Waylander (Drenai, Book 3) [Import] [Paperback]

David Gemmell (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Random House (1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 009947090X
• ISBN-13: 978-0099470908
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,955,961 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Gemmell was born in London, England, in the summer of 1948. Expelled from school at sixteen, he became a bouncer, working nightclubs in Soho. Born with a silver tongue, Gemmell rarely needed to bounce customers, relying instead on his gift of gab to talk his way out of trouble. This talent eventually led him to jobs as a freelancer for the London Daily Mail, the Daily Mirror, and the Daily Express. His first novel, Legend, was published in 1984 and has remained in print ever since. He became a full-time writer in 1986. His books consistently top the London Times bestseller list.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite books and certainly one of my favorite characters., December 1, 2005

By 

T. Hassler - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Waylander (Drenai Tales, Book 4) (Mass Market Paperback)

Every time I've read this book, I'm continually amazed at how well it's done. Gemmell has a definite formula (or formulas) from which he rarely strays. I didn't know this the first time I read the book, but even now it doesn't detract from what may be some of his best work.

At no point does Gemmell falter in his plain-spoken, yet insightful writing style. He delivers a world both with a complex and detailed history as well as chock full of shades of gray. I'm inspired to write stories like this.

Waylander is one of my favorite characters of all time. Complex, detailed, unexpected, and sort of realistic. He reminds me of Jason Bourne in a fantasy setting. It seems to me that after a lifetime of assassination, that one becomes both a stellar hunter, but also skilled in many areas required to survive.

Gemmell is a good writer and his Drenai series are generally very good compared to a lot of the stuff out there. I reread the series once in a while and I'm thankful that he keeps putting out books in this universe. I recommend this book (and the whole series, in fact) to all who call themselves fantasy fans.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars David Gemmel's Waylander, January 10, 2000

By 

Steven W. Brenneis "Steve Brenneis" (Greensboro, NC USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Waylander (Drenai Tales, Book 4) (Mass Market Paperback)

The only complaint I would have about this book was that it was not long enough. Gemmel seems to develop the plot and characters at lightening speed, sometimes at the cost of depth. In fact, some of the more well-developed characters in the book were secondary to the plot (for example, Jonat, Kai, and several others). The ending was very disconcerting since I expected about 150 pages more and suddenly, it was over, with a Dragnet-style epilogue.

All that being said, David Gemmel brings back to the fantasy genre something it has sorely missed. In countless other throw-away "epics," authors fling shallow characters and weak plots at us as if we were playing some kind of printed video game. In Waylander, we are treated to characters with enough personality to actually form opinions on them. We grow to like and dislike them on their own merits, rather than through some contrived description.

I especially liked Gemmel's development of the theosophy of Drenai. The conflict between good and evil with some strongly Gnostic flavoring is something everyone can appreciate. The deeds of magic were kept at a dull roar with every one of them requiring little or no suspension of disbelief.

I haven't read any of the other Drenai books, but I intend to based on the strength of Waylander.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars First Redemption, August 22, 2000

By 

Brad Smith (Arlington, VA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Waylander (Drenai Tales, Book 4) (Mass Market Paperback)

Note: There are a few spoilers.

I once read an interview from Mr. Gemmell stating that this was his first attempt at writing a redemption story. As such, there are some areas that are, well, less than his normal stellar writing. Then again, I consider him leagues ahead of most writers, so he gets 4 stars.

The basic plot is that the Drenai are being ethnically cleansed from the face of the earth. Waylander, the protagonist, helped start the war by assassinating the king of the Drenai. As a means of atoning, he is commissioned by the father of the dead king to find the Armor of Bronze, which will rally the Drenai against the invaders, win the war, and save their nation. Along the way, he falls in love, indirectly leads to the creation of the Temple of the Thirty, and helps redeem several other characters who, like him, operated on the edge of society.

Sounds trite, no? Well, yes, actually, it does. The key to Mr. Gemmell's writing is that he's very good at characterization. Everything seems natural, nothing is forced. He's always a joy to read. The consequences of his characters' acts sometimes ring down for generations...in one moment, a single act leads directly to the creation of one of the world's greatest forces for good. Likewise, Waylander still faces repercussions from his slaughter of the Drenai king 50 years later, in Hero in the Shadows.

Go. Read him.