Villain to hero, Bard to sorcerer. A simple bard Owen Odell tells the story of the great hero Morningstar and how he becomes this man. Jarek Mace is a thief, adulterer and murder if the price is high enough he will do it. This man is a main part in the finding and making of the great Morningstar. Owen and Jarek at first there was hatred between them but they grow to have the greatest friendship any one could have. They travel the forest together and are brought into a war mainly because of Jareks obsession with money. As the story goes on they fight many enemys,beast of the undead and Vampires especially the three Vampire kings, immortal with the strenth of ten men they are the finest enemys. The story entails time travel wars and a great battle, the book also has a bit of romance in it but do not let that put you of (or turn you on). This book is great and worth reading it is exciting all the way through and as all Gemmel books leaves you wanting to read on. This book is sad in parts as when a female equatence of mine read it she cried. This book is a must to read and if you are a Gemmell fan and has not read it READ IT NOW.

A tale of a hero, who doesn't want to be a hero, a man forced along 
on the rollercoaster that is life to do that which he does not want. 
All Jarek Mace would like is a castle by the sea but events soon 
overtake him and he is almost forced to stand as a talisman against 
evil for his people most of whom have never met the man.

This book must be one of Gemmell's best; he weaves his normal 
engrossing tale of dark heroism but adds more in this one of his 
finest works. The book twists and turns from the beginning often 
making you stop and think of what has just occurred. Gemmell's 
imagination must be like a boiling sea of lava to produce such a 
complex work like this and yet it is still as inevitably readable as 
are all of his tales. 

Beware of this book for if you should stumble 
upon it unwittingly you could loose yourself within it's depths and 
the suddenly it's Sunday afternoon and you've missed tea on Friday… 
A totally absorbing read which will leave you breathless, less gritty
than normal, more style… different to his other books like Waylander 
but still as good. 

A mark out of five??? Well obviously it would have to be 5 
(If only for the ending - now there is a piece of writing to touch 
even the most hardened navvie).