The Swords Of Night And Day (Skilgannon the Damned 2) [Mass Market Paperback]

Other revenants include the body though not the soul of his old comrade-in-arms Druss the Legend, and more than one form of this era's tyrannical queen the Eternal, a woman once very important to our hero. This queen not only controls overwhelming armies but is literally eternal because technomagical wizardry makes death, for her, no more than a minor interruption. Her current lover is an obsessed psychopath carrying the only swords more deadly and cursed than Skilgannon's, the Swords of Blood and Fire.

The land is infested with sorcerously created man-beast "Joinings"; in an unusual subplot, one hapless and unheroic merchant tries to teach a pack of these monsters to hunt animal rather than human prey. Naturally there is copious swordplay, not to mention axe-wielding and archery, all described with Gemmell's usual kinetic skill at handling fluidly violent duels, skirmishes and battles. Even with help from a tiny remnant of Druss's folk, the Drenai Legend Riders, Skilgannon's quest seems utterly hopeless. But correctly interpreting the fantastic, colourful imagery of that millennium-old prophecy suggests a desperate course of action.

The storyline is as compelling as ever, punctuated by artful flashbacks, with a generous helping of unexpected twists, betrayals, tragedies and triumphs. Gemmell's countless fans will not be disappointed. --David Langford --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

A thousand years after they fell in battle, two heroes - Druss and Skilgannon - are revered throughout the war-torn lands of the Dernai, where men and women live in abject fear of the dark sorceress known as the Eternal...

But what if the soul of one such hero could be called back from the void, his bones housed again in flesh? An ancient prophecy foretold that Skilgannon would return in his people's darkest hour. To most, this was a foolish hope. But not so to Landis Kan. Having found Skilgannon's ancient tomb, he gathers up the bones and peforms the mystic ritual.

But the reborn hero is an enigma: a young man whose warrior skills are blunted and whose memories are fragmented. This Skilgannon is a man out of time, Marooned in a world as strange to him as a dream, remote from all he knew and loved. Or nearly all. Before bringing back Skilgannon, Landis Kan had experimented upon other bone fragments found in the hero's tomb. That ritual resulted in a surly giant who possessed astounding strength but no memories. To Kan, he is a dangerous failure. To Skilgannon, this giant represents their last hope.

As ageless evil threatens to drown the Drenai lands in blood, two legendary heroes will once again lead the way to freedom.

The mighty Skilgannon is back ...

Called back from the void to fulfil an ancient prophecy, Skilgannon the Damned has returned to help his people in their darkest hour.

But this Skilgannon - brought back to life by a mystic ritual - is a man out of time. Marooned in a strange world, he now finds himself isolated from all he once knew and loved.

Or nearly all. A surly giant possessing astounding strength but no memories has also been given the gift of life. To some he is a dangerous failure. To Skilgannon, this giant represents their last hope.

As ageless evil threatens to drown the Drenai lands in blood, two legendary heroes will once again lead the way to freedom.

David A. Gemmell's first novel, Legend, was first published in 1984 and went on to become a classic. His most recent Drenai and Rigante novels are available as Corgi paperbacks; all are Sunday Times bestsellers.

Widely regarded as the finest writer of heroic fantasy, David Gemmell lived in Sussex until his tragic death in July 2006.