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King Beyond the Gate (The Drenai Saga #2)
It is a hundred years after the epic battle of Dros Delnoch. Now the fate of the Drenai people lies in the hands of a new ruler--someone hated by both the Drenai and the Nadir, their eternal enemies. Someone with the blood of both races in his veins.
Paperback
Published
May 1st 2012
by Orbit
(first published 1985)
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The drenai empire had fallen into the hads of a mad empire, and it's only hope is Tenaka Khan, a half-breed himself, hated by the Drenai for his Nadir blood and despised by the Nadir for his Drenai ancestry. But he alone had a plan to destroy the emperor
On the other hands we get Scalar, the cowardly (?) legitimate hair that looks up to Tenaka. Those are the heroes that will shape the drenais and the nadirs for the best or the worst.
David Gemmell struk again with a tale of sieges, dangerous jour...more
On the other hands we get Scalar, the cowardly (?) legitimate hair that looks up to Tenaka. Those are the heroes that will shape the drenais and the nadirs for the best or the worst.
David Gemmell struk again with a tale of sieges, dangerous jour...more
Jan 03, 2012
Jayaprakash Satyamurthy
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy
I was very ready to be disappointed by this novel; second of a series as well as one of the first few Gemmells I've read. There were times when it seemed like the story was a little too similar to Legend; but for the most part this resolved into the fact that it was really the same conflict, a generation later. I also feared that the romantic interests in the novel would see Gemmell starting to emulate that other David, Eddings, in the cozy, cloying way he pairs off members of his party of adven...more
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Vote: 3,25
I was positively impressed by the first book of the Drenai Saga (The Legend). It captivated me.
I pinpointed some shortcomings of that book but I really hoped that they would be addressed by The King Beyond the Gate.
Well, they weren't. It's a good book, not an awesome one.
The World (2,50) is the same of the first book and it lacks too many details about its history, its geografy, and its languages. They can't all simply speak the same language, you can't tell me of some machines they fo...more
I was positively impressed by the first book of the Drenai Saga (The Legend). It captivated me.
I pinpointed some shortcomings of that book but I really hoped that they would be addressed by The King Beyond the Gate.
Well, they weren't. It's a good book, not an awesome one.
The World (2,50) is the same of the first book and it lacks too many details about its history, its geografy, and its languages. They can't all simply speak the same language, you can't tell me of some machines they fo...more
David Gemmell is one of my favorite authors of all time, but this book fell a little short. The biggest shortfall is that it is very similar to Legend, but it's not as good. All of the major elements that made Legend one of my favorite books are there, but they just aren't pulled off as well. The characters aren't as deep. The story isn't as engaging. The inspiration isn't as inspirational. The menace isn't as menacing. The battles aren't as awe-inspiring. None of these things would normally be...more
Feb 04, 2013
Grianne
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
david-gemmell,
fantasy
QUATTRO STELLINE SCARSE
Leggendo questo volume ho avuto la duplice e contrastante sensazione che fosse un po' lento e contemporaneamente fosse tirato via troppo sbrigativamente.
Innanzitutto Gemmell non è decisamente portato per le storie d'amore, se devono essere così se ne fa ben volentieri a meno.
Ho apprezzato Tenaka come personaggio, e così i suoi compagni Decado e Ananais. Ma le vicende mi sono sembrate forzate, non saprei spiegarmi, ma le motivazioni addotte e le soluzioni raggiunte mi sono...more
There is chaos and evil throughout the Drenai lands. A mad emperor rules all, and people die on a whim. But what hope is there of a rebellion, when he has his loyal Dark Templars and the half-man half-beast Joinings to keep down any rebellion. One man is determined to stop him: Tenaka Khan, the Prince of Shadows, his blood half Drenai and half Nadir, the Drenai� s racial enemy.[return][return]This book is a well crafted heroic fantasy novel, the sequel to the extremely successful � Legend� . Whi...more
Apr 25, 2010
Bertrand
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
heroic-fantasy
Dans la foulée de Légende, il y a le Roi sur le Seuil. Là où Légende était un Fort Alamo version heroic fantasy, le Roi sur le Seuil c'est les sept mercenaires (ou les sept samouraïs, c'est au choix) au pays de Drenaï.
Toujours la même fougue, toujours autant d'action, une histoire qui ne s'entartre jamais, même si la filiation avec Légende et un peu trop évidente. Et surtout, Gemmell aime ses personnages. Ils ne sont jamais anodins et servent l'œuvre à la perfection : ils disent au lecteur : « a...more
Toujours la même fougue, toujours autant d'action, une histoire qui ne s'entartre jamais, même si la filiation avec Légende et un peu trop évidente. Et surtout, Gemmell aime ses personnages. Ils ne sont jamais anodins et servent l'œuvre à la perfection : ils disent au lecteur : « a...more
This was a fitting sequel to the original. the characters were both different enough and similar enough to the heroes of legend that I was thoroughly satisfied. One of my only regrets is waiting so long to read David Gemmell's work. All in all the story was engrossing there were negligible slow spots and those that did exist were very short. I highly recommend this book to everyone who is a fan of fantasy, military fiction, or just likes reading high action.
