David Gemmell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids David Gemmell
Born	(1948-08-01)1 August 1948 London, United Kingdom
Died	28 July 2006(2006-07-28) (aged 57) Hastings, UK
Pen name	Ross Harding
Occupation	Author
Nationality	British
Period	1984–2006
Genre	Heroic fantasy Historical fantasy
Spouse	Valerie Gemmell, Stella Gemmell
Children	2 (to Valerie)

David Andrew Gemmell (1 August 1948 – 28 July 2006) was a British author. He was famous for writing heroic fantasy stories. His first published novel was Legend.

Before becoming a full-time writer, Gemmell worked as a journalist and newspaper editor. His first book came out in 1984. He wrote more than thirty novels in total. His stories often explore ideas like honor, loyalty, and finding a way to be good again. His heroes are usually brave but also have their own struggles. Over one million copies of his books have been sold worldwide.

The David Gemmell Awards for Fantasy were created to celebrate fantasy books. These awards were given out from 2009 to 2018. A group of 18 authors helped run the awards, and the public voted for the winners.

David Gemmell's Early Life

David Gemmell was born in 1948 in west London. He was raised by his mother until he was six years old. He grew up in a tough city area and faced bullying from other kids. His stepfather encouraged him to learn boxing to defend himself. This idea of standing up for yourself became important in his later writing. As a child, he dreamed of fighting alongside King Harold II at the Battle of Hastings.

When he was 16, Gemmell was expelled from school for breaking rules. As a young person, he sometimes got into trouble.

Later, Gemmell worked different jobs like a laborer and a nightclub bouncer. His mother helped him get an interview at a local newspaper. Even though he wasn't the most qualified, he got the job. He worked as a journalist for several newspapers in East Sussex. He even became the editor-in-chief for five of them. He also wrote articles for big national newspapers like the Daily Mail.

Gemmell came from a family that believed in socialism. He supported Labour politicians in the 1960s. However, he also agreed with some ideas from Thatcher and Reagan on foreign policy, like during the Falklands War.

His Writing Career

David Gemmell first tried to write a novel in the 1970s. This book, The Man from Miami, was not published. He later said it was "so bad it could curdle milk."

In 1976, he was diagnosed with a serious illness. He started writing The Siege of Dros Delnoch to take his mind off it. He wanted to publish a novel before he died. He wrote the book in two weeks. It was about a siege where a fortress had to fight against huge odds. This story was a way for him to think about his own illness. The fortress was him, and the invaders were his sickness.

When he found out his diagnosis was wrong, he put the book aside. In 1980, a friend read the story and told him to try to get it published. It was accepted in 1982 and published in 1984. The new title was Legend. It became very successful. Gemmell said that writing Legend was a "golden time" for him. He felt it had a special "heart" that couldn't be improved.

Gemmell continued working as a journalist while writing his first few novels. After his third novel, Waylander, was published in 1986, he lost his journalism job. He had used the names of his colleagues for characters in his book, which caused problems.

After that, Gemmell became a full-time author. He wrote over thirty novels. Most of his books were heroic fantasy. He also wrote one crime thriller, White Knight, Black Swan, under the name Ross Harding. This was his only book that wasn't a bestseller. Two of his novels have also been made into graphic novels.

Personal Life

Gemmell was married twice. His first marriage to Valerie had two children. He later married Stella, who he often mentioned in his books. They lived in Hastings, England, until his death.

Death and Legacy

In mid-2006, David Gemmell was on a trip to Alaska when he felt unwell. He returned to the UK and had heart surgery. He seemed to be recovering well.

On the morning of 28 July 2006, just before his 58th birthday, Gemmell passed away. His wife, Stella, found him at his computer. He had died from heart disease.

When he died, Gemmell was writing the last book in his Troy series. He had finished about half of it. His wife, Stella, decided to complete the novel. She was a former reporter and had helped him with his writing for years. Stella reread his past works to understand his style. Troy: Fall of Kings was published in 2007, written by both David and Stella Gemmell.

Gemmell was also a supporter of the Hastings Writers' Group. He was the main judge for their writing competition, which was named the Legend Writing Award after his famous novel.

In 2008, the David Gemmell Legend Award was created. This award aimed to celebrate fantasy literature. A group of 18 authors helped guide the award, and the public voted for the winners. The first award was given in 2009 to Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski.

