Customer Reviews

Echoes of the Great Song

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is not your average fantasy that finds a naive, magic filled serving boy to venture off on a quest to save the world from an evil wizard.

Gemmell is a much better writer than that. An immortal race called the Avatars have maintained their grip over the rest of mankind using a technology based on magic crystals. However, a world wide calamity overtakes their empire and for 70 years they struggle maintain their grip, but time and stagnation work against them.

From across the sea comes an evil race called the Almecs who serve the Crystal Queen. Confronted by the people they have enslaved for centuries and an equally lethal enemy, the Avatar Empire struggles to survive.

Like most Gemmell novels his characters are complex, noble, and generally, not very nice. They are real people, and the strength of his books are the people he draws to play across the landscape.

Without giving anything away, there are few happy endings in this book, but there are tremendous portraits of courage and valor.

Douglas De Bono
Author of ROGUE STATE

This is a good novel. If you are a regular Gemmell reader it has many of the things that make his novels enjoyable, but it is also a little differant. More intrigue, and certainly one of the most original ideas in all of his books. This is also a pretty dark book and not the happy ending that many expect from a fantasy. This is also a stand alone novel which ended without obvious room for sequels. This is certainly worth a look.

Coming at the end of a mature phase of Gemmell's career, starting in 1996 with the Legend of Deathwalker and including Dark Moon and Winter Warriors, Echoes is probably the weakest of these four novels. However, Gemmell revitalises himself with Sword in the Storm the next year.

The glory of the Avatar civilisation, which once ruled the earth, is now fading and primitive tribes push to topple them. Here Gemmell uses an Atlantis premise, linked to his earlier use of energy crystals (Sipstrassi stones in a new guise, from Wolf in Shadow, Ghost King and others) to paint a picture of a dying race. All the normal Gemmell traits are there, but under the shadow of the excellent Dark Moon and Winter Warriors, it seems curiously lacklustre and even lead characters rather flat. Perhaps this was due to Gemmell re-exploring old themes, something that occasionally holds him back from really top form. A good solid read however, though not his best, you could do a lot worse.

... do this indeed! You see, ever since Tolkien came up with his Elves-Dying-Out-Of-The-World scheme, I've never seen anybody try to tell you what it's like from the INSIDE. That's one for David Gemmell. Now, I'm a very fast reader, so it doesn't give me all that much trouble, but nobody seems to think a fantasy book is worth reading nowadays if it's not over 800 pages long. Well, they're wrong. Gemmell can do that in half as many, and still keep you transfixed. That's two for David Gemell. Plus, this book has strong elements of myth-in-the-making, tragedy and romance and enough ethical considerations to keep you occupied for a long, long, time, which makes it three for David Gemmell. ON THE DOWN SIDE, the world-building is rather superficial (maybe 800 pages are necessary to get that right) and the whole crystal theory reminds me of the intro to Superman, but the overall picture is deeply satisfying. You'll want to read it again, if possible.

This was a good story , but not up to his standard! I mean, in the end i could have cared less about what happened to the characters! My basic quibble is that it was too short. He didn't develop his charaters enough: they just sat on the sidelines and seemed almost lifeless. Sofartia for example, she began as an interesting character then poof! Nothing. Druss the Ledgend made me cry , but this book left me feeling that I'd just wasted 24 hours of my life.

True, true, Gemmell cannot bring himself to write anything above 400 words and when he does, you kind of wish he hadn't. But what he can do with those 400 words in Echoes of the Great Song is quite spectacular.

To begin with, Gemmell did for me what numerous fantasy writers, including Tolkien himself, had not: he manages to depict the end of an age and the coming of a new one -from the point of view of a doomed race trying to come to terms with what they know to be their future. That alone commands respect.

However, Gemmell also offers, albeit in the form of whimsical intro-text, a wonderful -if not strictly scientifically correct- insight into the creation of myth and legend, as well as the natural order of things which must not be broken if a culture is to survive.

Emotional involvement is generally intense and occasionally spikes to incredible heights, while the compact narration keeps it from becoming, well, gooey and sappy and cheap.

