David Gemmell's Drenai Tales

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An Introduction to the Drenai Series


Welcome to my Squidoo lens on David Gemmell's Drenai Series. The Drenai saga spans a few generations, from the time of the enagmatic anti hero, Waylander to Druss the Legend and the seige of Dros Delnoch by the Nadir, all the way to the time of Tenaka Khan. Written by the late David Gemmell, the Drenai series is arguably one of the best (and I daresay most under-rated) fantasy series of all time.

This lens is merely an introduction to the Drenai Series. Please visit my other Drenai lenses to delve further into the wonderful world of Drenai. I hope you have a great time.

My Love Affair with David Gemmell's Drenai Series 

or How It All Started...


My very first David Gemmell book was The Ghost King (from the Stones of Power/ Sipstrassi series) which my mum got me from a bargain bin! The series is Gemmell's fantasy take on the legend of King Arthur. Back then, I was a sucker for everything and anything to do with the Arthurian legend.
After my first taste of fantasy, I was naturally on the lookout for more fantasy books after I completed the series. Bear in mind, this was in the Dark Ages, a time when the Internet was not yet mainstream, and I had no knowledge that Gemmell had written other series. Therefore, I was looking for any fantasy books to fulfill my hunger for more tales of heroic adventures.
I still remember the fateful day that I discovered Legend. I was in a second hand bookstore looking for fantasy books. The storekeeper recommended me The Hobbit by a certain Mr Tolkien. I was about to leave the store with it when a familiar name caught my eye on an old, tattered novel - Legend by David Gemmell. I had enough money only for one book. On impluse, I decided to grab Gemmell's book.That evening and a coulple of days later, I was enthralled by the tale of an old axeman coming to the defence of a fortress besieged by hordes of barbarians.
Today, Legend still remains as one of my all time favourite books. Unfortunately, I have yet to read Tolkien's The Hobbit...

Find Out More About the Drenai Series 

These are my other lenses with a more in depth look at the books. More lenses on the way soon...

Books in the Drenai Series 


This is the list of books in order of publication year. Do note that the books are not published in chronological order. However, the books do not have to be enjoyed in chronological order. Each book has a definite start and end.


1. Legend (1984)
2. King Beyond the Gate (1985)
3. Waylander (1986)
4. Quest for Lost Heroes (1990)
5. Waylander II: In the Realm of the Wolf (1992)
6. The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend (1993)
7. The Legend of Deathwalker (1996)
8. Winter Warriors (1996)
9. Hero in the Shadows (2000)
10. White Wolf (2003)
11. The Swords of Night and Day (2004)

The Drenai Series in Chronological Order 

It would be fun though, to revisit the entire series in chronological order after you have completed reading the all the books in the series!

1. Waylander
2. Waylander II: In the Realm of the Wolf
3. Hero in the Shadows
4. The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend
5. The Legend of Deathwalker
6. White Wolf
7. Legend
8. The King Beyond the Gate
9. Quest for Lost Heroes
10. Winter Warriors
11. The Swords of Night and Day

The Author: David Gemmell (1948-2006) 


The Drenai series were written by David Gemmell, a British fantasy author. Gemmell was born in 1948 in West London. Before becoming a journalist with a local newspaper, he held a variety of odd jobs such as a nightclub bouncer and labourer. He went on to become an editor in chief. Besides that, he was also a freelance journalist, contributing to a variety of national newspaper.

Gemmell's first attempt at a novel was a thriller entitled The Man From Miami . However, he admitted that the book was so bad that it could curdle milk at 50 paces. When he was diagnosed with supposedly terminal cancer in 1976, he begun writing The Seige of Dros Delnoch, which would later become the best selling book, Legend. Gemmell went on to produce more than 30 fantastic novels. His novels were mainly heroic fantasy (e.g. Drenai series, Rigante series, etc) or historical fiction (e.g. Troy trilogy). Most of his books have an underlying theme of honour, loyalty and redemption.

Gemmell past away in July 2006, midway through his last novel, Troy: The Fall of Kings. Gemmell's death is indeed the fall of a great king....


David Gemmell's photo is obtained from Wikipedia

 

Brief Synopsis of the Drenai Tales

Legend 

Drenai Tales Book 1

Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 11/25/2009)Buy Now


The Legend Druss, Captain of the Axe: the stories of his life were told everywhere. Instead of the wealth and fame he could have claimed, he had chosen a mountain lair, high in the lonely country bordering on the clouds. There the grizzled old warrior kept company with snow leopards and awaited his old enemy death. The Fortress Mighty Dros Delnoch, protected by six outer walls, the only route by which an army could pass through the mountains. It was the stronghold of the Drenai empire. And now it was the last battleground, for all else had fallen before the Nadir hordes. And hope rested on the skills of that one old man...

