Most helpful customer reviews
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Encroaching darkness..., Jan 17 2002
This is the ninth of Gemmell's Drenai tales, and the fourth in the Waylander series.
Waylander is a hugely sympathetic hero, being a man touched by tragedy and lately warped by the desire for revenge, but now with no motive other than to eliminate darkness from the world - or at least from his corner of it, simply because he wants to live free from the shadow of evil, not for some great moral crusade. This makes him seem very human, although some of the acts he performs are inhuman; the complexity and tensions in his character make him all the more accessible to the reader, as he is presented in an honest light, neither good nor evil - but exceptionally gifted at what he does. Killing people. And the occasional demon.
In this novel Waylander seems quite settled and, if not happy, then reasonably content with his life. He is rich and comfortable, he has a huge palace and many servants, a vast library and even a pioneering hospital. He assists the local nobles when they fall into debt and he keeps his local area free from bandits and raiders. His past is something of a mystery and to a certain extent he has managed to leave the tragedies and misdeeds of his early life behind him.
But evil returns to haunt him and make him face his ghosts when a portal is opened to a world of flesh-hungry half-human creatures devoted to possession of every possible dimension. This irritates Waylander considerably, and he sets out to put a stop to the nonsense. It will cost him dear.
Together with a skilled swordsman, a young girl he has rescued from raiders who proves to be adept with throwing knives and the crossbow Waylander himself favours, a young ditch-digger with ambitions of heroism and a priestess gifted with farsight, but with a painful and terrible secret, Waylander sets out to rid the vicinity of the evil that threatens.
This involves a quest to reawaken ancient warriors, the unmasking of a supreme and supremely evil mage, and a ferocious battle against overwhelming odds.
Once again, Gemmell delights and surprises in this disquieting yet satisfying novel of darkness and light and the shades of grey in between. Another triumph from the master - another breathtaking adventure for the reader.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
simply awesome, Sep 9 2001
Ive read a TON of books in my life and this ranks easily in the top ten fantasy novels ive ever read. This book has it all. An awesome hero and a very twisted villian. Gemmell surpasses the other waylander novels by far.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
I wanted to like this book, but the mediocrity overwhelms, April 27 2001
I love Gemmel's writings, and anticipated this book more than any other in a long time. I was happy that he continued the story of Waylander, previously chronicled in two other books. And it was great to have another Gemmell book to read. Sadly this is one of his weakest attempts, and is an unfortunate finish to the great Waylander saga.It seems that Mr. Gemmell has fallen into a bit of a rut. Although the Rigante books were very good, 'Hero in the Shadows' offers up nothing new in story or characters. Aside from a few of the main characters, the setting bears little resemblance to past Waylander books. Which makes sense, as the setting is different and does make the story new and interesting in that respect. But it didn't work, as this book didn't feel like it was truly part of the series. Many of the characters were also haphazardly put together from bits and pieces of previous characters. There's Yu Yu, who fits the role of 'coward turned hero in face of adversity'. Keeva is the requisite 'strong female presence with the hard life' story. There's also an invulnerable wizard villain whom I feel like I have seen before. What bugged me the most was the recycled plot elements that Gemmell seems to be fixated on (animal/man hybrids, parallel universes, weapons that glow when evil nears, etc.) Aside from these faults, Gemmell still proves that his worst is better than most peoples good. The book is well written, and no one writes a fight scene better than this guy. I know that Gemmell is better than 'Hero in the Shadows', and could've turned out another Legend if he wanted to. I just hope this novel isnt a taste of things to come.
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by David Gemmell
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