The Swords of Night and Day

Rating:
Summary: The Prophecy of Skilgannon the Damned
Review: The Swords of Night and Day is the eleventh novel in the Drenai Tales series, following White Wolf. A thousand years before, Skilgannon the Damned had led three hundred of his Silver Hawk cavalry in a flank attack on the invading Zharn tribesmen and slew their king in battle. While the invaders were driven back, none of Skilgannon's force survived. After the battle, Ustarte the priestess and prophet acquired his body and hid it in a buried tomb.

In this novel, Skilgannon has been resurrected, his body reborn and his soul retrieved from the Void and implanted in the new body. At first he was unable to recall anything of his previous life, but the memories soon started returning in a haphazard sequence. Familiar items would trigger whole strings of memories. First came memories of his death, then he identifies a locket as his and remembers the name of his wife. Next he recalls Druss the Legend.

The resurrection has been accomplished by Landis Khan with the help of the empath Gamal. They have found Skilgannon's real tomb, with his bones inside. The tomb also contained the Swords of Night and Day, a locket containing bone and hair of Druss the Legend, and Druss's axe. Landis has also resurrected the body of Druss, but his soul is not available.

Landis has brought Skilgannon back to life to end the tyranny of the Eternal, the reborn of Queen Jianna. Landis has emissaries from the Eternal, Unwallis and Decado, as guests and introduces Skilgannon to them as his nephew Callan. Later he sends Skilgannon to Harad, the reborn of Druss, and they take a trip through the hills. While they are gone, Decado kills Landis and his Jiamads (mass produced Joinings) kill many of the servants and drive the others to the hills.

Askari is a reborn of Jianna, although she is not aware of it, and the Eternal has sent troops to recover her for use as a replacement body. Although she is not there when the troops arrive, she soon discovers the invasion and ambushes the Jiamads. Her friend Stavut the trader has brought her a new recurve bow and she uses it to shoot the invaders from far away and then heads for the hills. Stavut thinks Askari is crazy, but follows her into the hills; he is not about to stick around and try to explain himself to the angry Jiamads.

Skilgannon and Harad counterattack the Jiamads in the village and kill the officers. They see Askari ambush the Jiamads and watch the Jiamads chase after her. They track down the Jiamads and attack them from the rear as they storm the hiding place of Askari and Stavut. Rather than fighting to the death, Skilgannon negotiates a cease fire with the Jiamads and they leave after promising to not attack any more humans.

Later Stavut becomes the Pack leader of those Jiamads who survive the attack on Askari and himself. As more Jiamads show up, Stavut adds them to the Pack. When Stavut joins Skilgannon and others in defending the passes from the Eternal's forces, his Pack insists on following him into battle.

In this story, Skilgannon stills feels a strong attraction to Jianna, his former lover, despite a thousand years within the Void. Harad learns to love Charis, the peasant girl who had led Gamal out of Petar after Landis is killed. Askari has known Stavut for years, but his courageous behavior when they are trapped by the Jiamads leads her to see him as a lover.

This story is built around a prophecy that Skilgannon will terminate the reign of the Eternal. Since Jianna is aware of the prophecy, she has been looking for Skilgannon's tomb, but Landis got there first. However, Skilgannon cannot conceive of any way that he can fulfill the prophecy, but he decides the first step will be the finding of the Temple of Resurrection.

The story features a fair amount of fighting. However, today's enemies become tomorrow's friends. And today's friends are often tomorrow's enemies. Even the Eternal is not sure whether she wants Skilgannon dead or alive.

Recommended for Gemmell fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of intrigue and betrayal, expert swordsmanship, and magical mysteries.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Rating:
Summary: Another Gem from Mr Gemmell
Review: This book is yet another example of what makes David Gemmell one of the most exciting SF writers today, and another reason why his many legions of fans (me inlcuded) wait eagerly to pounce on his latest books. Mr Gemmell has yet to write a "bad" book, or even a "tired" book (which other series writers seem to come up with now and again). His plots are fast paced and twisty and his characters are knowable and "Human' (in the true sense if not the strictly physical). Even when they are not "goodies" its easy to have some sympathy for them. I love the internal fights as much as the "blood and guts" ones, and there are fights of all sorts in this book. Skilgannon, Druss, the Eternal, Harad and Decado, not to mention Stavut and the joinings, are all great characters. There is nobility and definitely not-nobility, humour and great deeds of derring-do, and just enough ambiguity in the ending to make me how for more. If there is more - bring it on!!!

Rating:
Summary: a great blend of fantasy and morale
Review: This fantasy novel by renowned british fantasy author David Gemmell is the second installment in "The Damned"-circle.

The first book - "White Wolf" - introduced the new character, "The Damned": (WARNING! might contain spoilers!)

