| Title | : | Sword in the Storm (The Rigante, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0345432347 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780345432346 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Mass Market Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 439 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1998 |
The Seidh--a magical race as old as time--take note of the young warrior and cast a malignant shadow across his life. For soon a merciless army will cross the water, destroying forever the timeless rhythms of life among the Rigante.
Swearing to protect his people, Connavar embarks on a quest that will take him into the heart of the enemy. Along the way, he receives a gift: a sword as powerful and deadly as the Seidh who forged it. Thus he receives a name that will strike fear into the hearts of friend and foe alike--a name proclaiming a glorious and bitter destiny . . .
Demonblade.
Sword in the Storm (The Rigante, #1) Reviews
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I read this too long ago to review it without a re-read (which is something I want to do ... but ... y'know ... time).
I do remember that I considered it my favourite Gemmell book, edging out Legend and The Lion of Macedon. And I'm a fan of Gemmell's work, so "favourite" means all the stars.
I loved the 2nd book of the trilogy too, but for some reason bounced off the 3rd.
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“It is said a man doesn’t get old while his mother lives. I think it’s true. You are always a child in her eyes. It is irritating in the extreme. But you know, when they have gone, you’d give the earth just to hear them treating you like a child once more.”
Sword in the Storm is undoubtedly my favourite book that I have read by the renowned David Gemmell. It surpasses even the joy of reading Legend, which is a book I would also recommend to everyone.
It is obviously inspired by the conflict between the Roman Empire and the Scottish tribes who managed to repel them. Connavar, the main character, grows up in one of these tribes, and travels to lands beyond, beholding great wonders. He overcomes great tribulations, and forms a reputation for himself as a great warrior.
The characters are absolutely wonderful. Varied, authentic, relatable, loved, hated. Connavar is one of my favourite protagonists that I have discovered within literature. I loved him!
You cannot doubt the storytelling of Gemmell. He immerses you into a world of such depth, intercedes you to the intricacies of the culture so delicately, and forms bonds between you and the characters, seemingly effortlessly. Utterly brilliant!
Once again, I would recommend for everyone to read this! I read it about a year ago, and yet it still dwells on my mind, often in reference to great set pieces, masterful characters, and the best heroes. Signs of a fantastic book!
5/5 STARS -
Re-read - Such a wonderful fantasy. Re-reading it I could see that it could do with some more depth; it's crammed with plot points which are fantastic but I'd love to larger book with more quiet moments. Still incredible.
An amazing historically inspired fantasy by the legend David Gemmell. I loved the writing style, the characters, the world Gemmell has created and I felt all of the heartache. Really looking forward to getting to book 2. -
Fairly typical fantasy world, but far better done than most. A lot of thoughtful comments & twisty situations leading to a variety of fates. The characters were really well done. As much as I like them, they can make some really bad decisions, but they're very believable bad decisions. A lot of thought went into this & yet it reads quickly & easily. That is the best part. This isn't just a simple story, yet it reads like one. I'm not sure how he manages to do that, but I'm hooked.
I probably had an iZombie (season finale?!!!) to watch tonight, but I never even thought about turning on the TV. I had to finish this book instead & I know there are 3 more. Yeah, it's that good.
It ended well, too. There's plenty more story available, but it wasn't a cliff hanger. The next book picks up 20 years later, too. -
متاسفانه همخوانیش کتاب رو کوفتم کرد وگرنه پنج ستاره می‌دادم. فانتزی حماسی خوبی بود، خیلی جاها پتانسیل هدررفته داشت و خیلی جاها استفاده‌ی فوق‌العاده کرده بود، از مفهومش هم خوشم اومد.
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به شخصه با کتاب‌هایی که پلات محور نیستن و شخصیت محوراند مشکلی ندارم. همونطور که با جلد اول نخستین قانون مشکل نداشتم. ولی این کتاب چندان بهم نچسبید. نسبت به بقیه کتابای گمل ضعیف‌تر بود به نظرم.
