The King Beyond the Gate [Feb 2018]

[Margret, Caladan Brood Face]

Feb 20th

[Emelia]

I have read this book already, but will be more than happy to do a BR with anyone ! Gemmell is my fave author and I never tire of re-reading any of his books !

[Mayim]

in

[Andrew]

I plan on being in for the whole series.

[Brian]

In

[Choko]

Spot

[Shaitarn]

In

[Jenna, I'd be free if not for Temper & Edgewalker]

In

[Chris]

This should be a quick read and I'd like to join you for it.

[Laura]

In

[Ahdam]

I’ll still be reading this one

[jess]

I'm joining in on this, last minute! And starting tonight since I've got Children in Time in 6 days!

[jess]

Found ancient-racism on page 8!
Let me know if you all see it! Haha

[Ahdam]

I might start this today since my reading pace has been a bit slow

[Laura]

I'm backing off from this one guys. My copy is still not available at the library.

[jess]

Laura wrote: "I'm backing off from this one guys. My copy is still not available at the library."

Have you tried overdrive? It surprised me by having it for my library. Ebook, not audio, though you could try that too!

[jess]

Ch 2...

(view spoiler)[ Insta-love again?

Im so confused about Tenaka. Hes half-Nadir half-Drenai. But is The Dragon a Drenai weapon? Then why does he speak with Jongir(Nadir cheif?)? Hoping this clears up. (hide spoiler)]

[jess]

Ch 5

I gotta ask you (view spoiler)[ what’s with all these women marrying men they’re not in love with?? First Tenaka, then Galand! I guess it was the darkest of times. (hide spoiler)]

[Laura]

Tried ot out Jess. But can't access it from here. :(
But thanks sweety. 😘

[Shaitarn]

Jess wrote: "Ch 2...

(view spoiler)[ I'm assuming that Tenaka grew up with his mother amongst the Nadir people - Jongir is his grandfather - and when he was old enough he was sent to join the Dragon, which sounds like a sort of elite regiment formed to fight any more Nadir uprisings. (hide spoiler)]

[Andrew]

Shaitarn wrote: "Jess wrote: "Ch 2...

[spoilers removed]"

I got the exact same impression.

[jess]

Laura wrote: "Tried ot out Jess. But can't access it from here. :(
But thanks sweety. 😘"

Aw, too bad, worth a shot.

So far I am not enjoying this. I know Gemmel’s style having read Legend. But its really bothering me the lack of details and transitioning between characters doesn’t happen.

Plus, in Ch 6...(view spoiler)[Tenaka hits Renya! Out of nowhere! Like, he hits women? This relationship makes no sense. (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

Jess wrote: "Ch 2...."

Tenaka is a half-blood, and the rest I agree with Shaitarn. The Dragon there is just a statue over the barracks of the (view spoiler)[ elite unit of soldiers called The Dragon.

As far as the insta-love... It is what it is in all those Fantasy series... I just accept it and move on:) Hahaha! I do like that Renya is half panther:):):) (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

Up to Ch. 4 and I am very intrigued... The way he writes is fascinating to me...

[Choko]

Up to Ch. 6... How did the (view spoiler)[ those Dark monks have control over Tenaka's body and how did they locate him? (hide spoiler)]

Also, Victoria is right, being a seer in any Fantasy is a bad mojo, since they all seem to have to have their eyes gouged out 😱

[Andrew]

Jess wrote: "Laura wrote: "Tried ot out Jess. But can't access it from here. :(
But thanks sweety. 😘"

Aw, too bad, worth a shot.

So far I am not enjoying this. I know Gemmel’s style having read Legend. But i..."

I'm through Chapter 6, too. For me this book is just OK. It's not the story I thought it would be, so right away I had a tough time connecting. And then the characters didn't grab me like Gemmel's heroes usually do. And the romance is a tough pill to swallow in this book. But even with all of that, I still like Gemmel's writing enough to chew through chunks of pages each time I open the book. So far I put this in the pulp fiction/guilty pleasure category of enjoyable books: not terribly good, but still a lot of fun.

[Choko]

I agree with Jessica though, that (view spoiler)[ slap and that behavior was so totally uncalled for! Wow! I wish she has slapped him back! I understand he is having issues with his concentration because of being so attracted to her, but he should be able to deal with it, not hit her so she would want to leave, making his job easier... Coward! (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

Ch. 7... My heart is breaking for the monk-gardener... !

[Choko]

Ch. 9... 30 wives and 42 children??? WTF? And a palace... Hmmm, I wonder who he really is...

[jess]

Ch 9, around page 110 will have you guys rolling!
🤣

[jess]

Choko wrote: "Up to Ch. 4 and I am very intrigued... The way he writes is fascinating to me..."

In what way Choko?

[Choko]

Jess, it is this stark, raw, and jarring way he advances the narrative. It reminds me a bit of Glen Cook, but then DG does some philosophy tangents at times, which could get a bit corny... I just appreciate anything that breaks the linear storyline 😊

[Choko]

Hahaha! I agree! I laughed my ass off at that very "secretive " affair 😀😁😂

[Margret, Caladan Brood Face]

Starting tomorrow!

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I'm on chapter 5... this is going so fast compared to the last 4 days I spent in Malazan Land...

Nice to be back to simple reading... I enjoy Malazan, but I have to pay a lot more attention...

I missed the racism, unless it's (view spoiler)[against the Joinings... (hide spoiler)]

I'm enjoying everything except the insta-love... altho like Choko, I can just roll with it because whatever...

It's fun trying to understand the new political landscape 100+ years after Legend...

