Customer Reviews

Dark Prince

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book was wonderfully written. Gemmel had a wonderful idea with this book of the series. Although I must say, this book is not for young readers. Yet, to others, I must say you need to read this book if you like mythology.

This sequel to The Lion of Macedon takes the great General Parmenion to a mythical Greece, where fantastic creatures of legend and myth still live...satyrs, dryads and centaurs abound. Parmenion must survive in this new land to find his son, Alexander, before the Dark God does. This is an epic struggle where he must save his son and the world, from this horrible evil, and his own heart, over the one true love he thought lost to him forever. A wonderful book for hours of enjoyment! A ten is given overall, the author is able to make you feel powerful emotions with the story and gives you characters that you truly know. Don't miss this book!! Also look for Stones of Power references inside, such as: Pendarric, Fallen King of Atlantis (Aristotle), and the Sipstrassi stones (gold veined with black)

This is a companion review to Lion of Macedon.
Dark Prince takes us back to the David Gemmell reconstructed world of ancient Greece. There are a whole heap of goings-on that occurred in Lion of Macedon that led to certain events in Dark Prince, but to tell you them would ruin Lion of Macedon for you, so I won't.
Anyway, this is rather a strange book. It retains some of the feel of Lion of Macedon but is completely different in many aspects. A significant portion of the novel is spent in an alternate reality Greece where mythical creatures such as centaurs and minotaurs still roam the Earth. There is also an evil Phillippos of Makedon to contend with.
Alexander is an extraordinary child in many aspects. He has an extreme constitution and a very high intelligence for one supposedly four years old (in the first third of the book). Actually, despite the possession of the Chaos Spirit, I did still struggle to deal with the adult-like conversations and concerns of the toddler Alexander.
The book improved for me greatly when the setting resumed in the Greece we knew from Lion of Macedon.
Still, in all, this novel had what one expects from a David Gemmell. Heaps of battles, the odd love scene, sword fights a-plenty, revenge, betrayals...
If you pick up this novel expecting an historically accurate re-telling of the Alexander myth, then this is not the novel for you. But, if you are looking for a rousing tale of friendship and loyalty set in a similar world to the ancient Greece we know and love, and a familiar David Gemmell world, then you will not be disappointed.
In my opinion, this sequel does not live up to the heights of Lion of Macedon though. However, it had a satisfying ending that tied together loose strings very nicely.

I am very pleased with this series. I read his "Troy" series first, and really enjoyed how similar yet different this series was. Unlike the "Troy" series, this book deals a lot more with the actual mythology of the ancient world. I found it very enjoyable.

you will love this. I don't see the point in comparing his different books with each other. Sure there are differences between the books and some may appeal to you more than others but they are all David Gemmell and they are all great if you are a fan.
No one would read all his books except one because it got one star less than the others, would they?

You like David Gemmell's books? Get it. End of story.

RIP David

Dark Prince is the sequel to The Lion of Macedon, which is possibly the most heroically epic book ever written.
You really need to read that book before reading this one.

Story:
Dark Prince asks the question, "What if famed conqueror Alexander the Great was possessed by a Demonic War God?" The adventure takes place among the warring states of Ancient Greece and in an alternate dimension with mythological characters like Centaurs, Dryads, a Minotaur, a Gorgon, etc... The story is action packed and features all of the intense action, commentary on human nature, and fantasy that Gemmell fans have come to appreciate.

Characters:
David Gemmell writes the best heroic fantasy characters. Although the characters are heroic warriors battling overwhelming odds, their flaws make them more dimensional and they seem like real people. Many fantasy characters are vehicles that travel from point A to B and simply drive the plot while saying heroic things that an archetypal hero would be expected to say. But David Gemmell's characters are often struggling with their own personal demons or post traumatic stress... or in the case of this book, an actual demon.

Writing Style:
The world is fantastic, dark, and gritty. The environments leap of the page. The action is visceral and epic. The characters hold your interest as you cheer them on through their struggles.

