David Gemmell
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David Andrew Gemmell (August 1, 1948–July 28, 2006) was a popular UK fantasy writer and occasional historical fictionalist.
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[edit] Early career
Born in West London in the summer of 1948, he was expelled from school at the age of sixteen for organizing a gambling syndicate. He became a day labourer and a nightclub bouncer in Soho. He also worked as a freelance writer for the London Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, and Daily Express. One rejection letter he received in the early 1960s read: "You mention in your resume that you are working as a lorry driver's mate for Pepsi Cola. This is an occupation not without merit. Good luck with it."
[edit] Later Career
He published his first novel, Legend, in 1984 but continued as a journalist. He was an editor of newspapers in Sussex, but this career ended after the publication of his third novel, Waylander, in 1986, in which he used his work colleagues' names for characters in the story. Recalling the event he stated "The managing director regarded it as a poisonous attack on his integrity,".
At this point Gemmell became a full-time writer and published 29 books under his own name, all of which have remained in print. He also published a novel White Knight, Black Swan under the name Ross Harding, a thriller based on his own personal experiences growing up in London which to this day is his only novel out of print. His most recent release was Troy: Shield of Thunder, the sequel to 2005's Troy: Lord of the Silver Bow. His novels have also appeared in some collected editions and graphic novel form.
[edit] Hastings Writers Group
Before his death, Gemmell was Patron of the Hastings Writers' Group, following Catherine Cookson.[1] As patron, he was the main judge in the national literary competition run by the group, The Legend Writing Award[2], which was named after his first book Legend.
[edit] Death
David Gemmell died of coronary artery disease, on Friday 28th July, 2006, two weeks after undergoing heart bypass surgery.[3]
In his words "I tried to quit smoking and found that the years of polluting my brain with nicotine meant that I couldn't string a reasonable sentence together without filling my lungs with smoke. I went three months without a drag, took a good look at the crap I was writing and lit up." [4]
[edit] Works
[edit] Fantasy fiction
[edit] Drenai Series
- Legend (1984) (Originally published in the USA as Against the Horde, re-released as Legend)
- The King Beyond the Gate (1985)
- Waylander (1986)
- Quest for Lost Heroes
- Waylander II: In the Realm of the Wolf (1992)
- The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend (1993)
- The Legend of Deathwalker (1996)
- Winter Warriors (1996)
- Hero in the Shadows (2000)
- White Wolf
- The Swords of Night and Day (2004)
Anthologies:
- Drenai Tales Volume I: contains; Legend, The King Beyond the Gate and Waylander
- Drenai Tales Volume II: contains; Quest for Lost Heroes, Waylander II and The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend
- Drenai Tales Volume III: contains; The Legend of the Deathwalker, Winter Warriors and Hero in the Shadows
[edit] Rigante Series
- Sword in the Storm (1999)
- Midnight Falcon (2000)
- Ravenheart (2001)
- Stormrider (2002)
[edit] Jon Shannow Novels
- Wolf in Shadow (1987)
- The Last Guardian (1989)
- Bloodstone (1994)
[edit] Stones Of Power Series
- Ghost King (1988)
- Last Sword of Power (1988)
[edit] Hawk Queen Series
- Ironhand's Daughter (1995)
- The Hawk Eternal (1995)
[edit] Individual Fantasy Titles
- Knights of Dark Renown (1989)
- Morning Star (1992)
- Dark Moon (1997)
- Echoes of the Great Song (2002)
[edit] Historical fiction
[edit] Greek Series (alternate history)
- Lion of Macedon (1990)
- Dark Prince (1991)
[edit] Troy Series
- Troy: Lord of the Silver Bow (2005)
- Troy: Shield of Thunder (2006)
- Troy: Fall of Kings (September 2007) Although David died before completing the final novel in his Troy trilogy, Transworld announced that around 70,000 words were completed shortly before his death. They report that his wife, Stella, will complete the remainder of the book, working from his very detailed chapter notes. Stella Gemmell has been heavily involved in the research and creation of the trilogy since its inception in 2003 and David left behind a plan of exactly how each character should develop for The Fall Of Kings.
[edit] Non-fantasy
- White Knight, Black Swan (1993) (under the pen name of Ross Harding)
[edit] Graphic Novels
- Both Legend (1993) and Wolf in Shadow (1994) have also been released as graphic novels, with text by Stan Nicholls and artwork by Fangorn.
[edit] External links
- David Gemmell FAQ
- Interview at SFFWorld.com
- David Gemmell pages at RealityEnds
- BBC News - Fantasy writer Gemmell dies at 57
