Ghost King

Stones of Power #1

by David Gemmell

The first volume of the Stones of Power sequence. Beyond WOLF IN SHADOW to an earlier layer in David Gemmell's fantasy of the Sipstrassi Stones: rebellion and invasion plunge Britannia into the Dark Ages.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Arthurian, High Fantasy, Heroic Fantasy, Historical Fantasy

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

David Andrew Gemmell was a bestselling British author of heroic fantasy. A former journalist and newspaper editor, Gemmell had his first work of fiction published in 1984. He went on to write over thirty novels. Best known for his debut, Legend, Gemmell's works display violence, yet also explores themes in honour, loyalty and redemption. With over one million copies sold, his work continues to sell worldwide.

Reviews

[Daniel Ionson]

So I am a diehard Gemmell fan. But there's a problem with these 2 books when I compare it in the light of, say, his 2 Lion of Macedon books. While Gemmell always has a lightning pace, these King Arthur books feel downright rushed. I don't know why. There is so much that he could have unpacked, so many interesting threads that he could have spent time on. Instead it felt like he rushed these books, depriving us of a richer tale.

However, they still beat the majority of Fantasy published today, so... 4 stars.

[Nicky]

Okay, generally I find Gemmell’s books to be fairly fun; standard fantasy, with enough interesting characters, twists or references to keep me interested. And you’d think this one would be especially so, since it’s basically about King Arthur (albeit as a young boy). Maybe it’s the fact that this was one of the earliest of Gemmell’s books (as far as I can tell from publication dates), but it really, really didn’t work for me. There was that same moreishness about it in some ways, but I kept getting distracted by the tone, which bounced all over the place. Serious teenage crushes to slightly ridiculed slave/master relationships in a single bound… It’s great that there’s a disabled protagonist. It’s great that in that sex scene between him and the slave, she feels that she has control over the situation.

It’s less great that one encounter with the maimed comic relief hero is enough to cure her of her fears and trauma about rape, but that’s a personal bugbear of mine. One good experience doesn’t cancel out one bad experience, people! It’s something like a one-to-five ratio, more like!

Anyway, maybe it was that irreverent tone that got to me. The liberal mixing of mythologies (a guy was a proto-Arthur figure, he was also Ares, there might be a link intended with Cú Chulainn, throw in some Babylonian mythology too, and a dollop of Gemmell’s own mythology as well…) really didn’t work: it’s not that I’m fundamentally opposed to it (hell, if you dig into it, that’s exactly what J.R.R. Tolkien did), but it didn’t work. It felt thrown together.

I’m not gonna read the sequel; it’s due back at the library anyway, and may the next borrower have more joy of it.

[Mehrshad Zarei]

ایده‌ی کتاب و شخصیت‌ها فوق‌العاده بودن و واقعا لذت بردم اما همه‌شون یک نقطه‌ی اشتراک داشتن و اون هم دراین بود که قوه‌‌شون در نطفه خفه می‌شد یا نطفه‌ها تبدیل به شمایل بی‌ریخت و نیمه‌کاره می‌شدن. بزرگ‌ترین عذابی که در طول داستان همراهم بود فکر به این بود که پتانسیل یک شاهکار و یک اثر ماندگار رو داشت و کاش در بدترین حالت می‌تونستم
برچسب یک اثر خوب رو بهش بزنم چراکه توانایی‌اش رو داشت اما با این پرداخت برازندگی‌اش رو نداشت.
کلیت این کتاب هم مثل اکثر آثار دیگه‌ی نویسنده‌ست.
اما بسیار خام‌دستانه و ساده‌لوحانه پرداخته شده. گویی که ابزار ساخت یک خانه اعیانی رو بدی به دست یک معمار و بنّای کار نابلد و بدِ ماجرا اینه که بدونی کارنامه‌ی نویسنده اصلا و ابدا لباسِ نابلدی تنش نمی‌ره...
روند پخته شدن قهرمانش غیرقابل باور و مسخره‌ست
توی هفتاد صفحه از یک شخصیت خجالتی و بی‌اعتماد به نفس تبدیل می‌شه به اسوه‌ی مبارزه و الگوی دیگران و بعد چرایی‌اش رو می‌ندازه گردن جادو. هرجا هم قهرمان‌های کتاب
به مشکل برمی‌خوردن و داستان گره می‌خورد یک سنگ‌جادو براشون از آسمون میومد که نجات پیدا کنن آخه این هم شد گره‌گشایی؟
نیمه اول کتاب بسیار ضعیف و باورناپذیر، نیمه دوم بهتر می‌شه و بعد پایان‌بندی به بدترین شکل ممکن...

