Just finished this and generally enjoyed it. As usual with Gemmell, there's good pace and good description, and the story flows smoothly.
Curious that Shadak calls Druss "Laddie", which is an expression Druss normally - and uniquely - uses. So I'm not sure whether it was implied that it was a common Drenai expression, or whether Druss picked it up from Shadak - or whether Gemmell was implying that Shadak was like another version of Druss in some way.
Also, there are a lot of elements in this story that are also used in Lion of Macedon:
- surly hero
- seeks his stolen love
- blocked by malicious crone who is not entirely evil
- hero's love is tricked
- someone astral travels using the source
- hero ends up in a land of the dead, where they must fight
Although this book was enjoyable, there's a level of detail and realism in Lion of Macedon that still makes it a superior book. I guess Gemmell thought that was a good work, and wanted to use some of the same elements to provide for Druss's back story.
A really weird part, though, is that that book appears to finish - it reaches an end point, and is followed by a summary. And then, strangely, it continues for another 40 pages, for no other reason than to show everyone old and dying at a siege 30 years later.
Still a fun and quick read, but I think the story might have ended better at the false ending, and save the rest for the follow-on Second Chronicles.
Curious that Shadak calls Druss "Laddie", which is an expression Druss normally - and uniquely - uses. So I'm not sure whether it was implied that it was a common Drenai expression, or whether Druss picked it up from Shadak - or whether Gemmell was implying that Shadak was like another version of Druss in some way.
Also, there are a lot of elements in this story that are also used in Lion of Macedon:
- surly hero
- seeks his stolen love
- blocked by malicious crone who is not entirely evil
- hero's love is tricked
- someone astral travels using the source
- hero ends up in a land of the dead, where they must fight
Although this book was enjoyable, there's a level of detail and realism in Lion of Macedon that still makes it a superior book. I guess Gemmell thought that was a good work, and wanted to use some of the same elements to provide for Druss's back story.
A really weird part, though, is that that book appears to finish - it reaches an end point, and is followed by a summary. And then, strangely, it continues for another 40 pages, for no other reason than to show everyone old and dying at a siege 30 years later.
Still a fun and quick read, but I think the story might have ended better at the false ending, and save the rest for the follow-on Second Chronicles.
