The King Beyond the Gate

by David A. Gemmell · 1985

Set a century after the events of Legend, the Drenai people suffer under the rule of the tyrannical Emperor Ceska, who maintains power through his monstrous Joinings—half-man, half-beast abominations—and his elite Dark Templars. Tenaka Khan, a half-breed warrior despised by both the Drenai and the Nadir for his mixed ancestry, emerges as the only hope to overthrow the emperor. He gathers a desperate band of allies, including former soldiers and farmers, to launch a final, perilous gamble against the forces of chaos.