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A review by shimauchiha
Midnight Falcon by David Gemmell
5.0
There are some wonderful books you review by discussing their characters, plot and writing. Yet there are some books that are beyond that. In reviewing them, I don't talk about this twist and that character, but about what I experienced while reading them.
This is a review of the second kind.
There was one point while I was reading this that my hands started to tremble and my heart was beating so fast it actually hurt.
I had to put the book aside, calm my breathing, drink some water and watch a sitcom episode before I felt calm enough to continue reading.
I literally had to remind myself of my life, that I wasn't going to war, that I could survive the death of the characters, that they were characters.
I wasn't too successful.
I closed the book while he was riding to his death, and I considered never reading the last pages. It was so tempting. As long as I didn't read he would still be riding, sad and with a heavy heart but alive.
But I did read and I cried and mourned and grieved. My eyes are filling with tears again as I'm writing this.
That is the beauty of Gemmell. I have cried for thousands of characters, sometimes not even because they died but for their griefs. But there is something to the way Gemmel writes, or perhaps it's about his characters, their lives are more vibrant,more real. I haven't read knights of dark renown in years, yet there is one particular death in it that I can remember in all details and believe it or not, thinking about it still hurts. Same is the case with Ghost king, Legend or Echoes of the great song.
Reading Gemmel means reading about strategy and politics, wars and religions and philosophy, About whores and thieves, kings and heroes. Reading about pain and betrayal, crushing defeats and horrible mistakes. His books are in no way light reads, they are not pick me ups.
They are beautiful and wondrous and sad. They make you laugh but they make you cry harder.
Yet, they make you happy in the way great art always can. It's a twisted kind of joy, but it's joy in one of the brightest forms I've experienced.
In the way that I know when I'm dying, reading his books will never be something I'll regret spending time on. Even If I am to die in a month, a week or even a day.
This is a review of the second kind.
There was one point while I was reading this that my hands started to tremble and my heart was beating so fast it actually hurt.
I had to put the book aside, calm my breathing, drink some water and watch a sitcom episode before I felt calm enough to continue reading.
I literally had to remind myself of my life, that I wasn't going to war, that I could survive the death of the characters, that they were characters.
I wasn't too successful.
Spoiler
And when it became obvious that Conn was going to die, I was crying so hard and I was thinking that I had seen him being born, I had seen his first fights, I had seen him fall in love, I knew of his thoughts and flaws, guilts and fears and shames. I knew him better than my family or close friends and I couldn't stand to see him die.I closed the book while he was riding to his death, and I considered never reading the last pages. It was so tempting. As long as I didn't read he would still be riding, sad and with a heavy heart but alive.
But I did read and I cried and mourned and grieved. My eyes are filling with tears again as I'm writing this.
That is the beauty of Gemmell. I have cried for thousands of characters, sometimes not even because they died but for their griefs. But there is something to the way Gemmel writes, or perhaps it's about his characters, their lives are more vibrant,more real. I haven't read knights of dark renown in years, yet there is one particular death in it that I can remember in all details and believe it or not, thinking about it still hurts. Same is the case with Ghost king, Legend or Echoes of the great song.
Reading Gemmel means reading about strategy and politics, wars and religions and philosophy, About whores and thieves, kings and heroes. Reading about pain and betrayal, crushing defeats and horrible mistakes. His books are in no way light reads, they are not pick me ups.
They are beautiful and wondrous and sad. They make you laugh but they make you cry harder.
Yet, they make you happy in the way great art always can. It's a twisted kind of joy, but it's joy in one of the brightest forms I've experienced.
In the way that I know when I'm dying, reading his books will never be something I'll regret spending time on. Even If I am to die in a month, a week or even a day.