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Legends #3
Legends 3: Stories in Honour of David Gemmell
Stories that are brimming with swordplay, treachery, deeds both dark and noble, with cunning thieves and wily tricksters, blood-thirsty gods and flawed heroes. David Gemmell passed away in 2006, leaving behind a legacy of memorable characters, epic settings, and thrilling tales. In the Legends anthologies, some of today's finest fantasy authors pay homage to one of fantasy fiction's greatest ever writers. Welcome to Legends.
Contents:
Introduction by Stan Nicholls
Blood Debt by Gail Z. Martin
A God’s Mercy by Richard Webb
Berserker Captain by Neal Asher
The Price of Passage by Keris McDonald
Summoner by Danie Ware
Pelicos the Brave and the Princess of Kalakhadze by Steven Poore
The Timekeeper’s Tarot by Den Patrick
Her Grail by Ben North
Piercing the Mist by Shona Kinsella
Chosen of the Slain by K.T. Davies
The Dying Land by Nick Watkinson
A Hero of Her People by Anna Smith Spark
All Deaths Well Intention’d by RJ Barker
By Any Other Name by Justina Robson
Contents:
Introduction by Stan Nicholls
Blood Debt by Gail Z. Martin
A God’s Mercy by Richard Webb
Berserker Captain by Neal Asher
The Price of Passage by Keris McDonald
Summoner by Danie Ware
Pelicos the Brave and the Princess of Kalakhadze by Steven Poore
The Timekeeper’s Tarot by Den Patrick
Her Grail by Ben North
Piercing the Mist by Shona Kinsella
Chosen of the Slain by K.T. Davies
The Dying Land by Nick Watkinson
A Hero of Her People by Anna Smith Spark
All Deaths Well Intention’d by RJ Barker
By Any Other Name by Justina Robson
254 pages, Paperback
First published May 28, 2019
10 people are currently reading
124 people want to read
About the author
Ian Whates
122 books81 followersIan Whates lives in a comfortable home down a quiet cul-de-sac in an idyllic Cambridgeshire village, which he shares with his partner Helen and their pets – Honey the golden cocker spaniel, Calvin the tailless black cat and Inky the goldfish (sadly, Binky died a few years ago).
Ian’s earliest memories of science fiction are fragmented. He remembers loving Dr Who from an early age and other TV shows such as Lost in Space and Star Trek, but a defining moment came when he heard a radio adaptation of John Wyndham’s The Chrysalids. From that moment on he was hooked and became a frequent haunter of the local library, voraciously devouring the contents of their SF section.
This early love of science fiction manifested most tellingly during his school days, when he produced an SF murder mystery as homework after being set the essay title “The Language of Shakespeare”, much to the bemusement of his English teacher.
Ian’s first published stories appeared in the late 1980s in small press magazines such as Dream and New Moon Quarterly, after which he took a break from writing in order to research his chosen fields of science fiction and fantasy. In other words, he read copious amounts of both. Clearly the research was extensive, because he published nothing further for some seventeen years. In the early 2000s he made the decision to pursue writing seriously, joining the Northampton SF Writers Group in 2004 after being introduced to its chairman, Ian Watson.
In 2006 he started submitting stories again, and has subsequently been surprised at how many otherwise eminently sensible people have chosen to publish him. A couple have even appeared in the science journal Nature, and one, “The Gift of Joy”, even found its way onto the five-strong shortlist for best short story in the British Science Fiction Association Awards. And it didn’t come last! Ironically, the award was actually won by Ken MacLeod’s “Lighting Out”, a piece Ian had commissioned, edited and published in the NewCon Press anthology disLOCATIONS (2007).
In 2006 Ian launched independent publisher NewCon Press, quite by accident (buy him a pint sometime and he’ll tell you about it). Through NewCon he has been privileged to publish original stories from some of the biggest names in genre fiction, as well as provide debuts to some genuinely talented newcomers. The books, their covers and contents have racked up an impressive array of credits – four BSFA Awards, one BSF Award to date, inclusion in ‘Year’s Best’ anthologies and recommendations and honourable mentions from the likes of Gardner Dozios and Locus magazine.
In addition to his publishing and writing, Ian is currently a director of both the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA) and the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA), editing Matrix, the online news and media reviews magazine, for the latter.
His first two completed novels are both due to appear in early 2010: City of Dreams and Nightmare via Harper Collins’ imprint Angry Robot, and The Noise Within from Rebellion imprint Solaris, with sequels to follow. When not pinching himself to make sure this is all really happening, Ian is currently beavering away at the sequels… honest!
