The Legend of Deathwalker

Not quite as good as Legend, but it was good to read a story of Druss' early days. This is typical Gemmell at his fantasy best, in the 'axe and sorcery' genre. Druss is a take no prisoners kind of guy, though not quite as bitter as the older version.
Gemmell does a good job with somewhat bitter heroes and makes them someone you want to keep reading about. Its not pretty or fancy, but good fantasy.

"Some men would die for your fame."
"A lot of men have," observed Druss.

Druss is a real hero. He fights the worthy causes, for love, honour and righteousness. Druss is a man who sees right and wrong as black and white, and although he should be a simple man, his story which has spanned several novels, is a complex one. Gemmell cleverly devises a story which fits in-between existing tales, without warping their exiting plot-lines. This is the story of how the Nadir came to call him 'Deathwalker'. The story takes some time to manoeuvre the key players in to a position in which Gemmell can produce yet another excellent crafted siege. Druss is best when he's in combat and their are plenty of varied scenarios presented here to keep the show more readers amused. The rhetoric is top notch, with nods to the stories already in print. Any Druss novel should not be passed unread; this is a quality piece of fantasy, if a little slow to get started. show less

Absolutely first rate fantasy tale, and a jewel of the Drenai saga.

I’ve always considered Gemmell’s Drenai books to be both grittier and more thoughtful than his other series, and the books that cover the scope of Druss’ life have an added element. ‘The Legend of Deathwalker’ is another example of how he could write much more than well-paced action and hard-pan heroes facing insurmountable odds. From the prologue that finds Druss briefly back on the walls of Dross Delnoch we realise that here is a tale to settle down to, to be enchanted by. It could be Sieben the poet recounting the bouts in the arena, the journey across the nadir steepes and the ferocious battles - and irritated philosophical wrangling - along the way.

The show more characters are perfectly nuanced, varied; the story is richly layered and the pieces of the plot merge seamlessly into something that is more than just a cohesive story of heroes and hard fought battles – they weave a richer thread through the fascinating lore and history of the Nadir, Drenai and Gothir empires and, of course, flesh out the life of Druss himself, Gemmell’s most enjoyable and enduring hero.

And of course, there's a quest, a rising leader in moral and historical juxtaposition to the corrupt and falling star, a shaman trying to steer the path of destiny and the Nadir are, naturally, fighting amongst themselves... because when Gemmell wields his pen, like a certain axe-man, things are going to get interesting and pointed. show less

Druss is such a great character.
These Drenai books are gradually getting a bit more complicated with their plots with several characters paths weaving together.
I wanted a story like this regarding Druss's legendary stand at Skeln, rather than 46 pages at the end of the first chronicles......

You always know what you are going to get from a David Gemmel fantasy novel,and he always does it well. I particularly the Druss novels because they bring with them a sense of moral clarity that I think is well suited to the fantasy setting.

CHRONICLES OF DRUSS THE AXEMAN

Onder de brute overheersing van de Gothir dromen de nomadenstammen van de Nadir van de Eenmaker, de voorspelde held die de stammen kan verenigen en de eeuwenlange onderdrukking kan beëindigen.

Talisman, een mysterieuze Nadirkrijger, trekt daarom naar het graf van Osjikai Duivelsklauw, op zoek naar de legendarische Ogen van Alchazzar, twee juwelen van enorme macht die het pad naar de Eenmaker zullen verlichten.

Maar er zijn anderen die achter de juwelen aanjagen...

Garen-Tsen, de man die in het rijk van de Gothir de macht in handen heeft, stuurt de elite van het Gothirleger naar het heiligdom rond het graf van Osjikai om de juwelen te roven. Ze kunnen onmogelijk verliezen: vijfduizend van de beste soldaten tegen het handjevol wilden dat show more het graf bewaakt.

De wilden worden echter geleid door een van de beste strategen ooit: Druss, de legendarische Drenaikrijger met zijn befaamde bijl Snaga. show less