Rating: 
Summary: Still the Best
Review: His style has matured and he has perhaps grown as a writer of some the most magnificent, character rich formula fiction in the business, but Legend is still the best.Gemmell's subtle blend of detail and character is breathtaking. He is a master story teller who cut his teeth with this novel. Certainly no fan of gritty, realist heroic fantasy should be without this tome on their mantle. A must.
Rating: 
Summary: A great ride!
Review: This is not great fiction; it is not even great fantasy... but it IS unqualified, unfettered fun. 1) The hordes from the north are invading; 2) one castle, set in a mountain pass, blocks the way; 3) the castle defenders are totally outnumbered; 4) they are led by an aging but still potent warrior (THE LEGEND); 5) there is NO chance that the castle can hold. C'mon!!! Ya GOTTA love this!! What a great ride.
Rating:
Summary: Gemmell picks up where Robert E. Howard left off!
Review: If you like the work of Robert E. Howard, especially his original (unedited and longer) Conan stories, you will love the books of David Gemmell. Gemmell is a storyteller; his books make no pretense of grand opera or intricately twisted social/political thriller. They are very entertaining at the least, and gripping, tense, and emotionally involving at their best. His Drenai Saga is my personal favorite (all those books are great, but heroic fantasy is my overall favorite, personal taste), but I like almost all of his books. Legend was the first of his books I read and I was immediately hooked on his vivid, gritty, you-are-there writing style. In their setting, his characters are believable, consistent, and easy to identify with which gives you a real attachment to them. (NOTE: much weaving of the tale at the beginning of the book for greater immersion in the world; you will have read to about page 60 before you find the first mention of Druss the Legend himself, and then on another 16 pages or so - his "meeting" with Dorian, heh heh, classic Gemmell - to shift the focus to Druss) While each book in the series is self contained and enjoyable in itself, reading the other books in the Saga add a great deal to the depth of the series. Each book is staggered in its place in the timeline of the Drenai world, and it is great fun to see the contents of a previous or later book in the series to now be the history, "legends" and myths of the current book you are now reading. It gives the Drenai Saga a cohesiveness that adds greatly to the feel that you are reading about the exploits of real people. Even rank and file soldiers and townspeople, usually generic in most heroic fantasy, often get to add their own 2 cents worth to the dialog adding a lot to your feel for the setting; how often to you get to see the hero's actions reflected upon by the common man - militia who get drafted from their farms to be his army, merchants who have their goods conscripted to protect the town, etc.? You touch many other people's lives in the course of reading just one book, and while some might find that distracting I find it to add a lot of color and depth to the setting. The multiple viewpoints (often from the "enemy" side characters as well) certainly keep the book from getting locked into an easy black/white, good or evil stereotype.
Any way you want to enjoy them, just a good action story or to reflect on the best and worst traits of mankind and what makes a "hero", David Gemmell's "Legend" and the Drenai Saga will not disappoint.
Rating: 
Summary: Will they never learn?
Review: What's with all those 5 star reviews, guys? If we want more great authors like Jordan and - especially - Martin, the one thing we have to learn is how to distinguish the daring from the dirt. For instance, why is it that only a few fantasy writers abide one of the first principles of writing: NEVER, EVER switch viewpoint in the middle of a scene. In "Legend", Gemmell lets us in on the thoughts of ALMOST EVERY character that pops up, no matter in whose head we previously were. Horrible. I confess I quit reading when I hit page 40 or so. Just too many unmotivated plot twists, like Rek and Viraes falling-in-love, and the sudden mutiny of the brigand captain's axeman. Good writing evokes emotion. Gemmell bluntly states "this and that is so-and-so" and expects us to be enthralled. For a romance to work, I need to fall in love with the characters myself - not be told they love each other. And the dialogue... so juvenile... that whole rabbit sequence, what good was that? Nah, pass on this one. Pass on it big time. It's sad, but since Jordan went astray, we've only got one true fantasy writer: someone who not only knows how to write fantasy, but how to write: George R.R. Martin. Too bad, Gemmell.
Rating:
Summary: Greatest book of all time...
Review: This was the first Gemmell book i ever read, and years later, i still find myself re-reading it on a regular basis. Be forwarned, reading this book will significantly highten your standards when it comes to fantasy and books in general. After reading Gemmell, you will never be able to even look at a Robert Jordan book again.
I have read pretty much every book Gemmell has written, and this remains my favorite, by far. The most epic, awe-inspiring, emotional, entertaining peice of writing that i have ever had the pleasure of reading.
Rating:
Summary: Thanks Dad!
Review: This was the first Gemmell book i read, my dad used to read him a lot and gave this book to me for me to read. I hardly put it down after long nights of all night reading. I knew this was a master piece, the pace is just right the characters are well described and very real to life. The last few chapters you can almost see your self there fighting along side them. This book is a work of art and is one of the best ive read, i have now read all the drenai books at least twice!! these are all great books! Any questions E-mail me!!! plz?
