Waylander/Drenai books

[Shingetsu]

I Just finished reading Waylander. Which is the first book in the series in chronological order (according to Wikipedia at least). The series has been on my shelf for quite awhile since my brother bought them and read them all. He enjoyed them very much. I on the otherhand seem to have some issues with the book Waylander.

The characters didn't feel real to me. The dialogue felt lifeless and kind of subpar. It took me 5 days to read the book and it's only 309 pages. Normally when I like a book and it's that short I'd read it in a day or 2 depending how busy I am. But the story just didn't pull me in like most books. Not that I'm blaming the book or the author of course. Gemmell is a New York Times Bestseller and has many fans. But I was wondering if anyone else had my problem reading Waylander?

I was wondering if the writing/dialogue changes any in the series also. I'm not sure if I should go onto the next book in the series or maybe I should stop for now and come back later. I think I might have made the God of Books angry and I wasn't suppose to read the Drenai series yet.

 

[biodroid]

He does have a few ups and downs but mostly he has ups. Try reading the novels with Druss in them specifically Legend. The Rigante series is very good starting with Sword in the Storm. The Troy trilogy is very good to for a fictionalised history as well as The Lion of Macedon. The more you read him the more you start liking him. He is very straight forward and to the point and does not like to mince his words and make things seem florally. He tells it like it is and likes to show us the ugly side of his characters as well.

 

[Connavar]

Legend is the first Drenai book.

Its a classic book of his. Waylander II is better than the first one imo. If you dont like Legend or Rigante first book Sword in the Storm then Gemmell isnt for you.

Simple because to me he has a great prose that fit his straight forward heroic fantasy. You have to ask yourself what you expect. His fans like him for they know they like gritty,historical fast paced heroic fantasy. If you want shining knights type heroes,epic adventures than Gemmell is not the one to read.

His characters are more real than most others to me because the worlds he writes,the cast of characters. His main characters are larger than life. They arent suppose be real like other supporting characters.

 

[biodroid]

His characters are more real than most others to me because the worlds he writes,the cast of characters. His main characters are larger than life. They arent suppose be real like other supporting characters.

His characters are also sometimes anti-heroes? and very flawed people

 

[Connavar]

His characters are also sometimes anti-heroes? and very flawed people

Thats what i like. You can call characters gray like its fashionable in high,epic fantasy but Shannow,Waylander and co are real dark. They strain the anti-hero rules. He has other minor characters thats even more flawed.

 

[soulsinging]

I just read Legend on vacation and I'd say your thoughts are pretty accurate. I didn't mind it, but I think it comes down to a matter of taste. Gemmell to me is like a lit version of the film 300... it's all violence and testosterone and superhero type good guys doing bad ass things to faceless bad guys. Legend was a lot of fun to read (only took about 2 days) but not particularly memorable to me. If I'm going for that style of lit, I prefer hard-boiled detective novels.

Still, the books are fun. If you found yourself wanting more, maybe Gemmell just isn't your thing. I didn't expect much more than I got, so I rather enjoyed it as a nice change of pace from the 2 fantasies I'd read prior to that.

 

[Connavar]

I just read Legend on vacation and I'd say your thoughts are pretty accurate. I didn't mind it, but I think it comes down to a matter of taste. Gemmell to me is like a lit version of the film 300... it's all violence and testosterone and superhero type good guys doing bad ass things to faceless bad guys. Legend was a lot of fun to read (only took about 2 days) but not particularly memorable to me. If I'm going for that style of lit, I prefer hard-boiled detective novels.

Still, the books are fun. If you found yourself wanting more, maybe Gemmell just isn't your thing. I didn't expect much more than I got, so I rather enjoyed it as a nice change of pace from the 2 fantasies I'd read prior to that.

Legend is more of heroics,siege,war than his non Drenai books. Try Lion of Macedon(historical fantasy set in Ancient Greece),Rigante(his most epic series).

See more of him than Drenai is all im saying. I have read 15 of his 30 books and Drenai books the 5 of them i have read except Legend arent in the top of my favorite Gemmell list.

 

[biodroid]

I just read Legend on vacation and I'd say your thoughts are pretty accurate. I didn't mind it, but I think it comes down to a matter of taste. Gemmell to me is like a lit version of the film 300... it's all violence and testosterone and superhero type good guys doing bad ass things to faceless bad guys. Legend was a lot of fun to read (only took about 2 days) but not particularly memorable to me. If I'm going for that style of lit, I prefer hard-boiled detective novels.

I disagree, Legend was his first book, he gets better with age. If you really understood Gemmell you would really understand how his characters work. They are more 3 dimensional than most authors characters. His characters are always flawed and he even kills the hero off at the end of the book to prove than no hero is invincible. Read his Rigante series then you will know what I mean.

 

[Shingetsu]

I read Waylander first since it is the first book in the series in chronological order. I decided to read the next book in the series which is Waylander II: In the Realm of the Wolf. The writing seems much better. I'm not sure if I will like it any better or not. But at the moment I'm taking a break to read the new Raymond E. Feist book.

