Rating: 
Summary: Somebody had to do this.
Review: ... do this indeed! You see, ever since Tolkien came up with his Elves-Dying-Out-Of-The-World scheme, I've never seen anybody try to tell you what it's like from the INSIDE. That's one for David Gemmell. Now, I'm a very fast reader, so it doesn't give me all that much trouble, but nobody seems to think a fantasy book is worth reading nowadays if it's not over 800 pages long. Well, they're wrong. Gemmell can do that in half as many, and still keep you transfixed. That's two for David Gemell. Plus, this book has strong elements of myth-in-the-making, tragedy and romance and enough ethical considerations to keep you occupied for a long, long, time, which makes it three for David Gemmell. ON THE DOWN SIDE, the world-building is rather superficial (maybe 800 pages are necessary to get that right) and the whole crystal theory reminds me of the intro to Superman, but the overall picture is deeply satisfying. You'll want to read it again, if possible.
Rating:
Summary: Echoes of Gemmell's Bloodstone Novels....
Review: Although 'Echoes of the Great' Song has nothing in common world-wise with the universe of John Shannon & the Bloodstone novels (Also by Gemmell)...like all Gemmell books, the story seems to fit naturally into a common multiverse he has created that tie every fantasy novel he has written together in some subtle way (Especially with the Bloodstone books). Because of this, after having read any Gemmell book, it is easy to pick up another & keep the mood flowing with all new characters & settings. One character really stands out more than the others in this novel (I can't tell you who!) & you have a hard time trying to figure out if you should hate this character & like him because there are both things to despise & love about him. His eventual fate is worth the whole read in my opinion....very fitting if not a bit warped sense of humor at the end....Read it!
Rating:
Summary: Echoes of Gemmell's Bloodstone Novels....
Review: Although 'Echoes of the Great' Song has nothing in common world-wise with the universe of John Shannon & the Bloodstone novels (Also by Gemmell)...like all Gemmell books, the story seems to fit naturally into a common multiverse he has created that tie every fantasy novel he has written together in some subtle way (Especially with the Bloodstone books). Because of this, after having read any Gemmell book, it is easy to pick up another & keep the mood flowing with all new characters & settings. One character really stands out more than the others in this novel (I can't tell you who!) & you have a hard time trying to figure out if you should hate this character & like him because there are both things to despise & love about him. His eventual fate is worth the whole read in my opinion....very fitting if not a bit warped sense of humor at the end....Read it!
Rating: 
Summary: Solid Gemmell
Review: Coming at the end of a mature phase of Gemmell's career, starting in 1996 with the Legend of Deathwalker and including Dark Moon and Winter Warriors, Echoes is probably the weakest of these four novels. However, Gemmell revitalises himself with Sword in the Storm the next year.The glory of the Avatar civilisation, which once ruled the earth, is now fading and primitive tribes push to topple them. Here Gemmell uses an Atlantis premise, linked to his earlier use of energy crystals (Sipstrassi stones in a new guise, from Wolf in Shadow, Ghost King and others) to paint a picture of a dying race. All the normal Gemmell traits are there, but under the shadow of the excellent Dark Moon and Winter Warriors, it seems curiously lacklustre and even lead characters rather flat. Perhaps this was due to Gemmell re-exploring old themes, something that occasionally holds him back from really top form. A good solid read however, though not his best, you could do a lot worse.
Rating: 
Summary: Gemmell's Best Work Yet
Review: Gemmell always loves to interject his edge-of-your-seat action with thoughtful dialogue, perspectives and scenarios, but this easily qualifies as his most nuanced accomplishment yet. At once deeply moving and repulsive, beautiful and disgusting, joyous and tragic, the scenes and stories come to life in a way that captures your imagination for months, even after you finish it. After reading this, if you've had experience with many of Gemmell's previous works, it will seem like his preceding novels were all practice sessions--testing different ideas for inclusion in this, his masterpiece. His characters are real: deeply flawed, but each with their own unique redeeming characteristics that only gradually reveal themselves. At the story's end you find, to your surprise, that you sympathize with all of them. Books like this remind you of why you haven't given up on fantasy despite all of the tedious fluff that you're forced to endure in this genre. Buy it!
Rating:
Summary: Gemmell's Best Work Yet
Review: Gemmell always loves to interject his edge-of-your-seat action with thoughtful dialogue, perspectives and scenarios, but this easily qualifies as his most nuanced accomplishment yet. At once deeply moving and repulsive, beautiful and disgusting, joyous and tragic, the scenes and stories come to life in a way that captures your imagination for months, even after you finish it. After reading this, if you've had experience with many of Gemmell's previous works, it will seem like his preceding novels were all practice sessions--testing different ideas for inclusion in this, his masterpiece. His characters are real: deeply flawed, but each with their own unique redeeming characteristics that only gradually reveal themselves. At the story's end you find, to your surprise, that you sympathize with all of them. Books like this remind you of why you haven't given up on fantasy despite all of the tedious fluff that you're forced to endure in this genre. Buy it!
Rating:
Summary: Completely engrossed me when I needed it most
Review: I bought this book long before I finally read it. Not realizing until half way through it that it was a 2-part book, which I never buy. When I finally read it my son was in the hospital for a long stay so when I wasn't with him I needed something to keep my mind off the situation. This book did it! I finished it quickly once I started and rushed out to get book 2 even though I didn't have much money. This is a fantasy book but if you don't like sci-fi then you can easily ignore that because it's more of an adventure and about the relationships of this very different characters. Oh yeah, my son's fine now, in case you were wondering.
Rating:
Summary: Completely engrossed me when I needed it most
Review: I bought this book long before I finally read it. Not realizing until half way through it that it was a 2-part book, which I never buy. When I finally read it my son was in the hospital for a long stay so when I wasn't with him I needed something to keep my mind off the situation. This book did it! I finished it quickly once I started and rushed out to get book 2 even though I didn't have much money. This is a fantasy book but if you don't like sci-fi then you can easily ignore that because it's more of an adventure and about the relationships of this very different characters. Oh yeah, my son's fine now, in case you were wondering.
Rating:
Summary: Great! - worth buying
Review: I enjoyed this greatly. A little bit of a change from the usual, but still has the same great style and content that will keep you reading until it's finished. A good read and worth while addition to the Gemmell collection.
Rating:
Summary: Moving, Melancholic, Grand
Review: I find it odd that Amazon lists this book as not yet published, when I bought a copy of the book more than a month ago. In fact, the only reason I bought it was I had a gift to exchange, and this book happened to be an autographed copy. I'm glad I did. I had never bothered with David Gemmell's books, thinking they would be rather shallow and superficial, like the few David Eddings ones I have bothered with. I was pleasantly surprised. I always like books that hint at much more than they include, in the way Tolkein wrote his Lord of the Rings in a world already old. This book too does this to great effect. It depicts the remnants of a once might race still desperately clinging to their overlordship of lesser peoples, but clearly doomed. Their finest hour comes when they are forced to battle a people of equal arrogance and powers, but who have escaped the devastation that wrecked their own civilisation. I think you'd enjoy the book more for not knowing how it turns out... The thing that set this book apart from many, is the sadness I felt for the lost greatnest of this people. At the end, I felt not exactly depressed, but greatly moved by the epic tale. I rather liked the way Gemmell began each chapter with a little excerpt from what is obviously supposed to be the lengendary form of the tale, preserved through oral tradition, told by a tribe many years after the participants are dead and gone...
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