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The King Beyond the Gate
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The King Beyond the Gate [Feb 2018]
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I will be finishing DG today and tomorrow... You will catch up 😋
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I remember liking the trilogy. Enjoy it!
Andrew wrote: "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 ..."Well reading buddies, I'm back! This year's strand of the stomach bug is especially nasty. I don't recommend contracting it. But we're all finally healthy in my home again and I'm back to reading.
I'm 71% in and enjoying it. This is the fourth Gemmel book I've read thus far, and I feel like they're all basically the same story regurgitated. Bu instead of getting bored with the story because of that, I actually feel endearment and nostalgia when reading this book. I feel like Gemmel books are the literary equivalent of James Bond movies -- they're formulaic and you know exactly what to expect, but they're fun and rarely disappoint.
Andrew wrote: "Andrew wrote: "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 gro..."I feel very much the same! I think we all enjoy certain formulas, particularly when they are well executed... It hits the right spot with me too:):):)
Andrew wrote: "Andrew wrote: "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 gro..."Yea....it is just too deus ex machina. Predictable. Im done with this series.
Late to the party. Will be starting later on tody.
I’m going at a slow speed due to stuff happening this week and I do enjoy this pace that gemmel does and while it is similar to legend I am still enjoying it
I’m late as well. Might have to put this one on hold. Wife about to have a baby !!!!!! Wish me luck!
Brian wrote: "I’m late as well. Might have to put this one on hold. Wife about to have a baby !!!!!! Wish me luck!"Good luck! And good luck to your wife as well!
Brian wrote: "I’m late as well. Might have to put this one on hold. Wife about to have a baby !!!!!! Wish me luck!"All the luck with the three of you!!!
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Wow! Congrats and all the best to you and your family!
I have started and I like it already. It has this unmistakable Gemmell magic and flows easily. Fast read.
I'm 25% in. If you loved the Legend, chances are huge that you will love the King Beyond the Gate for it does follow the same pattern. Two people on the margins of life meet and fall madly in love. One of them has violet eyes. Together they take on a hopeless cause. The battle is fought on two planes, the physical and the spiritual one. There are roses. :D
Definitely Mayim I'm 43% in and I'm still hooked I dont know how he does it but its still great and I do like the new characters especially Tenaka although I can see why this may not be everyone cup of tea it is still very enjoyable.
I finished, and Gemmel is quickly moving up the ranks of my favorite authors. I love good literature as much as the next guy, but it's fun once per month to blast through his fast-paced/instant gratification style of writing. It took me a little while to get into this one, and I think it's because I felt slightly betrayed. Druss and his warriors fought so hard to save Drenai in Legend...and THIS is the Drenai that resulted? It made Druss' victory in Legend feel a little hollow. But that feeling gradually went away as I started to bond with the set of characters in this generation of Drenai.
Really solid adventure, and once again an epic told in only 300 pages. I don't feel comfortable giving it 5* because it was largely the same story as Legend, but I did really enjoy it. Solid 4* for me using the Goodreads rating definitions.
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I do find it enjoyable, he really does capture that warrior’s spirit and all the honor stuff etc.
It’s hard reading a book this short though, I feel as though I’ve spent barely any time on the book and it’s almost over!
Solid 3 stars. And I am not going to be grumbling too much. Everybody goes to McDonald's from time to time.
Mayim wrote: "I'm 25% in. If you loved the Legend, chances are huge that you will love the King Beyond the Gate for it does follow the same pattern. Two people on the margins of life meet and fall madly in love...."Don't tell me, (view spoiler) Ugh. I knew it! I may have to bail on this one four chapters in. I just can't deal with insta-love. I tolerated it in Legend because I was listening on audiobook and that automatically means I experience the story at a disconnect (which is why it's not my preferred method of reading) but I'm reading this one myself and...I just can't with the instalove.
Mod
At least this one doesn't have the same epilogue: (view spoiler)
I wonder if the insta-love is because Gemmell wanted his character(s) to have a romantic partner but either didn't have the patience to write a long courtship or just didn't see his manly characters being into romantic gestures?It's almost like the reasons for the war/killing the Emperor: the reasons are mentioned in the prologue and then we go straight into the story about how to achieve it. I imagine that if the story was being written now it'd be stretched out over 700 pages, and the first third would be the hero deciding that he must take action and slowly falling in love with the female character.
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Margret wrote: "I liked it better than Legend to be honest."What?!?!? I'm throwing some serious side-eye at you. Shame be upon you! Shame!
Shaitarn wrote: "I wonder if the insta-love is because Gemmell wanted his character(s) to have a romantic partner but either didn't have the patience to write a long courtship or just didn't see his manly character..."Yeah, there's only so much development you can throw in and still
keep it under 350 pages. Mayim said it perfectly -- everyone goes to McDonald's every now and again. Sure, it's nice to take the wife out on a fancy date to a steak dinner. But sometimes you just want some delicious, highly-processed french fries with no nutritional value. Gemmel's writing is the literary equivalent of junk food: instantly gratifying but objectively just not high quality. And that's OK. I'm growing to love his writing because I know EXACTLY what I'm going to get when I pick his books up. They're fun and fast-paced and nothing more.