Ce roman est écrit dans un ton qui se veut très réaliste avec des personnages durs, torturés par leur passé qui doivent l'affronter pour survivre. Le Style est bref, concis, rempli d'action et terriblement efficace.
Combats épiques, créatures monstrueuses, personnages courageux et monde ravagé par la guerre forment une superbe alchimie qui nous fait aimer ce livre pour ce qu'il est: un bon roman fantastique.
Combats épiques, créatures monstrueuses, personnages courageux et monde ravagé par la guerre forment une superbe alchimie qui nous fait aimer ce livre pour ce qu'il est: un bon roman fantastique.
Its hard for me not to give anything by David Gemmell absolutely amazing reviews. When I learned of his death I was actually sad for days . . . "No more David Gemmell Books . . . sad . . . " If you are a fan of classic fantasy and haven't read anything by him you're missing out. He was one of the rare writers that could make your heart start to beat faster when the character was in danger, he could make you laugh and want to cry all within a few pages of each other.
This is a worthy sequel to Gemmell's classic LEGEND. It doesn't quite live up to that first book, but then what does? The story is fast paced and layed with depth and characterisation, meaning that you're reading about real people who have lives off the page, even though the world is make-believe.
I enjoyed the way that Gemmell's avoided a straight sequel and instead turned his world around, it's a great reveal of how chaos works. He crafts another anti-hero here, sometimes hateful but ultimately...more
I enjoyed the way that Gemmell's avoided a straight sequel and instead turned his world around, it's a great reveal of how chaos works. He crafts another anti-hero here, sometimes hateful but ultimately...more
Apr 21, 2013
Dark-Draco
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
favorites,
fantasy-series
I really enjoyed reading this book - another great story of heroes in impossible situations. I'm not sure I quite understood Teneka's eventual actions against his friends, but it made a good story. The Joinings and The Templer's were scary foes, although I expected more to have been made of the dark knight's powers. But all in all, really great.
Feb 26, 2012
Joshua Simon
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
military-fantasy
Good installment in the series. Memorable quotes, great action, larger than life characters, and description that isn't overdone makes the book worth the read. However, it was a bit of a step down from Legend. Mainly, the ending and several character arcs felt rushed, especially in the last third.
This is mightily similar to the Legend, although, there are some interesting characters thrown in. Overall, the book is a fun and easy read. Although Gemmell writes some of the worst male/female interactions in existence.
Solid read. I read this
Soon after my read of Legend and I think this hurt my enjoyment of this book. Many have said the books get a lot better so I will try another in the series. Just not right now.
Soon after my read of Legend and I think this hurt my enjoyment of this book. Many have said the books get a lot better so I will try another in the series. Just not right now.
Briefly drawn heroes and rapid action intersperse David Gemmell's real interest which is the philosophy of heroism, friendship and love. These languid, inconclusive conversations are the key to his appeal. The driving plot doesn't hurt.
Gemmell really only did one thing. But he did it really, really well. If you're in the mood for people fighting each other with swords, this is great stuff.
Apr 26, 2009
Sarah
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
all epic fantasy readers
David Gemmell is my favorite epic fantasy writer. He makes the charachers real with a great plot and a wonderful moral for teens with his books.
Its an excellent sequel...the only problem is that once you've read this you'll have to read the entire series!
Part of the Druss Saga - since Legend is one of his best books this is a must read.
Not quite as good as Legend, but well worth the effort if you like this sort of thing.
Aug 18, 2010
Rodolfo
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
gemmell-read,
series-currently-reading
Ok, I didnt really like this book at the start. I felt it looked a little short for a good story and the story lines jumped right into themes of instant "love" I hate that! nothing ruins a book for me more than a cheesy lover story. But as the story went on it got better and better. I was able to over look the part I didnt care for and get lost in the great characters and story telling. Gemmell is truly one of the best action writers I have every read. I am definitely becoming a Gemmellhead.
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Formulaic Gemmell with fantastic battle scenes and badass characters.
Jan 11, 2011
Kerr Cuhulain
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy-fiction
Good story. Really enjoyed it. I'm a major Gemmell fan.
I could have given this a three star if I had not read the first book of the series...but it felt an imitation of the first.
The King Beyond the Gate delivered exactly what I was looking for in a David Gemmell work, honor and action. Tenaka Khan as a character surprised me, as he struck me as a stock hero at first. As the quest to dethrone the mad emperor Ceska continued, he grew more on me, though his sidekick resounded with me through the whole book. All in all the adventure and action are there, the undertones present in all Drenai series books are definitely there, and this is a fantastic read, if only an afternoo...more
Series is fleshing out with more history races and people to build off of.
great fun
awesome
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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 sel...more
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“There are times, Sember, when I could believe your mother had a secret lover. Looking at you makes me wonder if it was one of my goats.”
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