmell could have written about Druss (and Sieben) doing groceries and baking cakes and I would have enjoyed it. David Gemmell's style is one that I can't get tired of, even though I have always believed that he wrote the same book over and over again. "The Legend of the Deathwalker" is not as good as the Rigante series or the first two about Troy, but it still has all the ingredients of the his novels (a little bit of talk about philosophy, endings a little bit abrupt, characters that are fleshed out in two lines, and probably some of the best heroes ever written about. You can stand behind Druss, even if you don't agree with him, and his search for the healing stones and his way of life is one to respect. As always with Gemmell, fun to read from beginning to end!
8 -
A podcast review of this book you say!? Why the hell not!?
The Nadir are the Kilngons of the Drenai Saga.
Hello!
Druss is back at it again in this mid-middle-quel to other books within this series. Will he prevail against all odds and defeat the stuff and things!? Probably... I discuss:
The Legend of Deathwalker by David Gemmel.
http://maywood.podbean.com/2014/01/22... -
The best Gemmell - book (yet. I still have a few ones left to read)!
So much magic and adventure! I really enjoyed it! -
nice read
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The Legend of Deathwalker by David Gemmell
Featuring Gemmell's legendary creation Druss the Axe, this is 'epic fantasy with a side-serving of romance' at its best.
During the decades of his career, Druss the Axe became one of Gemmell's best-known creations, appearing in many novels and novellas over the years, either as a central character or as a supporting member of a wider cast.
Here we find Druss in later life after his successful quest to rescue his wife Rowena from the slavers who stole her away from their farmstead, sparking a lengthy and complex search for her by her stricken husband. Druss is here found riding with poet-sidekick Sieben to seek the Eyes of Alchazzar.
Simultaneously, young general Talisman is charged with safely delivered Zhusai, the beautiful granddaughter of Chiatze leader Chorin-Tsu to her new husband, the fabled Uniter with violet eyes who will bring the Nadir peoples together in peace and end the perennial fighting against the Gothir.
This book is pure quest epic, and Talisman and Zhusai's journey is both emotional (falling in love with each other) and physical, as they search for the longlost but never forgotten Eyes. These jewels are fabled to light the path to the Uniter, who at the start of the novel has not yet been identified but whose revealing is sensed to be imminent.
Druss and Sieben are also searching for the Eyes, hoping to save wounded adversary Klay. There are moments when the unlikely presence of Druss in this scenario feels a little constructed, but diehard fans of Gemmell's writing like me require no excuse to spend more time in Druss's company.
This isn't the longest book in a genre notable for door-wedge novels that run to many hundreds of thousands of words. There is really just the one plot strand, and although it is deftly wielded through physical action and emotional development the story is quite straightforward. That's no bad thing - it gives plenty of space for the love story that lies at the heart of most Gemmell novels, and which is part of the satisfying nature of the plot arc here. -
I did like this book - the characters and dialogue were strong, the plot was well done, and all in all it would have been a great book if it stood by itself.
The trouble was, I couldn't shake the feeling of deja vu: a group of people hold up among ruins in an old building in a wasteland, ready to resist a violent siege by superior forces.
I know Gemmell has a habit of reusing the same formula but here it just seemed so blatant, which is a shame because this is one of the stronger Drenai books I've read so far but sense of familiarity managed to spoil something of the enjoyment.
Otherwise, it was interesting to see Gemmell revisit the past to flesh out the Drenai world-building, not least character histories and how they connected. And though it was a good idea and well executed, I struggled to feel convinced.
In the end there's something of the whiff of Rogue One about this - an interesting but unnecessary story. The difference being, this book is a much more worthwhile use of time. :) -
Per ripagare un debito di vita, l'eroe dei Drenai si ritrova invischiato nella battaglia per la resurrezione spirituale di un intero popolo. Seguono quasi quattrocento pagine di maestria e di piacere assoluto.
Generalmente non sono molto obiettivo con le opere di Gemmell, quando poi il protagonista del romanzo in questione è nientepopodimeno che Druss la Leggenda metto le mani avanti e mi dichiaro TOTALMENTE non obiettivo. D'altra parte, anche a voler essere salomonici, che difetti si possono trovare ne L'impeto dei Drenai? La ricerca, la magia, l'ambientazione di contorno che, fra una pagina e l'altra, si può sentire ticchettare come un orologio svizzero, i duelli, i mostri, le battaglie, l'eroismo... questo romanzo è la summa del Fantasy. -
4 Stars
I have really enjoyed revisiting this book/series. I chose this series as part f my reading challenge for this year, and as a buddy read with one of my colleagues. Even though the first book in the series was released in 1984 (and the latest in 2000) the series has pretty much stood the test of time. It is a fantastic action adventure fantasy- with superb characters and brilliant world building, which brings the whole story/series to life.
I have fond memories of discovering this series and excitedly awaiting each new instalment. My reading buddy hadn’t read the series before, but has also enjoyed discovering David Gemmell’s work/s. -
Druss, The Legend, Deathwalker, The Axe.
I am very sad to have the story of Druss end here, but also so grateful to have been able to enjoy his company.
This is yet another masterpiece by DG, the king of heroic fantasy.
My recommendation if reading the Drenai series is to read in publication order. If you read chronologically, you will come across spoilers.
5/5. -
Pretty good story that ties in nicely as a flashback from the first book (Legend). Good action, introspection, adventures, and heroism. Druss remains a man with a simple moral code: do what is right no matter the cost, and I respect that.
