Reviews

Il lupo bianco by David Gemmell, Fabio Grano

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dmcke013's review against another edition

5.0

In short: this is the book that if I didn't already know (and like) Gemmell's work, would have been the one to convince me to read more by him. Ranks up with [b:Legend|618177|Legend (The Drenai Saga, #1)|David Gemmell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388201276s/618177.jpg|1805413]as one of Gemmells best works.

A bit more: While the cover of the version I read has the words 'A Novel of Druss the Legend' along the top, just above the author's name, I actually feel that this would be better described as 'A novel [u]with[/u] Druss the Legend' (see the difference?), as the latter implies that Skilgannon, on his own, is not a strong enough character to hold the central position of the story. A fact that is wholly untrue (in my opinion) with Skilgannon one of Gemmell's better creations, even if he does follow the old hero-with-a-tortured-past shtick. Don't get me wrong: he's one of the better examples of that particular type of character, that Gemmell pulled off so well!

sleepiebear's review against another edition

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4.0

I had planned to read this and donate it, but I might keep it. An epic fantasy saga beautifullie contained in one book. I love the characters and the storie. a good book

lauregul's review against another edition

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5.0

White Wolf ist ein typisches Gemmell Buch. Eine kleine Gruppe von Helden begibt sich auf eine Quest, in diesem Fall, um ein Mädchen zu retten. Wieder einmal kehrt die lebende Legende Druss zurück, diesmal begleitet von dem legendären Schwertkämpfer Skilgannon.

Die Helden haben, wie bei Gemmell üblich, jeder eine strenge Moralverständnis. Dennoch lassen sie selbst sich als Charaktere nicht rein in Gut und Böse einteilen. Damit hat Gemmell schon früh geschafft, wofür George R.R. Martin und Co. Heute gelobt werden. Seine Charaktere sind bereits seit den 80er Jahren „graue“ Charaktere. Gerade diese Charaktere und deren Moralvorstellungen sind es, die die Bücher von Gemmell so gut machen. Geradezu philosophisch werden deren eigentlich recht simplen Gedanken dem Leser immer wieder gezeigt.

Die Story ist an sich nichts Besonderes. Sie ist die archetypische Heldenreise. Die Helden bekommen bzw. stellen sich selbst eine Aufgabe und begeben sich auf ihre Quest. Auf ihrer Reise stellt sich ihnen die ein oder andere Gefahr entgegen, bis sie schließlich ihren Zielort erreichen. Besonders ist allerdings, dass es hier wirklich nicht um die Rettung der Welt oder ähnliches geht. Das zu rettende Mädchen ist in keinerlei Hinsicht besonders, das Einzige, was sie auszeichnet, ist, dass ihr Vater ein Freund von Druss ist.

Alles in allem ein tolles, wenn auch nicht einzigartiges, Buch. Gemmell schrieb meistens die gleichen Storys, verstand jedoch wie kaum ein anderer, wie man eine solche Geschichte gut schreibt. Das Buch ist definitiv lesenswert, besonders sofern man bereits die anderen Geschichten über Druss gelesen hat – das ist jedoch nicht notwendig, da die Geschichte sehr gut für sich alleinsteht.

duffypratt's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Once again, this was more of the same from the other Drenai novels, and yet somehow better than the earlier ones. The characters are deeper, while Gemmell still preserves an admirable economy of writing. In a typical modern fantasy, this book would be twice as long, but less rich.

The main themes of this one are redemption and revenge. These appear in almost every one of the intertwined plot lines, and Gemmell's explorations of them never struck me as being simpleminded. The main character is Skillgannon, a former general who had betrayed his love, who is also his queen, by abandoning her. He has committed too many war crimes, and is seeking to lead a simpler, less evil life. She sends assassins after him.

The structure of the story is a bit more involved than usual, involving a shifting narrative between "current" events and the back story of how he met her and became involved with her. Along the way, we also get involved with a group of characters, including Druss, who become part of his party. And we follow his nemesis, along with a few magic wielding characters who have appeared elsewhere in the series. Mixed together, it makes for a quite satisfying stew.

I only have one book left in the Drenai series, and I'm wondering whether I want to continue on to another of Gemmell's series. Probably so, but I have the same issue to deal with with Bujold and Butcher and some other writers. For a long time, I was basically a completest with respect to authors I enjoyed. If I found someone I liked, I would compulsively read everything they had written. I am nowhere near so OCD now. While I would probably enjoy more by Gemmell, there are lots of other authors I would also like to try.

On the other hand, if his writing continues to improve from book to book, I can't see why I would hold back. There aren't many writers who are both so consistent and who steadily get better.