| Waylander | |
| Author: | David Gemmell |
| Cover Artist: | Luis Royo |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | English |
| Series: | Drenai |
| Genre: | Fantasy |
| Publisher: | Arrow Books (p/b) Century (h/b) |
| Release Date: | 28 August 1986 |
| Media Type: | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages: | 320 (first edition, hardback) |
| Isbn: | 978-0-7126-9414-8 |
| Isbn Note: | (first edition, hardback) |
| Oclc: | 16681980 |
| Preceded By: | The King Beyond the Gate |
| Followed By: | Quest for Lost Heroes |
Waylander is a fantasy novel by British writer David Gemmell, published in 1986.[1] [2] [3] [4] It is the first of three Waylander stories,[5] followed by and Waylander III: Hero In The Shadows.
The assassin Waylander is doomed to travel the world in search of revenge against those who killed his family.[6] After allying with a priest, a fellow assassin, a young woman and three children in her charge, Waylander gradually redeems himself and tries to save the kingdom that he plummeted into chaos.[7]
Waylander The Slayer is the main character of Waylander, and Hero in the Shadows. An anti-hero like the Earl of the Bronze in Legend, Waylander appears at first immoral, an assassin with only mercenary motivations, however is revealed through a series of flashbacks to be a tortured soul, once noble, and now seeking redemption for the singular evil act that defined his legend - the regicide of Niallad, a kind-hearted and well-loved Drenai King.[8]