[Michael]

3.5-stars.

A rather different and interesting take on the Arthurian legends with Gods and monsters thrown in for good measure. Note that this is about Uther and his rise to power.

Although I'm not as enchanted by these books as I was with the Drenai series I still enjoy Gemmell's writing style.

[Taha Rabbani]

چرا من هر کتاب فانتزی می‌خونم انتظار دارم با یک ارباب حلقه‌های دیگه مواجه بشم؟ اشکال کار در اینه که من با بزرگترین اثر فانتزی شروع کردم و هیچ وقت بهتر از آن نصیبم نخواهد شد

[Hosein]

باورم نمیشه کسی که شیر مقدونیه رو نوشته، این کتابم نوشته باشه. شبیه یه شوخی خیلی خسته کننده بود که تمومم نمیشد، کاراکترها مصنوعین و نمیشه باهاش ذره‌ای ارتباط برقرار کرد، از این سمت دیالوگ ها اصلا ظرافت ندارن، همینطوری اطلاعات رو پرت میکنن جلوی مخاطب، اونم اطلاعاتی که به هیچ دردی نمیخورن. مثلا کالین تمام شخصیت های اصلی تاریخه؟ چرا خب؟ چه اثری روی داستانش داره و چرا اینقدر سطحیه پس؟

خون آشام چرا توی این داستانه؟

[Phil]

Gemmell packs more story into a short novel than any other fantasy author I know of and Ghost King is no exception. Set in Britain during the ending days of the Roman occupation, the story centers on Thuro, the son of the Roman king of Britain, who starts the novel as a teenager. While visiting a nearby realm (Britain is far from united!), Thuro and his father go hunting with the mucky mucks and while Thuro gets lost, his father the king gets assassinated. Thuro befriends a local girl who takes him to shelter with her guardian. Thuro has always been weak, more interested in books then swordplay, but he is the sole heir of the king; can he rise to the occasion?

Gemmell creates a rich world here peppered with all kinds of mythos. The great king of Atlantis still lives along with other immortals and they have shaped history in Europe and beyond for eons. Utilizing stones of power, they are capable of powerful feats of magic. Thuro's new mentor, the guardian of the girl that found him, was Ares to the Greeks, Mars to the Romans, trained Alexander the Great, played another god to the Norse, etc. His former wife has now become the Witch Queen and seeks to rule worlds (Earth is just one of many). Britain plays a special role for the immortals, however, as it possesses the largest gate to the lands of the mist, which connect all worlds. We follow young Thuro as he turns into a man, facing all kinds of trials and tribulations and his struggles with the Witch Queen. Quite a ride! 4 sweeping stars!

[Michael Pang]

Gemmell is a great story teller, period. I am a big fan of his Drenai Saga (11 books) and this series is just as good. If this series continues the way it is, I will probably say that not only am I a fan of the Drenai Saga, but a fan of all things Gemmell.

An alternate take on Arthurian legend, the Ghost King is a coming of age story. Gemmell deftly blends sword and sorcery with a touch of historical fiction. (The character development is a little sudden, but I think can be attributable to: 1) Gemmell stressing that hard times bring about great changes in great people quickly and 2) his books are generally faster paced - shorter in length than some "lengthy tomes" we can across when reading fantasy).

If you (like myself) have enjoyed Gemmell's other fantasy books, this book will not disappoint. On its own, any fan of fantasy can appreciate this as a solid book that is worthy of a read. (Plus, if you like it, there are more books in the series you don't have to wait for!)

[A Turtles Nest Book Reviews]

Hook, Line, and Sinker! I am now hooked on David Gemmal. I couldn't put it down, he actually takes you back in time. And who doesn't love the time of gods and goddesses? 5 stars Mr. Gemmal, Well done!

