The BIG Question

[Grimblade]

Ok, my family are all big Gemmell fans and this has been troubling me for some time now. Let me elaborate.

In more than one personal interview before his death Mr. Gemmell dished out more than his fair share of cryptic hints at how exactly EVERY SINGLE NOVEL of his that wasn't under the guise of his alias is CONNECTED.

But how?

Many of us have gathered that his world is actually set in the future, rather than the past, and the nations used in all have backgrounds in nations of our world. For example the city of Stone from the Rigante series is referred to as Rome in a "different world". Metaphorically or literally who can know.

Anyway, I want to know for damn sure exactly what it is that connects everything.

Is it the Source? Gemmell was a Christian and relied heavily upon his faith; the Source is featured in the vast majority of his books and when it isn't referred to directly it's still hinted at.

What about the Sipstrassi Stones? These items are carried by Shaman and Sorcerers and Heroes in many of his novels, sometimes under different names but always with the same description.

I was wondering what everyone else thinks on the matter?

[Max von Bek]

Here goes:

Echoes of the Great Song
(10,000 years)
Atlantis falls due to Mr Shannow's shenanigans)
(100s of years)
Troy trilogy
(100 or so years)
Lion of Madecon/Dark Prince
(100s of years)
Ghost King/Last Sword of Power
(another couple of hundred years pass, right up until the our present day and then)
World topples over due to Mr Shannow's shenanigans.
(300 years pass)
Wolf in Shadow/Last Guardian/Bloodstone
(just under 10,000 years pass - technology level exceeds present day)
World topples again causing the Days of Ice and Fire.
Knights of Dark Renown/Morningstar
(another couple of 100 years)
Waylander/Druss/Legend/KBtG/QfLH/Winter Warriors et al.

From what is revealed in Stormrider, the world of the Rigante exists as a mirror to ours, as does Ironhand's Daughter/Hawk Eternal. The world of Dark Moon is also another version of Earth, and along with the other two, can likely be reached via the Gates that are dotted around the world of the Drenai which were mentioned in either KbtG or QfLH.

Dark Moon is an odd one, as it doesn't exist coterminously with the other timelines, as people in it seem to have come over from the Drenai world at some stage (the humans at least). A little weight is led to this as humanity seems out of place on that world, as well as the Source priests being seen as something not as good as people seem to remember them being, and while tenuous, could point towards them having come from the same group as the Thirty.

Did I miss any books out? I think that just about covers them all.

[Shacklock]

Aha, I'd drawn my own connections about them all being connected but never knew Gemmel had said it himself!

The Source is hinted at or mentioned in most of his books, I think in one of the Skillgannon books we hear about how the world was toppled and how it used to be much more advanced. *Ponders away* Damn him for dying, we're never ever going to know for sure *Sigh*