David Gemmel

David Gemmell was a British author best known for heroic fantasy centred on courage, redemption and the moral cost of violence. Born in West London in 1948, he worked in several occupations before establishing a career in journalism, eventually becoming editor of the Hastings Observer. While awaiting medical tests after a suspected cancer diagnosis, he began writing a story about an ageing warrior defending a fortress against overwhelming odds. Revised and published as Legend in 1984, the novel introduced Druss and began the long-running Drenai sequence. Gemmell subsequently became a full-time novelist and published more than thirty books before his death in 2006.

Gemmell’s principal works include the Drenai Saga, the Celtic-influenced Rigante series, the post-apocalyptic Jon Shannow novels and the Stones of Power books. He also wrote Lion of Macedon and Dark Prince, fantasy novels inspired by ancient Greece, and concluded his career with the Troy trilogy, a mythic reimagining of the Trojan War whose final volume was completed after his death by his wife, Stella Gemmell. His direct, action-led fiction typically follows damaged warriors, assassins and reluctant leaders attempting to uphold personal codes in violent worlds. Although some books draw upon historical cultures and legends, Gemmell should primarily be classified as a fantasy author, not as a conventional historical novelist.

Editor commet: I know the site is about historical fiction, but I love reading Gemmel books so I just had to include them all, go read Morningstar and give yourself a treat!