David Gemmell
Encyclopedia
David Andrew Gemmell was a bestselling British author of heroic fantasy
. A former journalist and newspaper editor, Gemmell had his first work of fiction published in 1984. He went on to write over thirty novels. Best known for his debut, Legend
, Gemmell's works display violence, yet also explore themes of honour, loyalty and redemption. With over one million copies sold, his work continues to sell worldwide.
. Raised alone by his mother until the age of six, he experienced a harsh upbringing in a tough urban area, suffering bullying and taunts from his peers, partly due to the absence of his father, and often sustained serious injuries through fighting. Preferring reading books to fighting, he was compelled to take up boxing
by his stepfather, who insisted he learn how to stand up for himself without "hiding behind walls or running away", this philosophy informing much of Gemmell's later writing. As a child, he said he "would have given anything" to stand beside King Harold II
at the Battle of Hastings
. As a teenager, he wanted to stand with Marshal Will Kane in the film High Noon
. He was expelled from school at the age of sixteen for organizing a gambling
syndicate and as a youth was arrested several times. He claimed that one psychologist's report at the time labelled him a psychopath
. Gemmell went on to work as a labourer
, a lorry-driver's mate and a nightclub bouncer
, before his mother set up a job interview with a local newspaper. Of 100 applicants, he was probably the least qualified for the position, but was hired owing to his display of arrogance during the interview, which was mistaken for self-confidence. He went on to work as a journalist for several local newspapers in East Sussex
, eventually becoming editor-in-chief for five. He also worked freelance
as a stringer
for the Daily Mail
, Daily Mirror, and Daily Express
national newspapers. Coming from a staunch socialist
family, Gemmell carried banners and campaigned for eventual Labour
Prime Minister
Harold Wilson
in the 1960s, nevertheless admitting a grudging alignment with Thatcherite
policies on issues of foreign policy, especially the Falklands Conflict
, and with Reagan
ite views on East
-West
relations. Gemmell married twice; his first marriage produced two children, before he met his second wife, Stella. The couple made their home in Hastings
on the south-east coast of England until the author's death.
resisted against overwhelming odds, at the time serving as a metaphor for his illness; the fortress at the center of the tale was Gemmell, the invaders were his cancer. Leaving the ending of the novel open, he planned to let the fortress stand or fall dependent upon his own prognosis. When Gemmell later learned that he had suffered a misdiagnosis, he set The Siege of Dros Delnoch to one side until 1980, when a friend read the manuscript and convinced Gemmell to sharpen up the novel in order to make one last attempt at publication. It was accepted in 1982 and published in 1984 under the new title, Legend
, going on to achieve considerable commercial success. Gemmell said that while it had "all the flaws you expect in a first novel", the writing of Legend was "a golden time" in his life, citing it as the favourite of all his novels. He said that while he could "write it better" after becoming an established author, "[its heart] wouldn't be bettered by improving its style." Gemmell's journalism career overlapped with his career writing novels until the publication of his third novel Waylander
in 1986, when he was fired after using colleagues' names for characters in the book. Gemmell later said that his Managing Director had regarded it "a poisonous attack on his integrity."
After the publication of Waylander, Gemmell became an author full-time, writing over thirty novels in total, some as part of long-running series, others as standalone works. Most of his novels were in the heroic fantasy
genre; White Knight, Black Swan was a crime thriller, appearing under the pseudonym
Ross Harding, and was Gemmell's only novel not to become a bestseller. Two of Gemmell's novels have also been adapted into graphic novel
format. Gemmell's books have sold more than one million copies.
In mid-2006, Gemmell was on a trip to Alaska
when he became discomforted. Immediately travelling back to the UK, he underwent quadruple heart bypass surgery
in a private London
hospital. Within two days he was able to take physical exercise and returned home to resume work on his latest novel. On the morning of 28 July 2006, four days before his 58th birthday, Gemmell was discovered by his wife, slumped over his computer, having died of coronary artery disease
.
