The Legend of Deathwalker (Drenai Tales, Book 7)

The legend, Druss the Deathwalker, is about as close to Conan as any other hero in literature. He is huge, powerful, and cunning, and those that cross him, and his Battle axe often end up dead. This is a prequel to the first of the Drenai books -Legend. (An amazing read also!) Druss is on a quest to find some magical jewels that are a dying friend's only chance of survival. Unfortunately, the insane God-King has decided to desecrate an ancient burial tomb where the jewels are allegedly hidden. Druss, does what he does best - leads the grossly outnumbered defenders against the invading hoard. Several side adventured such as Druss having to cross the boundaries of life, to combat demons and monsters, a wicked shaman, and a promising young general fill this novel to the brim with high-adventure. And the ending actually made me drop the book while reading it. I cant believe the last fifteen pages how Gemmell gives a Hitchcock like twist and countless mysteries of the Drenai series are answered. It is few and far between that I cant see the ending coming. (Enders Game got me too!) And this ending blew my mind. Buy the Drenai tales, and read them all, just so you can read this book and appreciate the magic that is Druss the Legend, and the Brilliance that is David Gemmell. Relic113

I discovered David about 2 years ago and have read all of his work that I can get my hands on. I have read many, many, many other authors and have yet to find one, male OR female,that can write a purely fanatasized storyline and make it seem so in tune with todays society. Also David pulls no punches with the battles scenes and describes with exacting detail,all the blows and wounds with a precision that will leave you with a feeling of suffering them yourself! His characters die appropiately, cleanly and stay dead, without silly and miraculous "recoveries," that "turn the tide," one way, or the other, and ruin lots of other books by some of the more well known authors. He uses magic fairly and sensibly, as it should be and does not make his magic users invincible or any character and/or monster unconquerable. His stories flow nicely and are an enjoyable read!!

Gemmell does an exquisite job in showing the reader just what makes his characters do what they do; be it through their personal experiences, beliefs or ambitions. Through the characters a reader is given the history of the rise and fall of several nations and people's of his Drenai saga. These histories, the Drenai, the Nadir, the Chiatze, and the Gothir, are woven through the experiences and exploits of the book's characters. Gemmell expertly does this while never losing focus on the making of the Legend: Druss the Deathwalker. Gemmell uses snippets of other minor events, such as the Mad God-King and the rise of Garen Tsen, only as much as to give context to the story rather than taking up the spotlight of events. True to his style these things fall by the wayside... not meaning they were unimportant to Drenai history, just that they were not important to the current tale.The reader is in for a treat in learning of the Nadir, the origin of their name and from which peoples they are descended from. Those who know history can draw the parallels to our own. Those who enjoy character development will find it in Druss, his companion Sieben, whom Gemmell fans will remember fell at Skeln, and the Nadir Talisman. Readers will want to pay particular attention to the Chiatze woman Talisman travels with as her knowledge and history shows what interest her people have in the rise of the Nadir.All in all, I believe readers will enjoy the mix of Characterization and developed history of Gemmell's Novel. Those well-read in Gemmell's stories can also enjoy the continuity he has woven into the tale as they tie into future events of the Drenai and Nadir peoples.

This story is a great addition to the Drenai saga. It still amazes me at how well David Gemmell can tie events together, not just in the one book, but the way he can combine backrounds from other books and give further storyline is a pleasure to read. My advise, read this book and any other Gemmell books you can get your hands on!

Even though Druss is not one of my favourite characters, I adore this book. Sieben the poet, Klay and Druss along with the Nadir make this book very special. It is very cleverly and beautifully written. You can taste the dust, feel the pain. My suggestion is 'read it damn you'!!!