 

[Connavar]

I read Waylander first since it is the first book in the series in chronological order. I decided to read the next book in the series which is Waylander II: In the Realm of the Wolf. The writing seems much better. I'm not sure if I will like it any better or not. But at the moment I'm taking a break to read the new Raymond E. Feist book.

Dont bother with chronological order in Drenai. There are several series in one. Druss has 3 books,Waylander 3 books,Skillgannon a few etc

The rest are stand alone. Legend created the history of Drenai. Most people read it first. Drenai are 12 books with 3 characters who has their own mini series in it plus stand alones. So chrono isnt important like other series.

 

[Shingetsu]

Still, wouldn't it be nice to read about those three characters in order? From young to older and such.

 

[Connavar]

Still, wouldn't it be nice to read about those three characters in order? From young to older and such.

Yes of course but it doesnt matter if you read Druss first or Waylander since Waylander is many centuries before.

For example i thought it was extra interesting how character,things who were Legendary in legend are involved in Waylander.

Karnak,Egel,Armour of Bronze etc

Plus publishing order arent really different from chrono order when you get past Waylander books. I have read Legend,King Beyond The Gate,Waylander I,Waylander II,Quest for Lost heroes. Beyond The Gate is less than 100 years after Legend and many more years after Waylander but that doesnt ruin the books.

I could read Druss or Waylander first doesnt matter at all. The stories are personal in those books. His heroes are always forced to be involved in saving Drenai. Its not the end,start of their stories.

 

[sanityassassin]

I ander/Drenai books

Yes, only few of the Drenai need to be read in order, it is strange that some people like certain books but dislike others, but there is variety in his books

Its a classic book of his. Waylander II is better than the first one imo

I find it the other way I liked Waylander better than WII. I think Legend is one of his weaker books(as it is his first I forgive him, plus it gives the setting for the whole series). I liked Morningstar, whereas a lot of people disliked it. So having read just one book is not enough to determin whether DG is an author for you

 

[biodroid]

Is it ok to read Hero in the Shadows after Waylander II? Is it technically a trilogy?

 

[Connavar]

Since its about Waylander i dont see why not.

The other books in Drenai that isnt about Waylander doesnt have anything to with Waylander except few historical links like the Thirty history.


The Druss books other than Legend,Winter Warriors,White Wolf,Swords of Night and Day have nothing to do with Waylander. Winter Warriors is stand alone, White Wolf,Swords is about Skillgannon.

I recommend publishing order that you read Druss books after Waylander II. Druss is a great hero. Sure you can read Hero in Shadows before but you cant jump over the chronicles stories of younger Druss.

 

[Brian G Turner]

I Just finished reading Waylander. Which is the first book in the series in chronological order (according to Wikipedia at least). The series has been on my shelf for quite awhile since my brother bought them and read them all. He enjoyed them very much. I on the otherhand seem to have some issues with the book Waylander.

The characters didn't feel real to me. The dialogue felt lifeless and kind of subpar. It took me 5 days to read the book and it's only 309 pages. Normally when I like a book and it's that short I'd read it in a day or 2 depending how busy I am. But the story just didn't pull me in like most books. Not that I'm blaming the book or the author of course. Gemmell is a New York Times Bestseller and has many fans. But I was wondering if anyone else had my problem reading Waylander?

I was wondering if the writing/dialogue changes any in the series also. I'm not sure if I should go onto the next book in the series or maybe I should stop for now and come back later. I think I might have made the God of Books angry and I wasn't suppose to read the Drenai series yet.

Waylander I think was David Gemmell's third book, so there's a potential argument that it might not be as polished as his later works - especially as a third book might be subject to greater demands from deadlines, etc.

In my copy, there's an introduction where he also says it's based on a newspaper war he was involved with, and that he tried to put a lot of work colleagues in.

I did notice a few more modernisms than I might normally have expected, so it may be possible that he tried a little too hard to include mannerisms and manners of speech from the same people.

If I had one complaint about characters, it would simply be that Durmast and Karnak were a bit similar to me - hulking, confident, amoral men, wielding massive weapons.

I still very much enjoyed the story, though, and even characters such as Karnak I found very memorable.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

I quite enjoyed that series.

 

[Brian G Turner]

Is it ok to read Hero in the Shadows after Waylander II? Is it technically a trilogy?

Presumably you've already read it by now?

I'm surprised the Waylander books are not sold as a trilogy, because they are among the best connected books I've read by Gemmell. Most of his series take place years, even centuries, after one another, but the Waylander books have a clear and barely interrupted continuity.

 

[biodroid]

Brian, not yet read it, but I am planning to after the Jerusalem Man trilogy or I might just split things up and read it after I finish Wolf in Shadow.

 

[AndyC]

Century Hutchinson own the publishing rights to the first two Waylander books, while Transworld own the third, so we will probably never see the trilogy together. DG changed to Transworld after the Hawk Queen duology.