Olek Skilgannon, a warrior unbeaten in swordsmanship, warfare and any confrontation he ever had, but with a great understanding of morale and ethics. Nevertheless, once as a general he ordered a city's whole population killed; an act, which left more than just a passing guilt upon his conscience.
Ever since after that tragic day he tried not to harm other people unless he was about to be harmed himself. Instead he was trying to amend the mistakes he'd made so far.
While helping some people he meets Druss, the Legend, he befriends him. Together with a rag-tag band of individuals beyond any hope and future, they set out on a quest to bring down a common enemy.

In the second installment Skilgannon is magically/genetically brought back after having found his bones in a tomb a thousand years later; some people see in him the last hope to restore a war-torn world back to one of harmony.
But he's not the only reborn: in his tomb were also other bones alongside a strange runed silver axe, from which a big and powerful man was brought back.
But in contrast to Skilgannon, this big man's former soul could not be restored from the Void, so that it's just his body that's reborn. His soul/identity is a complete new one.

So far to the beginning of Gemmell's new fantasy novel.

As always, Gemmell knows how to build an interesting and gripping story arc, but furthermore he stays true to his intentions of morale and ethics: there is not one character who's totally evil or good. Everyone is flawed, some more, some less. Gemmell portrays the struggle within, beings torn between good and evil and the resulting twilight zone everyone finally finds in his own self.
He clearly shows that warfare and fighting might prove exciting on the surface, but is anything but. Besides, he shows that man is in fact the most cruel being of all (scene: Stavut and the beasts).

All in all, Gemmell holds true to a shakespearian quote: "fair is foul and foul is fair!" (MacBeth). But he does so on a large scale, not by simply inverting the surfacial behaviour of characters.

In conclusion, I have to admit that Mr. Gemmell hasn't disappointed me, but lifted my spirits. I want to thank him for writing exciting stories with strong argumentation about man's internal struggle with his own demons and angels. Good man!

Rating:
Summary: a great blend of fantasy and morale
Review: This fantasy novel by renowned british fantasy author David Gemmell is the second installment in "The Damned"-circle.

The first book - "White Wolf" - introduced the new character, "The Damned": (WARNING! might contain spoilers!)

Olek Skilgannon, a warrior unbeaten in swordsmanship, warfare and any confrontation he ever had, but with a great understanding of morale and ethics. Nevertheless, once as a general he ordered a city's whole population killed; an act, which left more than just a passing guilt upon his conscience.
Ever since after that tragic day he tried not to harm other people unless he was about to be harmed himself. Instead he was trying to amend the mistakes he'd made so far.
While helping some people he meets Druss, the Legend, he befriends him. Together with a rag-tag band of individuals beyond any hope and future, they set out on a quest to bring down a common enemy.

In the second installment Skilgannon is magically/genetically brought back after having found his bones in a tomb a thousand years later; some people see in him the last hope to restore a war-torn world back to one of harmony.
But he's not the only reborn: in his tomb were also other bones alongside a strange runed silver axe, from which a big and powerful man was brought back.
But in contrast to Skilgannon, this big man's former soul could not be restored from the Void, so that it's just his body that's reborn. His soul/identity is a complete new one.

So far to the beginning of Gemmell's new fantasy novel.

As always, Gemmell knows how to build an interesting and gripping story arc, but furthermore he stays true to his intentions of morale and ethics: there is not one character who's totally evil or good. Everyone is flawed, some more, some less. Gemmell portrays the struggle within, beings torn between good and evil and the resulting twilight zone everyone finally finds in his own self.
He clearly shows that warfare and fighting might prove exciting on the surface, but is anything but. Besides, he shows that man is in fact the most cruel being of all (scene: Stavut and the beasts).

All in all, Gemmell holds true to a shakespearian quote: "fair is foul and foul is fair!" (MacBeth). But he does so on a large scale, not by simply inverting the surfacial behaviour of characters.

In conclusion, I have to admit that Mr. Gemmell hasn't disappointed me, but lifted my spirits. I want to thank him for writing exciting stories with strong argumentation about man's internal struggle with his own demons and angels. Good man!

Rating:
Summary: another great from Gemmell
Review: What can I say, this is another book in the life (or after death)of Druss and Skilgannon. I've alwise liked Druss, so this was a welcome addition to the series. Skilgannon is new to the field but he seems to have a lot of growing room. I would have liked to see a book that was about Skilgannon and maybe Ulric Kan of the Wolves. But still a very good read. Better then Goodkind or Jorden. Gemmell has been able to keep his world and the players in it new and interesting. This Book could be a stand alone for those new to this would or a welcome addition to your collection of Gemmell favorites.