David Gemmell is one of my favorite authors. Is knowledge of violent situations is second ...
582180
David Gemmell is one of my favorite authors.  Is knowledge of violent situations is second to none.  I was truly saddened by his passing.
2480076
I bought this for someone as a gift. So I'm not sure if there was violence, etc. I've read many of Sharon Sala's books and have loved them all!! So I'm sure this book is a great read also!!
2294707
I think it is time I wrote a review of the most underrated of all David Gemmell novels. I feel that his fans have rejected this book because it might require a little bit more of an effort on their parts to fully appreciate it. Here are some of the probable causes for fan's not enjoying the novel.

One - the book is written in first person. It is told from the viewpoint of the character of Owen Odell, an Angostin Bard who was travelling in the highlands when amazing events occurred.

Two - The "hero" of the story, namely Jarek Mace, is probably the most unsympathetic hero that David Gemmell has written about. There is next to nothing about him that the reader will be able to identify with. No noble heroism here I am afraid, just self-interest all the way.

Three - It is a relatively small book. My paperback edition is only 282 pages long. (But there is so much packed into it!)

Four - Description is kept to a minimum. It requires a leap of imagination to "fill in the blanks". I actually saw this as a strength, it added to the authentic first-person narrative feel.

All I can say is that I thoroughly enjoyed the book. True, it isn't "usual" Gemmell fare in camparison to the rich-tapestry he knits around say, a Rigante adventure. But, there are many great things about this book. The characters you meet, for example. They are so well-developed. Because you are forced to "fill in the gaps" you can picture Wulf or Megan. They seem so real. Like a person you would meet down the street. Admittedly, if you met the Morningstar down the street, it would probably be a dark alley and, well, you might end up dead!

Here, we have a classic adventure novel. Our (anti) hero must battle against invading armies, beasts of sorcery, undead hordes. Yes, some pretty scary Vampire stuff is par for the course. One thing I absolutely loved were Jarek Mace's comeback lines to threats directed at him. He always had something amusing to say. GIVE THIS BOOK ANOTHER TRY PEOPLE! PUT SOME EFFORT INTO IT! IT IS WORTH IT!

ps. I don't want to ruin it for anyone, but I always pictured Jarek Mace as a sort-of Errol Flynn like character. You know, dashing, handsome, brave, loving his beer, loving a fight, loving women. Yeah, I am afraid that I must reveal that Jarek Mace must be an Australian. That is why his heritage is so mysterious. So now you know...
1202765
Private investigator Jonah Geller is asked to look into the apparent suicide of a young woman by her grieving mother, the ex-wife of a real estate developer who has started construction on a sought-after site on Torontos waterfront.  The developer has partnered with a Trump-like tycoon from Chicago, and Gellers investigations lead him to search in that city for answers, but not before a couple more mysterious deaths in Toronto occur, deaths that seem somehow linked to the high-stakes world of luxury construction projects. I initially read a later book in Howard Shriers Geller series ("Miss Montreal"), which I found to be too violent for my tastes; "High Chicago" is equally violent, but this time I was prepared for it and managed to discount that aspect of the series.  I found Geller and his friends and colleagues to be interesting characters, and certainly the story is very fast-paced and a quick read.  The final scene of violence in this particular novel struck me as completely out of character with the rest of the book, though; if Gellers such a terrific investigator *and* fighter, how could his opponent have surprised him so?  Leaving that mistake aside, and keeping in mind the extreme violence, its an entertaining enough read, however, so mildly recommended.
396694
The Evil Men Do is another wildly thrilling novel by David L Robbins about a 15 year old bounty hunter whose ma and pa were murdered by a gang of outlaws when he was just a baby, barely escaping the same fate, and is now out to get revenge. Lots of action, great characters, humor and much evil happens along the way in this highly recommended novel.

David L. Robbins (born July 4, 1950) is an American author of  both fiction and non-fiction. He has written over three hundred books under his own name and many pen names, among them: David Thompson, Jake McMasters, Jon Sharpe, Don Pendleton, Franklin W. Dixon, Ralph Compton, Dean L. McElwain, J.D. Cameron and John Killdeer.

He has written for the following series: The Trailsman, Mack Bolan, Endworld, Blade, Wilderness, White Apache, Davy Crockett, Omega Sub and The Hardy Boys. Robbins is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, the Horror Writers Association, and Western Writers of America.

