Customer Reviews

Morningstar

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I think it is time I wrote a review of the most underrated of all David Gemmell novels. I feel that his fans have rejected this book because it might require a little bit more of an effort on their parts to fully appreciate it. Here are some of the probable causes for fan's not enjoying the novel.

One - the book is written in first person. It is told from the viewpoint of the character of Owen Odell, an Angostin Bard who was travelling in the highlands when amazing events occurred.

Two - The "hero" of the story, namely Jarek Mace, is probably the most unsympathetic hero that David Gemmell has written about. There is next to nothing about him that the reader will be able to identify with. No noble heroism here I am afraid, just self-interest all the way.

Three - It is a relatively small book. My paperback edition is only 282 pages long. (But there is so much packed into it!)

Four - Description is kept to a minimum. It requires a leap of imagination to "fill in the blanks". I actually saw this as a strength, it added to the authentic first-person narrative feel.

All I can say is that I thoroughly enjoyed the book. True, it isn't "usual" Gemmell fare in camparison to the rich-tapestry he knits around say, a Rigante adventure. But, there are many great things about this book. The characters you meet, for example. They are so well-developed. Because you are forced to "fill in the gaps" you can picture Wulf or Megan. They seem so real. Like a person you would meet down the street. Admittedly, if you met the Morningstar down the street, it would probably be a dark alley and, well, you might end up dead!

Here, we have a classic adventure novel. Our (anti) hero must battle against invading armies, beasts of sorcery, undead hordes. Yes, some pretty scary Vampire stuff is par for the course. One thing I absolutely loved were Jarek Mace's comeback lines to threats directed at him. He always had something amusing to say. GIVE THIS BOOK ANOTHER TRY PEOPLE! PUT SOME EFFORT INTO IT! IT IS WORTH IT!

ps. I don't want to ruin it for anyone, but I always pictured Jarek Mace as a sort-of Errol Flynn like character. You know, dashing, handsome, brave, loving his beer, loving a fight, loving women. Yeah, I am afraid that I must reveal that Jarek Mace must be an Australian. That is why his heritage is so mysterious. So now you know...

Gemmell is a great writer, but he does one thing particularly well...he makes you actually care about the characters. This is the story of the legend of "Morningstar" told by an old bard/wizard to his imaginary friend over dinner one day. The story is to important to allow a real person to hear, so the protagonist passes the time with ghosts.

The Morningstar is in reality nothing more than a common bandit who through a set of circumstances is thrust into greatness...but unlike other books with this theme, the morningstar continues to be a rogue...That is until the war breaks out and an evil necromancer tries to resurect the vampire kings... then someone must act...Despite being dislikable, the morningstar attracts quite a follwing and he can be described as a robin hood/conan compilation...

A really enjoyable book with a great ending that doesnt leave room for a sequel, but at the same time we know that the morningstar will be back... anyone who reads this book (which i suggest you do) will understand what im talking about...

I've been reading fantasy since junior high. (Almost 20 years). I enjoyed the Hell out of this book. It completely transcends the typical, blah, two-dimensional fantasy novel and offers us the true irony behind the forming of a legend - about a "hero" who is several rungs below the decent. It is a rites of passage awakening for the main character (and reader?) as he sees his supposed idol caught between the desires of his selfish nature and the misguided perceptions of the world he lives in. Great character development. Dark Irony. No powder-puff BS. Classic!

Even thought the first person point of view is an experiment for Gemmel, it works well in Morningstar. As with most of Gemmel's works, the heroes are motivated by something less than heorism, evil is relative, and trajedy intertwines with triumph. But Morningstar has even more heart than Gemmell's typical excellence.

This is Gemmell's best. Buy it, read it, and relish it.

I give David Gemmell's Morningstar: -5 Stars for the writing-style -5 Stars for the characterization -5 Stars for the depth of the story -4 Stars for the story itself The average of this is 4.75 Stars, which I round up to 5 Stars. Remark: Although the story is quite simple at the beginning (small force of outlaws rebelling against tyrants), it gets original soon enough. And, most important, it is all very logical. Re-enforced by great characterization, good English and some depth to the story, it makes this book very good.

