David Gemmell was truly one of the best writers of heroic fantasy. I’ll start with that statement in this lede, and for a good reason. If you take nothing else from this article, then I’d very much like you to at least be intrigued enough to go and check out the man’s work for yourself.
David Gemmell is something of a literary hero of mine (no surprise one of his books made the list of “books that made me, me”) and his writing style is widely praised. The sub-genre he is usually categorised in is “heroic fantasy” and I think that fits the bill. His writing is also affectionately described as popcorn fantasy, owing to its easy-to-read, fast-paced style. But I don’t think that quite tells the full picture. Gemmell’s books are full of heroes and villains—some of them ordinary people made extraordinary, some of them extraordinary by design—and while those stories might not feel as deep or thought-provoking as the work of other authors in the genre, they’re also not shallow. Gemmell brings heart and meaning to wonderful fantasy worlds, and I implore you to read his books. Here are my six biggest recommendations:
Winter Warriors
Perhaps some of Gemmell’s most widely-known work is the Drenai saga. Thirteen novels, sometimes packaged into anthologies or mini-series of their own. I’m not going to lie, I don’t actually rate this body of work all that highly. But there are individual novels within the collective that fully warrant your attention, if heroic fantasy fiction is your thing.
Winter Warriors is one of those books. So much so that I’ve already included in my must-reads for autumn. It follows a group of grizzled, veteran soldiers tossed into a frantic quest to escort a pregnant princess to safety. Pursued by enemy soldiers and dark sorcerers, the book is a brilliant mix of heart-pounding action and brilliant character work. What’s more, you can comfortably read this book as a standalone novel. Just in case you decide that the rest of the Drenai saga isn’t for you.
Dark Moon
Speaking of standalones, I recommended Echoes of the Great song in my holiday reading recommendations – but equally worth your time is the novel Dark Moon.
Dark Moon is one of Gemmell’s more magic-centric novels. It’s even got a touch of sci-fi vibes. So if you like your fantasy more on the “epic” side of things then I think this one could be for you. It follows the fate of three quasi-alien races, one of whom—the imposing Daroth—are returned after a cataclysmic attempt by a human sorcerer to wield powers beyond their ken. A tale as old as time.
As with all David Gemmell books, it’s fast and digestible. Easy to read, but not shallow. There’s a lot of action, but also plenty of more tender moments, too. You’ll narrowly avoid getting eviscerated by a huge demon on one page, only to have your emotional guts sucker-punched on the next.
Hero in the Shadows
This one might feel a bit controversial to the Gemmell afficiandos among you. Primarily because this is one of several novels that features one of David Gemmell’s most well-known characters: the crossbow-wielding master assassin, Waylander.
It is, however, notably not Waylander (the novel) itself, or the direct follow-up, Waylander II: In the Realm of the Wolf. And while both of those books are great reads, there is something that the fantasy-nerd in me loves about Hero in the Shadows. Part of this might be because I love an older, more grizzled main character, and this book delivers. In it, Waylander is much older (and arguably a bit wiser, too). But there are also some great little mysteries in this book, including a neat little twist and a clever surprise at the end, too.
Like Winter Warriors, this book is heavier on demons/traditional fantasy stuff than other works by Gemmell, but it’s fully deserving of its place on my list.
Ravenheart
Ok if the last one was controversial, this one will feel nuclear. Simply put, the Rigante series is the greatest Celtic-inspired fantasy series ever written. That being said, most readers I speak to always lean towards the first two books in the series (Sword in the Storm and Midnight Falcon) which are set in a more ancient part of the Rigante clan’s history. The latter two books (Ravenheart and Stormrider) are much further along in the timeline (think muskets and early cannons).
Because of this historical split, a lot of readers prefer the start of the series. And, as a youngster, I would wholeheartedly agree with that. As a teenager I loved the book Midnight Falcon, and delighted in the parallels I saw to Ridley Scott’s Gladiator movie.
Now though, I genuinely believe that Ravenheart is one of Gemmell’s best books. I would never encourage anyone to dive straight in to it—as I think you need the context of the previous books—but if you read anything by DG then please make it the Rigante series.
Lion of Macedon
Gemmell was one of the most diverse fantasy writers out there. And by that I mean he could turn his hand to almost any sub-genre within the wider gamut of “heroic fantasy” and make a brilliant go of it. See the entry above, where he takes Gaelic-inspired fantasy to its highest highs—or check out Knights of a Dark Renown (a book that involves vampires, an offshoot of fantasy/horror that I’ve written for myself). But this book, the first of a two-part mini-series, is proof that Gemmell could comfortably handle ancient Greek mythology, too.
Many will point to the Troy trilogy as proof he was adept at writing for this sub-genre, but I always preferred The Lion of Macedon and it’s follow-up, Dark Prince. In both books, you can taste the salt on the breeze, feel the Grecian sun on your face and see the blood splatter against the sand. I can’t speak for their historical accuracy (lead character, Parmenion, was a real general to Alexander the Great) but I do know they are thoroughly enjoyable swords and sandals fantasy stories.
Legend
How could this book not be on the list? It is, after all, one of the books that made me, me.
For those of you who aren’t aware, Legend is David Gemmell’s debut novel. It follows one of his most beloved characters, the eponymous Druss (the Legend), Captain of the Axe.
At the time of the story, Druss is an old man (did I mention I prefer books that aren’t “coming-of-age” stories?) and he travels to the seven-walled mountain fortress of Dros Delnoch in a bid to help protect the lands of his countrymen from the threat of invasion by the mighty hordes of the united Nadir tribes. If it sounds epic, it’s because it most definitely is.
Legend left a deep and lasting impact on me. I genuinely credit it as being the book that got me into fantasy as a genre, and now I recommend it wherever I can. It was, without a doubt, one helluva debut.
Conclusions
During his lifetime, David Gemmell was a prolific and brilliant author. If you like fantasy fiction, then I strongly recommend that you read his entire back catalogue. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say he was one of the greats.
Gemmell had a wonderful way of writing fast-paced, action-packed stories that don’t feel wooden. Sure, they’re perhaps not as in-depth as other literature is, and yes, there are one or two dubious books or moments within the million+ words he published. But as far as the fantasy genre goes, I put Gemmell up there as one of the best. Just like his debut, a true legend.
📚✌🏻SP
Share this post
Steve Pannett is an author and designer based in Yorkshire, UK.
He writes primarily in the fantasy genre, combining character-led storytelling with epic, gritty world-building to create dark tales with plenty of action and lots of twists along the way.
He has self-published multiple books and is active online.
