The King Beyond the Gate
| Author | David Gemmell |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | Drenai series |
| Genre | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Century |
Publication date | 1985 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (Paperback & Hardback) |
| Pages | 415 pp (first edition, paperback) |
| Preceded by | Legend |
| Followed by | Waylander |
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The King Beyond The Gate is a fantasy novel by David Gemmell. It was published in 1985. It was the second book published by Gemmell, after Legend, published a year earlier. The book is set in the same fictional world as Legend, that of the Drenai, but is not a sequel in the usual sense as the events of the two books take place around a century apart. Thus the main protagonists of Legend are long since dead and play little part in The King Beyond the Gate, other than passing mentions. This set a precedent for the entire Drenai series, in which very few characters appear in more than one novel, the gaps between novels sometimes running to centuries, giving a more epic, historical flavour to the series.
Synopsis
The King Beyond the Gate takes place a century after Legend takes place. The Drenai are under the rule of Ceska, a mad emperor. Ceska has a force of Joinings to help keep him in power. Joinings are werebeasts, created by merging animal with man. He also has support from the Dark Templars. The Templars are fighting priests without equals. Only one man can stop him... Tenaka Khan.
This book details the rise of Tenaka Khan, descended from both Ulric (The great khan) and Rek (Earl of bronze). It is the story of the true Nadir uniter. This book also details the tale of Decado, the ruthless swordmaster who has never been defeated. In The King Beyond the Gate Decado is known as the Ice Killer, a descendant of Skilgannon the Damned, though this is unknown until The Swords of Night and Day. Decado, much like Tenaka Khan and his ancestor Rek, is severely flawed. Unlike the self-conscious Tenaka and Rek, Decado worries about his life as a cold-blooded killer, and his 'fleeing' to Source priests for sanctuary against his previous life. In The King Beyond The Gate, Decado succumbs to the Source Priests in what seems redemption. His clone appears in The Swords of Night and Day.