Action:
There are epic battles in Ancient Greece, epic fantasy battles with mythical creatures, magic duels, fist fights, assassination attempts, skirmishes... you name it, it's in here.
All of the battles are intensely written. You feel the impact of swords on shields and spears puncturing bodies. The battles also have physical and mental consequences for the heroes as some of them start to lose their humanity.

Maturity:
This is for young adults or adults. There's sex, violence, gore, and mature themes.

Overall:
This is a very good book. I had one problem with the overall story and I felt that it skipped around quite a bit and doesn't really build on itself.
At times, the story advances 10 years, and even skips to alternate universes. I don't know if any other writer could have pulled this off.
But in the end, David Gemmell's writing style makes this a very memorable adventure.

If you enjoyed this book, check out Legend, Waylander, Winter Warriors, or the Rigante Saga also from David Gemmell.
If you are a fan of Robert E. Howard, you'll enjoy David Gemmell's work.
Avoid this book if you like simple storylines or hate battles.

I really enjoyed this book and part one as well, the Lion of Macedon. I picked this up as an afterthought after reading what George RR Martin has so far completed of the Song of Ice and Fire series. I enjoyed these books so much I allready ordered the entire Drenai series. Ive started Legend and its also very excellent. You can not go wrong with Gemmell. You will like this book!

This book by far is his best. Read the first book (fantastic in it's own right) and then hold on to your hats and read this book! It is impossible to put down. Imagine Parmenian and Alexander meets the Chronicles of Narnia. The first three 'books"(chapters) will break your heart. The last one gets you righteously angry, and then it breaks your heart again.
I seriously have not been able to read another book since I finished this one. My heart's just not in it anymore. I want another book like this one and I can't find one.
It's worth every penny and every page.

Reading about this book, the incongruence of real Greece and mythical Greece, it sounded cheesy, corny. But only Gemmell could pull it off this well. His works stand alone as never following the genre, always changing, never playing it safe. Most fantasy book series feature lead characters that never die, just go on for book after book after book. Gemmell doesn't hold to this tradition - his characters are real and what happens to them is dictated by the story. As a result, his characters always surprise you - evil, vile characters redeeming themselves, once powerful, great men becoming traitors for gold, etc. You really never know what's going to happen. All of a sudden, half way thru a book you can have a new chapter "20 years later...." and you think "what the heck?!" but he does it masterfully - he's telling an epic story - not a "day in the life on this one character."

This is a sequel of course, so you can't read it alone. But the story ends here, as it should. Gemmell even ties in some elements of his other books cleverly, no spoilers. A shame we'll have no more from him, I only found his books about 5 years ago but have literally read every one of them. They stand apart and above all others. The only 2 I have left to read are his last 2 Troy books.

If you are new to Gemmell, start with "Legend" and I envy you - the first time reader of it.

This book covers a lot of ground. A sequel to the Lion of Macedon it takes place a few years after the birth of Alexander(the great). The first part of the book takes place in an alternate realm filled with all the mythical creatures in Greek Legends. Alexander has been kidnapped by an evil version of his father in this magical Greece. But Alexander may be the prophet the creatures of legend need to return magic to the world. Parmenion is sent to rescue the boy. The second part of the book takes place much later in Alexanders life and his battle with the demon inside him. Though they involve Philip and Alexander, these are really about Parmenion. He is the main character throughout the stories and he is a good one. Very brave and noble, but a man of flaws. Like just about every other Gemmell book, this one contains references to the Source(which is Gemmell's all mighty power source and possibly god) and it contains the larger than life battles filled with mighty heroes. The big difference is his use of so many fantasy creatures. Gemmell has not traditionally used centaurs, minotaurs, cyclops and such, but in this book he does well with them. This is another achievement for one heck of a writer. I am waiting for his last Troy book to read and I will surely be sad knowing that there will be no more after.