Product Description

The Knights of the Gabala, legendary protectors of the Nine Duchies, have disappeared through a demon-haunted gateway between worlds. Only one held back - Manannan, whose every instinct told him to stay. Now he is the Coward Knight, and in torment. Murder and black magic beset the Duchies. As the storm clouds of war gather, Manannan rides to the Forest of the Ocean and prepares to face his darkest fears. For he must ride through the same gate and seek out his vanished companions. And the secret he will learn there will tear his soul apart ...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #69854 in Books
• Published on: 1989-11-16
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Review
'Has pace, conviction and gritty resolute vitality...The result is a book that will be enjoyed by Tolkien fans' TIMES EDUCATIONAL SUPPLEMENT

About the Author
David Gemmell's first novel, Legend, was published in 1984 and he is now widely acclaimed as Britain's king of heroic fantasy. He lives in East Sussex.

Customer Reviews

David Gemmell's best book
I have just finished reading this book for the fifth time! As a massive Gemmell fan, I have read each and everyone of David Gemmell's books and whilst ALL of them are excellent, Knights of Dark Renown has to be my favourite. It's a real epic heroic fantasy tale with a great twist in it. From the outset, when you are introduced to the Knights of the Gabala, (champions of good in the Nine Duchies), you are swept along by Gemmell's superbly descriptive narrative and he has a real knack for making his characters lifelike and believable. Despite having read this book four times previously, I still found myself unable to put the book down which is excellent testimony to this superb book. Despite what other reviewer's have said, I like the fact that none of the main characters are 'safe' and prefer a book where some are killed off or meet an heroic end.

One of Gemmells best ever
As one of David Gemmell's biggest fans I would like to announce that this is one of his greatest books ever! I love his use of flawed characters, it seems to make them that more realistic and likeable, however I agree with an earlier review in that I would like to see some of these characters stay alive! This book starts of at a fairly slow pace, introducing us to the main protagonists making us think early on we know what is to come. This is where Gemmell truely comes into his own however. His characters never behave in the way that many characters in other books behave, here stereotypes are ignored or, when seen quickly booted to one side (in particular the chracter of the Duke, I wont spoil it for you by revealing what happens). It is the twists in characters that keep reading the book well into the early hours. One small gripe is that of the storyline. Here it is a small band of good guys taking on the might of an evil army, remind anyone of Winter Warriors? It seems that Gemmell only had about three different story lines from which to choose, although he does hide it well by his clever use of characters. I am impressed by the depth into which this book explores the characters and their flaws, something which is often missing in the current section of fantasy books. As the pace speeds up we are sent to places that we would never have expected to go, and the duel at the end is truely one of Gemmells greatest ever! All in all an excellent read and well worth trying for anyone who has not read any of Gemmell before!

Another Gemmell Gem
One mark of a good author is the ability to move away from the comfort zone, inhabited by both reader and writer, of familiar characters. Shifting away from both of his successful Drenai and Jerusalem Man series, Gemmell manages to create another fantastical world populated by heroes and villians. The story revolves around a group of characters brought together through strange circumstances to battle a great evil in classic although slightly cliche plot. Yet Gemmell's fluid writing that will leave you wondering why it has become so dark when you finally put the book down, never allows the slight flaws of similar characterisation to prevent his books from once again scaling the heights of the fantasy genre.