Legend - David Gemmell

A simple title for a simple story: a fading empire, under threat from a torrential horde of invaders, seeks to hold fast behind an indomitable six-walled fortress. Despite the monumental size of the Dros, the beleaguered Drenai face an impossible task against a united, voracious and undefeated Nadir swarm. So daunted and dejected are the Drenai troops as they wait for what appears to be impending doom, that the call goes out to find and enlist the help of an aged Drenai warrior. His name is Druss. Druss The Axeman, Druss The Soul-Stealer, Druss The Legend. This novel lies close to my heart. I was formally introduced to the world of words by ...  Read the complete review

My good friend and fellow-writer Gildor_Inglorion knows a thing or two about books – and more specifically, about the fantasy genre from which seemingly no major work has escaped him. A little while ago, he gave me a copy of 'Legend' to borrow. Before I had the chance to read it though, it emerged that author David Gemmell had died. His death was a brief topic of conversation for us as I had heard little of the man, but the surprising media coverage surrounding the death of the 57 year-old fantasy author reminded me that I should get around to reading the novel that began his successful but sadly all-too-short career. Legend was first published in 1984, and ...  Read the complete review

I've never been much of a fan of Fantasy fiction. I've tried to get into it a few times but with the exception of Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit, it's just never seemed like my kind of read. That was until recently while browsing my local bookshop I decided to pick a book at random by an author I'd never read before. So without any knowledge for his reputation or other work I picked up this, the first book by David Gemmell. The book itself proclaimed him as the best writer of fantasy fiction and this made me think perhaps I'd made the right choice. The book is the first in his Drenai series and takes us to the mountain fort of Dros Delnoch where an attack ...  Read the complete review

This is the first book written by David Gemmell, the first Drenai novel, and also the first of his books I’ve read. I can’t, therefore, compare this to his other work as yet. However, it also means I’m not going to be overwhelmed with his popularity and reputation as “the finest living writer of heroic fantasy” (as the front cover proclaims), so fans – don’t get annoyed if I’m not all gushy and hailing this as the best book ever, okay?! Thanks. That said, this IS a good story, and an impressive debut from a man who has gone on to fame and fortune. I would say this book is almost basic – by that I mean ...  Read the complete review

The first novel by David Gemmell, and it is a classic piece of heroic fantasy fiction. The story revolves around a warrior, called Druss, who has achieved such status amongst his people, the Drenai, that he is simply known as The Legend. When the Nadir horde invade his homeland, he journeys to fight against them at the fabled fortress of Dros Delnoch, carrying with him his butterly shaped bladed axe. The fortress is has a central keep, encircled by seven massive walls, and the defenders hold each as long as possible before having to fall back to the next. At the midst of the battle is Druss, wielding his mighty axe, hewing down Nadir warriors by the ...  Read the complete review