Legends of the Drenai

The Drenai Saga #1-2 & 4

by David Gemmell

Legends of the Drenai: Legend / The King Beyond the Gate / Quest for Lost Heroes

Genres: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

830 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

David Andrew Gemmell was a bestselling British author of heroic fantasy. A former journalist and newspaper editor, Gemmell had his first work of fiction published in 1984. He went on to write over thirty novels. Best known for his debut, Legend, Gemmell's works display violence, yet also explores themes in honour, loyalty and redemption. With over one million copies sold, his work continues to sell worldwide.

Reviews

[Michael Sypes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not an especial fan of swords and sorcery fantasy, and I enjoyed these books more than I expected. The characters are interesting. They're not your typical Conans, self-assured paragons of warcraft, or all-powerful archmages. While many of the main characters are highly skilled, almost invulnerable, warriors, they are very human, with enough self-doubt or uncertainty about their pasts or future, to make their stories interesting. In each case, the "heroes" take on (almost) impossible odds, and "fight the good fight" even though they know they can't win.
The writing isn't great, the names of people and places are laughable at times, but overall, you really find yourselves rooting for the protagonists as they face what the world throws at them. I will definitely look for other books in this series now.