This is my first outing with David Gemmell, and I have to say I’m ashamed I waited this long to read his work. Gemmell is one of the legendary forerunners of modern fantasy, and has influenced many of my favourite authors, particularly those who write gritty ‘grimdark’ fantasy such as Joe Abercrombie. I expected big things from David Gemmell, and for the most part Waylander delivered them.My first impression of Waylander was that there wasn’t much detail. Gemmell wasn’t telling me much about the characters – how they were feeling, what they’d been doing, why they were there – and I felt somewhat disconnected from them, particularly as we’re thrown into the action without being introduced to any of the characters involved. However, about 50 pages into the novel I realised how clever this was: we don’t necessarily need to know everything about the characters in order to empathise with them. It’s very much a case of judging characters by their actions during the current and ongoing events. Gemmell shows us how his characters act, providing limited or no information about their background; it’s up to the reader to witness their actions and decide for themselves how they feel about each character. This makes it particularly interesting, since there are characters whose reputation or situation would make them appear to be villains, yet whose actions define them otherwise, and vice versa. The characters are not blank slates, created by the author to be gradually filled in for us through the course of the story; rather, we get the feeling that they exist independently of the reader, and we just happen to catch glimpses of them at certain points in their lives. We are unaware of each character’s ‘normal’ behaviour: we simply see them as they are, and this makes our connection with them feel natural and unforced, our own choice rather than the author’s manipulation. Events in the novel are presented in a similar way. Gemmell shows rather than tells, and has a way of writing that is fairly minimal. His narrative is somewhat brisk in tone, and yet the action is vivid and the characters are well-drawn. His understated yet captivating style is surprisingly hard-hitting, and his ability to create moments of emotion and tragedy in just a page or two is astounding. An example of this is the tale of the old general Gan Degas. We only meet this character once – his entire character arc spans about four or five pages at the most – yet his sad story completely choked me up (and stuck in my memory so much that I remembered his name without having to look it up).The book isn’t perfect. I felt that Waylander’s shift from ‘Slayer’ to ‘hero’ would have been a lot more effective if it hadn’t happened right at the beginning (literally during the first couple of pages). We aren’t really shown much of him as the ruthless Slayer; as such I felt that his inner conflict – the pitiless man he was vs. the compassionate man he now is – isn’t quite as powerful as it could be. I also felt that some of the events – particularly the various battles – felt a bit disconnected from the rest of the story, and that the side-plot with the armour (and its importance in the grand scheme of things) was a little bit tenuous and contrived. However, there are many, many books in the overall series aside from this one, and it’s highly likely that I’m not seeing the full picture yet; and despite these minor complaints, I really was blown away by this writer. Although I am ashamed not to have read his work sooner, I’m excited to know that it’s all laid out before me now, waiting to be read.
Parece que cada vez que eu leio um livro do David Gemmell eu escrevo uma babação de ovo resenha elogiosa ao autor. Mas o cara era um gênio, fazer o quê?Waylander é o terceiro livro da Saga Drenai, embora cronologicamente seja o primeiro da série. Vários dos eventos desse livro são mencionados nos livros anteriores - Egel e Karnak, dois dos heróis da nação Drenai, a formação dos 30 e varias outras pequenas coisas. A histórias, como o proprio titulo e sinopse do livro dizem, é focada em Dakeyras "Waylander", um infame assassino Drenai que acabara de matar o Rei da nação Drenai. A morte do rei permitiu que a nação fosse invadida pelo Império Vagriano, a Waylander então é dada a missão de procurar pela legendária Armadura de Bronze (outra das constantes da série, essa armadura é praticamente um simbolo da nação Drenai).Os personagens de David Gemmell são complexos, e Waylander não é excessão. A primeira vista ele é um assassino sem moral alguma, entretanto ao longo do livro é mostrado que ele é de fato uma pessoa torturada pelo seu passado e em busca de redenção. Mas não se enganem, ele não é um pessoa boa, um herói. Waylander é um assassino. Um anti-herói no sentido mais clássico da palavra - na verdade acho extremamente interessante as pessoas festejarem tanto os livros atuais, elogiando-os por terem anti-heróis e fugirem "dos heróis clássicos da fantasia antiga" sendo que aí está Waylander, um dos anti-heróis mais complexos que já tive o prazer de encontrar em um livro e escrito há míseros 29 anos...Enfim, Waylander é um ótimo livro e se fosse possível eu daria 6 estrelas a ele.
What do You think about Waylander (1995)?
This is the book that got me into reading fantasy! My fourth grade teacher had a set of books in the classroom that he would like students read at school and i was so sucked into it that I walked out of the classroom with it (effectively stealing it, sorry Mr. Roberts). The book kept me turning page after page. There were a lot of reference to people in the past that I didn't get at the time but it did not matter as a stand-alone (which it could be). But when I realized it's a series I found it very cool how Gemmell wrote character's into his books that seem insignificant at the time that end up as main characters in other books, you can really see the ripple effect in his world building.
—Kenneth Hayes Geary
Redemption was always one of David Gemmell's most persistent themes, perhaps finding its most compelling expression in this tale of Dakeyras the Waylander, an apparently heartless assassin caught up in a brutal invasion of the Drenai homeland. Gemmell's depiction of war eschews any comfortable fantasy conventions to present something every bit as ugly as real-world conflict, complete with massacre and rape. However, it's the characterisation that really shines here; by being compelled to reconnect with humanity Dakeyras rediscovers his soul. The character proved enough of a draw to spawn two sequels which are well worth reading, but don't quite reach the same heights.
—Anthony Ryan
This book drew me in like few books do. It is David Gemmell, so expect some familiar ground, such as ambiguous characters and gratuitous violence. It’s pulpy and atmospheric, two traits I often find endearing in (dark) fantasy fiction. The novel is really dark and brooding, just like the titular character, and there are some uncompromisingly grim scenes. Like Legend, it’s a study of what it is that makes a man a “hero” (or an anti-hero, for that matter). We also get a glimpse into the conception and building of Dros Delnoch, the fortress that features so prominently in Legend, which I thought was neat. The novel has a surprisingly philosophical bent. The theme of redemption is present, as one would expect, although it manifests in unexpected forms. Other recurring themes are: prejudice, friendship, sacrifice and the meaning of faith. It’s all tied together.Gemmell also understood that sometimes less is more, and this is quite true here. The plot is actually kind of sparse, but it works well since the plot is arguably not the driving force behind this story. What is it that makes Waylander / Dakeyras tick? That is the question the book concerns itself with. The locations of the book were really great, ranging from besieged fortresses to windy steppes, giving the story an epic, sprawling feel, despite the fact that it isn’t a very long novel. As I have already mentioned, it is a violent story and there is plentiful action, all of it masterfully written.And you just have to love the dialogue:t"Why are you always so unpleasant, Waylander?" "Because I choose to be." "In that case, I don't suppose you have many friends." "I don't have any friends." I really enjoyed it. Perhaps in part due to timing (I read it on the back of Karl Edward Wagner’s Dark Crusade, and I was really just itching for some more dark, violent and fairly uncomplicated fantasy). Or… perhaps it was because of the Shapeshifters. But there it is. I think I’ll add this to my “favourites” shelf now.
—Dirk Grobbelaar
