Reviews

Waylander III, Le Héros dans l'Ombre by David Gemmell

duffypratt's review against another edition

adventurous dark relaxing sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

An entirely fitting end to the saga of Waylander, who is probably my favorite Drenai character.  Yes, even better than Druss.  To a certain extent, these Drenai books tend to run together.  They involve similar heroic characters, similar types of villains/antagonists, and they all seem to deeply involve similar themes: heroism, love, loyalty, duty, futility and death.  But the similarities don't bother me while reading them; rather, they just make it a bit more difficult to separate out one from the other afterwards.

But that's OK.  Gemmell's writing is graceful and usually economical.  His storytelling is good, and seems to get better with each book.  And the books are a very good time, with just enough depth to the characters and situations to keep me from getting bored.  They are never pure action, but the are also never what I would call character studies or philosophical.  Just good, well written, if not particularly original stories that end up being quite satisfying.

tokujoe's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

jonathanrobert's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

vaderbird's review against another edition

3.0

5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish

neilsef's review against another edition

4.5

David Gemmell is my favourite author so I was both looking forward to rereading this book for the first time in twenty-one years, but also slightly concerned as to how it would compare to more recent fantasy novels I have read.
It would be fair to say that the description of action scenes is not as detailed as many I have recently read, however, what is written is so precise and concise it is very easy to visualise what is being described.
The characters are also well visualised and rounded out and very engaging.
The story is an entertaining fast paced adventure, with a good mixture of action, humour, horror, heroism and many nuggets of thought provoking wisdom.
Still a great read. 

angelahayes's review against another edition

4.0

4 Stars

I have really enjoyed revisiting this book/series. I chose this series as part f my reading challenge for this year, and as a buddy read with one of my colleagues. Even though the first book in the series was released in 1984 (and the latest in 2000) the series has pretty much stood the test of time. It is a fantastic action adventure fantasy- with superb characters and brilliant world building, which brings the whole story/series to life.
I have fond memories of discovering this series and excitedly awaiting each new instalment. My reading buddy hadn’t read the series before, but has also enjoyed discovering David Gemmell’s work/s.

thebookmagpie1989's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

cat_brewsandreviews's review against another edition

4.0

I love the final Waylander book. The way this book concludes is just perfect.

gbeezz's review against another edition

4.0

So I haven't read the first two books of this series... I didn't know okay, I picked it up on this book market and just started reading it. I did really love this book though, so I'm going to get my hands on the other two as well, I need to read the whole story.
Anyway, the book has strong characters and was very captivating, I couldn't put it down. I'm glad I found it.

sirchutney's review against another edition

4.0

There will always be vile men, just as there will always be men of kindness and compassion...

Following on from the demon story created in a previous Drenai novel, Winter Warriors, Hero in the Shadows once more plunges heroes against magic. Hero in the Shadows, published in 2000, is a novel by British fantasy writer David Gemmell. It is the final tale featuring Waylander, in the Drenai saga. Sequel to ‘Waylander II: In the Realm of the Wolf’, the novel gives a change of place and name to Waylander’s story. It furthers his motivations and the development of the legendary Prince of Assassins.

In this final volume Waylander is old, grey and ready to receive the Source. The story continues 6 years after the end of the previous book. Waylander has begun a new life, leaving behind his past. He is now a rich looking for a world that will give him peace and atonement for his crimes. This new life it too hides its own dangers and secrets. He will find himself between the plots and schemes for the political power of the Lords. Faced with enemies he cannot easily fight and a magical sorcerer working for an unknown cause, he is forced to take up his crossbow and sabre. And so once again he becomes Waylander. He is helped by an idealistic warrior, a braggart with a stolen sword, a girl with a special talent, and a mysterious priestess and her followers. He then seeks to close the chapter of his life by destroying the evil he has created by his own hand.

Gemmell has crafted this tale with it's roots firmly in action and development of the new heroes, who fight alongside Waylander. The magic used here is insidious and the the body count keeps rising. As ever, the dynamic fight scenes are simple but deadly. They paint a picture in blood rather than gory descriptions. There are strong emotional currents throughout and into this Gemmell weaves action, tension, and mystery.

Waylander is without any doubt one of the most fascinating anti-heroes ever created. Previous books follow the path from his creation as an assassin. With expert character development and sharp dialogue I recommended this book to any fantasy reader. Although previous Drenai novels (especially the Waylander ones and Winter Warriors) would create a perfect backdrop.

So, overall, this is a very strong book with Gemmell, as also his writing, reaching a very high level. As I reach to the end of this series, it was the most heroic, and magical, adventure. Indeed, all Gemmells legendary characters; from Druss the Legend, to Waylander the Slayer, to Skilgannon the Damned and all the other great heroes, show us the true meaning of sacrifice and of heroism.

If you enjoy Gemmell and heroic fantasy in general, you'll enjoy this.