Customer Reviews

Winter Warriors

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Once again, David Gemmell leads us into the harsh yet fantastic world of the Drenai. The book is "Winter Warriors," and it showcases Gemmell's steadfast refusal to try to fix something that just isn't broken. If you're familiar with previous Drenai novels, the themes should be familiar - three old soldiers (a master swordsman with a tragic past, a bowman whose eyes are failing him, and a hulking brute with more heart than brains) find themselves embroiled in a quest to save Queen Axiana and her unborn son from the hordes of demons who seek them out. If the unborn king is sacrificed... yep, you guessed it, the world enters an age of unending darkness, and all mankind will suffer.

It's true, you could fault Gemmell's cast of characters for being too archetypical, and bearing more than a passing resemblance to previous characters in the Drenai series (compare Nogusta of "Winter Warriors" to Chareos in "Quest For Lost Heroes," or Bison to Beltzer in the aforementioned tome)... but be that as it may, each and every principle character in "Winter Warriors" is a living, breathing, flesh-and-blood human being, and few fantasy authors can achieve such a claim. Each man and woman behaves in a realistic, believable fashion, and comes out of the adventure dramatically changed by the experience. In an attempt to wow you with magical doo-dads, action set pieces, and enigmatic creatures, most fantasy authors forget to inject humanity into their work - but not David Gemmell. "Winter Warriors" is a deeply human story, no matter what demons or magical spells come into play. The action works because you genuinely care about the people fighting for their lives... and if you know David Gemmell, you know too that no hero is immortal.

I can find few faults in "Winter Warriors," to be quite honest. Granted, the premise is not very original, and the plot sometimes gets a little bit convoluted. Yes, "Winter Warriors" mimics the same themes of previous Drenai books (see "Legend" and "Quest For Lost Heroes," to name but a few), but I'm not sure that qualifies as a fault. It's very moving, inspirational stuff packed with at least as much drama as action. I just don't get tired of desperate men, underdogs by all accounts, standing up for what they believe in against seemingly insurmountable odds in the David Gemmell vein. If more of us lived our lives like Nogusta, Chareos, or Druss the Legend, I think this world would be a better place. Can I truly pay Mr. Gemmell a higher compliment than that?

I have read all of the Drenai novels written by David Gemmell and I can assuredly say that this is one of his best books set in this world. While the plot is somewhat similar in style to his QUEST FOR LOST HEROES, the execution shows that he has grown considerably as an author. It is a tightly plotted novel that will take you on an emotional rollercoaster and leave you wanting more. Add to this some of Gemmell's best dialogue in ages and you have a book worthy of space on your bookshelf. You will revel in the exploits of Kebra, Nogusta, Bison, as well as Antikas Karios and Dagorian as they attempt to stop a demon-lord from plunging the world into darkness. I can't recommend this book enough.

Gemmell has a gift - he writes stunningly good fantasy which is gritty and realistic. There is no airy-farie whiff about his work, and no long, over-complicated backstory either (such as in the Wheel of Time). Gemmell keeps the story going at a blinding pace.

The ancient Drenai empire, once besiged from all sides, has been saved by the armies of its warrior king, and now he has marched onward to glory. However, his newly-taken empire is full of strife and tretchery ... and dark sorcery.

A Demon King is attempting to return his people to the world, and destroy humanity. To do so, he only has to kill the unborn child of the warrior-king. That child's only defence is three old men, discarded by their lord: Nogusta the Swordsmen, Kebra the Bowman, and the slow but sure Bison. In their hands rests the fate of the world.

This is a tale of sheer brilliance. Each of the characters is clearly defined and explored throughout the book, and we care about all of them, even the Demon Lord. It's a great story, and Gemmell is a great writer. Well worth and look for any fantasy reader.

Well, after a recommendation from someone awhile ago I started reading the Drenai series. I started with Legend and read each book in proper order.

I absolutely devoured them, finishing them at a speed that I couldn't believe. Each book was outstanding as a whole. Occasionally in one or two of the novels I felt like I was going down a path that Mr. Gemmell had blazed before, yet there is always something fresh, and I'll tell you what it is; The characters.

