TRENDS DIE OUT/LEGENDS LIVE ON:

GHOST KING by David Gemmell

A review by INFAMOUS🦀

 

David Gemmell might not be one of the most popular sword and sorcery writers perhaps, but his work truly has been a gift to those of us who admire captivating characters, well thought-out plot lines, and the ‘magic’ of fairy stories of old,  combining  history and fantasy uniquely.

Ghost King in many aspects could be loosely compared to the legend of King Arthur, but only on the surface. Once we take a deep dive into the core of it we realize that this is an original and exquisite tale that should be shared and praised throughout the ages.

PLOT:

The kingdom of the Romano-Britons finds itself without a king when Brigante King Eldared murders King Aurelius in a hunting ambush. However, Prince Thuro, son of Aurelius, manages to escape and with the aid of very powerful and unexpected allies regroups to regain his father’s kingdom and take back the throne.

As you can see, the general plot line is pretty straightforward but where Gemmell excels is in making this story unique by presenting characters that are not flat or one-dimensional and sub-plots that we might not expect, yet  ‘make sense’.

 

TEEN CHARACTERS: 

Prince Thuro and Laitha are first introduced as teenagers. Commonly teen characters, as written in modern times, come off as insufferable due to either being portrayed as exceedingly talented and self-confident for their age or as nitwits with low self-esteem. Not here!

For example, when Thuro is asked who he really is, his answer is:

 

“I am a young man, barely of age, who needs wise counsel from trusted friends”

 

How could we not get to side with a character like Thuro? He is ignorant/innocent, inexperienced, and he knows it. While he does not quit on his task to regain the throne from the usurper he realizes he can’t do it alone and he is conscious of his age and limitations.

 

SECONDARY CHARACTERS: 

Other characters that we will find intriguing and well defined throughout the story are:

• The three retainers Victorious, Gwalchmai, and Caradoc, who manage to survive the ambush on their king and ride back to their homeland to regroup and raise an army.

• The Enchanter Maedhlyn, who allegedly inspired the building of Troy and took Alexander “to the brink of domination”. A ‘Merlin’ character who seems to have had influence over several historical figures according to the lore of Ghost King:
• Demigod Culain, who turns out to be Thuro’s grandfather and makes the critical decision to give up his immortality out of sheer love
• King Eldared who engages the Soul Stealers, terrible wraiths of doom with invincibility and great speed to usurp the throne
• Prasamaccus the crippled brigante who saves Victorinus from the threat of the Atrols (giant creatures sent by Eldared)
• Goroien the Witch, who constantly requires the sacrifice of pregnant women in order to maintain her eternal youth

 

And of course we gotta have a legendary sword… The Sword of Cunobelin, lost when the king was murdered. Thuro must rescue it in order to reclaim the throne.

PROSE:

Gemmell is very clear with the prosaic style he decided to adopt in the foreword:

 

“The language used is relatively modern, and undoubtedly there will be some students who find it jarring to read of arrows being ‘fired’, when of course the expression evolved only after the introduction of matchlock muskets.”

 

This is the best move any author can make when choosing a style of language for a similar epic fantasy tale. When unsure, write in the most neutral style you can manage. Don’t try to be Shakespeare and don’t try to use modern XXI slang either. When you use a neutral language you let the reader’s imagination take the driver’s seat, and that’s a good thing.

 

CONCLUSIONS:

If you don’t know David Gemmell, grab a copy of Ghost King and be delighted with high quality epic fantasy that is compelling, imaginative, but also well thought-out and professionally presented. The blend of history with fantasy is exactly what I personally appreciate more than anything, and that’s why we will cover book 2 soon:

The Last Sword of Power

Don’t miss it!

🦀