میتونم درک کنم چرا گمل همچین مسیری رو برای داستانش روایت کرده، اما درنهایت چندان جذبم نکرد. دو مشکل اساسی در داستان بود به نظرم:
1- داستان پره از درام‌های ریز و درشت و اتفاقاتی که تیکه تیکه بهمون نشون داده میشن و بخشی از شخصیت اصلی رو میسازن. اما بعضی از این درام‌های کوچیک پتانسیل بالایی دارن که بنظرم حیف شدن در طول داستان. خشمی که به صورت مهارنشدنی بیرون می‌ریزه و قهرمان‌بازی‌هایی که باعث حسادت بقیه افراد میشه میتونست خیلی بیشتر بهشون پرداخته بشه. اما نشد. ماجرای حسادت برادر کاناور یه نکته خیلی جالب بود برای من که قشنگ میتونست نقطه عطفی باشه تو داستان، اما شهید شد.
2- این دومی یه نمه اسپویل داره:
امیدوارم جلدهای بعدیش بهتر از این یکی باشن. -
Probably my favourite (yes I can spell, I'm English *laughing*) Gemmell. In fact, definately in my top 3 reads of all time. Gemmell's ability to draw an intense and gripping story through the ability to make his character's 'human' was the best I've ever come across. All his heroes had their flaws or weaknesses, with most of his villains having a side that showed them as 'not too far removed from most' or 'even holding some great skill beyond ours'.
I don't rate 'all' of Gemmell's books (though I've read them all), but I do rate most of them highly. They have the ability to take you into another world, another dimension, that we know is not too far removed from our own dreams and experiences, challenges and feelings.
What did I learn from this book? Similiar to what I learned from many of his best works, that beautiful thing called 'hope'. You ride the waves and struggles of his heroes, their choices, consequences and angst. You learn that his characters, although fictional, are based on human nature and that within us all is the ability to choose the right choice, do the right thing, and find strengths that we didn't believe we had. A few Gemmell's have brought tears to my eyes (okay, I'm bloody empathic *smiling*) and this book is no exception. While Connavar makes a split decision to risk his life to save his crippled friend and you ask yourself 'would I do that?', well, maybe you could keep a dry eye where I could not. His tales are immense, but it's the depth of his characters that I have never found an equal to.
Notice I didn't spoil the story for you by giving away the plot? *Laughing* I hate it when that happens (like some well meaning b*stards on Amazons' Reviews ;)). This is one of many books that I have read numerous times over the years (that bloody good). -
At what point do you condemn a hero?
This seems to be the overall theme in Sword in the Storm, the third novel I've read by David Gemmell. The first was Legend, the other one of the Troy series. In all three, we have legendary warriors, towering men who can stand at the center of a battle and survive through sheer skill and will. Yet of the three main heroes, Sword in the Storm seems to have the most failings, not in just his character, but in the way he is told.
In Legend, we have Druss. He's old, tired, and grumpy. Yet despite that, we see a legendary warrior still mourning his wife. Facing impossible odds, he refuses to give in, and that strength aids the many around him until they triumph. Druss is almost perfect. He's intelligent. He can fight. He acts calm and rational when he needs to, and he can roar and bellow when he needs to.
In Troy, we have Helikaon. Again, skilled fighter, revered by many, superb wealth, handsome, and able to turn an impossible battle. Except we also see him perform incredibly harsh actions. In this, though, he seems almost at peace about them. The world is dark and unafraid, and they will understand only the violence he delivers to them. Sure he gets a little close to crossing the line, but nothing like Connavar. Nothing like Sword in the Storm.
Connavar slaughters innocent women and children. He cheats on his wife. He often swears revenge, easily gives in to hate, and is sorely lacking the self-control of either Helikaon or Druss. But the problem is...he's still a "perfect" David Gemmell hero. It just doesn't feel quite right yet. What do I mean by "perfect" Gemmell hero? He's got the looks, the brains, the charisma, and the fighting skill. Basically, cross Napoleon with Conan the Barbarian. As a child, he struggles to help his parents, he saves a fawn with no thought to the injuries he'll take himself, befriends a cripple solely to be kind to him, and he commits self-less act after self-less act.
