Its a matter of personal taste, I really do rate Conn Iggulden, yet if you get into historical fantasy heroism then Bernard Cornwell is also pretty good at what he does.
Try Glen Cook's Black Company books. Gritty, amoral, amusing and plenty of action. Very similar feel to Gemmell... like Gemmell meets Erikson. It's more like Gemmell than any of the others in this thread.
Also similar but not as good (imo) as either is Fred Saberhagen's "Empire of the East" trilogy.
I can echo what others have said about trying James Barclay's stuff. David Gemmell was James' mentor. If you like Gemmell you will probably like James Barclay. He is not a poor man's Gemmell.
The Raven series are fast paced action adventure fantasy about a band of mercenaries who end up saving the world. With alot of banter between the main characters it is great fun but also full of high tension as Barclay has no qualms about killing off people. The Ascendants of Estorea duology is set in a Romanesque world and much more of an epic saga revolving around the birth of magic into a highly religious empire that is struggling to maintain control.
Barclay writes some of the best battles imho.
Chadbourn is nothing like Gemmell but well worth a read. His Age of Misrule series (which is probably the best place to start) is set in the modern day when technology fails and magic returns along with all the old gods. 5 flawed individuals are drawn together to help bring back the Tuatha de Danann to help fight off the evil Fomorii. There is alot of celtic and arthurian legend in it and it's also a great road trip around the UK. Very well researched.
Thanks for Barclay recomendation, even if he was a poor mans Gemmell i would be glad to read him. Anyone that writes a similer type of story half as good is good enough to read to me.
I have read several of the current so called big guns and there are no one near Gemmell among them.
i don't know how many people will agree with me on this (hides behind a shield), but ive always enjoyed David Eddings. He has a similar writing style to DG, but is a little different. The Elenium series is a good one to start on, then move on to the Tamuli. They are good reads!!
Better make space to one side then Kania. My shield is going next to yours. Im not a fan of a lot of his stuff (the dreamer trilogy, my god even the fire wouldnt touch that) but I did enjoy his Sparhawk (Sextet or Sextuple, matter of personal choice really. LOL) novels.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.