[David Sarkies]

Reimagining Arthur
4 January 2017

Now that I have finished this book I am wondering whether this is the first book in the Sipstrassi series, or whether it was Wolf in Shadow. I was just about to start reading Wolf in Shadow when I noticed on Goodreads that it was actually book number three. I remember reading it years ago, and I believe I actually read Wolf in Shadow before this one, but I suspect that was because of the order in which it was written. Well, now that decades have passed since they were first published, I can now read them in chronological order as opposed to the order in which they were written. Then again, I have stuffed up a bit because the two books on Alexander the Great were, not surprisingly, set before this one.

Anyway, this is Gemmel's take on the King Arthur legend. It was a good one, don't get me wrong, but it was still just another interpretation. Then again, I probably shouldn't be surprised since the story is actually pretty popular, and the fact that there is no actual set story means that one can switch and change the story as they see fit. In fact, Arthur doesn't even appear in the story, but then again Gemmel does an excellent job of turning the names of the major characters in the legend into names that actually fit quite well in the setting that he created, which happens to be the period just before the fall of the Roman empire where Rome still has a tenuous hold on Britain, but is pretty much on the verge of pulling out. I should mention that while the legend has Uther as Arthur's father, Gemmel's take on this is that Uther and Arthur are actually one and the same person.

There are actually two stories woven into one, which once again is really, really clever, and in my mind makes for a really engaging read. Then again, a lot of novels use the technique of having multiple plots, however Ghost King works like the Shakespearian concept of the play within a play. So, we have this child Thuro, who is the son of the King of Britain, and has been taken north of Haridan's wall with his father in an attempt to make peace with the king there. However, his father is killed, but he manages to escape. He stumbles across a young lady and her guardian, and is then trained to become a king. However, this is only the start of the story, as they are then forced to flee, and they jump through a gate into another world to discover that it is under the thrall of a witch queen.

Yep, that's correct – in this version of Roman Britain there is magic, dragons, and vampires (for want of a better word, though they are actually call soul stealers). The gods are also real, though in reality they aren't actually gods they are just very naughty children. The concept is that these people discovered stones known as the sipstrassi, which can be used to perform feats of magic, but can also be drained. These people thus use the sipstrassi not only to become immortal, but to also create, and to destroy. So, they have been interacting with humanity since the beginning of civilisation, guiding them, and also playing with them. As such, they have become the gods, and heroes, from myth and legend.

However, while I'm not too concerned with them being known as the gods such as Athena, Zeus, and Ares, I did get somewhat annoyed when they also claimed to be the heroes of old as well. In a way that doesn't really sit all that well with me. In my mind, the heroes were humans, and should have remained as humans, so when one of them claimed to have been Paris, it put me off somewhat. Honestly, he should have just stayed as the god of war, and it would have worked just as well.

The thing that really caught my attention that I didn't pick up all those years ago when I read it were the references to the Ancient Greeks and Romans. Then again I suspect that that was because I read this before I started university, and before I became familiar with the likes of Plutarch and Crassus. Sure, I had heard of Paris, and of the Trojan War, but I hadn't heard of the intricacies of the Greco-Roman era, and as such while the book was entertaining when I first read it, there were a lot of things that I had missed.

Now, I'm not a big fan of historical fiction, but this book isn't historical fiction – it is fantasy set in our world. As Gemmel says at the opening, it isn't supposed to be an historical account of the King Arthur legend (if it is actually possible to have an historical recount considering that it lies in the mists of legend, and one academic account I read suggested that is was nothing more that a Briton warlord who was a little more effective than all the other warlords), but rather what it should have been, and in a way a lot more exciting to boot. Anyway, there is a sequel which I plan on reading before I move onto the Jerusalem man, and he has set up the cuckolding of King Arthur quite well. Then again, he has also given me more of a motivation to start reading Plutarch's lives.

Oh, and the Lady of the Lake interpretation was also pretty cool.

[Graham]

GHOST KING is the first in a long-running series of Gemmell books, the 'Stones of Power' books as opposed to the 'Drenai' saga. I knew it was a slim book and would be one I read very quickly. I also knew I would enjoy it a lot, superficially at least.

