Gemmel, David
KNIGHTS OF DARK RENOWN
David Gemmell
Del Rey 1993
Pb 311 pages
ISBN#
0
345 37908 X
Have you ever made a really bad mistake, one so
bad that it affects not only you but others as well? If you can
identify with that concept then you will understand how this poor
mage got into his problem. Long ago, Ollathair sent his Knights Of
The Gabala "to a world of demons where they battle still for the
good of the realm." It takes half the book before Ollathair figures
out what a mistake that was, for now his knights are back and they
are the ones who are evil. Gemmell doesn't give his readers the
standard good vs evil story--no. This is why I love his stories so
much. The knights of dark renown are people who haven't been so
good in the past but decide that in order to save their world they
must now find the courage to be selfless. Whereas those poor souls
who used to be "good" and are now helplessly tainted with "evil"
cannot now understand much of anything beyond selfish desires.
Humanity. Gemmell gives us humanity in its purest form and presents
many facets for our entertainment.
KNIGHTS OF DARK RENOWN offers a nice assortment
of heroes: a blacksmith accused of murdering the duke's nephew, an
old Knight Of Gabala who thinks himself a coward, a young boy who
has yet to control his own magic, several feisty young ladies, a
famous story-teller, a lord accused of treason just because he
wanted to defend the honor of a lady with the wrong blood,
and eventually the duke himself who realizes the king's red knights
are a force too evil for even him to bear. The king says that
anyone with Nomad blood should be eliminated, as well as anyone who
disagrees with this decree.
This story seems set in the same story-world as LEGEND, except
perhaps several centuries later, for these "Nomads" are familiar, as
are the wizards who seek power from the "Source." It becomes a
crusade of such complexity that not even the heroes are sure who to
count as friend and who is the enemy. A good fast read, recommended
for fans of sword & sorcery.
Return to
Reviews