Geekery

Geek God – David Gemmell

Posted on 15. Dec, 2009 by Jake in Geek God

This may come as a bit of a shock to those of you who are fans of both Gemmell and this blog – but I’m not a fan. Nonetheless, such a large number of my geek compadres idolise the late fantasy author so much so that I am forced to declare him a Geek God. While detractors like me find his stuff a tad repetitive, a friend of mine and a rabid fan of Gemmell’s says “I don’t care if he writes the same story over and over again – it’s a great story.”

Gemmell (August 1, 1948 – July 28, 2006) wrote over thirty novels and has sold millions of copies worldwide. Interestingly, he grew up in a poor, urban area of London and his father left at an early age, which led to him being mercilessly teased as a child. However contrary to those who may think that due to his status as a Geek God David Gemmell must have been weedy, he was actually very tough and hardcore. Although he preferred reading books to physical activity his dad convinced him to take up boxing as a way of toughening up. It worked. Gemmell was expelled from school at the age of sixteen for organizing a gambling syndicate and was arrested several times while still under 20. He later became a construction worker and a bouncer at nightclubs, before his mum set him up an interview with a London newspaper. Apparently, Gemmell was hired despite having no experience because he was very arrogant during the job interview, which his future employers mistook for confidence. At any rate, this job started him on a journey as a writer, which would culminate in Gemmell having his first novel published at age 36.

Gemmell’s first and most successful book, called Legend, was published in 1984. Since then he churned them out, until his unexpected death from a heart attack in 2006. His books, as those who have read them will know, are heroic fantasy novels, usually with tons of violence and a super-macho hero who kicks ass and takes names throughout. Why do geeks love reading about men so far removed from their own world of desks and PCs? Whatever the reason, the amount of bona-fide geeks who have become obsessed with the worlds Gemmell created for you to escape to earn him his place in the pantheon of Geek Gods.

Tags: author, best-selling, David Gemmell, fantasy, Geek God