The problem is when anything "personal" happens to Connavar. See, when dealing with warfare, politics, diplomacy, it doesn't matter. He'll react perfectly, keep his head, show mercy, etc. However, the second something happens to a friend, he loses it. Completely. He'll storm off with vows of vengeance. He'll give in to red fury and slaughter whole villages. The lack of self-control is astounding. Sure, he acts guilty about it later, but it almost feels like I'm dealing with a schizophrenic. Dealing with foreign leader? Connavar the magnificent: outsmart him, say the right thing, defeat some lackey, and then leave a hero. Dealing with the death of a friend? RAAAWWWWRRRRRRRRRRRR, CONNAVAR SMAAASSHHHHH!
Anyways, I'm getting wordy. Gemmell deals with some wonderfully mature themes, playing one what is right and what is wrong. My favorite example is of a fox eating a hen's chicks. To the hen, the fox is a murderer. To the fox, he just had a meal to sustain his life. He constantly tweaks with perspective. Who is evil, the king who kills four people to take the throne, or the warlord who slays thousands to take the throne back "honorably"? Connavar is clearly supposed to be complex, and he's pictured as a massive bear with chains holding him in check (the chains being honor, duty, etc). More often, he feels like two characters. Cliche or not, repetitive or not, I still LIKE the good Connavar, the stereotypical Gemmell hero. While I certainly understand readers who cannot endure this book because of what bad Connavar does, I also can sympathize to some extent. I can forgive a man who himself is seeking forgiveness. I just expect him to learn eventually.
So far, it doesn't seem like Connavar is learning. After one incident, he swears that he will never be the same again, and always remember that lesson. And then a few chapters down the road, he does something even worse. He mopes, hides, and eventually swears, again, that he will never be the same, and never forget. Except this time, I don't believe him. I want to, but I don't. We'll see if the next Rigante book changes my mind. -
Класич��ско епично фентъзи от Гемел - знаещият читател няма как да сгреши!!!
Първата част е за младостта на Конавар от племето риганте, бъдещ крал на едни останали малко встрани от реалността и времето ни Британски острови, населени с келтски племена, които подобно на траките воюват основно едни с други. Има и жестоки северняци (викинги), както и заплаха от континента - изгряващата Римска империя.
Съчетание от лични качества, магия и съдба, формира един велик стратег, който трябва да се противопостави на друг такъв, идващ да наложи своята воля. Огромен по мащабите си сблъсък и много приключения, битки и интриги. "Меч в бурята" ми достави голямо удоволствие и я прочетох на един дъх.
Много ми е жал за ненавременната кончина на Дейвид Гемел, този човек можеше да напише още много страхотни книги и да създаде още епични герои и сблъсъци. И се надявам някое издателство да поеме от Инфодар щафетата и да доиздаде останалите книги за Дриз.
И Бард, можеше да се постараете повече с корицата, тази е най-малкото доста грозна. Както е отблъскваща и за много читатели, цената ви от 21.99 лева за 400 страници с мека корица. Но все пак се надявам, че ще успеете да издадете всички 4 книги от поредицата.
P.S. Няма да издадат 3 и 4 книга, колко типично! :( -
البته باید بگم امتیازم ۳.۸ هست 😃🖖
و اینکه طراحی کاورش برام جالب بود از این لحاظ که منو یاد یکی از آرت‌های مشهور حضرت کنت ویلیامز می‌اندازه که برای حماسه‌ی الریک طراحی کرده بود!
حالا خدا عالم که کی از رو دست کی نگاه کرده بوده 😂😂😂
در مورد کتاب فقط به گفتن این نکته بسنده میکنم
کشف و خوندن رفرنس هایی که گمل به افسانه ها و وقایع تاریخی مهم در داستانش داده بود، برام لذت فراوانی به همراه داشت.
حقیقتا الان کمی از حوصلم خارج هست نوشتن ریویو در مورد این کتاب اما اگر علاقه دارید نظرم را بدونید لطفا کامنت بگذارید و حتما جواب خواهم داد. -
This eventful heroic fantasy adventure is the 1st volume of the "Rigante" series from the author, the late, David Gemmell.
Story-telling is of a top-notch quality, the tale is very well structured and executed by the author, and all the characters come wonderfully to life within this gripping adventure.
