David Gemmell dies at 57

I just found out that my favorite author, David Gemmell, died aged 57 from heart disease on Friday July 28th 2006.

I read his books continually and I loved the way his characters were so real and full of life, so flawed and yet capable of good. In his writing he portrayed that there was no such thing as good or evil, just different shades of gray. Extensive historical and subject research gave his books a very realistic base, his bibliographies listing everything from horse husbandry to Roman warfare tactics. He dramatized and brought to life histories great characters, warts and all, for example Alexander the Great, in his books ‘Lion of Macedon‘ and ‘Dark Prince‘, and myths and legends in his ‘Troy’ series.

Quoted:

“The one thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing. We are not brighter and better than those who came before us…”

Quoted from the SF Site:

‘The hero is just about the only worthwhile member of society. I’m not talking here about axe wielding warriors, but about people who take the tough path in life. The man [or woman] who witnesses an injustice and fights against it. The person who doesn’t say: “Well, there’s nothing I can do about it.” The carers who sacrifice their independence to look after infirm relatives. The volunteers who risk their lives by working in the world’s trouble spots. Acts of courage are always spiritually uplifting and inspirational. Self preservation is natural to us, and constantly seeks to make cowards of us all. Heroes remind us of what we can be if we find the courage.’

I respect his books because of Gemmells own interesting past, he experienced the worst and the best, the pure and violent, which is why his characters were so full of color. His books are a pure pleasure to read because of the many parables and stories told within the books themselves, which always had the power to make me sit back and think. That element contributed most to the depth of his writing.

I will be adding excerpts from his books on the blog over the next few weeks or so.

Interviews with Gemmell are here, here and here.

He will be extremely missed.