[Shaitarn]

I'm never quite sure if I like David Gemmell's writing or not; usually I like a story with a depth and background that's missing in his work. That's not to denigrate it, but I enjoy losing myself in a richly detailed world with complicated characters. But every time I pick up one of his books I find myself pelting through at a rush, carried along by the story. As Choko says, it's very stark, but perhaps that suits the dark, harsh tone of his work.

Chapter 6: (view spoiler)[I'm reading Tenaka's slap as:
1/he grew up in a culture where women have very little value (remember how he ignores his mother?) and I suspect he finds those views hard to shake
2/he was angry with her because she loosed the first arrow that started the fight. If it had gone wrong, they could all have been killed. The fact that she would do it again, regardless of the consequences, is what infuriates him.
This doesn't excuse it, of course, but I can understand it. Kind of. (hide spoiler)]

I'm assuming the racism is the (view spoiler)["No wonder their eyes are slanted" comment Ananis made to Tenaka after saving his life. But I personally see that more as banter between two men that are starting to like each other (I'm sure we've all heard people greet their friends with terms that you wouldn't ever use to a stranger). (hide spoiler)]

I like the idea of a mirror to The Thirty - the dark Templers and I hope Decado and the others manage to survive (view spoiler)[that fight in chapter 12 - oh my! (hide spoiler)]

I like the characters (since I'm a sucker for people with incredible fighting skills) and would say that Scaler, Tanaka and Rayvan are my favourites.

[Choko]

Ch. 20... (view spoiler)[ The children and Pegan's death just broke me! And the little boy saying : "I didn't know he was a hero. He didn't say he was... ", that actually made me cry! I can't believe how much their interactions touched me... (hide spoiler)]

[Andrew]

I might not get much reading time over the next couple days. The wife and one-year-old are both really sick and can't keep any food/liquids down, so I'm unfortunately doing super gross laundry and bathing the kiddo a million times rather than reading King Beyond the Gate with all of you awesome folks. :(

Hoping those two get healthy soon, and that me and the three-year-old don't catch it. Then back to leisure reading.

[Choko]

Good luck with all of that, Andrew! Fingers crossed for you not to catch it!

[jess]

Re: Racism

What about everyone just calling Pagan “the black man”? The narrator refers to him more as the black man than Pagan.

Just weird.
I’m not diggin’ this.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Yea... I got to chapter 6 and he went all Sean Connery on her...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oo0d1...

Edit: Uh... don't watch the last 2 seconds of that version... someone editted in him slapping Barbara Walters...

[Choko]

Jess wrote: "Re: Racism

What about everyone just calling Pagan “the black man”? The narrator refers to him more as the black man than Pagan.

Just weird.
I’m not diggin’ this."

Coming from a country which had not had any black people ever, when I first saw the first black person there, all called him black, because there were no other of that color. Had nothing to do with racism. I think here is the same - the kids are asking all those black person questions because they have never seen one of them. It is only natural, in my opinion...

[Choko]

I finished it and I enjoyed it:) I know, I am easy to entertain. I loved the postscript by the author too - you never know what will work for you and what might bring you down. Thank you guys for the BR!

[Ahdam]

Ok I’m on chapter 6 and I saw the word racism and was like what? I’m assuming your talking about that character but I’m guessing not many people of his background go to these areas

Also is it weird I’m not finding the romance here more tolerable I think I’m just used to gemmel that I kind of expect it even though I hate it it’s not bad as the first book

[Shaitarn]

Jess wrote: "Re: Racism

What about everyone just calling Pagan “the black man”? The narrator refers to him more as the black man than Pagan.

Just weird.
I’m not diggin’ this."

I think it's just to avoid referring to him constantly by name, the same way that Salvatore sometimes refers to Drizzt as 'the dark elf' or 'the drow' every now and then rather than writing 'Drizzt' 'Drizzt' 'Drizzt' every time.

I don't think anything racist is meant by it; I think David Gemmell
would've been genuinely shocked if anyone had mentioned it to him.

[jess]

It is just strange.
It distracts from the story, for me.

I’ve still got 46% to go!

[Chris]

Jess wrote: "Found ancient-racism on page 8!
Let me know if you all see it! Haha"

I tried to go back and find it but nothing is standing out for me.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I finished this book last night... it didn't tell the story I was expecting... that opening chapter with Dragons and such was so promising... this is probably a 3 stars from me...

I liked the little backstory on how the book came about, tho...

Also, Chapter 20, re:Choko (view spoiler)[totally agree... great scene (hide spoiler)]

I was kinda worried that (view spoiler)[Pegan was going to kill the children, he (and Tenaka) had such pragmatic responses to everything throughout the book... look at how this wipe out all the Joinings at the end, when surely Renya can't be the only good one of the bunch... (hide spoiler)]

At least the ending (view spoiler)[ wasn't all rainbows and butterflies in the epilogue like Legend was, rewriting character deaths to make an HEA... (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

Iain wrote: "I finished this book last night... it didn't tell the story I was expecting... that opening chapter with Dragons and such was so promising... this is probably a 3 stars from me...

I liked the litt..."

Completely agree! We had the same fears... Gemmel is not afraid to kill of anyone, so I was very scared for the (view spoiler)[ children. But, I was sad about all the Joinings as well. It seems they could have been treated better and maybe changed once again... I don't know, it just seemed like such a waste to kill them all off... But I guess Tenaka and Renya's children will be coming back to bring on some mischief soon... (hide spoiler)]

[Shaitarn]

Iain wrote: "I finished this book last night... it didn't tell the story I was expecting... that opening chapter with Dragons and such was so promising... this is probably a 3 stars from me...

I liked the litt..."

Completely agree with you about the ending (view spoiler)[I'm of the 'dead characters should stay dead' school. (hide spoiler)]