[This review originally appeared on my writing blog in July 2009.]
This book was incredible. Magnificent. It made me think, it made me cry–it made me want to be a better man.
David Gemmell examines issues and themes such as life, death, and love in ways that are as meaningful and honest as they are powerful. He is never preachy or trite, never academic or distant. You feel that you are there, with the characters, struggling with their struggles, wrestling with their despair, breaking out of it and finding what it means to truly live, to be a hero. Incredible.
This novel is violent, but never gratuitous. When someone kills or is killed, you see the consequences. That’s part of what makes this book so powerful. It’s a lot like On My Way To Paradise in that respect.
Gemmell does an excellent job developing his characters. Within a couple of pages of each new characters’ introduction, you feel like you know them. As the book progresses, many of them change in satisfying ways–most of them, in fact. I felt such a powerful connection to these people that when they died, or when they grieved because their friends and loved ones died, I cried with them. Awesome.
As far as setting goes, Gemmell gives you just enough information to understand what’s going on without getting in the way. He strikes an excellent balance. You get a sense of history without any massive, story-stopping info dumps–no info dumps at all. At the same time, there are enough interesting world details that you do get a sense of wonder, of another place. I loved it.
The overall plot is pretty basic, but there are enough subplots and twists to keep things interesting. Druss’s story is very straightforward–basically, a retelling of Beowulf. However, Druss doesn’t show up until around chapter five. Before that, we get the setup for the other main characters: Regnak, Virae, Serbitar, Vintar, etc. Their stories get wrapped up in Druss’s, but are just as important to the novel as a whole.
There were a couple of minor twists towards the end that made me go “huh?” I won’t give spoilers, but I will say that they were minor enough that they didn’t take away much from the integrity of the novel as a whole.
Legend was Gemmell’s first published novel, and it’s understandable that certain parts would read like a first novel. What amazes me is that despite the occassional amateur mistake, the work as a whole is so incredible.
Gemmell is in his own league. This book is a classic. READ IT!!!
Legend by David Gemmell
He is DRUSS the Legend. His skill in battle has earned him a fearsome reputation throughout the world and the stories of his life are told everywhere. But the grizzled veteran has spurned a life of fame and fortune and has retreated to the solitude of his mountain lair to await his old enemy, Death.
Meanwhile, barbarian hordes of the Nadir are on the march, conquering all before them. All that stands before them and victory is the legendary six-walled fortress of the Drenai empire, Dros Delnoch. If the fortress falls, so do the Drenai. Druss reluctantly agrees to come out of retirement. But can even Druss live up to his own legends?
