Legend

According to Wikipedia (without citation), David Gemmell originally began Legend while being tested for cancer. It was a straightforward metaphor: Dros Delnoch represented him, beleaguered by a formidable foe, the Nadir standing in for the cancer. Perhaps the doctor who was able to tell him he did not, after all, have cancer was a crusty old man who felt obliged to keep tending patients because in some way he was the only one to do it.

But that is, of course, just conjecture. The title, Legend, now pertains not only to Druss, renowned hero of past wars, but to the book itself. It is a giant in the genre, a benchmark and milestone for what are now several solid fantasy tropes.

My first Goodreads status update was:
"P. 14, and I'm show more already in awe. The prologue: epic, and the 1st chapter was like a textbook on show-don't-tell. I now know Rek and the others - and about the coming war - and never once did DG come right out and TELL me any of it. It was indirect and through dialogue and I should probably take notes it's that bloody good. Except: head-hopping. No wonder I can't break the habit when my examples are writers like this."

I rate the book highly; I consider it required reading for a fantasy fan. But while it inspired me to read the rest of the first three Drenai novels, there I stopped, and there I'll stay stopped for a little while. One reason was sheer overload. The body count in my reading was growing exponentially, with great battles and villages razed and soldiers, civilians, men, women, children, horses, and anything else writers felt like throwing in dying in their thousands throughout the book(s). In smallish doses I can manage this. I'm more cynical than I'd like to be, but when this sort of thing is unrelenting over several books that I start longing for fluffy puppies and buttercups and a complete absence of epicness and rotting corpses. This isn't to say that David Gemmell's writing is humorless; the characters exchange banter that is genuinely funny. The problem is that – this being war – so many of the characters you laugh with in one chapter are so very, very dead a few pages later. Still, Legend was the beginning of a re-read of Gemmell's books, and – slowly, parceled out over time – I look forward to making my way through the rest of my collection. Interspersed with comfort reads, of course. show less

One of Gemmells' best. Not a great plot, but Druss is the ultimate stubborn, old hero. Druss is an admirable hero without being cute, invincible or endowed with super powers. That doesn't mean he isn't tough, nasty, and able to kick butt early and often, which is where Gemmell is at his best. Definitely worth reading and a good introduction to the Drenai series of books.

From the Thermopylae to the Alamo there have been battles where the few have held back the mighty and Legend by David Gemmell is such a story. This fantasy novel, first published in 1984, tells the story of how the Empire of Drenai is under threat from the united tribes of the Nadir. An army of over 500,000 strong marches toward them and all that stands in their way is the fortress of Dros Delnoch, which is built in a narrow pass and guarded by six high walls and a great keep. Unfortunately years of peace have left the fortress under-manned and there are less than 10,000 defenders under the leadership of an unfit General. To give the country time to gather and train an efficient army they need to hold the fortress for three show more months.

Although there are a number of characters, each with their own reason for taking a stand at Dros Delnoch, the story focuses on two in particular, that of Regnak, an ex-army officer who has no desire to be there but follows the woman he loves. The other is the greatest hero of the empire, Druss the Legend. He is now in his sixties and much weaker than he was in his prime. Nevertheless he is still a great warrior and an inspiration to the troops. For him a death on the battlefield is much preferable to that of a quiet one.

Overall I loved this story of overcoming great obstacles and sacrificing for a cause. This heroic tale of honor, courage and duty is definitely one for the ages with it’s fast pace, gripping characters, and vivid violence but it is also a very telling tale of the carnage, waste and futility of war. Certainly not a perfect book, but one that touched my emotions and so deserves the 5 stars I am giving it. show less

Billed as "heroic fantasy" this book lives up to its name.
I'm still not convinced by the fantasy genre - it always seems to be gallant knights of the middle ages with a dash of ghouls and dragons. But this book nails it - it is a great yarn, well told, and the medieval siege fighting and the supernatural elements are just props in the background of that story.
One jarring note - the casual sexism of the era (published in 1984) allows the fiercely independent Earl's daughter to disappear into the background as soon as she is married, while the husband immediately takes on the role of the Earl, via the marriage, when the father-in-law conveniently dies; and he is able to knock her to the ground in a minor disagreement and feels no show more compulsion to apologise - but she probably deserved it!! show less

