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Legend by David Gemmell 
A popular writer in the UK for years, David Gemmell is becoming acclaimed in
the US also. Del Rey has been publishing his new works and republishing some of
his old works from the 1980’s. Legend is one of his early efforts and
is not your run of the mill fantasy novel. It is quite engaging and one of the
best novels I have read this year.
Druss the Ax is the type of warrior that is a legend in his own time. Druss
has been fighting all his life and was instrumental in turning the tide of many
battles in the defense of the Drenai people. But Druss is now fighting the one
battle he cannot win…he is getting old.
Druss retired to an estate in the mountains to await old age and death. But
barbarians from the north once again threaten the Drenai people. The Drenai king
is weak and inept and has let his armies dwindle to an inadequate force. Now
250,000 barbarians are marching on the fortress of Dros Delnoch, which is badly
undermanned. If this fortress falls, the barbarian hordes will sweep into Drenai
and pillage the land. Druss reluctantly comes out of retirement to fight in one
last battle to defend Dros Delnoch. Everyone says the battle is hopeless. But
Druss has been in thousands of hopeless battles before. Can this hero rise to
the occasion one last time to once again be the salvation of his people?
There is very little magic and sorcery in this fantasy novel. The main focus
is on the courage and strength of ordinary soldiers asked to perform an
extraordinary feat. There will be no sudden magical surprises to turn the tide
of battle at the end. Only pluck, grit, luck and vicious hand-to-hand combat
will turn the tide of battle at Dros Delnoch. The characters Gemmell creates are
earthy, tough and very believable. Prince Valiant looks like a sissy compared to
Druss and his compatriots. Druss is a man you would have been proud to know and
someone you would risk your life to defend. You know from the start that the
good guys here are doomed (10,000 defenders vs. 250,000 barbarians), but the
conclusion of the novel is as satisfying as it is unexpected. Bravo, Mr. Gemmell
for bringing back the true heroic fantasy novel!
Reviewed by Alan
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The King Beyond the Gate
by David Gemmell 
This novel is a sequel to Legend, but takes
place 150 years after the action in Legend. Gemmell attempts to recreate
the same mood (a stirring heroic fantasy novel) that he created in Legend,
but he falls a bit short of the mark this time.
Times have changed since Druss the Legend and his
stalwart compatriots defended Dros Delnoch from the barbarian hordes. Now the
Drenai people are led by a mad emperor who is viciously oppressing his own
people. Using ancient arcane technologies that his wizards uncovered, he has
created the Joinings…creatures that are half-man, half-beast and all vicious.
With the Joinings at his command, throwing off his mantle of tyranny seems
unlikely.
But Tenaka Khan was descended from legendary
heroes. He sees the abomination that the Drenai nation has become and has vowed
to redeem his people. But he is a half-breed, despised by the Drenai people and
the barbarian hordes alike. Starting with a handful of bold and daring friends,
Tenaka must somehow recruit an army and defeat the seemingly unstoppable forces
of the emperor.
Once again, Gemmell creates some fascinating
characters. They are just as likable and heroic as in Legend. The
Joinings are inventive, scary foes. The different pieces of the plot are
interesting and held my attention, unfortunately, the book seems hurried to an
unnatural conclusion. I’m usually against long novels, but this one would have
been well served had it been about 100 pages longer. Also, the Joinings were
interesting monsters, but Gemmell didn’t do much with them since he focused so
much of the narrative on fleshing out the heroes. We all like to read about
heroic deeds, but the deeds seem much more heroic when the villains’ evil
machinations are more thoroughly explored. Although, not as good as Legend,
The King Beyond the Gate still held my interest enough that I would
consider reading the next novel in the series.
Reviewed by Alan
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Waylander by David
Gemmell 
Drenai is under siege again by foreign invaders. In an effort to destabilize
the government, the general of the invading armies seeks to slay the Drenai
King. The assassin hired for the job is Waylander. Once a mild-mannered farmer,
Waylander is now a master assassin after the brutal killing of his family. After
killing the king, Waylander is betrayed by his employer who sends the mysterious
Black Brotherhood to dispatch Waylander. The brotherhood is a wily sect of
priests who will stop at nothing to see Waylander dead. While on the run,
Waylander is approached by a mysterious old man and is informed that he is the
only hope of the Drenai people. Waylander must venture into a hostile foreign
land and retrieve the legendary Armor of Bronze. Then he must transport it
hundreds of miles through enemy held territory to the armies of the Drenai. Only
with a general wearing the Armor will the Drenai people be able to repel the
invaders. Clearly, this is a suicide mission, which no sane man would undertake.
However, Waylander can hardly refuse the request since the old man is the
murdered king’s father!
Gemmell sticks to his familiar formula in continuing his Drenai saga. One
man, supported by brave heroes and soldiers, takes on impossible odds to save
the Drenai people. While this scenario is effective in the first few Drenai
novels, it begins to wear a bit thin here. The character development of
Waylander is rich and deep, but the supporting characters are not fleshed out
and seem as mere cardboard cut-outs to prop up the obvious plot. While I found
it easy to understand and relate to Waylander, the story could have been
improved by providing more depth to the supporting characters.
Although the plot was engaging, with plenty of action and military sequences,
it suffered from a common problem in many of Gemmell’s books. He again rushes
to a conclusion in the last forty pages of the book. This left me feeling a bit
unsatisfied…the same feeling I would have while enjoying a five course meal,
but being forced to eat the last two courses in three minutes. My enjoyment of
the story would have been enhanced had Gemmell invested another hundred pages in
the plot instead of hurrying towards an overly simplistic ending. Despite this
shortcoming, the first three-quarters of the plot was quite good and certainly
held my interest.
Gemmell’s latest book in this series again focuses on the character of
Waylander (which is why I read this book). Gemmell continues to be a very
popular author in the UK and his popularity is spreading in the US. Since this
was perhaps just a stumble on Gemmell’s part (perhaps rushing to hit a
deadline), I will read the latest novel in the Drenai series since I have
enjoyed the previous volumes.
Reviewed by Alan
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