Mod
It’s kind of bad in some ways and good in others that I read the Troy series first. It’s miles ahead of this one. That being said, I’ll think of this series as a YA replacement therapy since I’ve become allergic to that genre.
It's heroic fantasy. Why waste pages on romance when we all know the main character will get the love anyway? This way we just get more of the good stuff...
Lundos wrote: "It's heroic fantasy. Why waste pages on romance when we all know the main character will get the love anyway? This way we just get more of the good stuff..."I just don't find it that good. Sure, it's nice to have the "junk food" equivalent of books to read when you're not up for the heavy hitters but I have other books and genres I prefer that fit that description.
If I finish this it'll only be because I might need a book with a dragon on the cover. *sigh* :-/
Veronica! I wish I had stopped reading as well. Not a great showing, this book. I know its against the common opinion but whatever!Life’s too short for shitty books!
Lundos wrote: "It's heroic fantasy. Why waste pages on romance when we all know the main character will get the love anyway? This way we just get more of the good stuff..."What good stuff? We have a common fantasy trope plotline, cardboard characters, and battles with the good guys coming out on top in the end. And no descriptions of anything!
I just dont characterize that as “good”. It’s average if it had been just one book, but POOR when every book is the same characters/battles/ending.
Jess wrote: "Lundos wrote: "It's heroic fantasy. Why waste pages on romance when we all know the main character will get the love anyway? This way we just get more of the good stuff..."What good stuff? We hav..."
I'm not Lundos and can't speak for him. But for me it's just a fun series to read. I don't really read YA, but I imagine that the level and type of entertainment that most adults get out of reading YA is the same as what I get reading Drenai. There are other series that I view similarly, such Burrough's Barsoom series (A Princess of Mars) or Fleming's James Bond (Casino Royale).
Andrew wrote: "Margret wrote: "I liked it better than Legend to be honest."What?!?!? I'm throwing some serious side-eye at you. Shame be upon you! Shame!"
Seriously, some people read these comments in public places. And then the society believes them to be unhinged.
raise your hand if you snorted in a public place ;p
Jess wrote: "What good stuff? We have a common fantasy trope plotline, cardboard characters, and battles with the good guys coming out on top in the end. And no descriptions of anything!I just dont characterize that as “good”. It’s average if it had been just one book, but POOR when every book is the same characters/battles/ending. "
Well, a few times it's nice to read pathos filled heroic features and people doing more than expected just for duty and honour. Maybe it's a guy thing and girls get their fill from YA books (yes, yes rough generalization - bare with me).
I like Gemmell, but there's also a reason I've only read the first three - you need to be in the mood for it. Gemmell doesn't offer heavy prose or deep characters. He keeps it simple for the most part, but if you look for it you can finder some deeper philosophical questions in there. In this one e.g. Gemmell asks us what you would die for?
I don't know about the characters Lundos. They can be surprisingly deep, but still he paints them in crude strokes. Not da Vinci, rather your local folk artist.
Man this book has messed with my mojo this month... It's small so I'm pushing to finish, but I'm finding inconsistencies in my feels. Some parts I'm all in, others I find myself pushing through. When the thirty were seperate from Tenaka and company, it was intriguing because all of the magic and such was being explained, it was fresh. Now that they're together is all death talk and small talk. Not as good as Legend in my opinion, so far anyways.Side Question:
Do you guys think that this kind of reads like an old western? I'm not going to say that it's parallel to a Louis L'Amour, but I'm getting some serious cowboys and Indians vibes in a fantasy setting.
Jess wrote: "Life’s too short for shitty books!"This should totally be on a t-shirt too. :-)
Mod
I finally managed to drag myself to the finish line on this. That it took me this long for such a short book is insane. If I weren't participating in the team reading challenge I probably would've dropped this. I liked Legend better. This felt pretty much like a rehash of Legend's plot. While the book had some good, non-dialogue lines most of the dialogue between characters felt stilted. It didn't help matters that the author seems to be a fan of using exclamatory sentences...a lot...and it just doesn't feel natural. I liked Rayvan and Ananais but outside of those two I didn't really care about any of the other characters. And, oy, don't even get me started on the ridiculousness of the romance (view spoiler) Just...cringeworthy.I did think the one part with (view spoiler) was funny.
While I really enjoyed King Beyond the Gates, I can totally understand why so many of you didn't. When a book is not objectively "good" and is instead just "fun," there's a decent chance that many readers won't find it enjoyable. I'm having similar problems with another "fun series," Riyria. I'm trying to push through the third book because so many people rave about Riyria, but all three books have been boring to me. And ironically enough, the series is boring to me for many of the same reasons others of you are not liking Drenai Saga, even though I'm liking Drenai. Reading preferences are weird, huh?
Fantasy Buddy Reads
Books mentioned in this topic
Legend (other topics)A Princess of Mars (other topics)
Casino Royale (other topics)
Yeah, I am about 70% and yes, things are happening... I feel bad for all the deaths and for some reason, (view spoiler)[ it really broke my heart when the old soldier who had been afraid in the real war and was defending the wall while speaking to ghost, died... It just broke my heart! And then the grizzled lady who is leading the town people lost her son, I am just brokenhearted for them... (hide spoiler)]