It must be a good 10 years since I last read this, and picking it up again was brilliant. Like an old friend. An old friend with a bloody big axe :) I’m really not one for reading about battles and wars in general, but Gemmell’s characters are always engaging and all my usual reading rules go out the window with him. Legend is a classic page turner, Druss is the ultimate hero and I can’t wait to carry on into the series. Unlike so many fantasy authors Gemmell was never one for the waffling, pointlessly drawn out narrative that can drive you mental with 1,000 page tomes. He gives you exactly what you need for a fast paced tale, and I love him for it. If only there were more like him. He’s sorely missed.

This was a pretty good war story ruined by a haphazard and coincidental ending. The story evokes emotion in the reader well and deals with a great many epic themes. It is just my opinion, but I do not like novels that jump around inside all of the characters' heads with such unbridled omniscience. Anyhow, the fantastic elements resist the most overt cliches, and the characters are interesting, fallible, and likable, but, as I say above, after jumping into every single one of their heads, I do not feel especially close any of them. Also, I think this should appeal to military fantasy buffs, but everyone else should be forewarned that this is pretty much one long battle story.

Where do I even begin? I just don't get it. I don't get the praise for this book, I don't get the four and five star ratings... I just don't get it.

It's just so stuffed with awful, it's overflowing. It's lucky to be getting two stars from me.. If not for a few (very few) redeeming sections that I actually enjoyed, it wouldn't even pull that. But I mean honestly. Really? Really really?

I don't even know where to start. I mean Rek.. He was just so inconsistent. He's described one way when we meet him, but his actions never fit that description, and just get further and further from it as the story progresses. Not in a character development type way.. Just in a what the fuck kind of way. Druss.. Whatever, he was ok I guess, but nothing show more special. All of the characters in general were just ok. I did like Orrin, but that's about it.

The dialogue.. Oh my good God the dialogue. It's so horrible and awkward and unrealistic, it physically hurt me to read it. The relationships and bonds formed between characters felt totally contrived. It was just bad. So so bad.

The romance.. So fucking weird. Anyone who has read this knows the relationship I'm talking about. It was just... Creepy to me. Like tie-a-chick-up-in-a-closet-and-cut-off-all-of-her-fingers-and-feed-them-to-her-one-by-one creepy. And don't even get me started on how the women in this book are treated! In one scene, a husband straight up punches his wife in the face during a disagreement. She asks him later if he's going to apologize, and he's basically like "bitch, please..." and kisses her to make it all better. And that's ok with her. Later a woman is sternly told to "OBEY YOUR HUSBAND, WOMAN!" and she meekly does. It's just.. It's like Gemmell never met an actual woman. And before you say anything.. I get it. It's fantasy. It's an alternate world, maybe that's just the culture, right? But it didn't feel like that. It just felt.. Wrong.

I had been warned though, about the dialogue issues and the women issues. But I was assured that Gemmell was the master of Sword and Sorcery type fantasy, and that his battles more than made up for it. So I waited.. Battle time came.. It was fine I guess, but nothing spectacular. I guess maybe when it's written beside that horrible dialogue, you're just glad they're done talking, so it becomes better in comparison? I don't know. I honestly don't. For me, just fine wasn't nearly enough to make up for all of the crap.

I could go on.. But it's pointless. Obviously I just don't get it. I really wanted to like this, I wanted to love it in fact. But I couldn't. Even trying my hardest, I couldn't. I probably will read another book in this series, just to see if maybe it will hook me. I do really want to like it.. And I understand that this was Gemmell's first book.. Maybe it gets better. Maybe I'll read another, get hooked, and then my opinion on this will improve. It wouldn't be the first time! But for now.. Two stars. Barely. show less