Rating:
Summary: Druss the Legend!
Review: This is excellent fast paced fantasy. Druss is a classic hero in the fantasy genere. Read this and the whole Drenai series. Nothing complicated but good fun reading.
Rating:
Summary: I've found a new author to devour!
Review: First off, let me say that this is the first novel I've read by David Gemmell. I must say that I was very impressed. His writing style grabbed my attention on the very first page. I felt as if I was actually in the room! And it only got better after that: engaging characters, great pacing, and brilliantly written action scenes. What more could a fantasy fan want? Gemmell's characters may not be as developed as those of other authors, but they are vivid just the same. Each one was unique and Gemmell cuts to the heart of their motivations with well written interior monologue and interaction with other characters. They may not be the most three dimensional, realistic, or completely believable characters, but Gemmell puts them out there with such well written passages, it's hard not to like (or hate) them. Gemmell's pacing is another thing I really liked. This wasn't one of those involved, complex novels like Jordan or Martin write. This was a straightforward, light reading book with the appropriate pacing. In the first couple of pages, we already have a general foreboding of what is to come. After that, Gemmell introduces the main characters in short order and gets them on their way with a minimum of pointless wandering. And then we get to his battle scenes. Take Salvatore's one on one swordfights and extrapolate that to a battle involving thousands and you'll get the general idea. Sometimes when an author writes a fight scene, they stretch it out with such description that it loses all of its tension and excitement. Gemmell manages to write such scenes with just enough description so that you can tell what's happening, but not so much that you don't feel involved. I hardly breathed for the last fifty pages. Due to this book, I will now be buying more of Gemmell's books. He is a very enjoyable author (at least, judging by this book) and I can't wait to get to the rest of his stuff. If you're into gritty military fantasy with lots of brutal action, you'll enjoy this immensely.
Rating:
Summary: Genre defining writers first effort...
Review: There's a good reason why David Gemmells books usually occupy half of a shelf at good bookstores. It's because his books are... fantastic. Legend is his first work and one of his best (though thankfully, not THE best). Gemmells genre is heroic fantasy and he IS the master. For details of the story, just check the sample pages or one of the other reviews. That's not the job of this review. More importantly is to convey that this book is a page-turner like few other books I've read. You're captivated by an absorbing world with strong characters who exemplify "heroic". No half-baked heroes bumbling along, saving the world despite themself. Gemmell's characters are epic, the action intense and the stories compelling. Buy this book, you'll not be disappointed if you're a fan of heroic fantasy.
Rating:
Summary: Legend
Review: Legend is a war story wrapped thinly in a fantasy shell, make no mistake about it. The places and peoples are fictional, and here and there is a small dose of magic or the supernatural (and most of that coming near the end), but Gemmell's world seems very real - like a past that never existed. The action in this world centers primarily around Rek, a thoughtful rogue, a warrior woman, Virae, and Druss the Legend. Together with a vast assortment of other interesting characters, their task is to defend the Drenai stronghold of Dros Delnoch from the invading Nadir barbarians. The odds are stacked highly against them, but this is how legends are born. Gemmell's writing style is a little disconcerting at first, as he certainly takes no pleasure in beating around the bush. The pacing is fast - almost rushed - for many of the opening chapters, but in retrospect this is a welcome thing. Other authors such as Robert Jordan would do well to take the David Gemmell approach and forsake any sort of "filler." Don't expect Gemmell to tell you how much decore there is in a room, or what designs are woven into the carpet - he just tells you that you're in a room, and moves on immediately into more important matters. Characters get just as little discription at times, but are brought to life by their actions as the story progresses (though I dare say that too many unimportant characters are introduced during the course of the novel). If Gemmell has a weakness as a writer, it comes only in his ability to create atmosphere. The atmosphere in Legend is basic (but functional), and though the world in which the battles are fought seems real enough, it is given little description. What Gemmell is exceedingly good at is inspiring the reader through bold deeds and courageous exploits. As one reads Legend, he wonders if the world we live in now would not benefit a great deal from the codes of honor with which most of Gemmell's characters lead their lives. Even the foes of the Drenai, the Nadir, are sympathetic in their own fashion. In fantasy fiction, most authors have a hideously evil villain and the heroes who stand against it, but in Legend the heroes are ordinary men in extraordinary circumstances, and there are no clear-cut villains. This is refreshing. Legend is supremely quotable, filled with excellent dialogue - both comedic, ironic, and vastly inspirational. The characters are lovable and touchable. Legend is a tale of glory and triumph, even through death, that manages to stand tall in a crowded genre and demand attention. It is a fantastic read.
| 
