Posted 23 June 2005 - 10:54 PM
You know, I thought I'd hate Gemmel. I saw him once at a con, and he called himself the "Louis L'Amour" of fantasy. He said he tended to use the same kinds of plots, with the same kinds of gritty characters in the same kinds of situations.
Then I read one of his books, and I was really drawn in. I guess this is the power of Sword and Sorcery. You know what is going to happen--you know who the good guys and the bad guys are, and you aren't really worried about complex character arcs. Yet, Gemmel wrote this all so well that I was able to just sit back and enjoy myself. There's a lot to be said for that, I think.
Though, to be honest, I think my absolute favorite books in this genre were the Hawk and Fisher novels by Simon R. Green. Quick, easy, and fun. I had a great time reading those.