A review by captain_trips
Legend by David Gemmell
adventurous
dark
inspiring
fast-paced
4.25
A pretty enjoyable and solid old-school heroic fantasy story.
I read this for the first time when I was maybe 13 or 14, enticed by the somewhat schlocky art on the cover, and remember liking it quite a bit. Other than that vague recollection, I couldn't remember much of the plot or characters. On my revisit, I was pleasantly surprised to find an engaging story that was slightly darker than I remember and a cast of characters that, while not perfectly executed, were done well enough for the story.
Death is a big theme in the book - facing death, overcoming the fear of death, dealing with the death of friends and loved ones, etc. Character's say multiple times throughout the book that no one escapes the eventuality of death. And in the face of that knowledge of that eventual death, why continue on? What reason is there to fight for? For although death is a certainty - defeat is not. Not while breath is still being drawn. And that sliver of hope is the essence of 'Legend' I think and why it's a great heroic fantasy read.
Although the certain aspects of the book are quite dated (the orientalism of the Nadir and the kinda cringy depiction of the few female characters), I feel that 'Legend' still overall holds up as a pretty solid and even fun fantasy read.
I read this for the first time when I was maybe 13 or 14, enticed by the somewhat schlocky art on the cover, and remember liking it quite a bit. Other than that vague recollection, I couldn't remember much of the plot or characters. On my revisit, I was pleasantly surprised to find an engaging story that was slightly darker than I remember and a cast of characters that, while not perfectly executed, were done well enough for the story.
Death is a big theme in the book - facing death, overcoming the fear of death, dealing with the death of friends and loved ones, etc. Character's say multiple times throughout the book that no one escapes the eventuality of death. And in the face of that knowledge of that eventual death, why continue on? What reason is there to fight for? For although death is a certainty - defeat is not. Not while breath is still being drawn. And that sliver of hope is the essence of 'Legend' I think and why it's a great heroic fantasy read.
Although the certain aspects of the book are quite dated (the orientalism of the Nadir and the kinda cringy depiction of the few female characters), I feel that 'Legend' still overall holds up as a pretty solid and even fun fantasy read.