New Releases by David Gemmell

With mythic sweep and epic scope, David Gemmell’s bestselling novels of magic and adventure feature brooding heroes who fight to preserve all that is good and honorable in themselves and in the worlds through which they stride like lonely giants. In times of terror and despair, theirs are the swords that carve a shining path, inspiring others to follow. Even after their deaths, their names live on. . . . A thousand years after they fell in battle, two heroes—Druss and Skilgannon—are revered throughout the war-torn lands of the Drenai. Yet men and women live in abject fear of the Joinings, abominable meldings of man and beast, and of their mistress, the dark sorceress known as the Eternal. None can stave off these ruthless foes. But what if the soul of one such hero could be called back from the void, his bones housed again in flesh? An ancient prophecy foretold that Skilgannon would return in his people’s darkest hour. To most, this is a foolish hope. But not so to Landis Kan. For years, as the power of the Eternal grew, Kan searched for the tomb of Skilgannon the Damned. And at last, he found it, gathering up the bones and performing the mystic ritual. But the reborn hero is an enigma: a young man whose warrior skills are blunted and whose memories are fragmented. This Skilgannon is a man out of time, marooned in a world as strange to him as a dream, remote from all he knew and loved. Or nearly all. Before bringing Skilgannon back, Landis Kan experimented upon other bone fragments found in the hero’s tomb. That ritual resulted in a surly giant who possessed astounding strength, but no memories. To Kan, he was a dangerous failure. But to Skilgannon, this giant represented their last hope. For as the ageless evil of the Eternal threatens to drown the Drenai lands in blood, two legendary heroes will once again lead the way to freedom.

“Gemmell not only knows how to tell a story, he knows how to tell a story you want to hear. He does high adventure as it ought to be done.”—Greg Keyes, author of The Briar King One awesome night, the sadistic, seemingly invincible Daroth vanished from the face of the earth. Gone were their cities, their armies, their reigns of terror. Not a trace of this conquering race remained. Until a thousand years later. . . . With the rising of a dark moon above the Great Northern Desert, comes a black tidal wave that sweeps across the land. Suddenly, the desert vanishes beneath lush fields and forests and a great city glitters in the morning light. From this city reemerges the blood-hungry Daroth, powerful and immortal, immune to spear and sword. They have only one desire: to rid the world of humankind forever. Now the fate of the human race rests on the talents of three heroes: Karis, warrior-woman and strategist; Tarantio, the deadliest swordsman of the age; and Duvodas the Healer, who will learn a gruesome truth. “Gemmell’s great reading; the action never lets up; he’s several rungs above the good—right into the fabulous!”—Anne McCaffrey

“For anyone who appreciates superior heroic fantasy, David Gemmell’s offerings are mandatory.”—Time Out London The blood-drenched lands of the Drenai are protected by a man who has been hated and feared as much as he has been loved: the living legend known as Druss, Captain of the Ax. But this is also the land of Skilgannon, a man who is armed with the mythic Swords of Night and Day, and perhaps Druss’s equal on the field of battle. Brought together by a brutal attack, the two lone warriors form an unlikely alliance. But as Druss and Skilgannon face the supernatural threat of the Joinings—monstrous werebeasts with unholy strength and more than animal savagery—respect and trust will grow. Their alliance will become a friendship destined to change both men—and the lands of the Drenai—forever. “[Gemmell’s] fiction has always carried the genuine flair ofthe classic sword and sorcery pieces of the 1930s and ’40s. This installment is no exception.”—Starlog “A multitude of good battle scenes! . . . Readers will be carried along by the nonstop action and heroic characters.”—Booklist

Spellbinding action and breathless adventure–these are the realms of David Gemmell. His mythic characters represent the ultimates in good and evil, and everything in between. Brilliant warriors, they are heartbreakingly human in their ability to love, sacrifice, and summon extraordinary courage when all seems lost. With Stormrider, Gemmell continues his spectacular Rigante saga as the imperiled highland clan faces its deadliest threat . . . and calls for it''s greatest hero. STORMRIDER A Novel of the Rigante Centuries ago, Connavar’s triumphant battles against the invading army of Stone gained the Rigante their freedom, yet magic that once flourished has been all but snuffed out. The Varlish king and his barons have stolen Rigante lands and robbed the people of their culture and liberty. From the Rigante''s former seat of power the black-hearted Moidart rules; only in the north are the clansmen free. There, in the Druagh mountains, the magic still reigns, strengthened by bold, brilliant victories of the outlaw leader known as Ravenheart. One glorious spark, one moment of Rigante rebellion, has ignited a revolution and forged a legend. The conquered clans set about to rediscover their greatness–yet theirs is not the only call to arms. In the south, civil war has drenched the land in blood, and the armies of destruction have begun creeping north. There the brooding Ravenheart waits, knowing the forces of the hated Moidart will come, led by the brutal ruler’s only son, Stormrider. Ravenheart and Stormrider: enemies of uncommon courage, are unaware that the fate of the world lies in their hands. Faced with this inexorable advance, deadly foes will be forced to unite, and a secret lost in the uncharted past will return to haunt these two warriors as they face the vengeance of an ancient evil. Immense armies of darkness advance on the highlanders, and it seems as if nothing will stop them. They crush their enemies with ease, until only a few thousand men stand before them, with no help in sight. But these are not ordinary men they face. They are clansmen, and more than that, they are Rigante.

Eight hundred years have passed since King Connavar of the Riganteand his bastard son,Bane,defeated the invading army of Stone. In that time, Connavar has become a legend, and the Rigante have lost the freedom so many gave their lives to preserve. A conq

Ses exploits sont connus de tous. Surnommé le Capitaine à la Hache lors de ses plus grandes batailles, il aurait pu devenir riche en tant que mercenaire... Au contraire, fuyant la célébrité, il a choisi de vivre retiré loin des hommes, perché au sommet d''une montagne glacée. Il a remisé son arme, vivant reclus, se contentant de la compagnie de quelques léopards des neiges. Il attend patiemment son ennemie de toujours : la Mort. Dros Delnoch est une forteresse imprenable. Passage indispensable à la frontière de deux mondes, c''est l''ultime limite qu''une armée doit impérativement franchir si elle veut envahir l''Empire drenaï. Protégée par six remparts, elle est la place forte mythique. C''est aussi le dernier foyer d''une résistance désespérée, car tous sont déjà tombés devant l''envahisseur nadir. Il lui faudrait un atout déterminant, un chef charismatique : Druss, le vieux guerrier. Quand Conan rejoint Fort Afamo, un demi-million d''envahisseurs barbares face à huit mille guerriers barricadés... Druss pourra-t-il faire la différence ? Deux mains ancrées à une hache pour empêcher une tragédie...

The fortress city of Dross Delnoch was built to be impenetrable--but not when defended by a handful of untrained domestic folk and attacked by an army numbering in the hundreds of thousands. A small group of heroes must fight to the last man--hoping against hope that reinforcements arrive in time.