Legend by David GemmellMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
In interviews, when asked what my favourite books are, I always give Legend as one of my all time favourites. But I realised recently that I had not read it since it was first published when I was a teenager! So I decided to give it a re-read (actually a listen, as I managed to get my hands on an old audio book version).
What I discovered is that David Gemmell's debut novel is still as powerful today to my forty-five-year-old self as it was to fifteen-year-old me. It is an amazing tale of heroism, sacrifice, duty and love. It made me laugh and cry and swept me along towards the epic final battle like a literary tsunami.
Gemmell's writing is so powerful and seemingly effortless. He manages to give great depth to all of the characters that flit across the pages. The protagonists, from the implacable Druss, Master of the Axe, to Regnak, the unlikely hero, to the ascetic members of the Thirty, are drawn with great compassion and feeling. Even small, walk-on parts are given a backstory that explains who they are and what makes them tick, often to only see them cut down in defence of what they believe in a page later. Gemmell is able to make you feel attached to any character, whether hero or villain, in only a couple of lines.
The most surprising thing for me was how obviously the events described in this novel have influenced my own writing. I kept listening to pieces of the story and thinking, "Woah! That is just like that bit in my books...!" I have never knowingly copied any part of Gemmell's writing (or anyone else's for that matter!), but the influences are very clear if you know what you are looking for.
If you only ever read one of Gemmell's books, read this one. I don't think anyone has ever done fast-paced epic fantasy better than Gemmell, and Legend is arguably his best book.
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Legend was the first one of his that I read, too. I think I have read everything he wrote, though there may be one or two that@ve missed. I particularly like the Rigante series and was most disappointed that there would never be any more of them. But Legend is a must to read....
ReplyDeleteHe was a great writer and it was a huge loss when he died so suddenly. :-(
DeleteI recently listened to Master of War by Gemmell. I enjoyed the plot by the 2nd part once it started to unfold. Loved the way his main protagonist began to develop, but hated the fe,Aiken counterpart, lol. Annoying woman
ReplyDelete. You've tempted me now to look for an audio of Legend
Isn't Master of War by David Gilman?
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