The nightmares continued however, as did the fear, which he said was 'grafted onto him' and became his 'ever present companion'. He also suffered from recurring nightmares of vampires coming to suck his blood, for which his mother took him to see a child psychologist. More given to reading than fighting, Gemmell lived in constant fear of his bullies. As a child, he 'would have given anything' to stand beside King Harold II at the Battle of Hastings. Gemmell enjoyed books from a young age, and had a particular fondness for Tolkien's The Hobbit, and for medieval history. Most of the blows came from other children, but sometimes adults too would weigh in.' Anyway the word was less hurtful than the blows that would follow it. Happily the boy was only six, and had no real understanding of what the word meant. This boy's mother was – the boy heard so many times – a whore. This boy's lack was the subject of sly whispers from the adults, and open jeering from his peers. 'Some of the other children had no father, but their lack was honorable. Speaking of himself in the third person, he shared the following insight about his childhood at the World Fantasy Convention in Texas, October 2000: Due to the absence of his father, David suffered taunts and physical abuse from other children as well as adults.

He had a harsh and troubled upbringing in a rough urban area in west London. The David Gemmell Legend Award for fantasy writing was established in Gemmell's memory and first awarded in 2009.ĭavid Gemmell was born an illegitimate child on 4 August 1948. The novel was completed by his wife Stella Gemmell and published posthumously. Gemmell died of coronary artery disease while working on Fall of Kings in his home near Hastings in 2006. He is widely regarded as one of the finest writers of heroic fantasy. Receiving both commercial and critical acclaim, Gemmell's novels characteristically feature morally grey heroes, fast-paced action sequences and strong themes of honour, courage and redemption. He also authored a handful of stand-alone novels, including one non-fantasy title under the pseudonym ' Ross Harding'. Gemmell's final set of books was the historical fantasy trilogy Troy. His other work includes the Stones of Power, Jerusalem Man, Rigante, Macedon and Hawk Queen series.

Gemmell is perhaps best known for his Drenai series, home to some of his most iconic characters, including Druss and Waylander.

The work quickly became a classic, and he went on to write over thirty novels.

David Andrew Gemmell (4 August, 1948 – 28 July, 2006) was a bestselling British fantasy author.Ī former journalist and newspaper editor from west London, Gemmell published his debut novel, Legend, in 1984.

Against the horde david gemmell