Legend (Drenai)

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He had a clear ethos/worldview that runs through all his books. His readers often repeat it as delivered through the eponymous Legend (Druss the Legend, aka Druss of the Axe, aka Deathwalker): A shadow fell across Druss's eyes, the sun died in the heavens and the mountains receded into mist. Pain clamped Druss's mighty chest, soul deep, and he almost fell. Legend, it should be noted, was written at speed when Gemmell thought he was dying after receiving an erroneous cancer diagnosis. He wrote many books and his writing improved. I think the same improvement happens to many authors, myself included, but the nature of publishing success often means that it's our first book that sells most widely and is best remembered.

So, yeah, not persuasive. If the text is important (and I think it is), then it is important for its transformational position, the knife’s edge on the Romanic/Germanic orientation: the immovable object of Tolkien’s cold war orientation broken by the unstoppable force of Romanic nostalgia. You may think life is sweet now, but when death is a heartbeat away then life becomes unbearably desirable. And when you survive, everything you do will be enhanced and filled with greater joy; the sunlight, the breeze, a good wine, a woman's lips, a child's laughter. Sure, the basic plot is pretty norm. Small army versus bigger army, oh noes! But it's the characters, their lives and the subtle plot twists that make this book...well, a classic. It's these differences that turn Legend from an everyday fantasy novel, into a heroic-fantasy-legend. Legend has something for everyone." Both Legend (1984) and Wolf in Shadow (1994) have also been released as graphic novels, with text by Stan Nicholls and artwork by Fangorn. Druss is called upon to inspire the soldiers and fight another last impossible to win battle, charged with holding the Dros Delnoch pass, until the Nadir Horde are repelled or every last soldier is dead. Our reluctant hero takes on the task, seeking a date with his own Death. We also have the funny, charming and very cowardly Rek, who would love to spend his life far away from any military conflict, eating drinking and keeping female company. He has a staggering fear of combat and sees this as his biggest failure. However, circumstances and a woman, contrive to take him to the middle of the biggest battle of recent times, and he has to make some hard choices.I read this book years ago and I consider it a testament to how good of a book it is that I remember it all quite clearly. In many ways it is not a great fantasy novel, and in fact I remember that around the half way point I nearly quit it because I found it a bit too formulaic. Druss makes for an enjoyable main character. A revered old warrior who has come out of retirement for one last fight. His struggles to live up his legend even as his body failed him made for poignant reading (all the more so as Gemmell apparently had the initial idea for this while dwelling on his own mortality as he awaited the results of a cancer exam) that reminded me somewhat of Clint Eastwood's great role in Unforgiven. Rek was also a likeable protagonist: his struggles to control his berserker rages and his often comedic dialogue were all interesting features of his story. There were a cast of pretty straightforward secondary characters who all nevertheless served their roles in the story well. The standout for me was the cowardly lord of the fort. When Druss arrived a expected him to be hilarious and dramatically removed from office (with a possible pantsing/wedgie to go with it) but instead Druss gave him a second chance and his struggle to regain respect: both that of himself and of his men, was pretty inspiring. who marches to the great fortress to defend his people one last time. He is the heart and soul of this story.

I'll be honest with you. My brother pushed this on me almost a year ago and I wasn't in a hurry to read it. I've read a few David Gemmell books before and it takes a special book to get me to read Tolkien-esque fantasy. I've never found Gemmell's writing to be particularly good. Naturally! And you know, I think he was smiling even as I slew him. But then he was an ugly man. I mean really ugly. It's not right.' The Nadir horde of Ulric the Uniter has conquered several northern nations and prepares for an invasion southward into Drenai territory with an army of 500,000 warriors. The fate of the Drenai empire hinges on the defence of Dros Delnoch, a fortress guarding a mountain pass into Drenai lands. If the fortress can hold for three months, the Drenai may be able to muster a force capable of repelling the Nadir invasion. But the Drenai army has dwindled during the reign of Lord Abalayn, and the Delnoch garrison has been reduced to less than ten thousand men, under the leadership of Abalayn's incompetent nephew Orrin.The bitter sweet of dying in the defence (bitter because of the dying, sweet because of the friendships forged, depths revealed etc) are highlighted in Druss with this being the end of a long, legendary life, and we get to see the legend and the man, both butting up against each other, both overlapping, both seen through his own eyes and of those around him.

Legend is David Gemmell’s literary version of the passing of the torch on to modern authors the heroic journey and the flawed characters along that adventure. With all the amazing fantasy authors we have today, it is nice to remember where it all began with whom I consider one of the godfather’s of modern fantasy. Mark Lawrence, R.A Salvatore, and my favorite author John Gwynne are all huge fans of David Gemmell and I hope after reading Legend you will be too. He was taken from us too soon but he will forever live in his stories from one generation to the next! The quality of a book is generally judged by the words in it, in addition to the story. It's not just what you say, how you say it also matters. Yet Achilles is not the only hero who is remembered through the ages. In fact, the greatest hero of the Iliad is Hector. Where Achilles is remembered for the glory of his life, Hector is heroic for the manner of his death. Knowing with absolute certainty that to face Achilles in a duel means death, he accepts the challenge anyway. Not to be suicidal, but to die in the manner he tried to live. What makes a man (or woman) great, or heroic? What does it mean to die a "good death?" For that matter, what does it mean to even live a life worth living?The premise of Legend is one of its biggest draws. An endless horde of enemies gather at the gates to deal the killing blow to an empire in its winter years. The only thing standing in their way is the once mighty fortress of Dross Delnoch and the warriors who defend its walls. The plot is simple and straight forward, which feels refreshing in a time where complex fantasy stories with multiple layers seems to be the norm. It is just nice for a bit of simplicity every now and then. Although I already knew what happens, I was still heavily invested in the characters and their desperate last stand against the hordes of the Nadir. Second time around, it is just as epic, fun, and full of emotion, especially towards the end. Unfortunately, not all plot threads worked for me, including its convenient final battle and abrupt ending, both of which left me feeling a little disappointed. Dros Delnoch is the greatest fortress in the world, a narrow pass guarded by six high walls and a great keep, but under Abalayn its complement of defenders has been reduced to less than 10,000 men under the leadership of an unfit General. The fate of the Drenai hinges on the defence of Dros Delnoch. If the fortress can hold the Nadir horde for three months, the Drenai general Magnus Woundweaver might be able to gather and train a Drenai army. However, given the odds, no-one truly believes that Delnoch can be held. ... Jordison, Sam (22 June 2009). "Let's stop sneering at fantasy readers". The Guardian . Retrieved 23 June 2009.