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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The First I Ever Read..., August 28, 2000
Well, one time I was coming home from school, and wandering through the Cincinnati airport looking for something to read. I ran across this book, and devoured it on the way home. (For some reason, the little kiosk in the "Puddle-jumper" concourse of the Cincy airport always has good books...it's uncanny, really) For all intents and purposes, this is a re-working of the Arthur story, where we meet Arthur as a young Romanized Briton. He gets taken in by a near-immortal Atlantean warrior after his father is killed by other nobles, and trained to take care of himself. He then goes on a quest to find the sword his father threw to the Lady in the Lake, in an alternate universe ruled by an insane Atlantean sorceress. What's really interesting is that Mr. Gemmell weaves a lot of real-life history into his work, making it very realistic. It is indeed far more likely that the "real" Arthur was simply a Romanized Briton, fighting after the Empire's exit from the Isles. The Legion that he finds in the Mist was actually destroyed, except for its auxiliary cavalry, in the Iceni revolt; instead, in this, they were exiled into the Mist in a fit of pique. The Sipstrassi stones are also interesting...they allow magic, but a limited supply exists, which is a good limiting mechanic. This is a very good book to pick up. The second in the series is a sequel, and then the next three are the rather unique John Shannow (post-apocalyptic gunslinger) novels, which are worth their weight in gold. They're set in the same continuity, also. Much of the cosmology (particularly the cataclysm bits) derive heavily from modern fringe theory. I won't go into that, but to say that it's never had a better use.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another Classic Quality Gemmell Story, December 16, 2006
I've read all of David Gemmell's books except for the Stones of Power series. Book One is another gem. Loosely Arthurian, Prince Thuro, later self-named Uther Pendragon, is a teen hunted by the assasins of his father. He learns to become a man and a leader of warriors seeking justice on two separate worlds (dimensions). Unlike the Drenai series, this story claims roots in Earth's history and legends of ancient Western culture.
One of Gemmell's gifts is telling a story of adventure and fantasy while exploring shades of good and evil within a person. Good people will do terrible things in fits of anger or perceived need for the greater good, and bad people will inexplicably or deliberately do an act of kindness that makes a difference. This story is no exception, or is exceptional as a Gemmell story--and for that I am grateful. Uther, Culain, Korrin, Goroien, and Gilgamesh are some to watch in this vein.
David Gemmell past away in July, which means a great loss to the fantasy genre of complex warrior heroes. He is one of my fantasy heroes I will sorely miss, except when I reread his stories. Ghost King is another classic that you will find a good story, lessons on living life humbly and straight forward, sacrifice, and of course heart pounding adventure.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ghost King -- for the disillusioned, November 15, 2006
As a huge fan of sci-fi and fantasy writing, I dread The Storyline. You know, the cookie-cutter model that almost all sci-fi and fantasy adheres to? Insert young boy here, father dying there, beautiful girl here, add a dose of magic and a few sword fights and volia! A fantasy novel. You all know. That's why you're reading these reviews, looking for something a little different.
But not too different - we're happy in our comfort zone of magic and dragons and heros... we're just ready for the young boy to do something besides fight the evil forces for his father's throne with the aid of a beautiful woman, a knight by his side... and maybe a wizard or two thrown in for good measure.
So don't be fooled by the idea that this is just another Arthur remake. It's anything but! And after reading it, I'm kind of insulted by the comparison. Yes, his name is Uthur. Yes, there's a lady in the lake. Yes, there's a magical sword. But the story is much more than that! The details in Arthur that define it are mere afterthoughts in this, they are almost insignificant to the main themes of this story.
This book deals with ties to Atlantis. Roman Britons, the Sipstrassi stones, and some pretty fun battles. Uthur turns out to be an extremely likeable character.
This is book 1 of 5 in the "Stones of Power" series. If you're a big fan of fantasy and sci-fi, the entire series is highly recommended. But if you hate sci-fi, just read the first two books. The last three take the idea behind the stones of power - and indeed, have some of the same characters - but strays from the romantic era to a mythical future where the world has toppled (literally), and the world is once again ruled with a six shooter.
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