This series is about Connavar, son of Varracon, a Rigante who's raised by his stepfather and his father's best friend, Ruathain.
At first the tale gives us an account of Connavar's achievements within his own settlement, Three Streams, part of the Keltoi tribe and called the Rigante, who live in the North (of Britannia), which includes slaying a bear, and his friendship with the invalid, Riamfada, by learning him to swim.
His friendship with the Foreigner, Banouin, of the Stone people, will also be very important to Connavar in this tale, because this friendship will enrich his life for the good and bad, for while travelling with Banouin to his land, Connavar will encounter not only the workings and brutality of the Stone people, but also of the other Keltoi tribes.
Sadly his friend, Banouin, will get betrayed and murdered by the Perdii King, Carac, and the merchant, Diatka, and Connavar swears revenge on the whole tribe of the Perdii, which will eventually happen thanks to the Stone people and their conquering.
What is to follow is a fantastic action-packed and fast-paced fantasy adventure, and which is based in my opinion on the Celts and the Romans, but given somewhat different names, and in this adventure Connavar will learn the workings of the world and how to deal with his feelings of love and anger, trust and treachery, and to use his knowledge of the the Stone people in an effort to survive the threat that will come for him and his Rigante tribe.
Very much recommended, for this is the 1st great volume of a fabulous series, and what this episode is concerned I like to call it: "A Magnificent Heroic Opening Scene"! -
I was thrilled to start another book by David Gemmell and he did deliver!
One of David Gemmell's strengths as an author is his rare ability to breath life into compelling and interesting characters.
The MC is Conovar of the Rigante tribe, who is considered a hero among his people even though he's very young unlike Druss and the rest of Gemmell's heroes. Heroism is definitely imbued into him, but he's a very flawed hero and he's very well aware to his flaws.
Gemmell managed to create so many compelling characters and he did that using only 450 pages. Actually he doesn't need a lot of pages in order to create an interesting character whether it would be a cripple, a prostitute, or any other character which is an extremely rare talent, and he's very good in portraying human emotions.
Except for his superb characterization a, the book was quite riveting even though there's not much action in this book.
The plot was good, spanning over slightly more than 20 years, and well-paced, but doesn't shine as much as Legend.
All in all, it's very good book by Gemmell and recommended to any fantasy enthusiast. If you haven't read any of Gemmell's works then you better start with Legend rather than this one
4.25/5
A note regarding the audiobook
While most of the characters in this books are males the audiobook producers picked a female voice-actress to do all the voice acting, which is a quite odd choice.
Lucky for them, Adjoa Andoh is a talented voice-actress and did her job very well!
What bothered me about the voice acting is the use of heavy foreign accents - german, french, and russian if I remember correctly, for some of the characters once Conovar travels to a new region.
I get their goal in emphasizing the different cultures but it was quite annoying. While I did manage to understand the heavy accents it required me to concentrate on what she's saying. The french accent was horrible it sounded almost like she was speaking French and I had some struggle with that.
Using the same accent throughout the whole book would have been great, using subtle accents for some of the characters would have been ok, but the use of heavy accents was quite irritating -
Abandoned at 70%.
It's not a bad book, but there's nothing really gripping about the story and I'm tired of reading mediocre and unoriginal fantasy. -
Il mondo Celtico incontra l'impero Romano.
Gemmell maschera questi due mondi con nomi fittizi ma i numerosi riferimenti a queste due culture sono evidenti e affascinanti. La sensazione è quella di leggere un romanzo storico intriso di leggenda ed eroismo.
I meravigliosi personaggi dalle mille sfaccettature che compaiono in questa storia vivono in un tempo di guerra e sangue con coraggio e dolore. Due mondi che presto si incontreranno e decreteranno il cambiamento.
Ho apprezzato tutti i romanzi di Gemmell del ciclo dei Drenai ma questo probabilmente è il suo miglior lavoro. La Spada nella Tempesta è il primo romanzo del ciclo dei Rigante composto da 4 romanzi.
Difficile trovare qualcosa che sia mal gestita, ambientazione rurale con un pizzico di magia naturale druidica, tempi e ritmo della narrazione perfetti, la trama avvincente con una gran moltitudine di personaggi che trovano il loro spazio, per finire con il protagonista caratterizzato dalla sua imperfezione.
