Born in the
storm that doomed his father, Connavar grows to manhood among the mist-covered
mountains of Caer Druagh, where the Rigante tribe dwell in harmony with the
land and its gods.
But beyond
the border, across the water, an evil force is gathering strength, an
unstoppable force that will change the world beyond all recognition.
Haunted by
malevolent spirits and hunted by evil men, Connavar sets out on a spectacular
mission to save his people.
You know those times when all you want is a good story?
Those times when you don’t want to think that hard, just to be entertained? We
all have a ‘go-to’ author during those lean, comfort reading, times and my ‘go-to’
guy is David Gemmell. Often imitated but never bettered, in my opinion, as far
as epic fantasy goes.
There are a few of his books that I still haven’t read and a
lucky scratch card win (I have them, occasionally) meant that I could finally
give ‘Sword in the Storm’ a go. And what an amazing read it was; I do a lot of
my reading (okay, all of it) on the train these days and while reading ‘Sword
in the Storm’ it felt like I wasn’t on the train at all, I was sharing Connovar’s
personal journey through a land where everything is black or white (no shades
of grey here, not really) yet richly coloured at the same time. ‘Sword in the
Storm’ is the first book in Gemmell’s ‘Rigante’ series and I’d only read ‘Midnight
Falcon’ up to this point; I can now see myself picking up the other two books
in the series.
Gemmell’s trick, as a writer, is that he has one trick and
he plays it damn well in every book he writes. The main character who becomes a
hero to his people despite the internal (sometimes external) conflict that
almost cripples him. There is a huge fight at the end of the book and our main
lead becomes the man that he was always meant to be, someone very close to him
will die during the final pages though and teach him that glory does not come
without pain. That’s the way it goes in just about all of Gemmell’s books (the
ones that I have read anyway) and you’d be forgiven for wondering why anyone
would read essentially the same book over and over again.
The thing is, Gemmell believes what he is saying so much that
you can’t help but get caught up in the joy he clearly feels when a character
makes a perilous personal journey and ends up coming down on the right side of
the moral line (no matter how many of his other characters have done exactly
the same thin). This is very much the case with ‘Sword in the Storm’ and
Connovar himself who is really put through the wringer by Gemmell. While the
outcome is never in any doubt, you still can’t help but root for Connovar in
the meantime; a charismatic young man whose worst enemy is the anger that lurks
inside him. The reader feels his pain and shares his joy (tinged with a little
sadness) when it eventually works out. It’s simple stuff yet incredibly
effective when you’re the reader in the middle of it all.
Gemmell doesn’t just stop there though, giving us a
beautiful backdrop where it’s all too easy to stop and stare at it. The lands
of the Rigante are gorgeously drawn and not only does it give us something nice
to look at (Gemmell perhaps dwells on the scenery for a little too long sometimes),
it makes it very clear why Connovar feels that need to fight against his
enemies and prepare for the coming of the Stone soldiers. When those fights
inevitably happen Gemmell does the other thing that he is renowned for, giving
his readers scenes that don’t shy away at all from the violence and horror of
war. There is glory to be had but the cost is a heavy one to bear, it always
is. Again though, it is incredibly easy to get lost in the crash of sword and
shield; Gemmell writes a battle scene that flows easily, carrying the reader
through the ebbs and flows of war.
‘Midnight Falcon’ used to be my favourite Gemmell novel but ‘Sword
in the Storm’ is running it close after just one read. It’s a glorious, rousing
read and just what I was after in my reading, not sure what to read next that
could possibly come close.
If you think these two books are good, the third and fourth Rigante books are even better....especially Ravenheart.
ReplyDeleteI love Gemmell. I still haven't read the final two Troy books as I still want to have an unread Gemmell in my to-read mountain.
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ReplyDeleteThank you.
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