Product Description

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 an evil force is gathering strength.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #28870 in Books
• Published on: 1999-06-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 477 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Followers of David Gemmell since the publication of his first novel Legend in 1984, will be used to his ability to weave a compulsively engaging story, and Sword In The Storm is no different. But in the intervening years, his skill in mixing mysticism with stark reality; tenderness with the brutality of battle, and credible lands with well-drawn characters, has continued to develop.

Sword In The Storm is the first in the Rigante Series and traces the young life of Connavar--a Rigante tribesman with the mark of greatness upon him. Fighting against the flaws of his own character, the prophecies of invasion from across the water, and feted as both hero and villain, Connavar strives to secure the lands of his birth for his people through joy, tragedy and every shade in between.

This is the beginning of another epic saga from arguably the finest fantasy writer in Britain today. Following in the footsteps of the classic Drenai series and the tales of The Jerusalem Man, this offering will not disappoint Gemmell devotees. Sword In The Storm is easy on the eye and offers up a hero that can be both loved and hated in equal measure. Quite simply, David Gemmell has done it again. --James Barclay

From the Back Cover
Deep in the green mountain lands of the Rigante lies the settlement of Three Streams, whose people worship the gods of Air and Water, and the spirits of the Earth. Among them lives a boy whose destiny is written in the starlight. He is Connavar, the Demonblade, born in a storm that doomed his father.

A man with the makings of greatness will always have enemies and from the start of this epic chronicle it is prophesied that the Armies of Stone will one day cross the water...and that their coming will be like an avalanche. Here the strangest forces, wise and evil, play their allotted part - from the Ghost General and the malignant Morrigu to the Woods whose magic harks back to a world before the coming of Man.

This is David Gemmell at his best, illustrating his legendary imaginative powers in this latest epic tale of courage, love and sacrifice. Not until you read Sword in the Storm will you appreciate why Gemmell is considered one of Britain's greatest living storytellers.

About the Author
David Gemmell
Published in 1984, David A. Gemmell's first novel, Legend, has become a classic. His subsequent novels have included Bloodstone, Waylander and In the Realm of the Wolf. Gemmell's latest novels, The Legend of Deathwalker, Dark Moon, Winter Warriors, Echoes of the Great Song , Sword in the Storm and Midnight Falcon have all been published by Bantam Press. His most recent novel, Hero in the Shadows, was a Sunday Times bestseller. A full-time novelist since 1986, he lives in East Sussex.

Customer Reviews

simply the best fantasy book i have had the pleasure to read
I am not a very big fan of fantasy novels. I get turned off from all of the magic, dragons and fairies that litter the genre. Which brings the question 'why did you buy this book?' quite honestly, i picked it out at random. how lucky was I! This book is such a departure from the steryotype of the fantasy genre, which gets pretty tiring after reading so many of the same books. In Sword in The Storm, we have our hero, Connavar, a legendary future king who saves his people from utter destruction. As Gemmell shows, however, Connavar is just a man, with fears, limitations, and insecurities which we all possess. Gemmell shows us a man with tragic flaws who is ultimately misunderstood by all; a demi-god by the Keltoi, and a demon by his enemies. After reading this book, we know that he is neither. He is just a man, with a deep sense of honour and a terrible burden which he brought upon himself, and must face alone. It does have some magical elements to it, however, but Gemmell places it so perfectly, that the magic seems irrelevant. the story is about men, and ultimately, heroes. Gemmell creates characters which are so incredibly compelling, the reader develops genuine love for them all, much like Robert Jordan or even Ernest Hemingway. After reading this book, it restored my long lost love for fantsy novels, and is the perfect book for one get started in the genre.

Excellent, yet another credit to Gemmell's skill as a writer
Gemmell does it again. Readers of his books over the years will have seen the changes and developments in Gemmell's writing ability. Earlier novels (Legend...) were in parts, for want of a better description, corny. However, these novels began to progress and we were given legendary characters such as Waylander the Slayer (or Dakyeras......can't be too sure on the spelling of that......! ), Druss the Legend, Tenaka Khan, Chareos the Blade Master, Culain Larch Feragh, Tarantio & Dace, Talaban, John Shannow, Bane and Parmenion. With each new book that Gemmell has written, his characters have developed and become more and more believable. Raw emotions - love, hate, uncertanty, lust, rage, greed, honour, betrayal, kindness, courage. His characters have a realistic amount of each. He deals with the gritty reality of fantasy (a stark parody! ). He has not got glorious fighters with dragons and wzards. He has got moody characters, struggling with the weight of responsibility, never sleeping or eating (sounds like Karis the Ice Queen! ). Bloody, ferocious battles where whole chapters are painted with crimson expertise. I challenge ANYONE to read a Gemmell book and not love it!

In Sword in the Storm, the first book in the Rigante Series, we see Connoavar start his life and career under the watchful eye of his mentor - Ruathain. This book has shades of other classic titles from Gemmell, namely the older ones like Legend, and Waylander. Also the Stone armies are like late Romans (similar to the outlanders in Ironhand's daughter) and the Rigante are like celts or Highland clans of Scotland. Connavar is s fairly well rounded character that does his best to survive and bring freedom to the clans from the empire of Stone. However, the book lacks multi layer plot twists and also the story is one we have all heard before. That being a gross and corrupted empire trying to take over the world and destroy all in it's path while a handful of defenders do their best to survive. Sound familiar - like Legend, like Legend of Deathwalker, like King Beyond the Gate? For someone who has read all of Gemmell's books, this becomes too much of the same formula. Once again there is a saviour, someone who is a master tactition, someone who men flock to. Again, very familiar. This title does not stand up to the scrutiny of readers that like to tear a book to peices, but it does give a very enjoyable read for people that like heroic fantasy. And herein is a message - if you read to enjoy and not make criticism, you will love Gemmell. If you read and are thinking "this should be better, that is not as good as..." and so on, then you are defeating the whole idea of reading a Gemmell title.

I read this and loved it. I thought it was a good story, even if aspects of it were similar to others. The characters were developed and realistic - which is the key to all good characters. Gemmell always deals with basic human emotions with a skill I have rarely read. His books can bring tears to your eyes, make you laugh, make you smile but most of all give you an insight into the person you are. You read a Gemmell novel and you knmow that if you saw someone who needed help, you would be like Druss and stride on in there and lend a helping hand. Well, I would anyway. And no doubt many others would too.

So, yet another enjoyable read. Fans, you know what is coming but you also know you love every minute of it! If you are new to Gemmell, I recommend that you read this and all other Gemmell novels.

As a big fan I am looking forward to reading Hero in the shadows. This is my FIRST EVER review of anything so, please, do not judge it too harshly.

Stunning absolutely stunning
I'll admit it I'm a big fan of David Gemmell. I usually pick up one of his books and know I'll have a good read. However this book far surpasses any of his others in my opinion. His main character Connavar is probably the most rounded, fleshed out one that Gemmell has ever invented. He has weaknesses, he's insecure sometimes but he always commands your attention. Connavar is however supported by other equal figures who Gemmell has made not only likeable but believable. I'm really at a loss to describe just how much I enjoyed this book. It's one of those that when you finish it you just close the back cover and say WOW.
Can't recommend this book enough. Long may David Gemmell continue writing.