Mi inchino ancora una volta al Maestro dell'heroic fantasy. -
Masterfully excited and realized. Gemmell was a master of heroic fantasy like no other. First Drenai now Rigante. I’m starting to be convinced he never wrote a bad book.
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به نام خدا
میخوام یه فانتزی حماسی جذاب،خیلی جذاب بهتون معرفی کنم،همراه باشین😊👌
💡داستان در قبیله ی ریگانت رقم میخوره... قبیله ای که ثیدهارو میپرستند،خدایانی که در جنگل ساکنن و مردم حسابی ازشون وحشت دارن،ریگانتی ها عقیده دارن هر قهرمان به شکل یک ثید به جنگل خدایان برمیگرده.
💡ساحران ریگانتی،برای هر کسی که بدنیا میاد،یک جسا میبینه،جسا درواقع مثل یه جور طلسمِ زندگیه،که اگر اون رو بشکنی ،امروز و فرداش میمیری
جسای کاناوار،کشتنِ سگیِ که اونو گاز بگیره
💡کاناوار در یک شب عجیب بدنیا میاد و پدرش اونو شمشیر در طوفان لقب میده.
💡این کتاب سیرِ زندگی کاناوار و اتفاقات به شدت جذاب و واقعی زندگیشو به تصویر میکشه.
اینکه چه اتفاقاتی میفته تا اون تبدیل به یک قهرمان میشه
💡از نظر من ریگانت با اختلاف از تمام کارهای گمل قشنگتره.... جذابیت داستان اصلا،افت نمیکنه...شخصیتها بسیار واقعی ان و جملات بی اندازه ناب و اثرگذاری بینشون رد و بدل میشه
👌به شدت کاناوار رو دوست داشتم..خیلی زیاد👌
💡فضاش رو میتونم مشابه چرخ زمان توصیف کنم اما خوب در مقیاس کوچکتر و ریتم داستانی سریعتر.
👌بنظرم اگر داریدش حتما حتما زود زود بخوانید...اگر نداریدش تهیه کنید👌
👌👌یه فانتزی حماسی زیبا و به یاد ماندنیست.
💡تنها ترجمه ای که از این کتاب و سایر آثار گمل در بازار ایران وجود داره توسط کتابسرای تندیس چاپ شده. -
Nella gloria il mio destino
"Nessun essere di carne e sangue scappa alla morte. L'affrontiamo e soccombiamo. Essa ci segue come un'ombra oscura. Tuttavia se viviamo nel terrore di incontrarla, allora non viviamo per niente. Sì, siamo nati soli e sì, moriamo da soli, ma nel mezzo, Tae, noi viviamo."
"Io desidero la gloria!", le urlò di rimando Conn. Un soffio di vento freddo sussurrò per la radura e una luce brillante balenò davanti agli occhi del ragazzo, che arretrò sbattendo le palpebre. "E l'avrai", sussurrò una voce nella sua testa.
Vabbuò, Gemmell mi ricorda un po’ la formula sottesa ai Pokemon, quella sorta di miracolo alchemico che permette di rapinare i portafogli degli amanti di tutto il mondo usufruendo di un modello mutuato sistematicamente di anno in anno. Stando sempre nelle corrette proporzioni: Game Freak pilota milioni di euro; Gemmell, forse, qualcosina di meno.
Non è comunque sbagliato affermare che i romanzi dello scrittore britannico siano tra loro tutti piuttosto simili.
Il fatto è che La spada nella tempesta, volume di apertura del Ciclo dei Rigante, beneficia di un inizio al fulmicotone, tra profezie umbratili e rapporti umani destabilizzati dal dramma; lo stesso setting del worldbuilding - una rielaborazione dell’incontro tra le popolazioni celtiche e quelle dell’impero romano - gode di inaspettato fascino.
