Not quite as fun as the first Shannow book, but still a rousing weird western adventure. ( )

At last in this book, the sometimes wandering feel of the first novel comes together into the story Gemmell wanted to tell, making more sense of the timeframe. I’d say it’s definitely necessary to read the first two books of the trilogy as a single book to understand the whole, and while there is a book three, these first two read almost like companion books, complete in themselves. I found the second volume easier to read than the first, perhaps because Shannow comes more into his own. He’s the perfect quasi-essential anti-hero because of his imperfections and culpable past. ( )

The Last Guardian (Jon Shannow Novel) - David Gemmell *****

Jon Shannow is back in the second part of the Jerusalem Man trilogy.

This book takes off roughly 2 years after the previous novel ended. We now find Shannow still working towards his goal of locating Jerusalem. His guns continue to blaze and as usual he feared and admired by people in equal measure.

As with the previous novel the Siptrassi stones play a major part of the plot. With whoever holds one gaining magical powers. We meet humans who are turning into wild beasts, hunters and a variety of different races. Can Shannow find his beloved city? And what significance does the God's Sword in the Sky have?

Gemmel uses his creations to successfully introduce many different themes, all of which have featured prominently in our own Earths History. Strongly running through the novel the reader can expect to find examples of slavery, racism and how man treats the environment. Something that I normally hate in a book is when the author introduces time paradoxes and alternative dimensions, but here they are written so well that they blend into the main story excellently.

My only criticism of the book would be that, in my opinion, you would need to read the first in the series to fully appreciate past events.

Can't wait for the third. ( )

On retrouve ici la suite des aventures du pistolero Jon Shannow, mais le personnage a évolué, on le sent moins obsédé par sa quête de Jérusalem et il va se faire happer par un cataclysme qui le dépasse. On est dans le mélange des genres total, et on se retrouve avec des sauts temporels et des portails qui font s'affronter deux époques: les survivants du cataclysme contre l'Atlandide, sa magie et ses mercenaires reptiliens (!)
L'intrigue est prenante mais il faut vraiment aimer les mélanges, qui sont parfois vraiment limite vraisemblables mais il fallait du talent pour imaginer cette histoire ! ( )