A century after the heroic defence of Dros Delnoch, the people of the Drenai face a new terror - a mad emperor kept in power by the Joinings, werebeasts of awesome power, and the Dark Templars, priests of Darkness and warriors without equal: two forces of unsurpassed evil.

One man, an outsider hated by the Drenai for his Nadir blood, and despised by the Nadir for his Drenai ancestry, sets out to destroy the emperor. He is one man against the armies of Chaos.

He is Tenaka Khan - the Prince of Shadows.

Once again David Gemmell manages to cast a character so perfectly, the he lives and breathes on the pages.

Set partly in the land of the Drenai and partly in the land of the Nadir, The King Beyond the Gate exposes the reader to a wonderful mix of emotions. Sadness at the insanity of discrimination, happiness at Tenaka's humanity and rage at the foolishness which can create so many problems.

 Gemmell's genius lies in the humanity of his characters and the fact that when you follow those characters through the land he has created, you can almost smell the land.

While I haven't quite figured out the parallel geography of the  Drenai Saga, Gemmell's world is flawless and entirely believable.

If you haven't started reading this saga and you have a taste for good fantasy - and believe me this is GOOD fantasy, then get this book. You will love each and every one of them. I have so far.