Customer Reviews

Bloodstone (Jon Shannow Adventure)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

David Gemmel create in Jon Shannow a character many would wish to become yet fall short. Because he is not a man who tries to become a legend rather someone who searches, like the antithesis of a hero in John Campbell's "Hero With a Thousand Faces" Shannow never sought glory, yet he has found that spark in every human being that makes him a hero. He realized at an early age that something is more important than himself. In his deeds he became something more than human, yet he is more human than many. You can flower the book and the character with alliterations and adjectives but the main core of Shannow is that of a haunted man yet duty bound to fulfill all that he will ever be no matter what the circumstance.

One cannot read the fifth book in the bloodstone novels and not have some form of reaction. For many will be wondered by the vivid characters Gemmel writes to the detailed battle sequences he describes. Yet there is more to this book than great writing, the struggles are real, we face them every day. We all see a bit of ourselves in the Jerusalem man from the desire for peace to his knowledge and ability to survive no matter the tribulation. He will inspire you and he will force you to question your soul.

Gemmel is truly a great story teller who has the ability to tell vivid worlds in just a few worlds. I have read many of his works this was my favorite, the Jerusalem Man my favorite. This story both saddened me and enlightened me.

This was not only the first Gemmell book I read, but also one of the only books in my lifetime that I have purchased by back-cover blurb alone, and I have to say this book blew my mind. Not only were the chractors extremely well written (as are all of Gemmell's charactors. I found myself actually caring for them) but this book contains one of the most amazing endings I have ever read in a novel. The way Gemmell seamlessly weaves a futuristic western setting with fantastic magic, dark Christianity and Atlantean myth is unearthly. In fact, this book made me buy every one of David's books without reading the backs - and I have not been disappointed. Do I have to say more? READ THIS BOOK!

Just when you think you've got Gemmell figured out, he turns the tables on you. Fans of Gemmell and Jon Shannow might find the book a bit slow at first, and something of a retread of previous Jerusalem Man tales, but be patient...the master has got some great surprises up his sleeve! Readers unfamiliar with Shannow are strongly advised to go back and read the previous Stones of Power books before this one. You won't be disappointed. Gemmell is one of the most important fantasy writers of the late 20th century!

Jon Shannow is a troubled man whose personal philosophy reflects the ambiguity of any moral philosophy that acknowledges a) the complexity of human nature and b) the complexity of the world. Shannow and the other characters in the novel are continuously playing with ideas about how to live a better life. Some of them are clearly losers--stubbornly "good" men who are shot dead in the streets and evil men who seek to escape death only to meet it as Shannow's bullet blast through their bodies. But there are no winners. Instead, the survivors and the heroes are people who acknowledge the evil in what they do, but are driven to do it because they think they are facing greater evils. Shannow is an untrained clairvoyant, a man deeply appalled by evil, and a man with superb hand-eye coordination. When his family is killed, he becomes a hunter of the kind of men who killed his family, the robbers and sadists who act amorally, pushing aside moral principles in pursuit of their more brutal desires.

As a hunter, he finds his principles put to the test when he is in position to cause tremendous evil in order to avert what seems to be a greater one. Gemmell's novel may favor Shannow's character, and thus give tacit acceptance to his behavior, but he lets readers know that Shannow's path is far from a good one.

The problems with Bloodstone are two: 1) Part of the timeline is believable but not fully explained and justified. 2) The characters represent different ideas, but how they came to embody these ideas and why is left to the reader's imagination. In other words, character development is limited. However, the character's are undeniably cool.

One of my favorite things about the Stones of Power novels is that where you start from is completely different (but somehow logical) than where you end. How does Gemmell get from a sickly prince lost in the woods to a legendary pistol fighter somewhere in the future? How do we travel from ancient Atlantis to Arizona?

But he does it. The conclusion to the Stones of Power series is one of the most powerful books in the series. It deals with time travel (in a non-traditional way) which usually gives me a headache... but Gemmell warps the idea of time travel to fit into the storyline... and fit into my pea brain!

There is a lot of religious activity in the book. It's interesting (and sort of painful) for me as a Christian to read the book. You see a Preacher trying to do good, but as is too often the case the foundation of good intentions turns into a river of blood. There's a bit of the crusades in this book, but scripture is used from the bible as a prop and a tool. He's not preaching at us, he's writing a realistic story and the characters are well intentioned, but wrong.