At the time of his death, Gemmell was writing the final novel in an alternate-history trilogy based upon the legend of the siege of Troy
, having completed 70,000 words. Only hours after his death, Gemmell's wife Stella resolved to complete the second half of the novel based upon his chapter plan and notes, contacting Gemmell's publisher two weeks after his funeral in order to make the offer. As a former junior reporter, aspiring novellist and subeditor, and having been involved in Gemmell's writing process for a number of years, Stella Gemmell felt she was "the only one who could do it." Preparing for the task, she reread her husband's previous work, deconstructing the battle scenes in order to build her own. Troy: Fall of Kings was published in 2007 under the joint authorship of David and Stella Gemmell.
Up until his death, Gemmell was also patron of the Hastings Writers' Group
, following founder member Catherine Cookson
. As patron, he was the main judge in the national literary competition run by the group, the Legend Writing Award, which was named after his breakthrough novel. In 2008, the David Gemmell Legend Award was established, intended to "restore fantasy to its proper place in the literary pantheon"; a steering group of 18 authors is chaired by writer Stan Nicholls
and the award is decided by a public vote. At the inaugural ceremony in June 2009, the first recipient was the Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski
, for his novel Blood of Elves. The youngest author to be nominated for this award was 17 year old Liam Gillen.
Originally intending to be a historical novelist, Gemmell was intrigued by events which ended badly for the protagonists. Citing the Battle of the Alamo
and the grisly fate of William Wallace
as influences, he said that had he written about the 13th century Scottish revolutionary, he would have found a way in which he was ultimately victorious despite the odds, eventually realising this kind of storytelling would be more palatable in a fantasy
setting. Gemmell's work typically deals with themes of honour and loyalty, advancing age, lost causes and the possibility of redemption for even the most corrupt (he was interested in the "true nature" of heroes, considering most to be unreliably so). The consistent presence of redemption in Gemmell's work reflected his Christian beliefs. He claimed that all of his novels have a religious basis, calling them "essentially Christian books" and saying that Christianity stopped him from "promoting the cause of evil" by writing "mindless savagery" in the vein of George G. Gilman
's Edge westerns. Propelled by often didactic writing, his work typically features a charismatic warrior tortured by loss and self-doubt, who bands together with a group of unlikely companions in order to defeat a dark enemy, usually aided by mystical forces. While all his novels are violent, successes are often Pyrrhic
and the villains complex. Gemmell credited his time as a journalist for providing him with his pacey, succinct style, though critics labelled his work "macho
" and would often cite his limited vocabulary and the repetitive nature of his stories. Violent events usually provide the sole impetus for plot development, and are resolved by physical violence or heroics. Known for his strong characterisation, he attributed this to his tendency to draw from real life; having been acquainted with violent men, he understood and enjoyed writing them. Gemmell based the hero from his novel Legend on his stepfather Bill Woodford, calling men like him "…the havens, the safe harbours of childhood. They are the watch hounds who keep the wolves at bay." Bill reappeared in many of Gemmell's subsequent novels, in many different forms. When Bill died during the writing of Ravenheart, as a tribute Gemmell reworked the novel to give the "Bill" character centre stage.
Anthologies/Omnibus:
It should be noted that in official printings, these two books are grouped with the "Stones of Power" series and contain some of the same characters and assumptions on how the world works.
Published by Arrow Books.
After Gemmell finished The Lost Crown, he sent the manuscript to his publishers. Unfortunately, they didn't like it, saying that they didn't think it had a "voice" for children. So it was shelved. When Gemmell asked for the manuscript back the following year, so that he could work on it, he was told it had been lost. As if that wasn't enough, it had been saved only on an old Amstrad
PCW
disk that had become corrupted.
Heroic fantasy
Heroic fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy which chronicles the tales of heroes in imaginary lands. Unlike stories of sword and sorcery, heroic fantasy narratives tend to be intricate in plot, often involving many peoples, nations and lands. Grand battles and the fate of the world are common themes,...
. A former journalist and newspaper editor, Gemmell had his first work of fiction published in 1984. He went on to write over thirty novels. Best known for his debut, Legend
Legend (novel)
Legend, published in 1984, is the first and most famous novel of British fantasy writer David Gemmell. It established him as a major fantasy novelist and created the character of Druss, who would appear in several subsequent books. It was also the first novel to be published in what later became...
, Gemmell's works display violence, yet also explore themes of honour, loyalty and redemption. With over one million copies sold, his work continues to sell worldwide.
Early life
David Gemmell was born in 1948 in west LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Raised alone by his mother until the age of six, he experienced a harsh upbringing in a tough urban area, suffering bullying and taunts from his peers, partly due to the absence of his father, and often sustained serious injuries through fighting. Preferring reading books to fighting, he was compelled to take up boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
by his stepfather, who insisted he learn how to stand up for himself without "hiding behind walls or running away", this philosophy informing much of Gemmell's later writing. As a child, he said he "would have given anything" to stand beside King Harold II
Harold Godwinson
Harold Godwinson was the last Anglo-Saxon King of England.It could be argued that Edgar the Atheling, who was proclaimed as king by the witan but never crowned, was really the last Anglo-Saxon king...
at the Battle of Hastings
Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings occurred on 14 October 1066 during the Norman conquest of England, between the Norman-French army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army under King Harold II...
. As a teenager, he wanted to stand with Marshal Will Kane in the film High Noon
High Noon
High Noon is a 1952 American Western film directed by Fred Zinnemann and starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly. The film tells in real time the story of a town marshal forced to face a gang of killers by himself...
. He was expelled from school at the age of sixteen for organizing a gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
syndicate and as a youth was arrested several times. He claimed that one psychologist's report at the time labelled him a psychopath
Psychopathy
Psychopathy is a mental disorder characterized primarily by a lack of empathy and remorse, shallow emotions, egocentricity, and deceptiveness. Psychopaths are highly prone to antisocial behavior and abusive treatment of others, and are very disproportionately responsible for violent crime...
. Gemmell went on to work as a labourer
Manual labour
Manual labour , manual or manual work is physical work done by people, most especially in contrast to that done by machines, and also to that done by working animals...
, a lorry-driver's mate and a nightclub bouncer
Bouncer (doorman)
A bouncer is an informal term for a type of security guard employed at venues such as bars, nightclubs or concerts to provide security, check legal age, and refuse entry to a venue based on criteria such as intoxication, aggressive behavior, or attractiveness...
, before his mother set up a job interview with a local newspaper. Of 100 applicants, he was probably the least qualified for the position, but was hired owing to his display of arrogance during the interview, which was mistaken for self-confidence. He went on to work as a journalist for several local newspapers in East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
, eventually becoming editor-in-chief for five. He also worked freelance
Freelancer
A freelancer, freelance worker, or freelance is somebody who is self-employed and is not committed to a particular employer long term. These workers are often represented by a company or an agency that resells their labor and that of others to its clients with or without project management and...
as a stringer
Stringer (journalism)
In journalism, a stringer is a type of freelance journalist or photographer who contributes reports or photos to a news organization on an ongoing basis but is paid individually for each piece of published or broadcast work....
for the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
, Daily Mirror, and Daily Express
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
national newspapers. Coming from a staunch socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
family, Gemmell carried banners and campaigned for eventual Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
in the 1960s, nevertheless admitting a grudging alignment with Thatcherite
Thatcherism
Thatcherism describes the conviction politics, economic and social policy, and political style of the British Conservative politician Margaret Thatcher, who was leader of her party from 1975 to 1990...
policies on issues of foreign policy, especially the Falklands Conflict
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
, and with Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
ite views on East
Eastern world
__FORCETOC__The term Eastern world refers very broadly to the various cultures or social structures and philosophical systems of Eastern Asia or geographically the Eastern Culture...
-West
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
relations. Gemmell married twice; his first marriage produced two children, before he met his second wife, Stella. The couple made their home in Hastings
Hastings
Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....
on the south-east coast of England until the author's death.
Writing career
Gemmell first attempted writing a novel in the 1970s, but The Man from Miami failed to find a publisher. He later admitted that the book "was so bad it could curdle milk at 50 paces.” In 1976, after being diagnosed with a cancer he believed to be terminal, he wrote The Siege of Dros Delnoch in order to take his mind off his illness and to realise his ambition of having a novel published before he died. Written in two weeks, the novel told of a siegeSiege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
resisted against overwhelming odds, at the time serving as a metaphor for his illness; the fortress at the center of the tale was Gemmell, the invaders were his cancer. Leaving the ending of the novel open, he planned to let the fortress stand or fall dependent upon his own prognosis. When Gemmell later learned that he had suffered a misdiagnosis, he set The Siege of Dros Delnoch to one side until 1980, when a friend read the manuscript and convinced Gemmell to sharpen up the novel in order to make one last attempt at publication. It was accepted in 1982 and published in 1984 under the new title, Legend
Legend (novel)
Legend, published in 1984, is the first and most famous novel of British fantasy writer David Gemmell. It established him as a major fantasy novelist and created the character of Druss, who would appear in several subsequent books. It was also the first novel to be published in what later became...
