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 moutain lair, high in the lonely country bordering on the clouds. There the grizzled old warrior kept company with the 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 moutains. 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...

Legend is the first in Gemmell's Drenai saga, tracing the last days of Druss, the mighty axe wielding warrior as he helps defend the country of his birth against a terrible enemy.

Its also the first time I have been exposed to Gemmell's writing and I have to say I am very, very impressed.

He manages to create characters who really live and breathe within the story. As you progress through the book, Gemmells storytelling exposes you to irrelevancies and asides which are absolutely essential to the building of the character. Perhaps not to the story, but definitely to the character.

Ordinarily this sort of extra information would detract from the story, but in this case, Gemmell's masterful storytelling  means that the reader treasures each little piece of information, since it helps to turn the character into a real person, rather than just a character in a book.

 Added to this is the fact that the story takes place in what has to be one of the best defined fantasy worlds I have ever read about. Different countries, cultures and lands exist here, with definable differences which even go down to the sense of humour, which is a very difficult thing for a writer to achieve.

In all, Legend is a fabulous way for someone to introduce themselves to Gemmell ad is a brilliant read for those of you who know his work but haven't read this one. Grab it.