Legend

“By all the gods that ever walked, I swear that you are the finest men I ever knew. And if I could have chosen the end of this tale, and peopled it with heroes of the past, I would not change a single thing. For no one could have given more than you have. And I thank you.”

This is the biggest surprise of the year for me. I expected to like this book. I LOVED this book. The fact that it was Gemmell's first book, and with the knowledge that the siege is meant to represent Gemmell and the invading horde his cancer, just made the book so much more poignant. Helm's Deep and the battle of blackwater being two of my favorite battles ever makes me think retroactively I should have prioritized this book way sooner.

Gemmell is very good at making simple lines of dialogue or simple sentiments come across very sincerely. There were many moments in this book where I was close to tears or I was fist-pumping because of how something was phrased. His prose is simple while being wholly immersive and effective. He was really excellent at this in the Troy trilogy too; I sense a new favorite author on the horizon.

He is also great at character. This book is peppered with a lot of “warrior dude who thinks honor is most important” and yet they all feel realistic and despite the overwhelming odds against the main characters, I felt every death. I think Gemmell makes little narrative choices that are irregular but kept me on my toes where I felt like the story would be predictable but he changes the formula just enough to leave me impressed. A quick example of this is a POV shift in the middle of a skirmish where we start following a random enemy soldier. You think you know where that's going to go but then it does something different. Or a POV cut to a random soldier's wife. In general, the omniscient narration was well done here and used to great effect.

“When I die, he thought, everyone will mourn for Druss the Legend. But who will mourn for me?”

And of course, the legend himself!!! It is really hard to write “legendary” characters. In general, the exploits people talk up about them are going to be more impressive than actually writing the character being an active participant. But Druss is an all-timer. Every line of dialogue, every action he takes, every moment where he thinks of his illustrious past is just incredible. I would be a little bitch in a siege, but I would stand a lot taller if Druss was there with me.


My one negative for this book would be some super quick insta-love at the beginning, but I did end up liking how the relationship was depicted. I just wish it developed at a more realistic pace.


“I have four armies like this - can I be stopped?”
“Stopping you is not important,” said the Earl. “It never was.”
“Then what are you doing?”
“We are trying to stop you.”

10/10, on the strength of this and the Troy trilogy, I think I will read all of Gemmell's work.

I kept hearing how good and seminal this book was, but also kept putting it aside in my Tbr list because i feared it would feel dated. And it's true. It is a great book and it does feel really dated.

• engaging prose, too slow pacing, no compelling plot.
  
  The whole book is about a battle that is about to happen, where the protagonists have no hope to win, something like 10k vs 500k soldiers. The story focus on each character's perspective of the event, some embrace the defeat and the glorious death that will come with it, it, others plan to flee when it's most convenient to them.
  
  There is a strong focus on painting the characters as either real people or just plain anti heroes. This spells drama to me, and its not something I look for in my fantasy stories.
  
  Overall this is just the tale of the lives of a few selected people who might stand out in an upcoming battle. It's not interesting.
  
  Read 3:24 / 13:13 26%

Every but as good as when I first read it. An original classic of the genre.

Firstly, to be clear, Legend isn't the finest set of words ever committed to paper. In some ways David Gemmell's writing is rather unsophisticated and technically flawed (in some places its actually rather raw) but this doesn't matter. Taken as a whole Legend is perhaps it's one of the most entertaining books I've ever read. Why? Well, a number of reasons:

1. The depth of characterization surprised me. Gemmell's writing style is crisp and succinct and he retains an ability to get you to really care about the characters. For example, even the antagonist Ulric, leader of the Nadir, is presented as a multidimensional person, to the point where you actually feel he is a reasonable and rounded person: not just a cackling villain who rubs his hands together and then twirls his moustache.

2. Druss the greatest hero of the Drenai. At the start of the book it is clear that Druss is in his sixties and much weaker than his prime but still a formidable warrior and an inspirational leader to the Drenai. His death is foretold; he is to die defending his people one last time at Delnoch or he has the option to prolong his life by lapsing slowly into senility. He chooses the former. This immediately draws you to this man and gives you an insight why he is called Legend.

3. Unlike most novels I've read, the premise here is the apparently a useless and futile quest. The efforts of the defenders are pitiful against the unstoppable and infinite surge of the invaders. The characters are going to fight and almost certainly die; the odds they face are too overwhelming to overcome and yet they choose to fight anyway. Isn't this what makes true heroes? Living and dying for a cause you believe in, even though the outcome may be hopeless for you personally? This raises the question in the readers mind: just how do I want to be remembered and am I leading a worthy life?

4. The parts of the book where Druss trains and leads the men provides an inspiring analysis on what I means to be a man. Several times the point of view switches. The worries, concerns and anxieties are articulated but these are offset by the individual and collective acts of integrity, respect and dignity.

5. Gemmell doesn't use the usual fantastic plot devices: magic, dragons, etc, which is refreshing. He does however leave the extremely well written and exciting battle /fight scenes (of which there are many) intact.

So in summary, it's not how Gemmell writes that's ultimately important it's what he writes. Highly recommended, even if you're first choice of book isn't heroic fantasy.

Quotes from the Book
Here are list of some of the quotes I liked from Legend:

By nature of definition only the coward is capable of the highest heroism.
Ch. 4

Live or die, a man and a woman need love. There is a need in the race. We need to share. To belong. Perhaps you will die before the year is out. But remember this: to have may be taken from you, to have had never. it is far better to have tasted love before dying than to die alone.
Ch. 6

[A]ll men die. ... A man needs many things in his life to make it bearable. A good woman. Sons and daughters. Comradeship. Warmth. Food and shelter. but above all these things, he needs to be able to know that he is a man. And what is a man? He is someone who rises when life has knocked him down. Someone who raises his fist to heaven when a storm has ruined his crop — and then plants again. And again. A man remains unbroken by the savage twists of fate. That man may never win. But when he sees himself reflected, he can be proud of what he sees. For low he may be in the scheme of things: peasant, serf, or dispossessed. But he is unconquerable. And what is death? an end to trouble. An end to strife and fear. ... Bear this in mind when you decide your future.
Ch. 7

We are not made for life at all, old horse. It is made for us. We live it. We leave it.
Ch. 9

No one can take away the freedom of a man's soul.
Ch. 9

Liberty is only valued when it is threatened, therefore it is the threat that highlights the value. We should be grateful to the Nadir, since they heighten the value of our liberty.
Ch. 9

A man must know his limitations.
Ch. 10

None of us can choose the manner of our passing.
Ch. 10

Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone fails at something.
Ch. 10

This world has few redeeming features, and one is the capacity for people to love one another with great, enduring passion.
Ch. 12

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.
Ch. 18

Man alone, it seems, lives all his life in the knowledge of death. And yet there is more to life than merely waiting for death. For life to have meaning, there must be a purpose. A man must pass something on — otherwise he is useless.
Ch. 29

Its taken a while to get around to it but managed to finally get down to starting the Drenai saga and it looks like I might continue it. There is something simple yet powerful in Gemmells writing that pulls you in. Strong words seem to flow easily from his pen and inspirational is a term that sits easily on it. At the heart of it though are the larger than life characters that rise above the book and make your heart glad that you have met them. Druss is one such and my life would have been all the poorer if I had not met him!