, going on to achieve considerable commercial success. Gemmell said that while it had "all the flaws you expect in a first novel", the writing of Legend was "a golden time" in his life, citing it as the favourite of all his novels. He said that while he could "write it better" after becoming an established author, "[its heart] wouldn't be bettered by improving its style." Gemmell's journalism career overlapped with his career writing novels until the publication of his third novel Waylander
Waylander (novel)
Waylander, published in 1986, is a novel by British fantasy writer David Gemmell. It is the first of three Waylander stories and was followed by Waylander II: In the Realm of the Wolf and Waylander III: Hero In The Shadows-Plot summary:...
in 1986, when he was fired after using colleagues' names for characters in the book. Gemmell later said that his Managing Director had regarded it "a poisonous attack on his integrity."
After the publication of Waylander, Gemmell became an author full-time, writing over thirty novels in total, some as part of long-running series, others as standalone works. Most of his novels were in the heroic fantasy
Heroic fantasy
Heroic fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy which chronicles the tales of heroes in imaginary lands. Unlike stories of sword and sorcery, heroic fantasy narratives tend to be intricate in plot, often involving many peoples, nations and lands. Grand battles and the fate of the world are common themes,...
genre; White Knight, Black Swan was a crime thriller, appearing under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Ross Harding, and was Gemmell's only novel not to become a bestseller. Two of Gemmell's novels have also been adapted into graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
format. Gemmell's books have sold more than one million copies.
Death, posthumous publication and legacy
| Gemmell preferring to go to bed late, with his wife favouring an early start, on July 28, 2006 she was surprised to wake up to discover the bed empty. "I thought, 'Oh good, he must be working', and went to take him a cup of tea in his study." Finding him slumped over his desk, she "hoped he was asleep but I knew, really, that he was dead." |
| — Gemmell's wife recalls his death |
In mid-2006, Gemmell was on a trip to Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
when he became discomforted. Immediately travelling back to the UK, he underwent quadruple heart bypass surgery
Coronary artery bypass surgery
Coronary artery bypass surgery, also coronary artery bypass graft surgery, and colloquially heart bypass or bypass surgery is a surgical procedure performed to relieve angina and reduce the risk of death from coronary artery disease...
in a private London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
hospital. Within two days he was able to take physical exercise and returned home to resume work on his latest novel. On the morning of 28 July 2006, four days before his 58th birthday, Gemmell was discovered by his wife, slumped over his computer, having died of coronary artery disease
Coronary heart disease
Coronary artery disease is the end result of the accumulation of atheromatous plaques within the walls of the coronary arteries that supply the myocardium with oxygen and nutrients. It is sometimes also called coronary heart disease...
.
At the time of his death, Gemmell was writing the final novel in an alternate-history trilogy based upon the legend of the siege of Troy
Trojan War
In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, the king of Sparta. The war is among the most important events in Greek mythology and was narrated in many works of Greek literature, including the Iliad...
, having completed 70,000 words. Only hours after his death, Gemmell's wife Stella resolved to complete the second half of the novel based upon his chapter plan and notes, contacting Gemmell's publisher two weeks after his funeral in order to make the offer. As a former junior reporter, aspiring novellist and subeditor, and having been involved in Gemmell's writing process for a number of years, Stella Gemmell felt she was "the only one who could do it." Preparing for the task, she reread her husband's previous work, deconstructing the battle scenes in order to build her own. Troy: Fall of Kings was published in 2007 under the joint authorship of David and Stella Gemmell.
Up until his death, Gemmell was also patron of the Hastings Writers' Group
Hastings Writers' Group
Hastings Writers' Group is an organisation for published and aspiring writers based in Hastings, East Sussex. It was established in 1947, and is one of the longest-running writers' groups in the United Kingdom. Catherine Cookson was a founder member and was patron for many years...