Well, these reviews are for the benefit of those who might be interested in the book so lets start... Well, this book is written in true David Gemmell style as his other fans would probably testify. Heroes with plenty of flaws, companions who are more than just bit players...they have a real character and display it every chance they get. Well in this book I love the style he uses... the never ending story style mixed up with a narrative style..keeps you going. ..it also lets you know that the story was well planned from start to finish...David Gemmell knew where he wanted to finish and how and proceeded to write his story. This book is gripping...no doubts about it.. I loved it and think it's one of his better books.. buy it and read it. You won't regret it. I personally rate this book a wee bit higher than The Quest For Lost Heroes which was my fav David Edding book.

Prior review's have covered most of what there is to say about this book, so I just wanted to recommend it myself. The first person narrator uses longer sentences and more "literary"prose than is typical of Gemmell's work, but he also infuses each line with a distinct personality. The hero (anti-hero) is, as others have pointed out, much less sympathetic than a character such as Waylander or Jon Shannow, but his path to "redemption" is more interesting. Interesting because it is slower, more ambiguous, and doesn't involve any magic beyond a novel social environment and challenging circumstances. You can think of him as a less psychotic Dexter - you're never quite sure how much of Mace's apathy towards others is a product of his brain's hardwiring and how much is the product of an abusive childhood. You're also never sure how much of his redemption is driven by actual, spontaneous emotion and how much is driven by a desire for a social life that is denied to him by both nature and nurture. The book is chocked full of other antiheroes, most more human than Mace.

Lest you think that the book is all profundity and little plot - I should point out that it's one of the better paced of Gemmell's novels. The story unfolds with twists and turns. It has genuine mystery. I may be selling his other works a little short, I've only read this one about four times since I picked it up in '92. The others I've read at least six . . . Still, I'll trust my instincts. It is even better plotted than the others (Waylander, the other Drenai novels, Knights of Dark Renown, the Stones of Power, The Lion of Macedon & Dark Prince).

All in all, it's also a book with an important message - everyone has weakness, something (more multiple things) that betray and are to be despised. You try to work around weakness in yourself and others, counter it when you can, and seek always to bring out what good you can in yourself and your companions. You need them, they need you, or else you'll never accomplish anything great before you all die.

I've been a David Gemmell fan for a long time. For some reason though I hadn't bothered to read Morningstar. I had a few hours to kill so I decided to read a few chapters. Big mistake, as the book quickly consumed my entire weekend. I should have known better. NO ONE writes fantasy better than David Gemmell, or at least no other author that I have ever read. Awesome characters who sometimes die, great insights into human nature, gripping stories, it is all here. Morningstar is a great read and I highly recommend it. I think this book rivals Legend, which is another one of my all time fantasy favorites.

Of course, there's a reference to one of the characters thinking about fleeing to Ventria, so you never know if the island of the Ikenas and Highlands aren't northwest of Drenai...

However, that's not the point. This is an excellent book about the nature of heroism and legend that twists and turns throughout history.

Unlike most of his books, Morningstar is narrated in the first person, in this case by one Owen Odell, a bard/magician who meets and befriends a rakish thief named Jarek Mace, and tells us his story.

As others have said, it's a decidedly different manner of writing for Mr. Gemmell; every other of his books that I've read have been third-person, before and since. It's a very good read, and quite fast, too; it's much thinner than his normal books, and read much faster, which is sometimes a good thing.

All in all, I rather enjoyed this novel, and highly recommend it.

Another great book by Gemmel, you have to admire his handling of characters, particularly his often reluctant heroes like Mace in this book. I loved this book because it takes the "Robin Hood" theme and just beats the hell out of it. Gemmels characters are so very human he does tend to use stereotypes but in such a way that it enhances the story line rather than detracts from it. I recommend this book for anyone who is bored of two dimensional heroic figures. Keep it up David.