Product Description

The Legend Druss, Captain of the Axe: the stories of his life were told everywhere. Instead of the wealth and fame he could have claimed, he had chosen a mountain lair, high in the lonely country bordering on the clouds. There the grizzled old warrior kept company with snow leopards and awaited his old enemy death. The Fortress Mighty Dros Delnoch, protected by six outer walls, the only route by which an army could pass through the mountains. It was the stronghold of the Drenai empire. And now it was the last battleground, for all else had fallen before the Nadir hordes. And hope rested on the skills of that one old man...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8027 in Books
• Published on: 1986-08-21
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 432 pages

Review
'Has pace, conviction and gritty resolute vitality...The result is a book that will be enjoyed by Tolkien fans' TIMES EDUCATIONAL SUPPLEMENT

About the Author
Legend was published in 1984 and David Gemmell was widely acclaimed as Britain's king of heroic fantasy. He died in July 2006.

Customer Reviews

A legend indeed.
Having read the Rigante series, but never a Drenai novel, I thought I'd head back to Gemmell's early work which put him on the page. There is an easy comparison to be made for Legend. Imagine a whole book devoted to the Helms Deep siege of Lord of the Rings and you're very close. The first half is character building, slowly and surely weaving emotional threads around the protagonists. There are some stereotypes in there, but this is enjoyable old-fashioned fantasy and no harm is done. When the siege begins, almost in to the last third, you have been lured in to a page turner. The chaos and death that seeps from the page is cleverly written, it paints a big picture of war, and is also full of the small detail of the central chararcters. Although a self-contained novel the characterisation will ensure you want to return to the Drenai saga. A very well written book of man and war; of love and death. This is war up close and dirty - dive in and read the one that started it all.

Gemmell's Best Book?
One of David Gemmell's earlier novels but still ranking as one of his best in my opinion.

Legend is a tale of many things but is mainly about the human spirit. The action in this fantasy novel tells of a foundering race who are under attack by a ferocious and savage horde, intent on bringing the fortress of Dros Delnoch to it's knees.

Into this breach steps a medley of heroes, and I use the term loosely. Each character in this novel has their reasons for being at the doomed fortress and few of them are truly noble. From the bumbling commander who is reviled by his own troops, the young farm boy seeking glory, the cowardly warrior fighting against his will, the mysterious Thirty and the aged legend of Druss who is just looking to die in battle, the characters are varied.

What really makes this book though is the sheer spirit of the people in it and the fact that all of them have motives other than being a hero. the way Gemmell seems to subtly suggest that all heroes are merely victims of circumstance is also quite intriguing and is shown by the bumbling commander and the cowardly warrior, are they any less of a hero than the mighty Druss by the time the story ends? Maybe they, who are not as accomplished in warcraft are the true heroes rather than Druss, a career killing machine?

While some criticise Gemmell for not having the complexity of an author like Tolkien, I personally find him a much better read. When I read, I want to be entertained by what is unfolding, not concentrating on each minute detail and Legend is a real page turning entertainment.

blown away
This was one of my very first fantasy novels,my house is now full of books both fantasy and sci fi.All I can say is thank you for many a pleasant hour spent in pure indulgence.
Legend was and still is one of the finest books I have read full of heroes out of legend.It is a must for all new fantasy readers only David Gemmell could build heroes of this stature {Druss the legend,The Earl of Bronze etc}.Epic battles,love and heroes.
A must for all new adveturers and must for all us old hands to hang on to our copies so we can start our advetures again.
I have only just found out about the death of the author the man was a LEGEND himself for he will be missed but not forgotten