, following founder member Catherine Cookson
Catherine Cookson
Dame Catherine Cookson DBE was a British author. She became the United Kingdom's most widely read novelist, with sales topping 100 million, while retaining a relatively low profile in the world of celebrity writers...
. As patron, he was the main judge in the national literary competition run by the group, the Legend Writing Award, which was named after his breakthrough novel. In 2008, the David Gemmell Legend Award was established, intended to "restore fantasy to its proper place in the literary pantheon"; a steering group of 18 authors is chaired by writer Stan Nicholls
Stan Nicholls
Stan Nicholls has been a full-time writer since 1981. He is the author of many novels and short stories but is best known for the internationally acclamied Orcs: First Blood series....
and the award is decided by a public vote. At the inaugural ceremony in June 2009, the first recipient was the Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski
Andrzej Sapkowski
Andrzej Sapkowski, born 21 June 1948 in Łódź, is a Polish fantasy writer. He is best known for his best-selling book series The Witcher.-Biography:...
, for his novel Blood of Elves. The youngest author to be nominated for this award was 17 year old Liam Gillen.
Influences and themes
| " The Alamo had a big effect on me when I first read about it. Unfortunately I now know the truth about the Alamo… The Alamo is a consistent story of cock-up after cock-up. Nobody there expected to die. I'm not saying they weren't very brave men. But the whole thing was mismanaged to the point of ineptness... I don't like to believe that, but it's the reality of life, so perhaps I shouldn't have studied the Alamo. Legend is the Alamo spirit - or what should have been that spirit." |
| — David Gemmell on the influence of The Alamo Battle of the Alamo The Battle of the Alamo was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna launched an assault on the Alamo Mission near San Antonio de Béxar . All but two of the Texian defenders were killed... |
Originally intending to be a historical novelist, Gemmell was intrigued by events which ended badly for the protagonists. Citing the Battle of the Alamo
Battle of the Alamo
The Battle of the Alamo was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna launched an assault on the Alamo Mission near San Antonio de Béxar . All but two of the Texian defenders were killed...
and the grisly fate of William Wallace
William Wallace
Sir William Wallace was a Scottish knight and landowner who became one of the main leaders during the Wars of Scottish Independence....
as influences, he said that had he written about the 13th century Scottish revolutionary, he would have found a way in which he was ultimately victorious despite the odds, eventually realising this kind of storytelling would be more palatable in a fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
setting. Gemmell's work typically deals with themes of honour and loyalty, advancing age, lost causes and the possibility of redemption for even the most corrupt (he was interested in the "true nature" of heroes, considering most to be unreliably so). The consistent presence of redemption in Gemmell's work reflected his Christian beliefs. He claimed that all of his novels have a religious basis, calling them "essentially Christian books" and saying that Christianity stopped him from "promoting the cause of evil" by writing "mindless savagery" in the vein of George G. Gilman
Terry Harknett
Terry Harknett is a British author. He is author of almost 200 books, mostly pulp novels in the western and crime genres. He has written as a ghostwriter for Peter Haining and under an array of pseudonyms, including George G. Gilman, Joseph Hedges, William M. James, Charles R. Pike, Thomas H...
's Edge westerns. Propelled by often didactic writing, his work typically features a charismatic warrior tortured by loss and self-doubt, who bands together with a group of unlikely companions in order to defeat a dark enemy, usually aided by mystical forces. While all his novels are violent, successes are often Pyrrhic
Pyrrhic victory
A Pyrrhic victory is a victory with such a devastating cost to the victor that it carries the implication that another such victory will ultimately cause defeat.-Origin:...
and the villains complex. Gemmell credited his time as a journalist for providing him with his pacey, succinct style, though critics labelled his work "macho
Machismo
Machismo, or machoism, is a word of Spanish and Portuguese origin that describes prominently exhibited or excessive masculinity. As an attitude, machismo ranges from a personal sense of virility to a more extreme male chauvinism...