Other highly recommended Compton Novels Written by David Robbins

Bucked Out In Dodge
West Of Pecos
For The Brand
By The Horns
Rio Largo
A Wolf In The Fold
Bluff City
Blood Duel
Ride The Hard Trail
Bullet For A Bad Man
Fatal Justice
Nowhere Texas
Do Or Die

And two of my favorite books under his real name

Blood Feud
Town Tamers
3772782
The Sword of God' by Mark Dawson

John Milton, a man with a history of violence, an assassin, is trying to put some distance between his past and the future.  However hard he tries to avoid it, trouble always finds him.  After ignoring Truth's sheriffs warning to keep on travelling through the town, trouble finds him in a bar and he is soon arrested and on his way to the cells.
Released the next morning he is tracked down by Mallory Stanton, a local teen, one of the witnesses from the brawl in Johnny's bar. Mallory had been trying to get help from FBI officers to find her vulnerable brother Arty, who is in hiding with a group of bank robbers the FBI are chasing, camped up in the mountains.  After the town's police department had brushed her information off Mallory saw that Milton could handle himself and she needed his help.
Reluctantly Milton agrees to search for Arty.  Together with Ellie, one of the FBI agents they set off into the mountains.
This gripping, fast moving story builds, uncovering the layers of a plot to overthrow the US government by a Christian militia group with deep roots in the military, police and local infrastructure.  Will this be more trouble than Milton can handle?
I couldn't put this book down.  Well done Mark Dawson, this is not my usual genre but I'm so glad your writing was flagged up by a friend - now purchased more of your work - good luck with the next.
1811517
Delightful!  I know that sounds strange describing a brutally violent book, however Kill Switch is engaging, hard to put down and very well written, and that to me makes it delightful.
Setting it sometime in the future allows the author to create weapons that don't exist and those weapons are as mean and as deadly as the people using them.  We also get a glimpse of the authors wickedly warped sense of humor with the commercials between chapters.
This is an author to watch.
.
1893012
I've been a Gemmell fan for some time now, and picked up Echoes because I like his style. I'll confess I was unsure of the enjoyment I'd get out of it because from the description it sounds different to what I'm used to.  But... what a great read! Gemmell has lost none of his insight, style, or  excellent storytelling skills. There's even a few laughs (I especially  liked the last chapter!) I recommend this book highly. Buy it.
602600
I really like the style and content of these books by JF Penn. she has such interesting information and back stories on her characters. Her personal background in theology and psychology add to her knowledge and believable stories regarding artifacts and psychological insight. The main character, Morgan is both human and a hero! Her interest in the ARKANE agent, Jake is also interesting and it seems he is also interested in her but they both have baggage and also have to work together. They are a good team when hunting down artifacts, figuring out what the bad guys are up to and battling it out with them! There are some pretty disturbing bad guys in this one. Evil folks for sure! The mind control and pushing people to the brink of murder and suicide is interesting. And believable! Enjoy, great story! Heading to read number three!
4146069
I wasn't familiar with this author until a friend of mine recommended I read his book. Sure there's a lot of blood and gore but this book is very well written. I love the action and to be honest with you, I would love to see this as a movie one day.
3333491
From jade to diamonds, some of the world's most beautiful gem stones arrive at the gem cutter's table or polisher's wheel tainted with the blood of many handlers. Just how bloody the journey can be from a pit in the ground to Antwerp or Jerusalem is determined by the gem's ultimate purpose. Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek financed an entire war with jade. So what can ten or twenty grams of high quality diamond rough do for a al-Qaida-backed terrorist leader on the Angolan border?

Michael "Mad Dog" Hertzog and his highly skilled team of mercenaries is about to find out. Contracted by mining company owners to recover the stolen diamonds, Mad Dog and his team relentlessly pursue the gems through the Angolan jungle engaging shadowy, unknown forces in one fire-fight after another. Meanwhile a terrorist leader and his band is closing in from across the border to intercept the diamonds, finance a coup, and provide his al-Qaida masters with a new stronghold in Africa.

A final battle at the river border separating Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo makes this cache of gem stones the bloodiest diamonds ever!

Peter Telep, writing as P.W. Storm, goes into action with his opening sentence, setting the reader down in the middle of a fire fight in the Afghan mountains, alongside Staff Sgt. Michael "Mad Dog" Hertzog, USMC.

