In the Realm of the Wolf by David Gemmell is the sequel to Waylander and is the continuation of the Drenai saga. In fact, this is book 5 in the saga. So far, every book I have read by Gemmell has been a joy to read, this one is not any different.

Unlike some sequels this book does not pick up right where the previous one left off. However, Gemmell does a very good job of filling in the years in between with small conversations, and small flashbacks of some of the characters. Normally I don’t like the time jump, but in this case it worked out well and probably kept the book to a manageable size versus some of the larger volumes of fantasy work that seem to be the ‘in thing’ right now.

The plot of this book is fairly straight forward, fans of Gemmell will know what to expect with this one. The names and faces have changed a little, but the straight ahead plot is still here. It is a joy to read Gemmell’s work from the first novel onward as the reader gets to see his progression as a writer and a thinker. There is the main plot in this book of Waylander trying to find who put a price on his head as well as hunting someone who feels the need to kill. The sub plot, involves Waylander’s adoptive daughter from the first book and her progression into a bigger player in the world and what that ultimately means. By reading the book sin order that they were written, not chronologically, the reader is allowed a rare glimpse into the future and what will ultimately happen. The ending of this book really had me sit back and say “Whoa!” It was amazing to see how Gemmell brought everything together.

The characters in this book are fairly stereotypical, kind of the “what you see is what you get” character. There is not a lot of deviation from what one would expect. However, that works with this book. The main two characters, Waylander and Miriel, are written in such a way that the reader feels comfortable with them, yet new enough to hold the reader’s interest. There is some character development in this book, but most of it happens with the secondary characters. I think part of this is that Waylander developed so much in the first book there was really only so far he could go. Not a bad thing mind you, just an observation. The Thirty really begin to have depth in this book and Gemmell does a very good job at fleshing out what their order is all about and the internal struggles that they must face each and everyday. To me, one of the highlights of reading Gemmell is the struggles that he puts his characters through. He does a fantastic job of allowing us to get inside the characters heads. It’s not simply a hack and slash book, there are definite emotions and feelings associated with his characters.

Overall, I am very impressed with Gemmell and will certainly seek out more of his books. Fans of the fantasy genre should give his first book, Legend, a chance. It has elements that everyone will enjoy. Once you read Legend I am confident you will want to continue of the tale. I highly recommend these books to everyone even remotely interested.