" and would often cite his limited vocabulary and the repetitive nature of his stories. Violent events usually provide the sole impetus for plot development, and are resolved by physical violence or heroics. Known for his strong characterisation, he attributed this to his tendency to draw from real life; having been acquainted with violent men, he understood and enjoyed writing them. Gemmell based the hero from his novel Legend on his stepfather Bill Woodford, calling men like him "…the havens, the safe harbours of childhood. They are the watch hounds who keep the wolves at bay." Bill reappeared in many of Gemmell's subsequent novels, in many different forms. When Bill died during the writing of Ravenheart, as a tribute Gemmell reworked the novel to give the "Bill" character centre stage.
Drenai Series
- LegendLegend (novel)Legend, published in 1984, is the first and most famous novel of British fantasy writer David Gemmell. It established him as a major fantasy novelist and created the character of Druss, who would appear in several subsequent books. It was also the first novel to be published in what later became...
(1984) (Originally published in the USA as Against the Horde, re-released as Legend) - The King Beyond the GateThe King Beyond the GateThe King Beyond The Gate is a fantasy novel by David Gemmell. It was published in 1985. It was the second book published by Gemmell, after Legend, published a year earlier. The book is set in the same fictional world as Legend, that of the Drenai, but is not a sequel in the usual sense as the...
(1985) - Waylander (1986)
- Quest for Lost Heroes (1990)
- Waylander II: In the Realm of the WolfWaylander II: In the Realm of the WolfWaylander II: In the Realm of the Wolf published in is a novel in the Drenai series of British fantasy writer David Gemmell. While the novels of the series are all based in the same universe, most of them can not be described as direct sequels with some consecutive installments having as much as...
(1992) - The First Chronicles of Druss the LegendThe First Chronicles of Druss the LegendThe First Chronicles of Druss the Legend is a fantasy novel first published in 1993 and was written by British author David Gemmell. The novel is a prequel to the popular title Legend...
(1993) - The Legend of DeathwalkerThe Legend of DeathwalkerThe Legend of Deathwalker is an heroic fantasy novel written by British author David Gemmell, it was first published in 1996 and was reprinted in 1999. The book follows on from the novel The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend and was the 7th book to be released in the Drenai Series...
(1996) - Winter Warriors (1996)
- Hero in the ShadowsHero in the ShadowsHero in the Shadows, published in 2000, is a novel by British fantasy writer David Gemmell. It is the third of three Waylander stories and was preceded by Waylander II: In the Realm of the Wolf.-Characters:Waylander ,Keeva ,...
(2000) - White Wolf (2003)
- The Swords of Night and DayThe Swords of Night and DayThe Swords of Night and Day is a fantasy novel by David Gemmell, as well as a pair of legendary swords within the book. They also appear in Gemmell's book White Wolf...
(2004)
Anthologies/Omnibus:
- Drenai Tales Volume I: contains; Waylander, Druss the Legend, Legend, The King Beyond the Gate
- Drenai Tales Volume II: contains; Quest for Lost Heroes, Waylander II and The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend
- Drenai Tales Volume III: contains; The Legend of the Deathwalker, Winter Warriors and Hero in the Shadows
Rigante series
- Sword in the Storm (1999)
- Midnight Falcon (2000)
- Ravenheart (2001)
- StormriderStormriderStormrider is a fantasy novel by the author David Gemmell published in 2002. It is the fourth and last novel in the Rigante series.-Plot summary:...
(2002)
Stones of Power / Sipstrassi tales
This series is known by several names. The entire series deals with the Stones of Power, also known as the Sipstrassi. The first two books contain a re-imagining of the Arthurian legend. The last three novels involve the protagonist Jon Shannow. The first four novels were published in an omnibus edition as Stones of Power: A Sipstrassi Omnibus in 1992. Sipstrassi is also used in the Greek series by Aristotle to perform feats of magic- Ghost King (1988)
- Last Sword of Power (1988)
- Lion of MacedonLion of MacedonLion of Macedon is a historic fantasy novel written by English author David Gemmell. It is the first of two books following the character Parmenion. The book was first published in 1990. The sequel, Dark Prince, was published in 1991. Parmenion is a Spartan in training but faces prejudice and...