Ian’s earliest memories of science fiction are fragmented. He remembers loving Dr Who from an early age and other TV shows such as Lost in Space and Star Trek, but a defining moment came when he heard a radio adaptation of John Wyndham’s The Chrysalids. From that moment on he was hooked and became a frequent haunter of the local library, voraciously devouring the contents of their SF section.
This early love of science fiction manifested most tellingly during his school days, when he produced an SF murder mystery as homework after being set the essay title “The Language of Shakespeare”, much to the bemusement of his English teacher.
Ian’s first published stories appeared in the late 1980s in small press magazines such as Dream and New Moon Quarterly, after which he took a break from writing in order to research his chosen fields of science fiction and fantasy. In other words, he read copious amounts of both. Clearly the research was extensive, because he published nothing further for some seventeen years. In the early 2000s he made the decision to pursue writing seriously, joining the Northampton SF Writers Group in 2004 after being introduced to its chairman, Ian Watson.
In 2006 he started submitting stories again, and has subsequently been surprised at how many otherwise eminently sensible people have chosen to publish him. A couple have even appeared in the science journal Nature, and one, “The Gift of Joy”, even found its way onto the five-strong shortlist for best short story in the British Science Fiction Association Awards. And it didn’t come last! Ironically, the award was actually won by Ken MacLeod’s “Lighting Out”, a piece Ian had commissioned, edited and published in the NewCon Press anthology disLOCATIONS (2007).
In 2006 Ian launched independent publisher NewCon Press, quite by accident (buy him a pint sometime and he’ll tell you about it). Through NewCon he has been privileged to publish original stories from some of the biggest names in genre fiction, as well as provide debuts to some genuinely talented newcomers. The books, their covers and contents have racked up an impressive array of credits – four BSFA Awards, one BSF Award to date, inclusion in ‘Year’s Best’ anthologies and recommendations and honourable mentions from the likes of Gardner Dozios and Locus magazine.
In addition to his publishing and writing, Ian is currently a director of both the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA) and the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA), editing Matrix, the online news and media reviews magazine, for the latter.
His first two completed novels are both due to appear in early 2010: City of Dreams and Nightmare via Harper Collins’ imprint Angry Robot, and The Noise Within from Rebellion imprint Solaris, with sequels to follow. When not pinching himself to make sure this is all really happening, Ian is currently beavering away at the sequels… honest!
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 13, 2019
It feels odd to review a book that I’m featured in. Obviously, I’m a little biased, but the stories in this anthology are excellent. With some of the most exciting fantasy authors writing today, you’re in for a treat if you settle down with this.
July 28, 2019
Legends 3: Stories in Honour of David Gemmel is ultimately a collaborative project between various fantasy actors, but I’d like to thank first of all, Library Thing for the opportunity of requesting this book and of course to the Editor Ian Whates, to whom I’m grateful for sending me a PDF copy to enjoy. You made July’s reading pretty fantastic.
The title says it all. Legends 3 is a small collection of stories in memory of David Gemmel, known for its excellent characterization and gritty world settings (not edgy!).
Book starts with a felt introduction by Stan Nicholls, remembering the beloved author by telling the reader the important things distinguishing him as both a person and a writer, going through his passing and eventual origin of the David Gemmel Awards.
He was a man I never heard of. Blame either my age or my culture.
He was a journalist and his skills as one showed in his own works, where both heroes and villains were relatable because they were based on real people. People he knew or interviewed. They would have their baggage and complex personalities but in a totally different world and setting. In Fantasy.
All the stories you’ll find here have such traits.
Some more fantastic than others, but all have swordplay and magic, just at different levels.
Digging a little deeper, despite all the darkness, David was a Christian (I’ll let those who know him better than I to confirm that), so virtue is something common in his works and the ones present in this tribute. Although its not mentioned in here, I believe it to be an influence to be mentioned in this review because I know some people I can recommend such style, and I’m sure many out there looking for some fantasy not evolving around pure savagery would appreciate.