Military historian Ross Cowan dedicated his book For the Glory of Rome to Gemmell. He wrote that Gemmell's novels about warriors and heroes, especially ancient Greeks and Romans, inspired his interest in the Roman army.

Influences and Themes

David Gemmell was interested in historical events that ended sadly for the main characters. He was inspired by stories like the Battle of the Alamo. He realized that telling stories where heroes win against all odds would work best in a fantasy setting.

Gemmell's books often explore themes like honor, loyalty, and getting older. They also talk about lost causes and how even bad characters can find a way to be good again. He was interested in the "true nature" of heroes, seeing them as complex. The idea of redemption in his books shows his Christian beliefs. He said his novels had a religious basis and were "Christian books."

Gemmell's time as a journalist helped him develop his fast-paced writing style. Some critics said his writing was very direct.

He was known for creating strong characters. He often based them on real people he knew. For example, the hero in his novel Legend was based on his stepfather, Bill Woodford. Bill appeared in many of Gemmell's later novels in different forms. When Bill died, Gemmell changed his novel Ravenheart to make the "Bill" character central to the story. Gemmell was also influenced by classic Western movies. You can see references to these films in his Rigante series.

Works

Fantasy Fiction

Drenai Series

1. Legend (1984)
2. The King Beyond the Gate (1985)
3. Waylander (1986)
4. Quest for Lost Heroes (1990)
5. Waylander II: In the Realm of the Wolf (1992)
6. The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend (1993)
7. The Legend of Deathwalker (1996)
8. Winter Warriors (1996)
9. Hero in the Shadows (2000)
10. White Wolf (2003) (The Damned Series Book 1)
11. The Swords of Night and Day (2004) (The Damned Series Book 2)

The books were published in a certain order, but the events in the stories happen in a different order. The chronological order is:

1. Knights of Dark Renown
2. Morningstar
3. Waylander
4. Waylander II: In the Realm of the Wolf
5. Hero in the Shadows
6. The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend
7. The Legend of Deathwalker
8. White Wolf
9. Legend
10. The King Beyond the Gate
11. Quest for Lost Heroes
12. Winter Warriors
13. The Swords of Night and Day

You can also find some of these books in collections called anthologies or omnibuses:

• Drenai Tales Volume I; includes Waylander, Druss the Legend, Legend, and The King Beyond the Gate
• Drenai Tales Volume II; includes Quest for Lost Heroes, Waylander II and The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend
• Drenai Tales Volume III; includes The Legend of the Deathwalker, Winter Warriors, and Hero in the Shadows

Rigante Series

1. Sword in the Storm (1999)
2. Midnight Falcon (2000)
3. Ravenheart (2001)
4. Stormrider (2002)

Stones of Power/Sipstrassi Tales

This series has a few different names. All the books are about special objects called the Stones of Power, or Sipstrassi. The first two books retell the legend of King Arthur. The last three books follow a character named Jon Shannow. The first four novels were published together in one book called Stones of Power: A Sipstrassi Omnibus in 1992.

1. Ghost King (1988)
2. Last Sword of Power (1988)

Jon Shannow

1. Wolf in Shadow (1987)
2. The Last Guardian (1989)
3. Bloodstone (1994)

• Omnibus: The Complete Chronicles of the Jerusalem Man (1995)

Hawk Queen Series

1. Ironhand's Daughter (1995)
2. The Hawk Eternal (1995)

Individual Fantasy Titles

• Knights of Dark Renown (1989)
• Morningstar (1992)
• Dark Moon (1996)
• Echoes of the Great Song (1997)

Historical Fiction

Troy Series

1. Troy: Lord of the Silver Bow (2005)
2. Troy: Shield of Thunder (2006)
3. Troy: Fall of Kings (2007)

Greek Series

1. Lion of Macedon (1990)
2. Dark Prince (1991)

These two books (Lion of Macedon, Dark Prince) are often grouped with the "Stones of Power" series. They share some characters and ideas about how the world works.

Other Books

• White Knight, Black Swan (1993; written under the name Ross Harding, re-released 2017)
• Rhyming Rings (2017; published 11 years after his death)

Graphic Novels

• Both Legend (1984) and Wolf in Shadow (1994) have also been made into graphic novels. The text was by Stan Nicholls and the artwork by Fangorn.

Images for kids

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  David Gemmell, a British author

See also

In Spanish: David Gemmell para niños