(1990) - Dark Prince (1991)
Jon Shannow
- Wolf in Shadow (1987)
- The Last Guardian (1989)
- Bloodstone (1994)
- Omnibus: The Complete Chronicles of the Jerusalem Man (1995)
Individual fantasy titles
- Knights of Dark Renown (1989)
- Morning StarMorning StarMorning star is the name given to the planet Venus when it appears in the east before sunrise.*Phosphorus , in Greek and biblical mythology** Eosphorus, the "dawn-bearer" in Greek mythology**Lucifer, the Latin translation of Phosphorus...
(1992) - Dark Moon (1996)
- Echoes of the Great SongEchoes of the great songEchoes of the Great Song is a fantasy novel written by David Gemmell.The novel explores several themes in the new-age paradigm of alternate history hypothesis, focusing on the existence, lives and demise of the Atlanteans...
(1997)
Troy series
- Troy: Lord of the Silver Bow (2005)
- Troy: Shield of ThunderTroy: Shield of ThunderTroy: Shield of Thunder is a 2006 novel by British fantasy writer David Gemmell, forming the second part of his Troy Series trilogy.This novel was released posthumously in September 2006, following Gemmell's death in July of the same year....
(2006) - Troy: Fall of KingsTroy: Fall of KingsTroy: Fall of Kings is a historical fantasy novel by British fantasy writer David Gemmell, forming the final part of the Troy Series.It was finished by his wife, Stella Gemmell, following his death on July 28, 2006 and released under the joint authorship of David and Stella Gemmell.-Plot summary:As...
(2007)
Greek series
- Lion of MacedonLion of MacedonLion of Macedon is a historic fantasy novel written by English author David Gemmell. It is the first of two books following the character Parmenion. The book was first published in 1990. The sequel, Dark Prince, was published in 1991. Parmenion is a Spartan in training but faces prejudice and...
(1990) - Dark Prince (1991)
It should be noted that in official printings, these two books are grouped with the "Stones of Power" series and contain some of the same characters and assumptions on how the world works.
Non-fantasy
- White Knight, Black Swan (1993) (under the pseudonym Ross Harding)
Published by Arrow Books.
Graphic novels
- Both LegendLegend (novel)Legend, published in 1984, is the first and most famous novel of British fantasy writer David Gemmell. It established him as a major fantasy novelist and created the character of Druss, who would appear in several subsequent books. It was also the first novel to be published in what later became...
(1984) and Wolf in Shadow (1994) have also been released as graphic novels, with text by Stan NichollsStan NichollsStan Nicholls has been a full-time writer since 1981. He is the author of many novels and short stories but is best known for the internationally acclamied Orcs: First Blood series....
and artwork by Fangorn.
Lost novel
In 1986, Gemmell wrote The Lost Crown as a children's novel with his daughter, who was just seven at the time. His publishers liked the idea and commissioned the work. However, not knowing when it would be printed they gave it a fake ISBN and a 1999 publication date. At the time, this date was often used for any book not yet written, but that had been commissioned. This was fine way back in 1986, but when 1999 actually arrived, a great number of novels started to "appear" in bibliographies and publication schedules on the Internet, although they may not have been published or even written.After Gemmell finished The Lost Crown, he sent the manuscript to his publishers. Unfortunately, they didn't like it, saying that they didn't think it had a "voice" for children. So it was shelved. When Gemmell asked for the manuscript back the following year, so that he could work on it, he was told it had been lost. As if that wasn't enough, it had been saved only on an old Amstrad
Amstrad
Amstrad is a British electronics company, now wholly owned by BSkyB. As of 2006, Amstrad's main business is manufacturing Sky Digital interactive boxes....
PCW
Amstrad PCW
The Amstrad PCW series was a range of personal computers produced by British company Amstrad from 1985 to 1998, and also sold under licence in Europe as the "Joyce" by the German electronics company Schneider in the early years of the series' life. When it was launched, the cost of a PCW system was...
disk that had become corrupted.
External links
- Legend Writing Award - The Legend Writing Award
- The David Gemmell Legend Award for Fantasy - created by friends and colleagues to celebrate Gemmell’s life and literary legacy.
- David Gemmell FAQ
- Drenai.com - A Guide to the Drenai Saga
- Wall Street Journal on David Gemmell
- Novel synopses, cover art, and reviews at Fantasy Literature.net