The King Beyond the Gate
Encyclopedia
The 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 events of the two books take place around a century apart. Thus the main protagonists of Legend are long since dead and play little part in The King Beyond the Gate, other than passing mentions. This set a precedent for the entire Drenai series, in which very few characters appear in more than one novel, the gaps between novels sometimes running to centuries, giving a more epic, historical flavour to the series.
This book details the rise of Tenaka Khan, descended from both Ulric (The great Khan) and Rek (Earl of Bronze). It is the story of the true Nadir uniter, and how he grew from rejection by both his Drenai and Nadir heritage to eventually unite all of the Nadir tribes and conquer the Drenai. This book also details the tale of Decado, the ruthless swordmaster who has never been defeated. In The King Beyond the Gate Decado is known as the Ice Killer, a descendant of Skilgannon the Damned, though this is unknown until The Swords of Night and Day
. Decado, much like Tenaka Khan and his ancestor Rek, is a flawed hero. Unlike the self-conscious Tenaka and Rek, Decado worries about his life as a cold-blooded killer, and flees to a group of Source priests for sanctuary against his previous life. In The King Beyond The Gate, Decado joins the Source Priests in what seems to be redemption, and becomes the leader of the Thirty, eventually leading them to battle bravely and die valiantly.
David Gemmell
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...
. It was published in 1985. It was the second book published by Gemmell, after 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...
, 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 events of the two books take place around a century apart. Thus the main protagonists of Legend are long since dead and play little part in The King Beyond the Gate, other than passing mentions. This set a precedent for the entire Drenai series, in which very few characters appear in more than one novel, the gaps between novels sometimes running to centuries, giving a more epic, historical flavour to the series.
Synopsis
The King Beyond the Gate takes place a century after Legend takes place. The Drenai are under the rule of Ceska, a usurper of the throne who over time has become a mad emperor. Ceska rules with an iron fist, with the Joinings and the Dark Templars as his tools of terror. The Joinings are horrifying werebeasts, made by merging man and animal, and the Dark Templars are priests of darkness, with power beyond compare. Thus it falls to one man to overthrow the tyrant--- Tenaka Khan.This book details the rise of Tenaka Khan, descended from both Ulric (The great Khan) and Rek (Earl of Bronze). It is the story of the true Nadir uniter, and how he grew from rejection by both his Drenai and Nadir heritage to eventually unite all of the Nadir tribes and conquer the Drenai. This book also details the tale of Decado, the ruthless swordmaster who has never been defeated. In The King Beyond the Gate Decado is known as the Ice Killer, a descendant of Skilgannon the Damned, though this is unknown until The Swords of Night and Day
The Swords of Night and Day
The 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...
. Decado, much like Tenaka Khan and his ancestor Rek, is a flawed hero. Unlike the self-conscious Tenaka and Rek, Decado worries about his life as a cold-blooded killer, and flees to a group of Source priests for sanctuary against his previous life. In The King Beyond The Gate, Decado joins the Source Priests in what seems to be redemption, and becomes the leader of the Thirty, eventually leading them to battle bravely and die valiantly.