The King Beyond the Gate 

Drenai Tales Book 2

Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 11/25/2009)Buy Now


A century has passed since the heroic defence of Dros Delnoch. But the people of the Drenai face a new terror: a mad emperor kept in power by two forces of unsurpassed evil. The Joinings are werebeasts of awesome power. The Dark Templars are warrior-priests whose fighting skills are without equal. Against them, the Drenai face certain defeat. One man, an outsider hated by the Drenai for his Nadir blood, and despised by the Nadir for his Drenai ancestry, sets out to bring down the emperor. He is one man against the armies of chaos. He is Tenaka Khan - the Prince of Shadows.

Waylander 

Drenai Tales Book 3

Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 11/25/2009)Buy Now


The Drenai King is dead - murdered by a ruthless assassin. Enemy troops swarm into Drenai lands. Their orders are simple - kill every man, woman and child. But there is hope. Stalked by men who act like beasts and beasts that walk like men, the warrior Waylander must journey into the shadow-haunted lands of the Nadir to find the legendary Armour of Bronze. With this he can turn the tide. But can he be trusted? For he is Waylander the Slayer. The traitor who killed the King...

Quest for Lost Heroes 

Drenai Tales Book 4

Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 11/25/2009)Buy Now


The Drenai fortress of Dros Delnoch has fallen and blood hungry Nadir hordes sweep across the land, bringing desolation and despair. But, with the Nadir triumphant, slavers seize a young girl in the tiny realm of Gothir and a peasant boy stes off on a quest that will shake the world. To rescue her, Kiall must cross the savage steppes and journey through the Halls of Hell, facing ferocious beasts, deadly warriors and demons of the dark. But the boy is not alone. With him are the legendary heroes of Bel-Azar: Chareos the Blademaster, Beltzer the Axeman and the bowmen Finn and Maggrig. And one among them hides a secret that could free the world of Nadir domination. For he is the Nadir Bane, the hope of the Drennai. He is the Earl of Bronze.

Waylander II: In the Realm of the Wolves 

Drenai Tailes Book 5

Amazon Price: (as of 11/25/2009)Buy Now


High in the wooded, peaked mountains of Skeln, the woodsman, Dakeyras, and his beautiful daughter Miriel, live a life of harmonious solitude. Unbeknown to them, a group of grim-eyed, bloodthirsty warriors stalk the mountains. Men who have never known defeat, to whom revenge and torture are meat and drink. For ten thousand in gold they are eager to kill the woodsman. Battle-hardened warriors all, they have no fear of this task - they should have. For Miriel is a woman of fire and iron, skilled with bow and blade and taught her skills by one of the deadliest killers of all time...Her father, Dakeyras, better known as WAYLANDER THE SLAYER.

The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend 

Drenai Tales Book 6

Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 11/25/2009)Buy Now


Druss. The Legend. Saviour of Skeln Pass. Protector of Dros Delnoch. The most famous - and dreaded - of Drenai's heroes. But before all men knew Druss he was a young husband, hewing tress instead of men - most of the time - and held in check by his beloved wife, Rowena. When she is stolen by slavers Druss becomes a killing machine intent on only one thing: Rowena's return. David Gemmell, Britain's premier writer of heroic fantasy, has returned triumphantly to his best-known character and woven new tales of magic and honour, in a time when only one man bore the title: 'Legend'!

The Legend of Deathwalker 

Drenai Tales Book 7

Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 11/25/2009)Buy Now


Under the brutal oppression of the Gothir, the Nadir tribes dream of the Uniter, the Great One, who will bring the tribes together, and end their centuries of torment.
But for one man it is more than a dream. Talisman, a mysterious and enigmatic Nadir warrior, rides out to the Shrine of Oshikai Demon-bane, seeking the legendary eyes of Alchazzar, twin jewels of enormous power that will light the path to the Uniter. With him rides the beautiful Zhusai, a mystic tormented by the ghost of a long-dead Nadir queen.
But others desire the secret of the jewels.
Garen-Tsen, the sadistic power behind the Gothir throne, believes the magical gems will lead him to glory, and sends the elite soldiers of the Gothir army to sack the Shrine and defeat the few defenders. They cannot lose: five thousand men against a handful of savages and a renegade Drenai warrior.
But the savages are led by one of the most brilliant strategists of the day. And the renegade is Druss the Legend.