Ed è proprio nella bontà delle premesse che uno scrittore maturo dovrebbe restituire una certa evoluzione del suo modo di intendere le storie. Purtroppo siamo nei pressi di un romanzo che, per quanto cerchi di cesellare il proprio contenuto all’insegna dell'immediatezza, proprio nell'estenuante ricerca della semplificazione trova il proprio ridimensionamento (si vedano gli spiegoni sciorinati con la mitragliatrice a nastro, o i nemici brutti/sporchi/viscidi che pensano agli stupri a raffica, mentre covano vendette di carattere famigliare).
Paradossalmente, il romanzo guadagna di spessore nel momento in cui si discosta dallo schema "eroe tormentato-nemico invincibile alle porte", per preferire uno sguardo più alto: il perpetuarsi della condanna dell'uomo tramite le generazioni future, sotto lo sguardo vigile di demiurghi sovrannaturali che pilotano o testimoniano le iniquità terrene. In tal senso, non è sbagliato parlare di un sistema magico potenzialmente interessante, tratteggiato dal rapporto simbiotico tra i Rigante e la natura, ove è proprio la Morrigu - dispensatrice di doni o araldo dei più nefasti decorsi - a incarnare perfettamente l'ambivalenza del destino.
Il romanzo resta chiaramente di preparazione per degli sviluppi futuri; resta da vedere se Gemmell avrà la forza di sfrondare le sue storie da quel piglio un po' sempliciotto che si tradisce - soprattutto con lo sguardo del lettore di oggi - piuttosto anacronistico. -
Incredible.
David Gemmell quickly became my favourite author while reading his Drenai saga.
I had of course heard great things about the Rigante series. Despite that I wondered how on earth could it live up to the quality of Drenai.
I am happy to say that it definitely does while not coming across as more of the same.
A hell of a lot happens in this, the world is fantastic to read and learn more about.
The characters, no surprise are brilliantly done, Connavar, the main character is a joy to read. The rest of the cast also shine bright.
The story has many twists and turns, plenty of gritty action, tragic moments, heartfelt moments and everything else that makes a cracking read. -
Gemel je uspeo u onome što mnoge knjige poslednjih xy godina nisu - učinio je da povratim davno izgubljeno ushićenje tokom čitanja, kao i nestrpljenje tokom svakodnevnih obaveza usled želje za čitanjem. I to ni manje ni više nego herojskom fantastikom, toliko puta prepričanom, prežvakanom, recikliranom - ali sa očiglednim gemelovskim šmekom.
UNIVERZALNO HEROJSTVO
Mač u oluji bavi se Rigantima, plemenskim narodom prebogate istorije, kulture i običaja. Osim povremenih međusobnih kavgi, uglavnom žive u miru, i svako doprinosi zajednici onim što najbolje zna da radi. O njihovom životu saznaćemo primarno kroz Konavara, Mača u oluji, koji će uz pomoć neviđenog herojstva, uz nadzor polubožanskih šumskih bića, započeti legendu.
Istina, svedočićete konvencionalnom fantastičnom herojstvu u vidu borbe protiv naizgled nepobedive vojske, spašavanju dama u nevolji, usmrćivanju zveri, međutim, Gemel u čitavu formulu dodaje i ono istinsko, ljudsko herojstvo, sa kojim svaki čitalac može da se simpatiše. U Maču u oluji je svako heroj, ne samo ratnik - majka, otac, brat, prijatelj, kovač, zemljoradnik, prostitutka, druid, pa čak i jedna povučena veštica koju ćete, siguran sam, jako brzo zavoleti.
Svako herojstvo počiva na strahu, i riganstki junaci i junakinje će mu se suprotstaviti na načine koje će ih još snažnije vezati za čitaoce. U tom smislu Riganti su heroji ove fantastike, a ne samo glavni junak Konavar.