Bloodstone answers questions the previous books left unanswered all the while creating a new story. Technically, all of the Stones of Power books can stand on their own. But why mess with such perfection?

If you've never read Gemmell, go read Ghost King and follow the series all the way through. It was an amazing sci-fi/fantasy journey, highly recommended for fans of both genres.

I have just finished the final chapter in David Gemmell's Jon Shannow trilogy, and what a ride it was. I couldn't imagine a more satisfying conclusion to this thrilling series. Any fan of westerns, fantasy, post-apocalypse, or suspenseful action will love this series about a post-apocalyptic gunslinger that is known as the Jerusalem Man for his early quest for the lost fabled city.

This book has everything great about the other two volumes and more. It is the only book in the series that could not be read alone as it is dependent on so much of what happens in both of the previous books.

Here are some highlights about this particular novel:

1. This book has some very frightening moments with mutated, man-eating "wolvers" and the return of the deadly hellborn armies. This horror factor just capitalizes the heroic nature of those who survive and stand strong against the evil forces of the bloodstone.

2. All of the Jon Shannow books are philosophical. This one is doubly so, mixed with heaps of pathos and a more than a touch of melancholy, this book proves to be as thoughtful as it is exciting: a nice balance.

3. The character of Jon Shannow is shown as his most complex (and, thus, most human). His sacrifices are poignant.

4. Characters that were introduced in all three of the volumes really come to life here. Gemmell devoted a lot of pages for their development and personal tests and tragedies. When everything comes together for a real standoff with the surviving characters the reader is absolutely invested.

5. The Bloodstone is a villain that is truly fantastic and horrific. Gemmell has given us a devil that is believable and horrific in his conception.

Mr. Gemmell, like the Jon Shannow has moved on. I know I will not get the chance to read about Jon Shannow again. Except, you can bet that I won't be forgetting about his excellent adventures. In any case, if I do, I will be reading these novels again, I am sure. I can't recommend these books more to the true fantasy lover.

I read this when I was in high school (10 yrs ago maybe..). I enjoyed it. It may not have been as complicated as some novels, but it, and the rest of the series, were definitely good books. I would recommend them to any fantasy/sci fi fan.

Bloodstone is another great book by the master of fantasy, David Gemmell. He remains my favorite author and I have yet to find a book by him that is not excellent.

I started reading David Gemmell with his Drenai saga, and I recommend starting there. Legend was his first book, which is very good, but my two favorites are Winter Warriors and Hero in the Shawdows. These books create very human characters, all with their own flaws, who struggle to stay good and just in a world of evil.

This is the last in Gemmell's Stones of Power series; it's notable mostly because Gemmell has wrapped up a bad series with a good ending. The three earliest books are immature in their writing style and plotting, and, while the fourth is definitely better, Gemmell just seems to be finding his stride. Bloodstone pulls the frayed plot lines together and turns Jon Shannow into the archetype for all Gemmell's tormented heroes. The earlier books introduced a line of meddling immortals, posing from time to time as gods (Athena and Odin among others), and mythical figures including Merlin and Gilgamesh. The series ranges from Arthurian England to Atlantis (home, mysteriously, to the Biblical Noah) to Shannow's post-Apocalyptic Wild West. Time travel has allowed a paradoxical twist in which Shannow sends a 20th century missile back in time to initiate the cataclysm that destroyed Atlantis.

Bloodstone takes all these plot twists and manages to make them work. When Shannow sent the missile to Atlantis, he freed a fleet of 20th century planes from time stasis; they land, bringing a strange leader intent on rebuilding the earth to combat a mysterious evil. Who is the stanger? What is this evil only he knows about? With a parallel universe, an ur-villain, and a hero seeking redemption, what more could you ask from Gemmell? I don't think this book would make much sense by itself, unfortunately, and I can't recommend slogging through the whole series just for this, but if you can stand the earlier books, this one is rewarding in the solid, well written style I have found in Gemmell's other series.

I've enjoyed Gemmell's novels, particularly the Druss stories. However, after reading most of his books, it becomes obvious they all follow a general formula. It doesn't make them any less fun to read. The formulaic parts just make them comfortable. The was my first John Shannow story and yet, it didn't seem new to me. There's a definite Clint Eastwood-type of western influence on the story, but it is also similar in many ways to Gemmell's "Hero in the Shadows." It took me a little while to get oriented to the story. The prologue, in particular, seemed disconnected with the rest of the story for a long time. It's not deep fiction, but it's definitely a fun adventure featuring a flawed hero.