The King Beyond the Gate
core novel 1985 The Drenai Saga
Record
| First published | 1985 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.14 (16,311 ratings, collected 2026-09-12) |
| Page count | 415 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780712608725 |
| Internal chronology | 8 |
Synopsis
Published in 1985, this second Drenai Saga novel is set decades after the events of Legend. It follows Tenaka Khan, a soldier descended from two storied Drenai bloodlines -- the Nadir uniter Ulric and Regnak, Earl of Bronze -- as he and companions including Ananais and Decado work to topple Ceska, the emperor who has seized control of Drenan. Ceska's rule rests on the Joinings, monstrous werebeast enforcers bred to terrorize dissent, and on the backing of the Dark Templars, an elite warrior-priesthood whose loyalty may serve agendas beyond Ceska's own. After early victories, Tenaka concludes that toppling the regime will require more than a small band of rebels, and travels into Nadir territory to try to unite its scattered tribes behind him, setting up a wider confrontation with the capital.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Drenai Saga
- Series: The Drenai Saga core; position 2 of 11 in the series' recorded order
- Author: David Gemmell
Notes
- From the series record (The Drenai Saga): Publication order differs sharply from internal chronology (recorded per book in internal chronology).
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings and are never conflated: a book's place in one says nothing about its place in the other.
- Publication order, within the series The Drenai Saga: position 2 of 11: previous Legend (1984) · next Waylander (1986)
- Internal chronology, within The Drenai Saga: position 8 of 11: previous Legend (1984) · next Quest for Lost Heroes (1990)
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Gemmell
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_King_Beyond_the_Gate
- https://davidgemmell.fandom.com/wiki/The_King_Beyond_the_Gate
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