I have had more lumps in the throat reading these novels than I can ever recall with any other author. Certainly, these books are heavily influenced by combat, but there really is so much more. I can relate to these (fictional) people, and perhaps that is the best compliment one can pay to an author.

So after feeling like I had read every major fantasy author of the past 30 or so years I came upon this series, and I am grateful.

Winter Warriors is my favorite thus far. Yes, I love Waylander and Druss, and actually a few of the other major chars in the series. But I just finished WW and I was sitting here at my desk practically sobbing at the end.

Mr. Gemmell has an interesting view of Father Time and the way he impacts humanity. In my view there is more than a little existentialism in his writings. As an aspiring writer, I cannot remember the last time I was this motivated and inspired by an author.

Thank you David Gemmell.

Ive read alot of David Gemmell and he is consistantly good and very often great and occasionally utterly brilliant. This book is the latter of the three. The characters are all memorable and all deliciously imperfect, the story is never as black and white as it may appear. Simply put I can think of no fantasy author ive enjoyed as much as Gemmell, and of his work this stands alongside "Hero in the Shadows" as a truly astounding and well crafted tale.

If you have read any of my other reviews, you will notice that I'm a big fan of Gemmels. I love all his books, but none (except this one) have I ever rated 5 star. The characters are fantastic and I even became mournful when ever one of them died. In most novel I'm able to pick out a favourite character right from the begining, but in this story I could not decide who I liked the most.The demons are brilliantly contrasted from one another and I love the way all the odds are stacked against the goodies. You really feel that there is no way out for them, and I can promise that you will never predict the ending.

This is a Drenai book, yet it is seperate from the Nadir war story line. So you don't have to read it in link with the others. Simply put: this is one of the best stories you'll ever come across.

Some authors manage to completely ruin great characters by simply stopping to care about them. I think most readers of this genre love it when we get the great awe-inspiring acts of fresh on the scene heroes. David Gemmel manages to show the readers what happens when those same heroes get old.

Gemmel has a talent for creating great scenes. There are other authors out there, who can perhaps describe a fight scene with more detail or zeal, but David Gemmel can deliver a simple scene and make it seem like a pearl hidden in an oyster. The action is not packed into this book, but there is enough for readers like me to keep us turning the pages. I enjoyed the character intereaction in this book. He doesn't try and make you love all the characters, in fact with one of the characters it is quite the opposite.

Simply put it is a great book, by an author who writes some great fantasy. It is definately worth picking up if you love the fantasy genre.

This is the first book I ever purchased from Amazon, so I feel a special responsibility to review it.

As other people have said, this does have a similar feel to Quest for Lost Heroes. It's the latest in the chronology, set some 200 years after QFLH, and the Drenai (a vaguely Greco-Roman hybrid) version of Alexander the Great is off conquering the vaguely Persian empire. As the book opens, the older warriors are being sent home, as their enlistments are up. We're introduced to the three main characters, and the book goes from there into the obligatory great magical threat.

The writing is very good; Mr. Gemmell only improves as he goes along (aside from the fact that Legend still was his masterpiece), and certain scenes are enormously powerful, such as one of the main character's self-sacrifice.

One thing I noticed is that the cosmology of the Drenai keeps changing. We've had the Source and demons, but the depiction of the demons in this novel, as the Windborn, is more than we've ever had. It does explain their love of being summoned, but at the same time, I found it a bit...odd. It doesn't detract from the book at all, but it's worth noting.

All in all, a great read, especially since it's paperback.

I only "discovered" David Gemmell very recently but he's rapidly moving onto my list of favorite authors. In this book, complex characters are drawn with intricate detail, but they are never boring.

Herioc, honourable and yet flawed in some way, the heroes in Winter Warriors are eminently likeable. You can't help but empathise with them, their quest and principles. There are so many shades of gray in the book, it is a breath of fresh air in an overcrowded fanstasy genre.

Highly Recommended!

I have read Druss the Legend and Sword in the Storm. I also have read all of the books by Jordan, Edding, Modesitt, Knaak; This book beats them all hands down. I have erad it seven times in ten days! The characters are more likeable, and more profound by their weaknesses, than their strengths. Each character, no matter how small, adds to the plot. Gemmell did so many things I didn't excpect, it still shocks me. Since reading this book I have set out to buy all his works. If they are half as good as this one, they are all works of art!