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a_whimsical_muse's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.5
desolation73's review against another edition
5.0
I was completely unaware of this author until recently and sadly he died aged just 57 in 2006.
David Gemmell ruled fantasy before the likes of John Gwynne and Joe Abercrombie but going on this book he could write as powerfully as them and with less pages and his influence on them is also obvious here.
So do yourself a favour and read at least one of his books if fantasy is your thing because he was a legend and legends never really die.
David Gemmell ruled fantasy before the likes of John Gwynne and Joe Abercrombie but going on this book he could write as powerfully as them and with less pages and his influence on them is also obvious here.
So do yourself a favour and read at least one of his books if fantasy is your thing because he was a legend and legends never really die.
rageousmageous's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
brendalovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Really good, but I would have liked to see more strong female characters. Gemmell is a great author for epic fantasy, and I'll definitely be reading more.
mrbear's review against another edition
3.0
This book was okay, but not great. There were moments that demonstrated that the author had some good ideas, in particular about the notion of what it means to be a hero and the legacy all people seek to leave behind, but the plot and the characters were quite poorly developed. Overall, it's not at all a "must read."
thebookmagpie1989's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
fubpg's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
subparcupcake's review against another edition
2.0
Where do I even begin? I just don't get it. I don't get the praise for this book, I don't get the four and five star ratings... I just don't get it.
It's just so stuffed with awful, it's overflowing. It's lucky to be getting two stars from me.. If not for a few (very few) redeeming sections that I actually enjoyed, it wouldn't even pull that. But I mean honestly. Really? Really really?
I don't even know where to start. I mean Rek.. He was just so inconsistent. He's described one way when we meet him, but his actions never fit that description, and just get further and further from it as the story progresses. Not in a character development type way.. Just in a what the fuck kind of way. Druss.. Whatever, he was ok I guess, but nothing special. All of the characters in general were just ok. I did like Orrin, but that's about it.
The dialogue.. Oh my good God the dialogue. It's so horrible and awkward and unrealistic, it physically hurt me to read it. The relationships and bonds formed between characters felt totally contrived. It was just bad. So so bad.
The romance.. So fucking weird. Anyone who has read this knows the relationship I'm talking about. It was just... Creepy to me. Like tie-a-chick-up-in-a-closet-and-cut-off-all-of-her-fingers-and-feed-them-to-her-one-by-one creepy. And don't even get me started on how the women in this book are treated! In one scene, a husband straight up punches his wife in the face during a disagreement. She asks him later if he's going to apologize, and he's basically like "bitch, please..." and kisses her to make it all better. And that's ok with her. Later a woman is sternly told to "OBEY YOUR HUSBAND, WOMAN!" and she meekly does. It's just.. It's like Gemmell never met an actual woman. And before you say anything.. I get it. It's fantasy. It's an alternate world, maybe that's just the culture, right? But it didn't feel like that. It just felt.. Wrong.
I had been warned though, about the dialogue issues and the women issues. But I was assured that Gemmell was the master of Sword and Sorcery type fantasy, and that his battles more than made up for it. So I waited.. Battle time came.. It was fine I guess, but nothing spectacular. I guess maybe when it's written beside that horrible dialogue, you're just glad they're done talking, so it becomes better in comparison? I don't know. I honestly don't. For me, just fine wasn't nearly enough to make up for all of the crap.
I could go on.. But it's pointless. Obviously I just don't get it. I really wanted to like this, I wanted to love it in fact. But I couldn't. Even trying my hardest, I couldn't. I probably will read another book in this series, just to see if maybe it will hook me. I do really want to like it.. And I understand that this was Gemmell's first book.. Maybe it gets better. Maybe I'll read another, get hooked, and then my opinion on this will improve. It wouldn't be the first time! But for now.. Two stars. Barely.
It's just so stuffed with awful, it's overflowing. It's lucky to be getting two stars from me.. If not for a few (very few) redeeming sections that I actually enjoyed, it wouldn't even pull that. But I mean honestly. Really? Really really?
I don't even know where to start. I mean Rek.. He was just so inconsistent. He's described one way when we meet him, but his actions never fit that description, and just get further and further from it as the story progresses. Not in a character development type way.. Just in a what the fuck kind of way. Druss.. Whatever, he was ok I guess, but nothing special. All of the characters in general were just ok. I did like Orrin, but that's about it.
The dialogue.. Oh my good God the dialogue. It's so horrible and awkward and unrealistic, it physically hurt me to read it. The relationships and bonds formed between characters felt totally contrived. It was just bad. So so bad.
The romance.. So fucking weird. Anyone who has read this knows the relationship I'm talking about. It was just... Creepy to me. Like tie-a-chick-up-in-a-closet-and-cut-off-all-of-her-fingers-and-feed-them-to-her-one-by-one creepy. And don't even get me started on how the women in this book are treated! In one scene, a husband straight up punches his wife in the face during a disagreement. She asks him later if he's going to apologize, and he's basically like "bitch, please..." and kisses her to make it all better. And that's ok with her. Later a woman is sternly told to "OBEY YOUR HUSBAND, WOMAN!" and she meekly does. It's just.. It's like Gemmell never met an actual woman. And before you say anything.. I get it. It's fantasy. It's an alternate world, maybe that's just the culture, right? But it didn't feel like that. It just felt.. Wrong.
