The Last Guardian by David Gemmell

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Summary Even better than Wolf in Shadow
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Jon Shannow is the only one capable of finding the Sword of God that can close the gateway between the past and the present. The Stones of Power continues with The Last Guardian.

Jon Shannow is a fantastic character, right up there with Druss and Waylander and the opening book, Wolf in Shadow saw Gemmell at his best. David Gemmell is a unique story-teller and his writing really reaches a peak with this series, the characters are realistic and deserving of empathy, his nightmare dreamscape of a post-Armegeddon Earth so well done that it brings a feeling of desolation and lost hope to the reader.

The Last Guardian that the book refers to is Shannow himself and he really comes into his own in this book. The one thing that Gemmell excels as knowing how to end a book. The finale is wonderful and just what a reader deserves for putting the time and effort into reading an author's book.

The Last Guardian (Jon Shannow Novel) (Amazon.co.uk)

Author: David Gemmell
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 288
Publication date: 1990-04-19
Publisher: Orbit

RRP: £7.99
Lowest new price: £2.49
Lowest used price: £1.26


The Last Guardian (Jon Shannow Novel) (Amazon.com)

Author: David Gemmell
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 288
Publication date: 1990-04-19
Publisher: Orbit

RRP: $14.45
Lowest new price: $8.42
Lowest used price: $4.90

The gateway between past and present has opened, and evil forces of enormous power are unleashed. To close the gateway, the Sword of God must be found, and all that is known is that it shines in the clouds above the City of Beasts - a city ruled by the Dark Queen. Only one man can stand at the gateway of time - Jon Shannow, the Last Guardian. The hunters from his past who seek his death are but the first obstacle. For what Shannow doesn't know is that his actions could warp time itself - and herald the doom of worlds.
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