Events in Afghanistan take on a life of their own through an incredible battlefield discovery, betrayal, and a new beginning for Hertzog-- a new start that takes Mad Dog and his team from the Philippines into Angola's unstable geopolitical climate and risky diamond industry.

Blood Diamonds isn't for the faint-hearted. It's a gritty tale full of bloody action and tough language. Readers with prior military experience will appreciate the authenticity of Telep's writing plus catch a glimpse at some of the latest "big boy" toys used by today's military. Telep's at his best when he's out there shooting bad guys and blowing up stationary objects!

Blood Diamonds, like Telep's other military action books, emphatically reflects his deep admiration for our men and women in uniform. Bravo!

James Ide, The Nintoku Incident
305767
Michael Connelly is a great author and I think the Lincoln Lawyer may be my favorite of his books (so far). The book has the usual suspense, action, and violence of Connelly books, but also adds in a fair amount of humor. Mickey Haller may be a sheister, but you can't help but like him anyway.

Contains graphic violence and sexual content.
3069824
Midnight Falcon by David Gemmell is the second book in the Rigante Series. The first book was; The Sword in the Storm. And that book follows Connavar growing up and becoming known as Demonblade. This book chronicles the tale of his [...] son Bane and the trials he goes through to become a man. Along the way Bane faces many challenges and learns many lessons.

The plot of this book is much more encompassing than that of The Sword in the Storm. This book is actually two book sin one when you dissect the plot arc. The first piece of the plot is Bane's quest to become a gladiator in the arenas of Stone. Along this quest he also seeks out revenge against someone. (Not going to say who or why, because of spoilers). Throughout this course of revenge Bane learns many things about himself and about life in general. The second half of the plot deals with the impending attack of the armies of Stone on the Rigante people and the role that Bane plays in fending them of and the choices he makes.

This book differs from other Gemmell books I have read in that there is a great deal of character development. In most Gemmell books there is a human element that of facing impossible odds and fighting for what someone believes in regardless of the perceived outcome. Yet, in this book, Mr. Gemmell, seems to make a very strong effort to bring Bane and a couple other characters out of that mold and really flesh them out. I would really like to say more and give examples, but I don't want to spoil anything for anyone. Suffice to say that the character development in this book is second to none and I was very captivated by it.

Fans of Gemmell will no doubt find elements in this book that are both familiar and enjoyable Readers who have yet to read Gemmell should really get started. He has written many fantastic books. The first one I read, and many people will recommend this book, is Legend - which is the first of the Drenai Saga books. The two books I have read in the Rigante series thus far are more epic in nature than the Drenai books. Both are very good, but are different formats. Regardless, if you are a fan of the fantasy genre don't hesitate to jump into the world of the Rigante. I have little doubt that you will not enjoy them. They are truly fantastic books and well worth the time reading them.
4803888
Shudder by Michael Prescott:  I've read 15 of Michael's books and this is a very good novel.
If you haven't read Michael Prescott yet, this would be a good place to start.  It is one of his
early endeavors and will introduce you to his psycho-thriller / serial killer genre.

This is a "can't put it down" type of book which I am sure you will enjoy.  I finished reading this book today and I just opened an email about the release of Shatter, another early work  which I will buy right after I post this....Great !!!!!
Boston Bob
3246247
Greg Iles' books have become some of my favorites. He's meticulous in detail and has the south down pat. Love the interaction of characters between books. This one was spectacular and scary. Where do you get these ideas Greg?
2776379
This is the 2nd book in the series of 10 in which there are only 4 out right now as of 12/11/12. This one describes how the partial collapse goes down, especially in the Washington State area since that is where the author's experiences are based. He does a good job of explaining the reasons why the collapse happens and what the reactions of the government are. The main Character makes a hard decision and sticks by it, which is something that is hard for many of us to do. The author also delves deeper into other characters in the book that helps with understanding those characters in the future books. Glen's writing style is coming out more in this book than in the first book and he held my attention well. When we finished reading this book, we couldn't wait for the other two to come out. And to think, 299 days of a story of our society collapsing is done in just 10 books. Thanks Glen for a great series of books.
2548592
I'm very particular about books that portray violence. I'm a Vet and a good 90% of authors don't know their Glock from a hole in the ground. James Cook does. Read this series and support an author that has earned the title. Thanks James for another excellent book.