“Never violate a woman, nor harm a child. Do not lie, cheat or steal. These things are for lesser men. Protect the weak against the evil strong. And never allow thoughts of gain to lead you into the pursuit of evil. Never back away from an enemy. Either fight or surrender. It is not enough to say I will not be evil. Evil must be fought wherever it is found.”
-The Iron Code of Shadak
I love the uncompromising quality of that code, the assumption is not that all fights will be won, but that no fights will be shirked.
However, author David Gemmell is not soft on Druss, he admits that the courage of a father that backs down from a fight to protect his family may well be greater than the man that allows his ego to lead him into confrontation. So the code provides a moral compass for a character that admits it is not the only way to live - in Druss' terms he would simply see one rule for himself and another for others with different needs.
How Mario Napoli Beat Chen Village Taiji
7 years ago
Never again have i read anything like the Books of Gemmell.
ReplyDeleteAn i am afraid i never will be.
People say the internet does not forget.
So i hope it is true and your legacy will live on .
And even if it is just Shadak's code. You will live on Gemmell.
Hail from the land of the once proud and now politically puppets.
I know you wont be reading this David Gemmell and i know some people may call me whatever they like (good one eh?) but your books helped me keep my hope alive that even in the darkest days. There can be a light. Flickering, dampened... but a light .
Thank you. And may the Source accept you.
i'll stop now. 10 years and i still feel tears welling when i think about your journey to the source.
PS : Another man who knows how to write wrote this : You need to believe in things that aren't true. How else can they become ?
Thx bb
Ouuhh this code will enter in Legacy of Humankind, it saved my life from poor mistakes since my teenage years.
DeleteAs Druss, I apply it everyday, forge a strong mind, so easy to get tempted and frustrate some time but so much worth living it :)
Hope you too FlyingShoes, have a great life now, may David Gemmell be remember as the Legend he was channeling througth his his books.