Customer Reviews

Ravenheart: A Novel of the Rigante (The Rigante Series, Book 3)

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

 

 

I am a hardcore David Gemmell fan. Ive read everything I can get my hands on, including all the Drenai books, the Stones of Power, Knights of Dark Renown, Mace, and the first two Rigante Books. An entire shelf's worth of books, when you get right down to it.

I stumbled over Gemmell about 4 years ago now (I think) and was struck by the thought 'How come I never heard of this guy before?'. I bought Legend first, and went back to the bookstore the following day to clear the shelf of every scrap with his name on it. Thus marked the meteoric rise of Gemmell to the top of my favorite writers list, to keep company with RE Feist and Dave Duncan.

Basically, Gemmell is the Louis L'amour of fantasy fiction. Sure, Gemmell's books are a tad formulaic for the most part, but since the formulae is a good one, I think I can live with it. Gemmells gift lies in telling the story of confident and skilled characters in a world of low-magic and gritty adventure. His action scenes are cinematic, and his characters dial in heavily with "cool" factor. Waylander, the Jerusalem Man (Jon Shannow), Druss, et al; Gemmell has a flair for bringing real hard bitten & tough heroes to life in a very concise but informative style that gets the story moving. You wont have to sit thru 10 pages describing the morning sunlight upon the dew-laced leaves of the BLAH BLAH BLAH to get to a single sentence of import. Gemmell has the gift of precise but descriptive language. As a former journalist, I suppose he was always under word-restrictions for his columns or something. Anyway, its refreshing in a genre lately filled with 1000 page monsters in which nothing happens.

All that said the Rigante series, started with Sword in the Storm and closely followed chronologically by Midnight Falcon take a different tack from Gemmell's usual formulae; rather than following a hero or band of heroes somewhat past thier prime facing overwhelming odds, the series follows the exploits of its central character from youth to adulthood. Further, the books are set in a variant Celtic parrallel to the british isles. Normally Im not a fan of Celtic flavored books that endlessly re-tell the Arthurian and/or Celtic myths in pointless variations, but fortunately these 3 books do not fall into that category.

All three books are great, but while I enjoyed Ravenheart very much, it isnt as good as the first two. Unlike Sword in the Storm or Midnight Falcon which essentially tell the tales of 1 central character each (though MF did give a secondary character some play, it was primarily focused on the main character), Ravenheart is much less focused on any one individual and instead tells the story of a collection of characters.

Ravenheart is set 800 years after the 1st two books, and much has changed in the lands of the Rigante. The Rigante clansfolk are a conquered people in an age-of-muskets timeframe to an oppresive white-wigged people from the immediate south. Very Scottish v English in other words. In fact, I was constantly reminded of the movie Rob Roy while reading Ravenheart (in a good way--I liked that movie).

The nominal principal character, Ravenheart aka Kaelin Ring is an 800-years-later descendant of Connavar (the main character in SitS). The book basically chronicles his growth into his majority and manuevers him into exile in the Highlands to avoid possible legal entanglements, where he meets his future bride and gets in good with the 'Black Rigante', highland outlaws who refuse to bend to the oppressor's yoke. He leads them to victory in a critical skirmish and is basically in position to assume leadership of the Black Rigante soon (though this is unstated...merely dot-connecting on my part).

However, his possible half brother Macon Gaise also gets some 'screen time', and so does a great character named Jaim Grymauch. Grymauch is another Gemmell classic best described as a laughing rogue that people cant help liking, despite themselves. Even the law enforcement types cant help but like him and secretly hope he gets away. A one-eyed giant of a man, Grymauch makes most of his living from stealing bulls from nobles and wealthy farmers...by stealth. He's also a renowned boxer, scrapper, and broadswordsman prone to tavern brawls.

So basically, the story kind of branches around and covers the three characters listed above and a few other notable supporting types for a few years rather than concentrating on 1 character over the course of many years as in the 1st 2 books. This lack of focus made the book a little less coherent by comparison IMO.

Also counter to the Gemmell schema, this book is not really tied completely up by the end and you can tell that it was obviously intended to be followed closely by a sequel to wrap up the loose ends. If I recall correctly, this sequel will be called Storm Rider and presumably will concentrate more on Macon Gaise.

So to sum up:

The story was very enjoyable and compared to other writers efforts (particularly of late), the book really shines. But compared to the first 2 books in the series it is not as epic in scope or as exciting.

Still, on a 1 to 5 system its easilly a 5; on a 1 to 10 it would be around an 8.5 (while the 1st 2 would be a 10 and a 9.5 respectively).

I highly recommend this series to any fantasy fiction reader and particularly to those who have read Gemmell before and enjoyed it. This book and the series is definitely a winner.....

David Gemmell is one of the best authors I have ever read. His books pull you in and you feel you are living the life of a Rigante. His writing is poetic and his characters are so life like you feel they are alive. His literature is addictive and I find myself re-reading his books sometimes three times.

"Ravenheart" proved a joy to read. Kailen Ring, Maev Ring and Jaim Grymauch fill your heart with pride and love. His characters are not perfect which is a reason you can relate to them. The conflicts between the highlanders and the Varlish are well thought out and the human emotions are written so well you experience them along with the characters.

