Legend by David GemmellMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I had not heard of this book until a few weeks ago, and saw it recommended as a series in the vein of Dark Company, Game of Thrones, and First Law... which is a good enough recommendation for me. Sure enough, the series has a dark foreboding quality to it of a coming clash which is unwinnable.
What I liked about it are its visceral quality to both the battles and in its regional geopolitics. Most of the characters motivations also didn't seem forced, the love story...short as it was, didn't seem as 2 dimensional as a story from the early 80s could have. Lastly, its use of magic was also very thin and focused, like many of the books I had mentioned.
My only critique are that despite its nihilistic look at war, it seemed to simultaneously glorify in war/violence as something that makes people feel alive and brings out qualities in them. I am deeply uncomfortable with how this gets done in fantasy and its even weirder in situations where there is not a good/evil binary.
Still, I cant wait to read the next book in the series!
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