Knights of Dark Renown: Not one of Gemmell's best

 

 Knight of Dark Renown is one of the novels written by the renowned fantasy author David Gemmell. David Gemmell is one of my favorite fantasy writers because of the unique quality of the worlds he has created and the characters that live there. Knights of Dark Renown has many of the same good qualities that Gemmel’s other books have.

 

There are a variety of things that make Gemmell’s stories a joy to read. One aspect of Gemmel's books that would stand out to a reader is its descriptive flowing action scenes. To go along with his action scenes there also are a number of larger-than-life characters that frequently take part in fights where they are outnumbered and yet come out on top.

 

Several of Gemmell’s characters may be capable of fighting multiple different enemies at the same time and often resort to violence to resolve their problems, but they are more than mere mindless action heroes. They have flaws hopes and desires. The titular Knights of Dark Renown are not noble knights riding atop mighty steads ready to smite evil. They are a group of misfits from different backgrounds united under the common goal of fighting a tyrant king.

Not all of Gemmel’s characters are necessary master combatants. Gemmel often also focuses on how the horrors of war affect those who are not directly involved in combat. Knights of Dark Renown for instance also largely focuses on the story of a young servant boy and how he contends with his newfound magical abilities.

 

Gemmell has a unique way of giving the reader a look at the characters’ motives, justifications for why they do, and their general views of the world. Gemmell usually does this by creating a debate between two characters concerning a certain matter. The debate is usually sparked because the characters have different life experiences and therefore also have very different views on the world. Because of this, much of the dialogue in Gemmell’s books not only progresses the story but also doubles as a philosophical discussion regarding what kind of lives people should lead. Bear in mind that none of the characters in Knights of Dark Renown are philosophers. They say what they think of the world in a straightforward matter-of-fact way that is nevertheless interesting and thought-provoking.

 

Knights of Dark Renown does have one flaw that most of Gemmell's other books do not have: that is that the story is too compressed. Gemmell’s books usually mainly focus on one or two main characters along with a few side characters. Knights of Dark Renown on the other hand focuses on the stories of over ten different characters. As a result, the reader does not get to form as much of an attachment with the characters as they would do in some of his other books.

 

Despite David Gemmal being one of my favorite authors, Knights of Dark Renown is by far my least favorite. Despite this, the book still has a good plot and good characters. If Gemmell had turned Knights of Dark Renown into a full book series instead of just one book, it would have been better.

 

If you want to try out Gemmell’s work, Knights of Dark Renown, might not be the best place to start. Good places to start would be a Legend, Waylander, and the Jhon Shannow trilogy.

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