Midnight Falcon is the second novel of the four-book Rigante series by David Gemmell. First published in 1999, it follows the story of Bane, the bastard son of Connavar, the main protagonist of the first novel.
Plot summary[]
Bane is the illegitimate son of the Rigante king Connavar, called Demonblade. Despite his distinctive eyes - one tawny brown the other forest green - the eyes of his father, Connavar rejects Bane, refusing to claim his as his own. Bane’s childhood is marked by difficulty; he is viewed as an outcast and feared by his people.
Seeking acceptance elsewhere, Bane travels across the seas, where he eventually finds the peace he has craved. When this new life is destroyed by a cruel new enemy, Bane becomes set on revenge, desiring only to wreak vengeance on the swordsman who took it away. He begins a career as a Gladiator, honing his fighting skills and becoming a fearsome warrior as he competes in the Empire’s lethal arenas.
When the Armies of the Stone threaten the people of his homeland, Bane will have to decide whether retribution is more important to him than the future of the highlands, the Rigante people, and even the Seidh.
Main characters[]
- Bane - bastard son of Connavar, King of the Rigante
- Banouin - young half-Rigante half-Stone druid
- Voltan - former gladiator and leader of the Stone Knights
- Rage - ageing gladiator and mentor to Bane
- Jasaray - Emperor of Stone
- Nalademus - Stone elder and First Minister, leader of the Crimson Priests
- Persis Albitane - owner of Circus Orises
- The Veiled Lady - leader of the Tree Cult
- Vorna - healer of Three Streams, mother of Banouin
- The Morrigu - Seidh goddess of death and mischief