The storyline in itself is immensely satisfying, unless you are the kind of reader that wants the plot to unfold the way you thought it would... Bittersweet endings with the good guys victorious and yet all but vanquished do tend to work for me.

I have read another three Gemmell novels, Dark Moon, Sword in the Storm and Morningstar, and my comments are two: 1. Gemmell's entire universe is very consistently built on the same concepts of magic etc., a good thing if you ask me, 2. This is by far the best book if his that I have read to this day.

On the down side, I had finished the book after three days. Too few pages and too much by way of content conspire to make this a blitz-read, and some of you msay find it a trifle disappointing. I did.

Echoes of the Great Song is one of those rare fantasy novels that is a complete stand-alone. It begins and ends in one single volume, so there is no need to settle yourself in for one of those Jordanesque "umpteen volume" series'.

David Gemmell will never be considered a master writer, but whatever deficiencies he lacks in prose and description he more than makes up for in the stories he crafts. To put it simply, he is one of the best modern story-tellers alive. The concepts behind Echoes of the Great Song are certainly unique and it strays from your typical fantasy works. They center on a dying race of Avatars who create themselves "immortality" through a magic derived from crystals. Sadly, their magic and power have waned and they find themselves struggling to maintain their control on the "lesser" races. Without getting into spoilers, it is safe to say that the tale moves at a brisk pace and keeps you turning pages without losing interest. Interestingly, there are some sci-fi elements to the book. In fact, the book creates an uncommon blend of science-fiction and fantasy that that is quite fascinating and unexpected.

As with any good story, there are characters in Echoes of the Great Song that you will love, and others that you will hate. Who could forget Viruk, an unforgiving half-protagonist, half-antagonist that is a killing machine, completely insane, and yet as charming as can be. Every character in Echoes... has depth and a human side. I thoroughly enjoyed the highs and lows of each personality as they struggled internally with the massive change of events that take place in their world.

Echoes of the Great Song is a page turner. It is not meant to blow you away, but rather present you an interesting tale. David Gemmell succeeds in this and I don't believe you will be disappointed picking this one up.

This was the first book I read after I found out that my favourite author (the same author of this novel) had passed away at the too-soon age of 57...
I have always loved the poetic title. I think that it is also fitting, for this book has a certain "beauty" to it that is difficult to define. Echoes of the Great Song is a sweeping epic that is set in the decline of a great empire. The empire is of the Avatars, a near immortal race who had discovered the secrets of the "great song" and the ability to harness energy through crystals. An energy that is almost limitless in application, from powering fearsome weapons or vessels, to regenerating ageing or injured tissue.
The Avatars remind me of a book I once read by a maverick historian who speculated on "sound" being used to construct the Egyptian pyramids. He theorised of an ancient civilisation that had discovered technology unused today, but incredibly advanced. An ancient civilisation that was wiped out by an environmental cataclysm. I can't remember his name, but David Gemmell must have also read the book or known of the theory. Because the Avatars are much like that, and they too were destroyed by a natural disaster.
Anyway, all seems to be going reasonably okay for the last of the Avatars who range from the noble and brave (Talaban), to the holy (Anu), the arrogant but strong leader (Raek), the brilliant and ultimately heroic (Ro), and the completely insane and homicidal gardener (Viruk).
But there are also growing rumblings of dissent. There is an internal mystery, a secret organisation determined to destroy the last of the oppressive Avatars, and the rise of new barbarian kingdoms. The Vagar slave class seem destined to rise up and take control for themselves.
Just when you think you know what will happen, the Almecs arrive. These guys are like Aztecs who have discovered gunpowder. They are bloodthirsty and fearsome enemies indeed.
There is much to like about this novel, and not much to dislike. It is a brilliantly constructed tale. It is like a myth that has had life breathed into it. Throughout the book are given snippets of the myth that grew from the story as you read it. The legend that survived with the native-American-like Anajo. It is like watching the fading of a golden age from within.
It is a fine novel to read in memory of its brilliant author, whom I speculate might have based each main Avatar character on an aspect of himself. It is a book of a sunset and a new beginning. In the end, the predominate feeling I was left with after reading Echoes of the Great Song was: hope.