This book combines the elements of magic, love, and war into a novel worth reading. Few books cause me to shed tears but all of the Rigante series have thus far. This book moved me the most. I cannot wait to re-read this one and to read the seaquel "Storm Rider"

It would appear impossible for David Gemmell to write a bad book, all of his stuff sits at the top end of the scale. Over here in the UK we were lucky enough to get this some while ago and are now in eager anticipation of the next. This one is the third in the Rigante series which has a very loose base on the English/Scottish battles from way back, but you need no knowledge of British history to enjoy this, but there is a Braveheart element to it! Most Gemmell books may sit in a series but can be read on their own, this is unusual as it does rather link into the next book, but it will not detract from your enjoyment. The flawed central character is based a little on one of Gemmell's relatives who recently died, and this was a worthy tribute to him. As always, well defined characters and strong action scenes. Ask not if this book is good enough for you, ask if you deserve to read it!!

I have NOT read this novel as yet, though I am quite sure, having recently devoured the entire Drenai series (to date) by David Gemmell, that this will live up to his usual spectacularly vivid and compelling standards of storytelling and myth-creation. Gemmell is truly a master. HOWEVER; The above editorial review lists The Rigante series as beginning with Gemmell's 1984 novel LEGEND. Be aware in purchasing this book, that the Drenai Saga (of which "Legend" is the first novel), and this series are two separate series! Legend is Not the first novel of The Rigante series, but of the Drenai series.

Having read all of the Drenai books, I can heartily recommend them to anyone who cares for vivid and gritty storytelling. Most reviews say things such as "you won't want to put it down", or "don't open this book unless you're prepared to read it all in one sitting"... In the case of each novel of Gemmell's I've read, this has not been hyperbole, but truth. Long story short; Gemmell is awesome, and a seriously fun and entertaining read.

Never before have I been afraid that I was going to wake up my wife because I was crying too loud next to her until I read this book. I am a 6'4 230 lb. firefighter for Gods sake I can't be crying in bed next to my wife I said to myself. Little good it did. This book from it's beginning sucks you into a world of one character that I found myself apparently very attached to, Jaim Graimauch. He is the essence of everything great about Gemmell's writing. He is the type of character that inspires me to be better as a human being. I am not an overly emotional guy but this books ending is a goddamn tear jerker. Tough guys beware read it alone. F'ing five stars

Though not as action/combat oriented as many of his previous books, his grasp of human nature & complexities is among the best in the genre (as always). I can tell that this book is the masterfully crafted set-up for his final book in the story...one that will undoubtedly make up (in action/combat) for the less-action, more-character/background-building that this book entails. A definite read for loyal Gemmell fans, though I recommend his DRENAI SERIES books first for new readers of this truly great author.

We've seen the characters and the settings before. We've seen the plot before. But who cares! Mr Gemmell spins such a good story that it doesn't really matter. As always the characters are well developed and the action sequences first rate. Reading a new Gemmell is just like your favourite chair after a hard day. Get it, kick back, and enjoy.

Find another Editor. I would hate to see what this editor would have said about Jordan, Feist or Eddings had an existing opinion not been available. Ravenheart will be part of a continuing saga while the first two books provided some closure for their stories. Gemmell created an interesting character in Gaise that can be developed and allow for multiple storylines as the story of Kaelin continues to evolve. Ravenheart is a worthy read with many entertaining attributes.

Well-written characters and a lush world make this book and the series worthy of reading again. The fictional world and Irish based culture are entertaining and give the backbone for the novels. Historical Rigante references from the previous novels are entertaining and colorful; characters are truly three dimensional and human in nature. I will be looking for further Rigante novels. Ravenheart has all the qualities of a book I will keep in my collection.

The whole Rigante series by David Gemmell is perhaps the greatest sword and sorcery adventure series ever written !!
Also be sure to get your hands on the other David Gemmell series featuring Druss the Slayer !!!
I have the whole collection of David Gemmell's works, and I can assure you that if you love a good action adventure in the adult genre then these are the books for you !!!!

Ravenheart is Book 3 out of 4 of the Rigante Series.

Setting:
Ravenheart takes place 800 years after Midnight Falcon. The Rigante clansmen have been conquered by the Varlish. The Varlish have done everything in their power to destroy the culture and pride of the Rigante Highlanders. It is illegal for them to own successful businesses, possess weaponry, or wear clan colors. But away from the cities, in the mountains, the highlander spirit still soars. A revolution is just a spark away.

Characters:
David Gemmell writes the best heroic characters in fantasy and this book features some of his best dialogue. Gemmell's heroes are ordinary men who rise to the occasion when the world needs them. The main character of Ravenheart is a hot-headed teenager named Kaelin. After the death of his mother, Kaelin was raised by his uncle Jaim, a great warrior whose presence inspires the best of men. The story focuses on Kaelin and Jaim as they try to survive under the harsh rule of the Varlish.

Action:
This book is action packed with brawls, battles, sword fights, knife fights, etc. All of the action is gritty and well written, from head butts, to cavalry charges, to disemboweling sword slashes.

Maturity:
As with all Gemmell books, these aren't for young readers. There's plenty of violence, adult themes, rape, murder... Basically, all the evils of man... and all the evils that the evil men deserve.

Fantasy:
A word of caution to Fantasy Fans. I was shocked when I was reading the Prologue and there were muskets. That's right... muskets... and cannons! I almost put the book down because I prefer magic and dragons to technology, but I am sure glad I kept reading. After a few pages of outstanding character development, I learned to live with the gunpowder. But for some of you out there, the muskets could be a deal breaker. The magic in this book is limited to witches, prophecies, and premonitions. Needless to say, there isn't much.

Overall, this is a book about men of honor and the human spirit. It's got everything you'd expect from a Gemmell book. If the muskets aren't a deal breaker, this is a great book!