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  • Legend

  • Drenai Series
  • By: David Gemmell
  • Narrated by: Sean Barrett
  • Length: 13 hrs and 13 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (1,870 ratings)
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Legend cover art

Legend

By: David Gemmell
Narrated by: Sean Barrett
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Summary

The Legend

Druss, Captain of the Axe: the stories of his life were told everywhere. Instead of the wealth and fame he could have claimed, he had chosen a mountain lair, high in the lonely country bordering on the clouds. There the grizzled old warrior kept company with snow leopards and awaited his old enemy, death.

The Fortress

Mighty Dros Delnoch, protected by six outer walls, the only route by which an army could pass through the mountains. It was the stronghold of the Drenai Empire. And now it was the last battleground, for all else had fallen before the Nadir hordes.

And hope rested on the skills of that one old man....

©2011 David Gemmell (P)2017 Hachette Audio

What listeners say about Legend

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    4 out of 5 stars

Legends and Sagas!

These books have achieved near legendary status in my mind from when I read them decades ago in my formative years. They are pretty much classics of the genre albeit rather different in structure from other fantasy series that I experienced. Rather than being a single story split over a number of parts they are rather more like the Norse sagas with stories separated by generations within the same overall milieu. They reflect some of the naiveté prevalent in the genre at the time. You won't find Abercrombie's complex characters here, this is straight-up bite-yer-bum fantasy with heroic deeds and figures – in the best possible way of course.

This particular saga is centred around the legend that is Druss of the Axe, also known as, among other things “Deathwalker”. This grizzled veteran is a warrior of the hugest renown and when he is called upon to defend a mighty fortress against all the odds a fantastic siege results. His opponent, Ulric of the Nadir is very much Gemmell’s Genghis Khan figure. It’s a heady mix of military fantasy with a fair amount of magical mayhem and mysterious shamen all mixed in. While it does have a relatively simple approach it is seriously compelling stuff and I thoroughly enjoyed myself reliving it and will no doubt devour them all once more.

As for the narration, I have spent quite some time in Sean Barrett’s company, most recently with the Angus Watson books. Listening to this my respect for the man went up another notch. The Watson books see a much more contemporary approach to fantasy with the characters providing much mirth as well as excitement and intrigue. Barrett delivers that in great style but it would be very wrong to apply the same treatment to Druss Deathwalker! Barrett approaches this with a much sterner gravitas reflecting the granite of the character himself which elevates the book to another level.

At the end there is a brief afterword written by Stella Gemmell. It is fascinating to hear how the book came about and in particular how the ending was decided. If, like I was, you aren’t already aware of some of the background about the characters and the development of the story it makes for interesting listening.

So, a fine package and one I enjoyed tremendously. I regard these books as classical in terms of modern fantasy writing so maybe some of the sophistication of more recent authors is missing. Regardless, they are quite simply great stories and entertainment from one of the original masters of the craft.

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48 people found this helpful

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Legend

David Gemmell and Barrett absolutely gold...

Growing up in my teens and early 20s are used to wait anticipated the next book of David when I found out he died I was truly upset his books taught me how to love books

I didn't know him but I miss him and have always tried to find writer to replace him which is impossible

Thanks for the adventures


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20 people found this helpful

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The first book I ever read made into audio

The book that captured my imagination was once again new to me all these years later. The narration is perfect, the story flowing the characters vivid. I had some real moments with this book. Cannot recommend this enough.

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10 people found this helpful

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download it

if you like anything like game of Thornes or lord of the rings your going to like it.

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6 people found this helpful

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stunning audio book

I have loved this book for years, and this takes it to another level. outstanding.

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5 people found this helpful

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Five star story

At long last Audible have discovered the genius of David Gemmell and I am ecstatic to be able to listen to his totally engaging stories in this format. The narrator delivers the story with great depth of feeling; one of the best narrators I've ever listened to and indeed one of the world's top notch author's. I can't wait to start the next book as Sean Barrett is narrating all of David Gemmell's brilliant books. As I write only a few have been released with more due out in the future, something truly lovely to look forward to. I won't go into the material of the story in case I spoil it for anyone, suffice it to say think of Helms Deep with far more elevated themes. It is one riveting read.

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Finally david Gemmell books on audible

Epic amazing loved every minute
druss the legend. cant wait for waylander. and the troy series.

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  • JC
  • 29-08-17

As good as I remember

I first read this book back in the ‘80s when I was at University. The Audiobook version has been like listening to an old friend retelling an old favourite. Gemmell’s characters are real, and you find yourself fully immersed within minutes. The narration is excellent, conveying content and emotion, and perfectly suited to the tale.

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3 people found this helpful

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Legendary

Everyone who loves the fantasy genre knows the name Druss. About two years ago I emailed audible to see if they would record the David Gemmell's books. I got a reply to say that they had no plans to. I was disappointed but it did get me thinking about who would read them and how vital a good narrator would be. This performance is everything I had hoped for and only enhances an already great story. I would strongly recommend this audio book to anyone who loves fantasy.

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2nd time to try posting review

This is the first of David Gemmell's fantasy books that I have read, I was lured by my experience with his two stand alone novels.
This probably isn't my type of book, but even so I found it was excellently written with real life characters, and I really did enjoy it. There was a lot of action and the characters were well developed with real personalities. I do find that if I can relate to the people in the book I am more likely to enjoy the story.
Sean Barrett was brilliant in this story, he rarely disappoints.
I might be tempted to try the second in the series, but not immediately.

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