About fifteen authors are featured, giving us more than 200 pages of pure enjoyment. It was an interesting voyage. Their length is, irregular to say the least. Some are long others incredibly short. My favorites are probably the first one and last one. Apologies to the other authors, but these two were the ones that pretty much inspired me. I was always a fan of Glen Cook style in Chronicles of the Black Company, even read it twice, and I feel it follows similar scenarios and approaches to the characters, maybe with Glen cook mixing more the line between good and evil, but when I read Legends 3 I was transported to the same genre. We do have heroes, but they are very flawed. In some way, I’d say the line between the persons they are and the enemy they fight is very thin. All it would take is small misstep to be on the other side. However, where Gemmel (Legends) is concerned, I notice the characters have much stronger motivations and are much more resilient to opposing views or what they believe to be sin. Therefore, virtue is enforced. You’ll see honour, redemption, loyalty, growth, sacrifice and facing opposition head on.
It may seem unfair favoring two stories, but I took things from each of the fifteen of them. Not only as an amateur with his own projects, but also as man facing life.
I’ve got somewhat of a problem with high magic, so where gods are too concerned, I probably didn’t like those as much, but the build up to them is amazingly done.
The book also ends with a message from the Editor Ian Whates, remembering Deborah J. Miller and giving some last words to the long standing fans of the series.
Amazing Project!
Conclusion
Legends series is critically and commercially acclaimed, so you can be sure about its quality and the authors in it. If you are a fantasy fan, love dark worlds, magical worlds even, with real characters possessed of relatable motivations, this will be a delight. If you’re less about genre but more about characters (and war), you won’t be disappointed. Regardless of what I liked more or less, all the stories are exciting, and opened more space in my library to fit in the present authors and works.
The title says it all. Legends 3 is a small collection of stories in memory of David Gemmel, known for its excellent characterization and gritty world settings (not edgy!).
Book starts with a felt introduction by Stan Nicholls, remembering the beloved author by telling the reader the important things distinguishing him as both a person and a writer, going through his passing and eventual origin of the David Gemmel Awards.
He was a man I never heard of. Blame either my age or my culture.
He was a journalist and his skills as one showed in his own works, where both heroes and villains were relatable because they were based on real people. People he knew or interviewed. They would have their baggage and complex personalities but in a totally different world and setting. In Fantasy.
All the stories you’ll find here have such traits.
Some more fantastic than others, but all have swordplay and magic, just at different levels.
Digging a little deeper, despite all the darkness, David was a Christian (I’ll let those who know him better than I to confirm that), so virtue is something common in his works and the ones present in this tribute. Although its not mentioned in here, I believe it to be an influence to be mentioned in this review because I know some people I can recommend such style, and I’m sure many out there looking for some fantasy not evolving around pure savagery would appreciate.
About fifteen authors are featured, giving us more than 200 pages of pure enjoyment. It was an interesting voyage. Their length is, irregular to say the least. Some are long others incredibly short. My favorites are probably the first one and last one. Apologies to the other authors, but these two were the ones that pretty much inspired me. I was always a fan of Glen Cook style in Chronicles of the Black Company, even read it twice, and I feel it follows similar scenarios and approaches to the characters, maybe with Glen cook mixing more the line between good and evil, but when I read Legends 3 I was transported to the same genre. We do have heroes, but they are very flawed. In some way, I’d say the line between the persons they are and the enemy they fight is very thin. All it would take is small misstep to be on the other side. However, where Gemmel (Legends) is concerned, I notice the characters have much stronger motivations and are much more resilient to opposing views or what they believe to be sin. Therefore, virtue is enforced. You’ll see honour, redemption, loyalty, growth, sacrifice and facing opposition head on.
It may seem unfair favoring two stories, but I took things from each of the fifteen of them. Not only as an amateur with his own projects, but also as man facing life.
I’ve got somewhat of a problem with high magic, so where gods are too concerned, I probably didn’t like those as much, but the build up to them is amazingly done.
The book also ends with a message from the Editor Ian Whates, remembering Deborah J. Miller and giving some last words to the long standing fans of the series.
Amazing Project!
Conclusion
Legends series is critically and commercially acclaimed, so you can be sure about its quality and the authors in it. If you are a fantasy fan, love dark worlds, magical worlds even, with real characters possessed of relatable motivations, this will be a delight. If you’re less about genre but more about characters (and war), you won’t be disappointed. Regardless of what I liked more or less, all the stories are exciting, and opened more space in my library to fit in the present authors and works.
September 1, 2023
I've read Legends 2 and 3 now (still hunting for the first edition) and would have to say that this book was much better than the second, with several really good stories rather than just the odd one or two. It's a shame that this didn't become an annual publication.
December 26, 2025
A couple really nice short stories intermixed with several mediocre tales. But all-in-all a solid ending for the the 3 book tribute to the greatest heroic fantasy writer of all time, Mr. David Gemmell.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews