Mayim de Vries's Reviews > Hero in the Shadows

”This is a time for heroes…Even shadow warriors once touched by evil.”

Just when I was about to abandon the Drenai Saga, Mr Gemmell’s genius flares again. Just so you know, this fifth star is for the incomparable ditch-digger, Yu Yu Liang.

I was never particularly taken with Waylander the Slayer. In fact, if you check my reviews of the other novels in the Drenai Saga, you will notice that those featuring the nefarious assassin have been rated lower than others. Yet, this finale in the Waylander trilogy (including also Waylander and In the Realm of the Wolf) has all the hallmarks of a heroic fantasy: struggle against evil in spite the unfavourable odds, heroes great not because of their incomparable fighting skills but because of their ability to do what is right, subtle and unpredictable development of characters set against a rich world, thrilling fighting scenes, inspiring dialogues, moments to laugh and moments to cry (yes I did, and call me a sentimental fool but this epilogue was a perfection).

It is difficult to surprise a reader that far in the series, but by the Source, Mr Gemmell achieved this feat and didn’t even break the stride. The story unfolds zooming in onto a seemingly insignificant detail, then zooming out to give us the full vista and once the reader is hooked (it is hard not to be), the tale twists and turns, seamlessly bringing in different POVs and sub-plots together in a masterful finale that delivers everything a fantasy reader craves for and yet manages to avoid cliche fixes.

There are great female and male leads, including Waylander, a man on a mission that could never be completed, but not only him as Mr Gemmell makes sure his hero does not outshine the other fantastic protagonists and antagonists and also those in between. Warriors and monsters, demons and sorcerers, priestess and imposters, whores and ordinary people with extraordinary skills. I liked the very refreshing arc of Keeva Tatiana, neither a romance-y nor snowflake-y, but I positively adored Yu Yu Liang a comic relief, a pretence of a hero, and a pebble that changes the history.

All this is written in the unique style; simple but not simplistic, somewhat crude, full of parables and allegories. When a difficult, philosophical question is asked, normally a tale follows in a very Jesus-like manner of dispensing wisdom through simple stories and relatable examples, which I find very typical for Mr Gemmell. For me, it was just the right mixture of pathos, action, and comedy.

It is hard to show the clash of good and evil from different perspectives and points of view and yet retain the ability to keep a firm boundary between what is right and what is wrong. Mr Gemmell is able to avoid the shades of grey and does not opt for the easy way out of concluding that everything is relative, predominant in the contemporary grim dark novels. And yet, at the same time he shows that even the darkest shadows can be lifted and dispersed if we are willing to pay the price. It is a sad, but a strangely uplifting story.

You can read this truly exceptional book as a standalone without reading the other novels in the Waylander arc or indeed the Drenai world. Although I am sure that upon finishing, you will be wanting more. That’s Gemmell’s magic.

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Also in The Drenai Saga:

1. Legend ★★★★★
2. The King Beyond the Gate ★★☆☆☆
3. Waylander ★★★☆☆
4. Quest for Lost Heroes ★★★★☆
5. In the Realm of the Wolf ★★★☆☆
6. The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend ★★★★☆
7. The Legend of Deathwalker ★★★★☆
8. Winter Warriors ★★★☆☆
10. White Wolf ★★☆☆☆
11. The Swords of Night and Day ★☆☆☆☆