I had been warned though, about the dialogue issues and the women issues. But I was assured that Gemmell was the master of Sword and Sorcery type fantasy, and that his battles more than made up for it. So I waited.. Battle time came.. It was fine I guess, but nothing spectacular. I guess maybe when it's written beside that horrible dialogue, you're just glad they're done talking, so it becomes better in comparison? I don't know. I honestly don't. For me, just fine wasn't nearly enough to make up for all of the crap.
I could go on.. But it's pointless. Obviously I just don't get it. I really wanted to like this, I wanted to love it in fact. But I couldn't. Even trying my hardest, I couldn't. I probably will read another book in this series, just to see if maybe it will hook me. I do really want to like it.. And I understand that this was Gemmell's first book.. Maybe it gets better. Maybe I'll read another, get hooked, and then my opinion on this will improve. It wouldn't be the first time! But for now.. Two stars. Barely.
songwind's review against another edition
4.0
Despite him being a major name during my teen and college years, I had never read any Gemmell before. But he, and the character Druss, come up frequently on /r/Fantasy so I decided to give it a whirl.
This book hit a lot of my buttons. Unusual main characters. Heroic sacrifice. Just the right level of banter.
But it fell short in a few places as well. There were a couple of deus ex machina moments that had little or no prior set up and felt cheap. And the book leans a little to hard on real world history and cultural stereotypes. The writing was nothing special, but mostly got out of the way.
Where the book really shone was its characters. Every major character was quite multifaceted, including the primary antagonist. It didn't take long to become invested in them and their successes and failures.
Now that I'm in my 40s, I probably appreciate Druss a bit more than I would have as a young man, but I like to believe I'd have seen the appeal anyway.
This book hit a lot of my buttons. Unusual main characters. Heroic sacrifice. Just the right level of banter.
But it fell short in a few places as well. There were a couple of deus ex machina moments that had little or no prior set up and felt cheap. And the book leans a little to hard on real world history and cultural stereotypes. The writing was nothing special, but mostly got out of the way.
Where the book really shone was its characters. Every major character was quite multifaceted, including the primary antagonist. It didn't take long to become invested in them and their successes and failures.
Now that I'm in my 40s, I probably appreciate Druss a bit more than I would have as a young man, but I like to believe I'd have seen the appeal anyway.
itsfreelancer's review against another edition
4.0
Mixed feelings.
This book is hailed as a classic when it comes to Fantasy. More so because it is written by Gemmel and the winner of the David Gemmel award every year gets the replica of the axe Druss uses in this. Yes, an actual replica. No medals or trophies, the axe is the ultimate symbol of being a master in fantasy. Sanderson won it, Rothfuss won it, so you can imagine how famous the history is.
Let's get back to the story. Legend is what you get when you take away the fries, the coke, the stupid lettuce from the hamburger. You're left with the ham. A pretty great ham. Legend is supposed to be about one man, Druss. But once you get into it, you realise the sum of the parts is always greater than the whole.
Legend is the story of Druss and death. It is the story of the fort of Dros Delnoch who stands alone against a mighty force. It is the story of plain stupidity, glimmers of hopes and tall tales of the past. There is no fluff, no detailed magical systems. The writing is flawed, conversations that doesn't make sense. This is the simple tale of a man who refuses to die.
When Gemmel wrote this, as you all know by now, he was diagnosed with cancer. This is his brave tale of refusing to give up against an enemy that can't be defeated. Gemmel had a story to tell and he did. The book sorely lacks worldbuilding and makes up to it by the sheer strength of the direction to the plot.
Need to read more.
This book is hailed as a classic when it comes to Fantasy. More so because it is written by Gemmel and the winner of the David Gemmel award every year gets the replica of the axe Druss uses in this. Yes, an actual replica. No medals or trophies, the axe is the ultimate symbol of being a master in fantasy. Sanderson won it, Rothfuss won it, so you can imagine how famous the history is.
Let's get back to the story. Legend is what you get when you take away the fries, the coke, the stupid lettuce from the hamburger. You're left with the ham. A pretty great ham. Legend is supposed to be about one man, Druss. But once you get into it, you realise the sum of the parts is always greater than the whole.
Legend is the story of Druss and death. It is the story of the fort of Dros Delnoch who stands alone against a mighty force. It is the story of plain stupidity, glimmers of hopes and tall tales of the past. There is no fluff, no detailed magical systems. The writing is flawed, conversations that doesn't make sense. This is the simple tale of a man who refuses to die.
When Gemmel wrote this, as you all know by now, he was diagnosed with cancer. This is his brave tale of refusing to give up against an enemy that can't be defeated. Gemmel had a story to tell and he did. The book sorely lacks worldbuilding and makes up to it by the sheer strength of the direction to the plot.
Need to read more.