Winter Warriors 

Drenai Tales Book 8

Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 11/25/2009)Buy Now


The prophecy was clear. Upon the death of three kings the world will be plunged into chaos, and all the cast-out demons of history will return to establish a new age of darkness.
Two of the kings are dead. The third, about to be born, is hunted by the Demon Riders of the Krayakin, Lords of the Undead.
All the terrifying forces of evil range against a pregnant queen at bay in a haunted forest. But she is not alone. Three warriors stand with her, the last remnants of the once proud Drenai army. Three old men, ancient heroes, discarded by the king: Nogusta the Swordsman, Kebra the Bowman, and the hulking fighter, Bison.
The fate of empires rests on their fading skills as they journey through a tormented world on a perilous quest to save the unborn king.

Quest for Lost Heroes 

Drenai Tales Book 9

Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 11/25/2009)Buy Now


The Drenai fortress of Dros Delnoch has fallen and blood hungry Nadir hordes sweep across the land, bringing desolation and despair. But, with the Nadir triumphant, slavers seize a young girl in the tiny realm of Gothir and a peasant boy stes off on a quest that will shake the world. To rescue her, Kiall must cross the savage steppes and journey through the Halls of Hell, facing ferocious beasts, deadly warriors and demons of the dark. But the boy is not alone. With him are the legendary heroes of Bel-Azar: Chareos the Blademaster, Beltzer the Axeman and the bowmen Finn and Maggrig. And one among them hides a secret that could free the world of Nadir domination. For he is the Nadir Bane, the hope of the Drennai. He is the Earl of Bronze.

White Wolf 

Drenai Tales Book 10

Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 11/25/2009)Buy Now


Skilgannon the Damned had vanished from the pages of history. Taking his legendary Swords of Night and Day, he rode from the lands of Naashan. No one knew where he had gone.
Three years later, as a mob intent on murder gathers outside a distant monastery, they are 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.

The Swords of Night and Day 

Drenai Tales Book 11

Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 11/25/2009)Buy Now


The mighty Skilgannon is back...

Called back from the void to fulfil an ancient prophecy, Skilgannon the Damned has returned to help his people in their darkest hour.
But this Skilgannon - brought back to life by a mystic ritual - is a man out of time. Marooned in a strange world, he now finds himself isolated from all he once knew and loved.
Or nearly all. A surly giant possessing astounding strength but no memories has also been given the gift of life. To some he is a dangerous failure. To Skilgannon, this giant represents their last hope.
As ageless evil threatens to drown the Drenai lands in blood, two legendary heroes will once again lead the way to freedom.

Acknowledgements 


All graphics of book covers are obtained from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk.

Sypnosis of the books are obtained from Amazon.co.uk under "Product Description" of the books. To read my personal sypnosis/ view on the books, kindly visit my other lenses featured in the "Find Out More About the Drenai Series".

A big thank you to Squidmasters for the feedback/ critique given in SquidU.com! Thank you for visiting. Please rate this lens if you like it. Do drop by again soon!

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  • Reply
    susannaduffy susannaduffy Oct 26, 2009 @ 6:49 am
    To tell the truth I've never read any of Gemmell's books which didn't grab me. instantly. I love the Troy trilogy and I love this lens too. Blessed by an Angel today (squidoo.com/october-blessings)
  • Reply
    Alex Alex Sep 17, 2009 @ 7:33 am
    Great information on his books. Discovered this through the Gemmell Award site.

    I also fell in love with his books and became an addict immediatley, I read all 30 odd novels one after the other, it is so sad that we will never have any more to read.

    Like you I also couldn't find many resources on him, so I created my own site as well.
    http://www.gemmellbooks.com

    Another great Gemmell community out there is http://www.legendreaders.com
    They have a great forum community as well (though you probably already have dicovered this one)
  • Reply
    Velociryx Velociryx Jun 22, 2009 @ 6:53 am
    LOVE IT! I'm always in the market for some new reading material, and your lens has gotten me interested enough to check this series out! Many thanks, and 5 *'s from me! :)
  • Reply
    ajgodinho ajgodinho Jun 16, 2009 @ 11:27 am
    Nice work on your first lens, Jimmy!
  • Reply
    jimmy-foo jimmy-foo Jun 16, 2009 @ 2:03 am | in reply to Ener-G
    Thanks for your tip in SquidU. THe featured lens module does look better than the standard link module :).
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