RIP, David Gemmell

[jhmcmullen]

According to the BBC, David Gemmell has died, two weeks after heart bypass surgery.

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5224868.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5224868.stm)

I'll miss him.

(Edit to correct the spelling of his last name.)

[PaulMc]

jhmcmullen said...
According to the BBC, David Gemmel has died, two weeks after heart bypass surgery.

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5224868.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5224868.stm)

I'll miss him.

Damn. I just picked up some of his novels, too. (I've only read Legend so far.)

-- Paul McNamee

My Writings (http://writer.paulmcnamee.net)
The Tales of Doran Coyle (http://www.dorancoyle.net)
Managing Editor, SwordAndSorcery.org (http://www.swordandsorcery.org)

[carnifexpress]

I've read all of his books in the last 2 years and he was an amazing fantasy writer.

Armand Rosamilia

Visit Carnifex Press for more information!

http://www.CarnifexPress.net


The Freehold site is now up!

http://www.angelfire.com/indie/freehold

[jonesha]

Oh man.

That's just not good news. I thought he had lots more years left in him. I've barely scratched the surface of his work so far. He was also about the only writer actively making a living solely writing honest-to-goodness sword and sorcery.

A sad day.

Howard

Editor-in-Chief
www.swordandsorcery.org

[scbryce]

More sad news for the genre.

SC Bryce

www.SCBryce.com

Contributing Editor and Critique Group Moderator, www.SwordandSorcery.org

Forthcoming fiction:
"Rise of a Necromancer," a Dermanassian novella, in "Flashing Swords."
"The Demon War," reprinted in "Worlds of Wonder."
"A Long Night with Five Mothers," in Pitch-Black Books' "Lords of Swords 2."
"Let the Black Earth Take It All," anthology, Rage Machine Books.

[CharlesRR]

I think I may have mentioned it here before, but it was David Gemmell who brought me back to reading sword & sorcery and fantasy after a layoff of almost two decades. Shortly after I graduated high schoolI started reading crime fiction, mostly hardboiled guys like Raymond Chandler, John D. MacDonald, etc, and mystery and crime fiction sort of became my default genre, replacing fantasy which had moved too far into the Tolkien clone mode to hold my attention.
Fast forward to 1999. I was wandering through Borders Books and I saw a dump of trade paperbacks. The cover, which featured a big guy with an ax,caught my attention. The title of the book was 'The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend.' I bought the book on a whim and read it in a day. Something about Druss rekindled my interest in Sword & Sorcery and I dug out the boxes that held my Robert E. Howard and Fritz Lieber books and re-read all the books I'd enjoyed so much as a kid. I'm still collecting and reading that stuff today, and I have David Gemmell to thank for returning me to the fold.
Gemmell's books, in addition to being action packed, always focused on honor, bravery, and loyalty to one's friends. Lessons worth learning, and not a bad legacy at all. So goodbye, David, and thanks. I owe you one.

Charles R. Rutledge

[Supr]

I hope you're doing well on the other side, David...

Legend and Waylander - I have read - are real masterpieces of Sword&Sorcery.

[Gil]

I seem to recall an interview with Gemmell in which he said he wrote the original novella which became Legend while battling cancer. His triumph there gave usthirty or more fantastic novels. The first one I read was Hero in the Shadows and tears still come to my eyes when I think of the ending. I believehe has crafted more memorable moments than any other writer it has been my pleasure to read. I selfishly hope that he has many novels finished and waiting for his publisher to bring forth. He's a tremendous loss to us all.

[Jay Stevol]

Golly, this is a big shock.

I've been away for a bit so this was a like a bolt out the blue. Gemmell was a cool dude in my books. Practically the only writer still writing S&S the way I like it. I don't think I've ever read a dull book of his and was hoping for many more from his pen/word processor.

Sad, sad news.