Golden Anvil

The Legend of Deathwalker by David Gemmell

Way back in the mists of time when I was a little kid (Jr. High or something) I came across a book in my teacher's library which had lost its cover and information page. It was about this guy named Druss, and how he inspired men to hold a fortress against impossible odds. I loved it! My teacher was deciding to get rid of the book because of its lack of cover, so I grabbed it. I'm pretty sure I reread it a couple times. Then I loaned it to my aunt, and after that it was lost track of. I'm not sure if she lost it, or if I lost it shortly after it was returned or what. This made me sad, because I didn't know what the author or even title was, and the internet wasn't really the thing it was today. Then one day in college (or sometime not too long after) I was able to discover that this was the book Legend by David Gemmell, and since then, Gemmell has been one of my favorite authors.

There are kind of three categories of Gemmell books. First you have his Drenai Tales, which all take place in the same fantasy world, but are only somewhat loosely connected with each other. Then you have his Jon Shannow series, which is much more like a typical series, taking place in ancient Atlantis, and a remote post-apocalyptic setting. Then you have his later books, which tend to be shorter series with more individual settings.

This book, like pretty much all of his Drenai Tales have one strong theme... one man who is the key person in defending against overwhelming odds. In fact, you could complain that all of those stories are pretty much the same story, just dressed up differently. However, he does such a good job of tell that theme, that it still remains enjoyable to read.

This book is particularly interesting, because it is presented as a story told by the character Druss during the big battle that takes place in the Legend book. It is interesting to get to see some of the back story that is hinted at in that book, and to get to see some of the things that set in motion the events of that book.

The Legend of Deathwalker is pretty fast moving. There is lots of action, and Gemmell provides a good amount of tension as events unfold. The plot builds very nicely to a satisfying climax, and things are wrapped up very nicely, not leaving you hanging on any points. There is a lot of fighting involved, but Gemmall also adds in some other plot points that keep it from just being nonstop action.

I very much enjoyed this book. It was fun to get to revisit Druss, who is a character that I've always enjoyed. It kept me up late finishing it up last night. That's usually a good sign (at least of how much I liked the book, though not of how smart I'm being in taking care of my health).

4.5 / 5