Rating: 
Summary: Encroaching darkness...
Review: This is the ninth of Gemmell's Drenai tales, and the fourth in the Waylander series.
Waylander is a hugely sympathetic hero, being a man touched by tragedy and lately warped by the desire for revenge, but now with no motive other than to eliminate darkness from the world - or at least from his corner of it, simply because he wants to live free from the shadow of evil, not for some great moral crusade. This makes him seem very human, although some of the acts he performs are inhuman; the complexity and tensions in his character make him all the more accessible to the reader, as he is presented in an honest light, neither good nor evil - but exceptionally gifted at what he does. Killing people. And the occasional demon.
In this novel Waylander seems quite settled and, if not happy, then reasonably content with his life. He is rich and comfortable, he has a huge palace and many servants, a vast library and even a pioneering hospital. He assists the local nobles when they fall into debt and he keeps his local area free from bandits and raiders. His past is something of a mystery and to a certain extent he has managed to leave the tragedies and misdeeds of his early life behind him.
But evil returns to haunt him and make him face his ghosts when a portal is opened to a world of flesh-hungry half-human creatures devoted to possession of every possible dimension. This irritates Waylander considerably, and he sets out to put a stop to the nonsense. It will cost him dear.
Together with a skilled swordsman, a young girl he has rescued from raiders who proves to be adept with throwing knives and the crossbow Waylander himself favours, a young ditch-digger with ambitions of heroism and a priestess gifted with farsight, but with a painful and terrible secret, Waylander sets out to rid the vicinity of the evil that threatens.
This involves a quest to reawaken ancient warriors, the unmasking of a supreme and supremely evil mage, and a ferocious battle against overwhelming odds.
Once again, Gemmell delights and surprises in this disquieting yet satisfying novel of darkness and light and the shades of grey in between. Another triumph from the master - another breathtaking adventure for the reader.
Rating: 
Summary: A delight!
Review: This was tightly written, well thought out tale. I enjoyed the main characters and symmetry in this book. Best of all I liked the ending, because the very desire of the hero is realized. But not in the way I expected. It is wonderful to read an author who finishes his books.
Rating:
Summary: Not his best, but still great.
Review: While not as good as some of his previous work, Gemmell still manages to deliver a riveting novel. This story is set in a small nation far from the lands of Drenai and contains much more in the way of magic then the other books in the series. Personally I liked the realism of his earlier works like Legend and the supernatural in this can be strange at times. The history aspects also get a little wacky at times and seems more like they belong in a Feist novel. Now that I have made my gripes let me say all in all I loved this book. Gemmell is an absolute master of fantasy, and he stirs your emotions throughout his works. I recommend any of Gemmell's work, including this. If you haven't read Gemmell before I would say look into getting Legend and the first Waylander novels first however.
Rating:
Summary: Another Gemmell Masterpeice
Review: You all ways hear about David Gemmell writing in the Tradition of Howard and Tolkin But the simple fact is that his storys are much much better. I can not remmember reading one of his books where at some point I was not moved to tears and another where I was awed by the power and heroism. A great Book with many points of intrest to waylander fans{and who isn't a waylander fan} it ended a bit quick for my tastes people should read the first two books to get the full impact but still the best fanstasy this year.
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