Stella Gemmell

Reading this series again more than a decade after my first read, I am reminded that David Gemmell truly is the king of the heroic fantasy.

I've read a lot of good fantasy and fiction over the last few years, and also greatly increased my understanding of the ancient Greek world and epic poetry. All of this serves only to increase my appreciation of what David Gemmell has been able to do in this series.

You will find every kind of hero you can think of in these books - the natural hero, the tragic hero; the reluctant hero, the selfless hero; the unwanted hero, the unexpected hero; heroes in all shapes and sizes, all walks of life, in war, in peace, in love, in sacrifice. And each finds their place, all coming together in one of the most heroic contexts in history.

It's hard to rewrite a story that is the foundation of western literature, and this trilogy is by no means perfect, but David Gemmell interweaves so many Homeric references, historical details and strong characters, that I can't help but be swept along onto the Great Green with his direct but powerful writing style.

A retelling of the Trojan war that is down-to-earth, gritty and realistic, yet nonetheless downright epic - this for me is Gemmell's ultimate work in more ways than one.… (altro)