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David Andrew Gemmell (/ ˈɡɛməl /; 1 August 1948 – 28 July 2006) was a British author of heroic fantasy, best known for his debut novel, Legend. A former journalist and newspaper editor, Gemmell had his first work of fiction published in 1984. He went on to write over thirty novels.
Jul 28, 2006 · Fantasy novelist David Gemmell, best known for stories such as Legend and Waylander, has died at the age of 57. Gemmell had heart bypass surgery two weeks ago and appeared to be making a good...
Jul 31, 2006 · Fantasy hero Gemmell remembered. By John Jarrold. Book editor and literary agent. Author David Gemmell, who has died aged 57, was recognised as the best - and bestselling - writer of heroic...
- Early Life
- Writing Career
- Death and Posthumous Publications
- Personal Life
- List of Works
- Legacy
Childhood
David Gemmell was born an illegitimate child on 4 August 1948. He had a harsh and troubled upbringing in a rough urban area in west London. Due to the absence of his father, David suffered taunts and physical abuse from other children as well as adults. Speaking of himself in the third person, he shared the following insight about his childhood at the World Fantasy Convention in Texas, October 2000: 1. "Some of the other children had no father, but their lack was honorable. Dad died in the wa...
Youth
As a teenager, Gemmell was arrested several times and expelled from school at the age of sixteen for organising a gambling syndicate. One psychologist's report from the time labelled him a psychopath, also stating that Gemmell showed a great ability to "be utterly single minded and screen out everything in order to complete a task."Gemmell later stated that this greatly helped him to keep deadlines during his writing career. Gemmell also developed a love of Westerns in his teenage years, part...
Employment
Gemmell’s first job was as a labourer, digging foundations. He later worked as a lorry-driver’s mate for Pepsi Cola.In the evenings, Gemmell found work as a bouncer at various nightclubs in Soho, landing the job due to his six foot four inch and 230 pound frame. He rarely had to bounce customers, however, preferring to use his gift of gab and “silver tongue” to resolve the situation. Gemmell's career as a journalist began when his mother set up a job interview with a local newspaper. Of 100 a...
Early attempts at fiction
It was during this period that Gemmell began writing fiction in his spare time, although none of his work was published. Gemmell himself said about his very first attempt at writing, a crime thriller titled "The Man from Miami", that it was "so bad it could curdle milk at fifty paces".After becoming a published author, he often entertained his fans at book signings by reading out rejection slips he had received from publishers, one of his favourites being the following: "You mention in your r...
"The Siege of Dros Delnoch"
In 1976, Gemmell was tested for cancer after suffering extreme weight loss and urinating blood. When his wife suggested that he do something to take his mind off the cancer, which they feared may be terminal, he began writing a novel. "The Siege of Dros Delnoch" was completed in two weeks; the story centred around the defence of a fortress against an attacking barbarian horde, a metaphor for Gemmell's own situation.He purposefully left the ending open, awaiting the results of his test before...
Published author
Gemmell's journalism career overlapped with his career writing novels until the publication of his third novel Waylander in 1986, when he was fired after using colleagues' names for characters in the book. Gemmell later said that his Managing Director had regarded it "a poisonous attack on his integrity." After the publication of Waylander, Gemmell became a full-time author, writing 32 novels in total, some as part of long-running series, others as standalone works. Most of his novels were in...
In mid-2006, Gemmell was on a trip to Alaska when he became discomforted. Immediately travelling back to the UK, he underwent quadruple heart bypass surgery in a private London hospital. Within two days he was able to take physical exercise and returned home to resume work on his latest novel.On the morning of 28 July 2006, four days before his 58t...
Marriages and family
David Gemmell married twice. His first marriage to Valerie Ballard produced two children (a daughter, Kate, and a son, Luke). He later married Stella Graham, whom he had worked with on several of his novels. The couple made their home in Hastings on the south-east coast of England until the author's death.
Lifestyle
Though he spent much of his time working on his novels, Gemmell was a "restless man" who "enjoyed life and embraced the fruits of material success". He admitted to leading an unhealthy lifestyle; in his own words: "I smoke heavily, drink more alcohol than is considered good for me, and have a passion for chocolate and foods full of animal fats. In short, in health terms, I am a walking disaster waiting to happen." Gemmell also enjoyed playing video games, such as Age of Empires.
Religion
David Gemmell was a devout Christian.His religious beliefs are reflected in the consistent theme of redemption in his works. Gemmell has himself claimed that all of his novels have a religious basis, calling them "essentially Christian books" and saying that Christianity stopped him from "promoting the cause of evil" by writing "mindless savagery".
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) – a novel of Druss the Legend 8. Winter Warriors(1997) 9. Hero in the Shadows (2000) – a Waylandernovel 10. White Wolf (2003) – book one of The Damned; a novel of Druss the Legend 11. The Swords of Night and Day (2004) – book two of The Damned
1. Ghost King(1988) 2. Last Sword of Power(1988)
1. Ironhand's Daughter(1995) 2. The Hawk Eternal(1995)
David Gemmell is fondly remembered as being a part of the pantheon of great fantasy writers worldwide, particularly as one of the finest writers in the genre of heroic fantasy. When he died in 2006, obituaries were featured in The Times, The Guardian, The Telegraph and BBC News.According to Wayne MacLaurin, David Gemmell has "done more to rid the g...
Gemmell died of coronary artery disease while working on Fall of Kings in his home near Hastings in 2006. The novel was completed by his wife Stella Gemmell and published posthumously. Read more...
He died in Hastings on the southeast coast of England, at home with his wife. On July 28, 2006, four days before his 58th birthday, Stella Gemmell found him dead at his desk. Writing fantasy was not Gemmell’s first choice.
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He died on July 27 th 2006, aged 57. Obituary by Anne Nicholls. David Gemmell, August 1st 1948 – July 28th 2006. A tall figure, broad at the shoulder and narrow at the hip, stood poised in a doorway, wearing a wide-brimmed hat just like the hero of his Shannow novels. It was Dave Gemmell, who lived as he wrote.
