Hero in the Shadows: A Waylander the Slayer Novel (Hardcover)

by David Gemmell (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
In Hero in the Shadows, Waylander, the assassin hero of some of Gemmell's earlier books, is now a middle-aged man looking for peace in a world that will, for the most part, let him alone. The crimes of his past come back to haunt him, as he finds himself responsible for a young prince whose grandfather he murdered, and as creatures of doomed legend come back to rule the world with blood and horror. An aging paladin, a loud-mouthed braggart whom a magic sword has chosen, and a kitchen girl who is unusually handy with her knives become his allies, along with a priestess who is not telling all she knows, or all she is.

Gemmell is one of the best writers of fantasy adventure--this new book is attractively gloomy in its atmosphere and has a pervading sense of the ironic. The action sequences are powerful and well visualized; Gemmell always knows how a particular sort of fight would feel. And there are no simple morals here--most of the characters, heroic or villainous, exist in the gray hinterland between dark and light, where evil acts are often performed in sorrow and good actions often have mixed motives behind them. --Roz Kaveney, Amazon.co.uk

Review
"On the surface, David Gemmell's Hero In the Shadows has everything a fan of heroic fantasy could desire:  dramatic heroes, an exotic sorceress, deep evil, mood-drenched settings, an array of likeable characters, and a well-designed plot.  But the book also has something more, a quality which raises Gemmell's achievement to a much higher level: an empathetic and convincing grasp on the complexities and conflicts of real human beings.  As a result, Hero In the Shadows has true power and poignancy."
--STEPHEN R. DONALDSON
Author of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever

"Gemmell's great reading; the action never lets up; he's several rungs above the good--right into the fabulous!"
--ANNE MCCAFFREY

"Gemmell . . . keeps the mythic currents crackling."
--Publishers Weekly

"[Gemmell] examines our assumptions about good, evil, and the nature of quests."
--Locus

"David Gemmell tells a tale of very real adventure, the stuff of true epic fantasy."
--R. A. SALVATORE -- Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey; 1st edition (March 14, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345432231
• ISBN-13: 978-0345432230
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #591,946 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #47 in

  Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > ( G ) > Gemmell, David

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not his best, but still great., March 30, 2000

By A Customer

While not as good as some of his previous work, Gemmell still manages to deliver a riveting novel. This story is set in a small nation far from the lands of Drenai and contains much more in the way of magic then the other books in the series. Personally I liked the realism of his earlier works like Legend and the supernatural in this can be strange at times. The history aspects also get a little wacky at times and seems more like they belong in a Feist novel. Now that I have made my gripes let me say all in all I loved this book. Gemmell is an absolute master of fantasy, and he stirs your emotions throughout his works. I recommend any of Gemmell's work, including this. If you haven't read Gemmell before I would say look into getting Legend and the first Waylander novels first however.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb!, November 2, 2000

By	Patrick (Indiana, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hero in the Shadows (Drenai Tales, Book 9) (Mass Market Paperback)

I was excited to find another Waylander novel, and Gemmell does not disappoint. Hero is a well-written, fast-paced yarn that brings back one of Gemmell's best characters. This book is a story of redemption for a man haunted by his past. Moral conflicts abound and are handled well. As usual his heroic characters have significant character flaws which them that much more realistic. I really can't think of much to complain about. Hero is simply a very enjoyable read. His first book, "Legend", was quite good, but I think he's an even better writer today.

Sidenote: the mention of the death of 3 kings required to open the portals indicates at least a loose tie in with the novel "Winter Warriors". I think some of these characters may return in a forthcoming book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hero in the Shadows, January 12, 2001

By	Michael (Irmo, South Carolina at [e-mail]) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hero in the Shadows (Drenai Tales, Book 9) (Mass Market Paperback)

In Hero in the Shadows, Waylander, the assassin hero of some of Gemmell's earlier books, is now a middle-aged man looking for peace in a world that will, for the most part, leave him alone. The crimes of his past come back to haunt him, as he finds himself responsible for a young prince whose grandfather he murdered. Then as creatures of a doomed legend come back to rule the world with blood and horror. An aging paladin, a loud-mouthed braggart whom a magic sword has chosen, and a kitchen girl who is very extraordinary must???

How does Gemmell do it ? I highly recommend this book. Two thumbs way up over here. This book was a true epic fantasy book.