The thing about being a Gemmell fan is the joy of knowing what to expect. Most of the author's books are written to a specific formula. There will be rampaging, unstoppable armies ravaging a rural landscape. On their side will be witches and wizards, able to summon evil were-creatures and monstrous beasts. In this book, for instance, are sinister vampire types, hulking feral cats, a half-human bear and a few werewolves thrown in for good measure.

Pitted against them will be unlikely heroes. Most don't see themselves as heroes. Some are, in fact, villains, only to redeem themselves in surprising twists. There will be awkward love affairs and a big cast list, many of whom will bite the dust before the novel's climax.

There will also be standing stones which are able to teleport characters to different dimensions, one of which is usually known as the 'Void', an eerie, Hellish landscape full of the stuff of twisted nightmares.

GHOST KING plays to type. The influences on this are wide ranging. It's fantasy, but loosely based on a post-Roman Britain at the mercy of barbarian hordes. Some of the characters are from Arthurian legend. Others seem to be immortals, who have lived the lives of many heroes, a lot of them Greek. The pacing is super fast and despite the plethora of armies, characters and dimensions, I kept track of everything that was going on. The action and battle scenes are also typically fine and strongly written.

So, once again, no surprises in this book, just solid, old-fashioned escapism. I'll be on the look out for the sequel.

[Kemery Myers]

1.5 Stars★✯☆☆☆ - a fantastic Arthurian retelling until it falls on its face

For the full review, check out: https://medium.com/@kemerysjourneythr...

What's the story about: Ghost King follows a varied group of characters surrounding a boy who would be king after his father is killed and multiple evils seek his death. Being given the quest to retrieve his father's sword, it will help him reclaim his throne.

Ghost King is made of aspects that can't really be reconciled. The setup was well-established with a premise and plot that while simple, worked within the narrative being told. Most of the characters were enjoyable, mysterious, interesting, or fascinating, especially since there is a fairly diverse array of them, within the story that made sense mostly. But then this book's final act somehow manages to have the worst ending imaginable, disassembles the "main" relationship to shreds (in a very intentional way), loses all sense of consistency with the magic system that makes no sense, and results in a final hook to incentivize reading the sequel…by that point, I'd completely given up. For the first 150 pages, I truly enjoyed the narrative and aspects of the story to where it was leading. But somehow, the final 80 pages shocked in the worst ways possible that completely soured all fun, joy, and adventure established. I'm definitely second-guessing my desire to try Knights of Dark Renown or Morningstar now…

[Amir Sheikhzadeh]

شما اینجا یک شعله دارین، کورین. مسلما شعله‌ی کوچکیه. ولی من یک‌بار دیدم تمام یک جنگل از آتشی که بی‌دقت روشن شده بود سوخت و نابود شد. اشتار از این می‌ترسه: از این‌که این شعله بزرگ بشه.


یک بخش کوچکی از این متن را اختصاص به استاد فانتزی حماسی تقدیم می‌کنم، دیوید گمل در سال 2006 (در سن 57 سالگی) از دنیا رفت. گمل را با داستان‌های حماسی و قهرمان‌محور می‌شناسند که اکثر اوقات این قهرمان خاکستری بوده و اموری برخلاف ذهنیت خواننده انجام می‌دهد. تاثیر وی در دنیای فانتزی تا حدی بود که به‌مدت 10 سال (2009 الی 2018) جایزه‌ای به‌نام "جایزه دیوید گمل" به آثار برتر فانتزی سال تعلق می‌گرفت. در سال 2009 اولین جایزه به آنجی سپکوفسکی و کتاب "خون الف‌ها" از مجموعه ویچر تعلق گرفت و آخرین جایزه هم به کتاب "سرنوشت قاتل" از رابین هاب تعلق گرفت.

در کتاب اول از دو گانه‌ی سنگ‌های قدرت، شبح شاه، شما با یک فانتزی والای صرف مواجه نیستید و داستان در بریتانیای باستان، پس از تضعیف نیروهای روم، رخ می‌دهد. جهانی که جادو درش با سنگ‌های قدرت میسر می‌شود. طبق یکسری تحقیقات، در داستان با انواع سنگ‌ها مواجه می‌شیم که در بیشتر مواقع توضیحاتی تکمیلی از نحوه کارکرد و یا تاثیرات آن‌ها سخنی وسط نمی‌آید.

