I have a confession to make. I read this book without first reading the first two Waylander novels. This is important, since I believe it might have affected my reading experience at least a little bit. See, by this book, Waylander is already an established character and the glimpses that are revealed concerning his past are fascinating. Fascinating and frustrating. There were times where I was more taken up with what had happened in The Gray Man's past than with the material at hand. I'll be sure to read Waylander as soon as I can lay my hands on it.As mentioned by other reviewers, one of the main strengths of the novel is its strong characters. Especially Waylander himself. Here we have an assassin with a lot of secrets, one of which, at least, is a real corker. So how does this guy sleep at night? He doesn't. It seems that our unlikely hero has not quite made his peace with some of the things he has done, even though he has gone through a lot of trouble to make amends. All of this is, of course, only mentioned briefly. I am very interested in reading Waylander and In the Realm of the Wolf. These are the Waylander novels preceding Hero In The Shadows and deal with these events.The plot, concerning the ruins of a deserted city and the inevitable return of a great evil, is infused with a truly threatening vibe. There are one or two scenes that read like they were lifted from a horror novel or thriller. This is a good thing. The action scenes, as befit Gemmell, are handled expertly. Suffice to say, our troubled assassin is called upon to save the day against some truly hardcore villains. I wasn't overly fond of the whole alternate universe / extra dimension angle. I usually enjoy the 'toned down' feel of Gemmell's fantasy. To each his own, however. Most people really enjoy this novel, if the reviews here and on sites like Amazon are anything to go by. As did I, though I have to mention here that I thought the ending was a little rushed.If you enjoy Gemmell and heroic fantasy in general, you'll enjoy this. Recommended.
The hero of Hero in the Shadows is the Grey Man—a man with a shady past, who now lives like a nobleman. He's a gruff, but kind man who's loyal to the people under his protection. He plans to get away from the petty life of living among the rich and the noble, but when he discovers that a gateway used to keep back the demons is failing, he has a change of plans.Along with an interesting assortment of characters, including a quasi-priestess, a samurai, a samurai wannabe, a magician, and a young woman he rescues from bandits, the Grey Man works to save the people from the demons and close the gateway before it's too late. Yes, this plot is formulaic and unoriginal, but despite this flaw the pace is excellent: quick and consistent. There are a few points where revelations are unexpected, and even interesting, but unfortunately are not subtly grafted into the story and stand out awkwardly.The characters were interesting, if a mite clichéd with unoriginal dialogue. Unfortunately, the main antagonist is sadistic and I learned so little of him that I had a hard time feeling like he was a real character. Other characters were more sympathetic, like the magician, whose moral character we are never entirely certain about.The setting is your standard middle-ages type, and we don't completely get the feel of the world and its politics, but the story isn't about world building. Hero in the Shadows is about the adventure, about defeating evil, and saving those who depend on you--even when you doubt your own worth.
What do You think about Hero In The Shadows (2000)?
Sweet! I'm so glad you liked the series. I was worried about this one when you totally called the ending and said, "I hope they don't ..." Maybe you liked the ending by the time you got to it.
—Chip
A great end to a great man. The key to Gemmell's most iconic character is that he is unable to forgive himself. None of his great successes can ever make him feel better about his failures. His losses lead him to be empty inside. I always felt sure that Waylander was doomed to an eternity of dwelling on his mistakes. As Gemmell tells his final chapter I was stunned that such a fitting end was possible for such a conflicted man. You should read this book. But in order to appreciate it, you will have to read Waylander and In The Realm of the Wolf. If you do, I think you will appreciate how perfect a conclusion this is.
—Troy G
Good fiction should have the ability to trigger emotions in the reader; not too ashamed to admit tears were trickling at the end(?) of the Waylander story arc.
—Andrew Waite