KULTURA
Riganti su deo keltojskih naroda i strepe od iznenadnog napada od strane prekomorske imperije, do sada nesavladive vojske koja se služi inovativnim ratnim manevrima i opremom. Naravno, ovde je u pitanju snažna inspiracija rimskom invazijom britanskih ostrva i Kelta, ali vas ova činjenica ni u jednom trenutku neće nasilno izvući iz celokupnog narativa i uživljavanja u odnose Riganata
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Ljubav prema prirodi i drugima, moral i dužnost veliki su deo riganstkog mentaliteta - i dok se ove tri stvari neće nužno podudarati sa našim današnjim shvatanjima, ubrzo ćete uhvatiti sebe kako u potpunosti razumete i na neki način "živite" kroz ovo pleme. Primera radi, prostitucija kao legitimno zanimanje unutar plemena osramotilo bi i današnju holandsku profesionalku, međutim ove žene kod Riganata poseduju određeni status i jako su cenjene zbog usluga i fizičko-emotivnog olakšanja koje pružaju. Na kraju dana je sve stvar navike i vaspitanja, i sve dok ne narušava život ili prava drugih, zaslužuje ljudsko poštovanje koje Riganti iznova i iznova opravdavaju.
Jako bitan faktor u čitavom Gemelovom svetu čine šeji - polubožanska stvorenja, prisutna na Zemlji još pre nastanka čovečanstva. Premda će u dosta slučajeva služiti kao pomagači u razrešenju nerešivih zapleta (što je u fantastici sveprisutno), u priču će uneti popriličan broj filozofskih dilema i rasprava. Budući da su svedočili nastanku života i njegovom čitavom razvitku, imaće potpuno drugačije poglede na dobro, zlo, pa čak i moral kao takav u odnosu na junake i čitaoce. Uprkos tome, čak će i ova bića iznenaditi s vremena na vreme i pokazaće određenu višeslojnost i na kraju i ljudskost, stečenu posmatranjem ljudi i mešanjem u njihov život.
PISAC ILI DRVOSEČA?
Nedavno sam naišao na komentar koji kaže da Gemel piše kao drvoseča, i sa ovom tvrdnjom ne bih mogao više da se složim. Pre svega, rečenice su mu vrlo kratke, događaji kojima se bavi po poglavljima takođe, podeljenih po različitim vremenskim periodima i junacima, ali uprkos tome konstantno poentira. Koristeći pero poput teške ali ujedno i precizne oštrice, seče priču na kratke delove posvećujući svakom liku i događaju tek toliko pažnje da počnemo da se vezujemo za njih.
I tako će Gemel seći i seći, a mi ćemo od naizgled previše manjih delova ipak razumeti čitavo stanje sveta i živećemo u njemu čitavih 400 strana, a što je najvažnije, upoznaćemo skoro u potpunosti sve likove za jako kratko vreme. U čitavoj brzini i preciznosti, Gemelova oštrica ne ostavlja previše vremena ni likovima ni čitaocima za predah, tako da ćete proživljavati brojne emotivne scene, žrtve, sklapanje novih i razbijanje starih prijateljstava, već u prvih 50-100 strana. Zvuči kao premalo vremena za uspostavljanje veze između čitaoca i likova, međutim varate se, ja kao čitalac potvrđujem da nisam shvatao koliko su me Riganti "kupili" već u prvih nekoliko strana dok emocije nisu počele same da izlaze na površinu.
Istini za volju, Gemel će često zaći u domen "Televisa presenta" (za mlađe čitaoce ovog prikaza - latinoameričku seriju), ali će se ubrzo iskupiti snažnim, epskim pričama i rigantskim plemenom koje je centar svega i koje će nas, hteli mi to ili ne, uzeti pod svoje.
ZAKLJUČAK
Mač u oluji je za svakoga - bilo da ste stari veteran fantastike, početnik u istoj, ili da ne možete očima da je pogledate (ono čuveno "Ne mogu ti ja te zmajeve i vilenjake..." - inače, nema ni jednih ni drugih).
Dovoljno naivne i proste forme, a u isto vreme se baveći suštinom ljudske prirode, međuljudskim odnosima i ozbiljnim pojavama sa kojima se svakodnevno susrećemo i mi kao čitaoci - strahom i preživljavanjem - Mač u oluji u potpunosti odgovara na pitanje šta znači biti heroj. Odgovor vas možda neće iznenaditi, ali će vas svakako vratiti na pravi, ovozemaljski put. -
I would say that it is 3.75/5.0 stars for me, rounded up. This really feels like classical fantasy, with a Celtic/Roman bent to it. I quite enjoyed the storyline. Mr. Gemmell certainly knows his craft, and I've enjoyed all of his books that I've read.
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اگه به سبک فانتزی و حماسی علاقه داشته باشید، کتاب‌های دیوید گمل می‌تونند گزینه‌های خیلی خوبی برای مطالعه باشند.
البته با توجه به تعریف‌هایی که از دیوید گمل شنیده بودم، این اثر احتمالا بهترین کتابش نبود، ولی با این حال کاملا راضی کننده بود و دیالوگ‌های خوبی هم بین شخصیتها وجود داشت. -
This is my first read of a Gemmell work and, maybe one of his best, but still I quite understand why hi is so revered and respected in the fantasy literature shelf.
This has a medieval kind of setting with some magic and mythological small creatures, like fauns or fairies, with magical and enhanced weapons, but still you could easily die by falling of a horse, or by a stray arrow. In short, you could look and feel invincible, but there are also other forces at play, so in any moment you don`t have to underestimate these treats.
I liked the writing, smooth and easy to take in, the story has it`s upside downs, the characters felt very close to reality, with feats that were true to the humane hearts, with all the flaws and mistakes that usually we are making.
The main setting of the story it`s quite classic, our hero from the people of the Rigante becames aware of the big danger when a more technologically & advanced race, quite the warmonger people, comes in a short range of it`s homelands.
This book it`s kind of a prelude of this struggle to preserve the heart and traditions of the Rigante, but the personal approach to the story has it`s strong points.
Overall I feel that, for the time being, this one deserves, easily, a five stars from me! -
5.0 stars—-
This is a fantastic story, and is now my favorite Gemmell book that I’ve read. I’ve only gotten to the Troy trilogy other than Sword in the Storm, but Gemmell is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Connavar is a compelling character, he has his flaws but it’s easy to root for him. The supporting characters are great too, and shine as they cross paths with Conn. Its a coming of age story for a legendary warrior named Demonblade, who is seeking glory, but realizes all he really wants is to love and protect his people and home.
I was a little disappointed to find out that the second book in the series doesn’t follow Connavar as the MC, so I will be revisiting the series in the near future. But I’m sure the rest of the series will have great action and intelligent writing like the rest of Gemmell’s books. After this series comes The Drenai Saga. -
و باز هم گمل بی نظیر!
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Combattendo Orsi
Il romanzo utilizza la magia legata alla Natura e non come mero strumento effettistico, e questo mi è piaciuto. L'ambientazione è spartana e ha un suo fascino. I personaggi sono sicuramente solidi, mantenendo una carica umana non indifferente, e non rischiano di cadere in atteggiamenti banali. In buona sostanza: ha le carte in regola per piacere, ma non mi ha conquistato, non ne ho sentito il respiro generale ed è mancato, a mio avviso, l'intreccio giusto per affezionarsi alla sorte dei protagonisti. -
2.5 Stars
Interesting fantasy book, but I didn't love it. It may have been the depth of characters and not really liking or relating to any of them. I'm going to read the 2nd book, Midnight Falcon and I hope the story and characters improve significantly. -
Typical Gemmell. Feels like coming home! :)
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Many of my favorite authors or readers that I appreciate hold Gemmell in really high regard so I said to give him a try. Most of the book I was not impressed and wondered why all the praise. The last quarter of it was really good for me and changed a bit my opinion. I started this with really high expectations, lowered them a lot in the process and ended somewhere in between.
The story is maybe simple, reminiscent of the Celtic/Roman wars, but it is told in a heartfelt way full of rural and old times wisdom. What I Liked more was the characters. They felt real. Grey as it is in real life. Not pretentiously grimdarkish or high fantasy heroes. Plain real people capable for the worst and the best, trapped in the web of human relations.
The setting is Celtic with the presence of pagan like magic. There is less action that what I expected from what I have heard of Gemmell and more character exposition. The plot is straightforward with the strong presence of fate and its tragic inevitabilities.
I think that If I had read Gemmell earlier in my time I would also have loved him. -
A third reading of the book. I ran a poll at the FB group David Gemmell fans and this came second. I wanted to remind myself why.
A good read, excellent worldbuilding and characters. Pacy and quality, typical Gemmell.