R.I.P. David Gemmell - Aya! When will we see such heroes walk again?

This book was next to Legend as Gemmell's best. I love the idea of the dying race and Gemmell brought it out perfectly. Adding views of various Avatars made the book excellent. It was also a world unto its own and it is one of Gemmell's few books that concludes itself without an opening to another book down the line. By far one of the best books I have ever read.

A look at the final years of an elder civilization is an interesting concept, but this book tries to explain far too much in too few pages. The pacing is so fast, it's really hard to become interested or invested in anything that is going on.

Story:
A race of normal men discovers how to use the sun's energy to power magic crystals. From these crystals, they create magic healing stones that grant eternal life, as well as powerful weapons that use solar energy. They rapidly rose above all of the other civilizations, but instead of sharing their technology to make the world a better place, they selfishly hoarded it in order to control the more primitive races. After several centuries, their power source begins to fade and the elder race fears that their slaves will rise up and overpower them. As things start to get heated, a similar immortal race appears through a rift in time and space and wants to conquer the world. Will the elders make peace with their former slaves? Will the elders make peace with the invaders? Will the former slaves join the invaders to overthrow their old masters? This is a very interesting predicament.

World:
David Gemmell writes fantasy based on history. Typically his books are similar to Ancient Greece, Rome, the Celtic Tribes, the Mongols... This book focuses on a civilization that mirrors the Aztecs. The elder race is pompous and cruel and the slave races are tired of their centuries of brutality. In this book, there are monsters, energy bows, healing crystals, astral projection, muskets, cannons, energy powered ships, and energy beam weapons.

Characters:
The characters in the book are never fully developed. Major events are glossed over and you never really care about them. This feels like you are reading a fantasy history book, rather than a gripping novel. I will always remember David Gemmell's characters like Druss, Delgado, Skilgannon, Connavar, the Waylander... None of the characters in this book have any staying power. Instead, they just show up where they need to be in order to advance the plot. Their stories arc too swiftly and it's more like you are catching up to them, rather than experiencing the adventure through them. Since these are primitive characters and complacent immortals, the dialogue is fairly basic and lacks passion.

Writing Style:
This is a fast paced action book set in a very original fantasy world. There is plenty of action, creatures, battles, crystal technology... but the characters definitely take a back seat to the events happening in the world. My major complaint is that things happen too fast. But this is a short standalone book where a lot needed to happen: A new world had to be established, two different civilizations needed to be explained, a past and present timeline needed to be established, the crystal technology needed to be explained. Then as the elder race begins to fade and the slaves plan their rebellion, there is a massive inter-dimensional invasion. It is no easy feat to cover all of this in just over 400 pages.

Action:
The book is loaded with the type of action that Gemmell fans have come to expect. Swords and Axes Clash. Magic Bows fire energy bolts. Black Powder Muskets fire. Cannons fire... There are skirmishes, full scale wars, magic technology, castle sieges... However, some of the action also seems glossed over. This book is lacking the grit and impact of Gemmell's other books.

Maturity: Teen
There is plenty of fantasy action with some gore. There are also a few sexually suggestive scenes, but nothing graphic. There's also no cursing. It would be fine for teens.

Overall:
This book has an interesting premise, but so much needs to be covered in so few pages that you never get to slow down and enjoy the book. This could have been a very interesting trilogy. I would recommend it if you want a fast paced adventure about an elder civilization in its twilight years.

But if you want memorable characters, a gripping story, or traditional fantasy with wizards and dragons, you can skip this one.

As other reviewers have pointed out, this book would have been great if the pace was more deliberate and it was on a race that was easier to understand, like elves. I agree.

If you enjoyed this book, I can whole heartedly recommend Legend, Waylander, The Lion of Macedon, Sword in the Storm, the Robert E. Howard Conan Stories, the Malus Darkblade Omnibus, and the Blackhearts Omnibus. But keep in mind that this is one of the weaker Gemmell books.