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Title: White Wolf: A Novel of Druss the Legend |
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Review of White Wolf: A Novel of Druss the Legend
- White Wolf marks a return to the bestselling Drenai series and David Gemmellâs most popular hero of all, Druss the Legend.
Skilgannon the Damned had vanished from the pages of history. No-one knew where he had gone, following the terrible triumph at Perapolis, and the assasins sent by the Witch Queen could find no trace of his passing. Three years later, a murderous mob gathers outside a monastery, faced by a single, unarmed priest. In a few terrifying seconds their world is changed for ever, and word spreads across the lands of the East -- Skilgannon is back.
Now he must travel across a perilous, demon-haunted realm seeking a mysterious temple and the ageless goddess who rules it. With assassins on his trail and an army of murderous foes ahead, the Damned sets off on a quest to bring the dead to life. But he does not travel alone. The man beside him is Druss the Legend.
In this tale of love, betrayal and treachery, in a world torn by war, White Wolf examines the nature of heroism and friendship and the narrow lines dividing good and evil.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
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Comments for White Wolf: A Novel of Druss the Legend
- Posted on 2007-08-26
Super Reader
A group of criminals trying to prey on the people of a monastery and a town surrounding it make a big mistake when they antagonise Brother Lantern, for Brother Lantern is Skilgannon the Damned.
This means the bad guys are mincemeat and Skilgannon is back in the world, and the Swords of Night and Day will again be seen.
Set a few years after the battle of Skeln, Skilgannon's commander and lover the Witch Queen wants him back, but he undertakes a journey to see if it is possible to bring his wife back to life, and gains companions on the way.
The Captain of the Axe, Druss, also sets out on a mission, to rescue a young girl. The paths of both men cross and they join forces.
Throw in a fortress, a temple, and those hunting the two heroes may just have bitten off more than they can chew as Skilgannon finally fances his old enemy.
Score: 5
- Posted on 2007-08-08
History laughs at human vanity !
It is fantasy for sure but without those strange Hobbits and peoples from another planet and yet on the earth. The characters are mostly human, but humans from different walks of life, different peoples, different areas and regions. But the most interesting element is that the author tries to center his approach onto those who apparently make history in a world dominated by war. These few men or women can change the future by only winning or losing a battle, which depends mostly on accidental elements. The book is very clear about the haphazard work of fate that keeps in store many possible outcomes to any present situation. Skilgannon wins two battles between himself and Boranius, aka Ironmask, only because of one element that de-concentrates the attention of Boranius. The first time a spear from some soldier of Skilgannon's and the second time a menacing move from a dying monstrous Joining, and Skilgannon is able to take advantage of this situation and lethally attack Boranius. At the same time, even if it is postmodern to state history is entirely open, the book is deeply inhabited with the belief that some forces are beyond human understanding and possibilities of control, which means history has its own pace and human beings can only eventually influence it within the limits it sets itself. And in this novel it is quite clear women are the central axis of history, either as a witch that influences the world along her own desires, or a descendant of that witch that manages, with the help of this very witch and Skilgannon, to escape her death when a teenager and to become the Witch Queen able to reunify the world under her ruthless authority when all the other actors will have been eliminated. Then two of the main warriors are moved into defeating the main opponent to this evolution when he destroys a father by making him a Joining (joining him just after death to a wolf), seducing the mother that he will eventually torture and kill and kidnapping the daughter as a defense against his eventual defeat. And this Boranius will fail and the girl will be saved. A long time before Skilgannon, known as the Damned, had been ordered to annihilate a defeated city by the Witch Qiueen. Only one girl survived and she becomes haunted. The witch we have spoken of already manages to capture her vengeful desire in order to turn it against Skilgannon. And yet that will fail. This girl Garianne will try to commit suicide instead of fulfilling the manipulation. She will be saved by Skilgannon himself with some help from Druss and Skilgannon will be saved in this predicament by the Witch Queen, though she will be unable to get him back into her military service. Furthermore a priestess of some mythical temple will actually help Skilgannon and his companions, another woman in the story, Ustarte. So David Gemmel's history seems to be pretty dominated by women and his history seems to have its own rules that have little to do with our desire to make history what we would like it to be. And beyond these dominating women we feel history is an unescapable, unavoidable battle between hostile forces with some kind of a promise to see the whole humanity reunify in a way or another: a trend to unity that can only progress through and beyond constant strife among hostile forces and peoples. Hence history is a unifying and pacifying trend that can be neared only through military battles and political struggles among the leaders of the world who are mostly haphazardly chosen by obscure forces that have little to do with reason and logic. And I can assure you the psychology of these warriors is nothing simple like in Hubbard's science-fiction, but extremely complex and contradictory, and that is the main charm of this book.
Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine & University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne
Score: 5 - Posted on 2007-07-18
not bad
this book was pretty entertaining. the characters are very realistic and relatable. I felt the ended was rushed and somewhat unsettled. I guess that is why there is another book in the series. other than that I feel the ending could have been written differently. I enjoyed the book otherwise..
Score: 4
- Posted on 2007-06-13
Gemmell at his best
White Wolf by David Gemmell is yet another book in the Drenai Tales. While this is billed as another book about Druss the Legend, however, the reader will quickly realize that while this book may have Druss in it a new character steals the show. This character is known as Skilgannon and became a favorite of mine from the first scene. For readers who are thinking of reading this book, I would strongly suggest going back and starting where this saga first started, that would be the novel simply titled Legend (Drenai Tales, Book 1). It's a great book and adds so much to this story in the long run. With that said, this book is a stand alone novel and previous books don't need to be read first, but if you want the full effect of the story and what Mr. Gemmell intended.
The plot of this book, at least on the immediate surface, is rather simplistic and linear. That being the need to rescue a child who is in the clutches of an evil omnipotent `bad guy'. It's a rather clichéd plot line, but Mr. Gemmell writes it in such a way that it seems new and fresh. The beauty of this book this book, and Mr. Gemmell's work as a whole, is how he weaves the numerous sub-plots into the novel. At times, the sub-plots, are written so well that they seem to be the main story arc. There are really numerous sub-plots in this book; there is one involving two brothers, there is one involving a past love interest of Skilgannon, there is also one involving finding a temple that has been lost (or hidden) for ages - all of this while still carrying on the main story. I have read at least 13 books penned by Mr. Gemmell, and I think this may be the strongest plot of any of his books, save the first two Rigante books, yet. I think most fans of the fantasy genre will enjoy this book.
No matter how good a plot is, the characters are what ultimately readers will identify with. This novel has no shortage of great characters. Characters such as Druss, Skilgannon, to the more minor characters. The draw I had to the characters in this book is several things. They all have shades of grey, they are not all good, all powerful, in nature. Also, they have flaws, they are not perfect. They don't have all the answers, and one thing I like the most, is there are not those `ah ha' moments where the characters finally realize what needs to happen and what they need to do. Mr. Gemmell has a real knack for bringing the human element to his characters. He mixes in pieces of the characters back stories just enough to flesh them out, without it being an information dumb and detract from the characters.
Mr. Gemmell's prose and flow of his writing really fits well with what I enjoy reading. He is descriptive in his writing just enough so the reader can begin to imagine the scene but not enough to where he tells the reader exactly what the scene looks like. That is one thing I enjoy about his writing, I am still able to visualize things how I want. His writing has a flow to it that I think will allow most readers to forget time and realize they have knocked off 100 (or more) pages at a time.
Overall, aside from the first two Rigante books, this is the best Gemmell book I have read thus far. He has come a long way in his writing. I will be sure to continue reading this saga. This is a novel, and a series really, that I would not hesitate to recommend to most fantasy fans. Gemmell has a way with writing stories that I think will touch many a reader. This book was truly a joy to read.
The only minor criticism I have with this book is there are a couple fight scenes where Mr. Gemmell repeats things. While not wholly `bad' it does, at times, become redundant. It's not a huge deal and certainly does not taint the story at all, but it's something I noticed.
As I mentioned above, this is one of the best Gemmell books I have read. It ranks up there as one of my personal favorites in the fantasy genre as well. If you are even remotely considering this book, or series, do yourself a favor and check them out. You never know what you will find. For those that don't know, Mr. Gemmell passed away in November, 2006. He will truly be missed by the fantasy community.
Score: 5 - Posted on 2007-03-26
My son loved it
This is the second time around to order all these books, my oldest took them to college with him, not my younger one reads them all. They love them.
Score: 5