انواع سنگ‌ها به این شکل هستند (برای جلوگیری از لو رفتن داستان از توضیحات و نحوه عملکرد صرف نظر می‌کنم.)

1- سنگ‌های طلایی

2- سنگ‌های خونی یا قرمز

3- سنگ‌های نقره‌ای

4- سنگ‌های سیاه

اگر درست حدس زده باشم مورد سوم و چهارم در کتاب اول دیده نشدند ولی همین‌که به تفکیک نام برده شوند می‌تواند در درک بهتر برای خواننده‌های جدید کمک کند.

نحوه روایت داستان بسیار سریع هست و بی‌وقفه به پیش می‌رود، در طی هم‌خوانی معتقد بودم که گمل و سندرسن دو لبه‌ی یک قیچی هستند، یکی کوتاه و یکی مفصل، به توضیح جهان و داستان می‌پردازند.

در داستان شاهزاده‌ی ضعیفی داریم که روند تکامل و قدرتمند شدن وی را به ما شرح می‌دهد و به قولی قهرمان از خاکستر برمی‌خیزد و قدرتمند می‌شود. بریتانیای باستان پس از تضعیف نیروهای رومی به بخش‌های مختلف تقسیم شده و هر کدام به‌دنبال تضعیف اثرات باقی‌مانده از رومیان هستند. شاهزاده داستان از تبار رومیان بوده و در صدد برگرداندن شکوه و جلال رومی در بریتانیا هست.

اسطوره‌سرایی، چه به بهانه‌ی حضور فیزیکی و یا نامی، در این داستان نقش مهمی دارد و به افرادی از دل تاریخ اشاره می‌گردد که به کشش روزافزون کتاب کمک بسزایی می‌کند. حالا می‌رسیم به بخش جذاب داستان، یعنی جهان موازی شبح شاه...

در جهان موازی سنگ‌های قدرت، که معروف به خلا یا Void هست، یک بخش نیمه‌تاریک و وحشتناک داستان هست. جایی‌که انسان‌های تضعیف شده درش زندگی می‌کنند و با انواع و اقسام موجودات شرور و تاریک دست و پنجه نرم می‌کنند. در داستان این موجودات توسط نیرویی (نمی‌توان ازش اسمی برد چون خطر لو رفتن وجود دارد) به دنیای مادی هم وارد می‌شوند و خطراتی زیادی در جهان هم ایفا می‌کنند. بخش مهمی از داستان جلد اول در دنیای موازی و آشنایی با فیزیک و اتفاقاتی هست که آن دنیا را به خطر وا داشته که طبیعتا منجر به خطر در دنیای مادی هم خواهد بود.

کتاب شبح شاه، دومین کتاب دیوید گمل هست که خواندم (کتاب اول شوالیه‌های بدنام بود) از نظر ساختار و روایت شوالیه‌های بدنام در یک سطح دیگری هست و این نظر صرفا پس مطالعه یک جلد هست و باید جلد دوم هم خواند تا بتوان به این نظریه شخصی جامه عمل پوشاند و به قطع گفت که آیا بهتر هست یا ضعیف‌تر.

با این‌که کتاب نادر هست و نسخه فیزیکی به سختی یافت می‌شود، شما علاقمندان می‌توانین نسخه الکترونیکی کتاب را با قیمت بسیار پایین خریداری کنید و لذت ببرید.
نمره البته 3.5 هست.


لاتیا: "تو چطوری تونستی باهاش صحبت کنی؟"
پراساماکوس: "متوجه منظورت نمی‌شم."
- هیچ ترسی توی صدات نبود.
- توی قلبم بود، ولی تنها چیزی که می‌دیدم یک زن شیطانی بود. تنها کاری که می‌توانست بکنه این بود که منو بکشه. این مسئله تا این حد وحشتناکه؟ تا پنجاه سال دیگه کسی اسم من رو هم به خاطر نمی‌آره. من فقط به خاک تبدیل می‌شم.

[Anwesh Ganguli]

Been ages since I read a good fantasy novel. The last read was Game of Thrones by GRRM, although he didn't finish the book series, really bummed out about that like all the other people who focused on the book series. Anyway, this is not about GRRM, I came across this book in a second-hand book shop. At first, it seemed like any other old book, a bit battered with yellowing pages and fancy cover picture like a fantasy book should have. But when I started reading it, I just couldn't stop myself from eating up the words. The story is well written, of course, the writing style is pretty simple yet interesting enough to keep the reader glued to its pages. The characters are pretty well drawn with some of them being pretty awesome too, with amazing and really strong character arcs and development moments. This book has a sequel (Last Sword of Power) and I am looking forward to reading that as well.

If you like the fantasy genre I think you would not disappointed with this book. David Gemmell's books are definitely looking out for.

[Jason Waltz]

3 stars given painfully. to my sorrow. it was my delight to return to David Gemmell's writing - it's been awhile, and if I claim to write in his tradition I certainly better refresh my muse, eh?

writing does not disappoint. I read this with great interest and investment, not rushing to devour but steadily consuming a fine meal. I like our hero, but especially am fascinated by a secondary archer-cum-counselor who is an absolutely delightful character.

I have never pre-explored this series, so was surprised to learn it is a retelling of the Arthurian cycle. it is handled well and definitely keeps my interest.

the negatives, however...

gods simply appear and save the moment. well, a god does, several times. no presaging, no explaining away, he just does it. quite surprising and discouraging. and then, come the penultimate moment, the great big bad just up and sacrifices out of character. no foreshadowing, no explanation, just random, sudden choice. these, were this the first book of Gemmell I read, would keep me from reading more.

but I've already started book 2.

[Mohammad.Bookworm]

هرچند گمل می‌تونست خیلی بیشتر پرداخت کنه کارش رو(و به همین دلیل هم یک ستاره کم کردم) اما بازم کتاب بسیار زیبایی بود
این داستان مربوط میشه به افسانه شاه آرتور(البته بگم، جلد دومش اون شاه آرتوری می‌شه که ما می‌شناسیم) و باید بگم ارجاعات تاریخیش واقعا واقعا وحشتناک خوبه. اصلا این رو از دست ندید(البته اگه گیرتون بیاد:D چون وحشتناک نایابه. اما اگه با دیجیتالی مشکلی ندارید فیدیبو داره.)

[Mark Redman]

Ghost King by David Gemmell is a story that combines history and fantasy elements. It tells a tale of heroism, sacrifice, and epic battles. Gemmell's storytelling is captivating, with well-developed characters and a vivid, immersive world. The book showcases the author's writing talent with a good balance of action and emotion.

[Alex Jones]

I was a huge fan of David Gemmell a few years ago, but then stopped reading his books so often because I was running out of them and I didn't want to stop having new books of his to read. However, over New Year I decided I was in the mood for some nostalgia so collected this book from my shelf and finished it within a couple of days. It was exactly as fantastic as I remember.

David Gemmell's writing is not going to shatter your world, it is functional and definitely engrossing, but nothing more than that. However, everything else in his books manages to be astoundingly good. The plot is compelling, here excellently weaving classical history with Gemmell's own world(s), and with enough twists and turns that I never quite knew what to expect. The world is fascinating and I really want to read the sequel to find more about it. Best of all are the characters, who are the real reason I love Gemmell's books so much. They have all the depth and moral complexity of George R. R. Martin's whilst at the same time there are still clear heroes and villains who you root for. Quite how Gemmell pulls this off I'm not sure, but it works astonishingly well for me. Read it!

[ทixi৳ท]

I’m a little at war with this book because I loved it, but sometimes it made me angry. I loved the Arthurian legend retelling. I liked Thuro’s (later Uther) character development because he went from a weak boy to a warrior man. Although I didn’t like the fact that he helped resistors and they turned against him. I would have been able to tear my hair from Laitha at times, I didn’t like the way she treated Thuro. Pracamaccus was a real surprise because I didn’t think he was such a wise and so loyal friend. Culain was a mysterious character at first, but as I learned more and more about him, I had to realize that he went through a lot of things for which I understood his feelings. I liked the book, but I wasn’t reconciled to the last few chapters of the book. At times there were scenes which I felt clashed. However I can tell you now understand why David Gemmell deserves a lot of attention. I will definitely read more of his books.

“Life is unfair. Do you think your enemies will sit back and wait until you are fresh? Learn to marshal your strength.”

[Ben]

Another alternate take on the Arthurian legend, set during the end of the Roman empire, with quite a bit of magic and mysticism. The first half of the book is stronger and more interesting. The second half feels rushed and abbreviated. Additionally, the characters change a bit too much--it feels as if the characters are being forced to become the characters of Arthurian legend, rather than it being a natural evolution.

[Campbell]

Meh. This one was distinctly unremarkable. I skimmed the last third.

[Erik Martenson]

A Ghostly Tale

What we have here is a different take on the story of King Arthur, his knights, and the magical sword Excalibur. Some of the names are changed to emphasize that this is a fantasy book and not historical fiction. Instead of Arthur you have Thuro, instead of Merlin you have Maedhlyn, and instead of Lancelot you have Culain Lach Feragh, the Lance Lord.

It is a dark time in England. The Roman times are ending, and all the different tribes of the British are revolting. Meanwhile there’s an evil witch, Goroien, who threatens to enslave the people of four different worlds, all connected by magical gateways in the form of stone circles. Monsters lurk in the night, soul stealers and werewolves. And, yes, you have the stones of power, the Sipstrassi.

David Gemmell started writing The Siege of Dros Delnoch (published as Legend in 1984) after being misdiagnosed with cancer in 1976. Ghost King was published in 1988, just four years later. This was the fourth time I read this book, and it’s one of my favorites. The story is captivating from page one. Battles are described masterfully. Dialogs flow like quicksilver. This is excellent storytelling. This is why we love David Gemmell.

However, there are flaws, although they aren’t serious enough to alter my five star rating.

«It took the lead rider between his collarbones and punched him from the saddle.»

No, arrow, bullets, or crossbow bolts simply do not have the momentum to do that. They won’t slam you several meters back, or throw you from the saddle, or spin you around. That is just bad storytelling with no root in reality. It was busted by the MythBusters as well.

«He sliced the meat and ate it slowly. It tasted fine, but the fat content was high.»

What a strange thing hear from a master hunter. «But the fat content was high.» As if fat somehow is bad for you! The fat is where the energy is! It’s our natural fuel. Without it we can’t absorb and use the protein, or any other nutrient. The fat is also the most tasty part of the meat. That’s why ribeye is so popular. I wonder if David Gemmell lacked knowledge on proper human nutrition.

There was also a conversation between Laitha and Thuro on plants and fungi, where Laitha claimed that a certain fungus was «tasty and nutritious». While humans sometimes had to resort to eating plants from sheer desperation, they do not have the proper nourishment we require. Plants are filled with defensive toxins and should be avoided.

And while this book was translated into US English, they forgot to change the numbers. Americans write «two hundred forty-one» while British write «two hundred and forty-one».

In summary, a very strong fantasy novel by a master storyteller. Ghost King receives a full score and a warm recommendation.

[Ken Jensen]

I have just finished reading Ghost King for the second time (and the first time on Kindle). It’s still a great read but not as good as I remembered it from the mid-nineties. This is Gemmell’s take on the Arthurian legend, a blend of fantasy and historical fiction. Actually, to be more precise, Gemmell refers to historical characters and events. This is not a story that attempts to be historically correct, which the writer makes a point of in the introduction. The Vikings, for example, appear in the novel long before the age of Vikings, making them something of an anachronism.

We follow a weakling prince on his journey to becoming a man and a king. He must overcome impossible odds to survive. Fortunately, he runs into his unknown grandfather, the legendary Culain lach Feragh, a truly epic warrior, one of the greatest characters the late David Gemmell ever created.

I’m not going to say more for fear of spoiling the story for new readers. However, I need to address the reasons I didn’t give the novel full marks. First and foremost because of the unfulfilled potential. The novel is too short and proceeds too fast, ignoring the chance to explore some of the magic within its pages. Then there is the issue with Gemmell’s sloppy language, which I attribute to the journalist in him. He also doesn’t know how to use paragraphs, sometimes making it close to impossible to tell which character is speaking. This forces me to read the sections in question several times to be reasonably sure, and even then I often have to make an educated guess. That is not clear and concise writing. Far from it. For this reason the novel is closer to three stars than to five. Regardless, I landed on four. It’s still a great read.

[Charlotte L.]

J'ai eu la chance de recevoir ce roman dans la toute nouvelle édition poche de Bragelonne, une petite beauté ! C'est l'un des derniers romans de l'auteur qu'il me restait à lire alors que chronologiquement, il s'agit de l'un de ses premiers (paru pour la première fois en 1988). Dans cette duologie, Gemmell s'empare de l'histoire et des mythes de l'Angleterre médiévale en plaçant son roman à l'époque où persiste encore une occupation romaine avec en parallèle, des guerres entre Brigantes, Saxons et autres peuples. C'est au milieu de ces luttes de pouvoir que va se retrouver projeté Thuro, jeune prince à la santé fragile passionné de livres et très peu porté sur la chasse et les combats. Aidé par une mystérieuse jeune fille et un homme sans âge reclus dans la montagne, il va devoir abandonner sa vie d'adolescent et tenter de trouver sa place en tant qu'homme, et en tant que roi.

J'ai beaucoup aimé l'univers unique des Pierres de pouvoir, ce mélange savoureux de réécritures de mythes du monde entier (avec au centre l'histoire des chevaliers de la Table Ronde), de faits historiques et de magie gemmellienne. Et il y aussi tout ce qu'on aime chez cet auteur : des valeurs de courage, d'amitié et de simplicité enrobées d'humour et de réparties cinglantes.

(Retrouvez la suite sur lottesofbooks.com)

[Cat]

The myths explored in this book are fantastic. I remember reading this book because it was written by Gemmell and it wasa King Arthur retelling, but I had clearly forgotten how many other myths were being brought up and just how interesting that made this book. I love how Gemmell combined the Arthurian legend with Greek myths, the epic of Gilgamesh, the Legion of the Ninth etc. and then his own fantastical and magical elements.

There were a just a couple of reasons I didn't give this five stars. One, I've never been a fan of the whole Arthur/Guinevere/Lancelot triangle. I just don't think that's for me. And two, Uther/Thuro and Laitha are just a bit lacking as main characters. I found myself way more interested in everyone else and the general plot than I was invested in them.

It's still a great book and I thoroughly enjoyed rereading it.

[Austin Smith]

I liked this book at first, but it really lost me in the last 100 or so pages. The pacing with this is so unbalanced. The last third or so of the story felt super rushed, and it lacked in character development and world building.

There was a lot going on in this book and honestly, it had me super confused. There was a subplot about an afterlife/purgatory sort of place, name dropping of different creatures and beings with little to no explanation of what they were, something about a Witch Queen, and then a huge, rushed battle at the end that just comes out of nowhere.

I don't know. I liked some things about this book but it just had me too confused and I can't say I'm impressed with my first book by David Gemmell. I might try reading the other two books at some point, as this is the first in a trilogy, but I'm not exactly eager to get to them.

2.5⭐ rounded down.

[J.P. Harker]

In fairness, I'd love to give this a 3.5. I grew up on David Gemmell books and this wasn't bad by any stretch, but it just wasn't up to his usual standard. Looking at the dates, this was written a lot earlier than most of my favourites of his and I suspect he was still developing and polishing his style.
There was still plenty about this which was good, with some classic adventuring, good research, good world-building and some deep thinking behind it. While, in my humble opinion, it can't match the standard of the Rigante books or the Lion of Macedon, Ghost King is still a worthwhile read and I shall certainly keep an eye out for Last Sword of Power

[Paul]

I already knew the Arthurian legend, so I was interested to see David Gemmell’s version of it. Ghost King takes the story in a different direction, but for me it never became very exciting.

The biggest problem was that the story felt a little distant. I did not really connect with the characters, and I was never fully pulled into what was happening. There are some interesting ideas, but the book did not have the same impact as other Gemmell books I have read.

I still think it is an interesting take on a well-known legend, but I have read much better books by David Gemmell.

[Dawn]

An interesting take on the Arthurian legend. Well thought through and well written - but felt far, far too short.

[Zaza]

Mid et la misogynie n'aide pas