Ghost King (The Stones of Power) Mass Market Paperback – November 29, 1995

As a huge fan of sci-fi and fantasy writing, I dread The Storyline. You know, the cookie-cutter model that almost all sci-fi and fantasy adheres to? Insert young boy here, father dying there, beautiful girl here, add a dose of magic and a few sword fights and volia! A fantasy novel. You all know. That's why you're reading these reviews, looking for something a little different.But not too different - we're happy in our comfort zone of magic and dragons and heros... we're just ready for the young boy to do something besides fight the evil forces for his father's throne with the aid of a beautiful woman, a knight by his side... and maybe a wizard or two thrown in for good measure.So don't be fooled by the idea that this is just another Arthur remake. It's anything but! And after reading it, I'm kind of insulted by the comparison. Yes, his name is Uthur. Yes, there's a lady in the lake. Yes, there's a magical sword. But the story is much more than that! The details in Arthur that define it are mere afterthoughts in this, they are almost insignificant to the main themes of this story.This book deals with ties to Atlantis. Roman Britons, the Sipstrassi stones, and some pretty fun battles. Uthur turns out to be an extremely likeable character.This is book 1 of 5 in the "Stones of Power" series. If you're a big fan of fantasy and sci-fi, the entire series is highly recommended. But if you hate sci-fi, just read the first two books. The last three take the idea behind the stones of power - and indeed, have some of the same characters - but strays from the romantic era to a mythical future where the world has toppled (literally), and the world is once again ruled with a six shooter.

A fast-paced epic adventure needlessly based on the King Arthur Legend.Story:After his father is assassinated, a sickly prince named Thuro must become a powerful warrior to restore order to the kingdom. While being hunted by dark spirits and bounty hunters, Prince Thuro escapes into a parallel dimension. Unfortunately, this dimension is ruled by an insane immortal sorceress.World:The setting is the European Dark Ages with battles between the Romans, Saxons, Angles, and Jutes.The parallel universe has magic, foul beasts, undead, and an evil sorceress.The series its name from "Golden Magical Stones" that essentially enable the wielder to cast spells.The parallel universe is so well written and interesting, the ties to Roman history feel a bit extraneous.The book would have been just fine without this.Writing Style:David Gemmell is one of the best writers of epic/heroic fantasy of all time. His characters act as real people in difficult situations, not idealistic archetypes. The action is gritty and violent. His stories are inspirational. There's also a lot of insight to the human spirit in his books. His only flaw is that he is formulaic. After you've read about 10 of his books, you start to see the same scenes over and over again. Ghost King is under 300 pages and contains epic struggles in two different fantasy universes. As a result, the story moves at an incredibly fast pace.Fantasy Overload:This book has everything!!! A Sorceress, Immortal Heroes, Battles, Castles, a Magic Sword, Beasts, Undead Spirits, etc... There is almost too much in the book. It also seems unnecessary to name the main character Uther Pendragon (after Arthur Pendragon), and have a Lady of the Lake, an Excalibur type sword, Romans, etc... This book didn't need any of that. It would have been just fine as a completely original 'boy becomes a man and fights evil' story.Action:As with all David Gemmell books, there's LOADS of action: Fist fights, skirmishes, epic battles, monster slaying, heroic duels, undead battles, etc... This book is crammed from cover to cover with every type of action you can imagine. You'll feel the thundering hooves of the cavalry, you'll see the bloody swath as a sword slashes through an enemy soldier... It's all great.Maturity:There's tons of violence with a bit of gore, and some adult situations, but nothing overly graphic.Overall:This is a very fast-paced novel that is like a cross between King Arthur, Roman History, the Wizard of Oz, and Conan the Barbarian. If you're looking for a Robert Jordan deep world adventure, you wouldn't like this. But if you want tons of action in a fast paced story with strong characters, then you really need to pick this one up. I didn't think this book was as good as Gemmell's Waylander, Winter Warriors, Legend... because it moved too fast. You never really get to settle into the characters. But if you want some light reading with tons of action, this book is perfect.

I’ve been reading Gemmell for two years now, and his writing style never gets old. The way he ties folklore and mythology is superb. If you’ve read Gemmell in the past, Ghost King will be a great start to a new adventure. Beginning starts a bit slow, but as the story rolls along there’s so much information and it paints a beautiful picture.

Another great novel from David. He has stuck to his formula, though it is a great formula: teenage boy and girl brought unexpectedly together and their lives become intertwined with the support of wise, elder companions.The twist with this series is it encompasses King Arthur, Immortals, and the IX Roman Legion. Gemmell makes it clear the series is not meant to be historical fiction. But, he writes as if it's completely plausible. Definitely worth the read.