Home :: Books :: Science Fiction & Fantasy  

Arts & Photography
Audio CDs
Audiocassettes
Biographies & Memoirs
Business & Investing
Children's Books
Christianity
Comics & Graphic Novels
Computers & Internet
Cooking, Food & Wine
Entertainment
Gay & Lesbian
Health, Mind & Body
History
Home & Garden
Horror
Literature & Fiction
Mystery & Thrillers
Nonfiction
Outdoors & Nature
Parenting & Families
Professional & Technical
Reference
Religion & Spirituality
Romance
Science
Science Fiction & Fantasy

Sports
Teens
Travel
Women's Fiction
Ravenheart : A Novel of the Rigante

Ravenheart : A Novel of the Rigante

List Price: $7.50
Your Price: $7.50
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 3 >>

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Awe-inspiring
Review: No more words really need to be said. Then again, I have never written a review for a book. Until now. Out of all the books I have ever read. None has touched me like Ravenheart. If you have never read David Gemmell's other books you WILL want to after this one. No other author comes close. I have a deep respect for others, but they do not compare. The whole Rigante series was great. If this is the end of it. It went out with a BANG. I do hope to see more. It is my opinion of course, but I hope others take my words and at least read this one.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Perhaps the Best of Perhaps the Best!
Review: OK, that headline is a bit hyperbolic, but I mean by it that Mr. Gemmell is perhaps the best writer of a genre of pseudo-historical adventure/fantasy fiction, and this was perhaps the best of his novels (so far). Mr. Gemmell is a genius at creating heroes and villians, and (better yet, and far more unusual) allowing them to change, develop, and switch roles. His characters are men and women who are tough, tortured, romantic, guilty, and neither all good nor all bad. They are real people, and he places them in dramatic and exciting situations. The novels are chock-a-block full of action and adventure, but (better'n better) they are also full of philosophy, ethical dilemmas, and moral thinking. Thoughtful and moral adventure thrillers? What more could you want? If you don't know Gemmell already, BUY THIS BOOK! You are in for a rare treat.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not one of Gemmell's best
Review: This book was just sort of sloppy, as though Gemmell was just writing it to set up for the next one. The protagonist is more of a hot-headed brat than a heroic figure, taught by a rogue with one eye. Every so often (and it seems like its done just to fill in space) a sorceress called the Wyrd shows up, foretells the future or gives advise. Towards the end, everything wraps up in a whirlwind.
As with all fantasy books, there are a LOT of characters. with this book in particular, i was really forgetting who were supposed to be the good guys and who we were supposed to hate. its not a very well defined line, which is more realistic to the way battles go. rarely are all people on one side horrible.

i look forward to reading the next book, storm rider, only to find out what the heck happens to the moidarts son, who pretty muct gets set up as a character only to disappear. that was a shame.

it reads kind of slow, to me, so if you have the time and you love gemmell, read it. i would rather start with one of the drenai series books if you're a newer fan. those seem better.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: I have read better
Review: This book was not as good as the first two. This book felt like it was only half done. it stopped way too abruptly. i would have liked more of an ending.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: To Live a Scoundrel, To Die a Hero
Review: This is my favorite book by Gemmell for one reason and one reason only. Oh, I know that it doesn't have the epic scope of the earlier Rigante books, and that it was obviously set up for a sequel, but I'm going to make my earlier reviews into lies by saying that I enjoyed this book more than I enjoyed Legend. This book cannot be denied for me though, because Jaime came through so strong.

I have never read a character with more heart than Jaime. This dirty brawler had a code of honor that struck to his core, and was as pure of heart as the wealthier rulers were well-washed of skin. His relationship to the dark and deadly Huntsekker was a thing of bittersweet beauty, as only the opposition between two heroic men who should have been friends can be. His refusal to admit his love for Kaelin Ring's aunt, his fears for Kaelin, his grit in the face of approaching death for the sake of honor in the ring, all set him head and shoulders above these same attitudes that we are used to finding in the usual clichéd, fair-skinned, decoratively scarred, long-haired knights-of-the-round-table rippoffs.

Jaime was a little more real than the heroes I've become accustomed to find in fantasy novels these days. He was a little dirtier, a little more pigheaded, and he was a little bit smarter for all his big dumb ways than most people would suspect. I've found people that I could compare to older versions of Jaime in southern short-order restaurants, and, if you keep a truly open mind, you can find a beauty to their character that you won't find in any activist, idealist, or politician.

Jaime was a beautiful character, and his death shook me harder than when I was four and, for the first time, watched Old Yeller' get shot. All I could say was that Gemmell had done it again. He took a flat piece of paper and made you feel like you just lost your best friend, but in a way that would make you want to do it all over again. Twisted but wonderful.

Gemmell, you write my heroes.


Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Gemmell Truly is a Brand Name...meaning QUALITY
Review: Though not as action/combat oriented as many of his previous books, his grasp of human nature & complexities is among the best in the genre (as always). I can tell that this book is the masterfully crafted set-up for his final book in the story...one that will undoubtedly make up (in action/combat) for the less-action, more-character/background-building that this book entails. A definite read for loyal Gemmell fans, though I recommend his DRENAI SERIES books first for new readers of this truly great author.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Moved to pride and tears
Review: Truly as close to Braveheart as you can get! I've not had a book move me to tears for such a long time. Not until I came to the end of Ravenheart and Jaim Grymauch's heroic stand against the Varlish. Dramatic doesn't come close to the way Gemmell has written this piece. Its moving, touching and from the heart, just the way I guess he wanted his readers to feel for the characters and the storyline. Before Gemmell, I was only hooked on Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series. On a whim, I picked up Sword in the Storm from our local library, and got hooked after the first 3 chapters. Great writing style and storytelling ability. Its the modern world's answer to the travelling storyteller of old.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Moved to pride and tears
Review: Truly as close to Braveheart as you can get! I've not had a book move me to tears for such a long time. Not until I came to the end of Ravenheart and Jaim Grymauch's heroic stand against the Varlish. Dramatic doesn't come close to the way Gemmell has written this piece. Its moving, touching and from the heart, just the way I guess he wanted his readers to feel for the characters and the storyline. Before Gemmell, I was only hooked on Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series. On a whim, I picked up Sword in the Storm from our local library, and got hooked after the first 3 chapters. Great writing style and storytelling ability. Its the modern world's answer to the travelling storyteller of old.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Same old, same old
Review: We've seen the characters and the settings before. We've seen the plot before. But who cares! Mr Gemmell spins such a good story that it doesn't really matter. As always the characters are well developed and the action sequences first rate. Reading a new Gemmell is just like your favourite chair after a hard day. Get it, kick back, and enjoy.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Moving, Romantic, and Inspiring
Review: Well, I think this is one of Gemmel's best novels. I was moved to tears. It made me think of "Braveheart" with the story line following Highland Warriors and problems with the lowland "Varlish" (English?) hmmm. what heroes and great character development and a great read.


<< 1 2 3 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates