If you have been hanging around here at the Lair for any length of time you know how much enjoy the works of David Gemmell. I consider his works as essential reading for anyone who enjoys a rousing tale of heroism, duty and sacrifice. In his honor a new award has been established: The David Gemmell Legend Award.
The DGLA will be presented for the very first time in 2009 for the best Fantasy novel of 2008. The award will be given to a work written in the 'spirit' of the late, great David Gemmell, a true Master of Heroic Fantasy.
Please join me at the DGLA website. They are just getting started and could use the support.
My thanks to The Cimmerian for posting about this.
David left us way too soon. His untimely death was such a blow to me that his last book "Troy: Fall of Kings" sits on my shelf unread. And it will stay there for quite sometime, because once I read it I know there will be no more stories from him, and this way I'll always have one more David Gemmell story to look forward to.
Having just read my first David Gemmel novel "Legend" at the behest of a friend who knew I was into Sword & Sorcery, I'm glad to hear that there's an award names after him. :)
ReplyDeleteSlightly off topic, but are there any specific books of Gemmel you'd recommend?
Slightly off topic, but are there any specific books of Gemmel you'd recommend?
ReplyDeleteWell your starting off right with Legend. after that my top three would be:
1) Waylander - his second most popular Character
2) Morningstar - The first Gemmell story I ever read. This is a stand alone novel not linked to any of his other worlds.
3) Winter Warriors- My all time personal favorite.
Jeff
My favorite Gemmell is "The swords of Night and day." awesome book. I still have about 8 Gemmell books to read and am pacing myself on them. He is certainly missed. I like the idea of an award in his name.
ReplyDeleteMy top three Gemmell books are:
ReplyDelete1. Legend. This book is just one great badass siege story. One of the best ever written, I think.
2. Waylander. Great character, fun story, and sort of counterpoints the whole Drenai saga when compared to Legend.
3. Quest for Lost Heroes. I actually prefer this book over Winter Warriors as the two are of a similar vein. The story of Beltzer the Axeman especially moves me every time I read this one.
Gemmell's stuff is, simply put, the only real hardcore contribution to Swords & Sorcery fiction in the last 20 years or so. Definitely worth digging into - it's a great body of work.
this is great news! just checked out the nominees and seeing some good names in there.
ReplyDeletemy top gemmel books are Legend, Waylander and Quest for Lost Heroes also. i actually had to buy a second copy of Waylander because i'd read my first one to disintegration (it was second-hand).