Midnight Falcon

Following Sword in the Storm, Midnight Falcon is David Gemmell's second novel in the Rigante sequence. This volume can stand alone, though the series will be more accessible if read in order. Seventeen-year-old Bane, illegitimate son of King Connovar, comes to the city of Stone, a place of gladiatorial combat, corruption, and religious terror. Embittered by his father's refusal to acknowledge him, Bane's wildness leads to bloodshed before friendship and betrayal force him to accept the complexities of power and responsibility. The novel builds to an epic climax, as Bane must accept who he is in order to lead his people in a desperate battle for their very survival. David Gemmell has created a detailed and realistic world in which the action is vividly described and often thrilling. Yet there is a melancholy tone, for the author is as concerned with the consequences of war and the nature of men of violence as he is with conflict itself. There is a sense of the tragedy of war, lending the sad grandeur of history to a strongly characterized and intelligent adventure. It is something the series has in common with Stephen King's haunting fantasy western epic The Dark Tower. --Gary S. Dalkin, Amazon.co.uk