Legend was my gateway to Gemmell back in the '80s - though I doubt I’d have reached for it on the shelf with that cover!
Pretty sure this was the one that adorned my battered hardback:
A mighty fantasy saga indeed. The Drenai books aren’t subtle, but they’re stirring in all the right places - heroism, sacrifice, and an old battle-axe. And I don’t just mean the weapon.
Solid meat-and-mead fantasy.
How did you fare in the end? Did you persist through the mist and mirrors of Nessus, or did the claw slip from your grasp? Always curious to hear how the Book of the New Sun treats new initiates.
Was it equal parts revelation and bafflement?
Well, I’m not at the end yet. Too much life slowing me down. But I’m still loving the ride. I end up Googling references while I’m reading though because of how slow I’m going. A minor character pops up here and there and I know I should remember them, but just can’t put my finger on it. So I gotta jog my memory a bit. But it always comes back to me. And sometimes I catch things I might not have that way too. There was a particular recurrence of a character first introduced before the library that I might not have otherwise caught.
This world is so layered and wonderous that while I see what people mean when they call it a challenge, I think that even readers who aren’t grasping everything would still find something to engage them here. And if you want to dig deeper into the world those layers can get pretty meaty. I honestly don’t know how this was published in my lifetime and I missed it (even if I was too young for it at the time). It’s by no means a conventional “fantasy” or “sci-fi” story either. It takes its time and meanders through these wonderous settings full of history and strange workings with the promise of action. And maybe that promised event will occur in the next chapter, or maybe we’ll have a great detour. This aspect reminds me more of some “contemporary fiction” I’ve read. It’s much more unconcerned with the telling of a specific tale than a lot of genre fiction (when compared to something like Malazan). And while a lot of genre fiction does push well beyond the bounds that people want to place on it, this series right here is a literary classic. And should be treated as such.
I think maybe my only critique is how sexualized all the female characters can be. But our narrator is a dude who grew up locked away from women. So there’s reason for him to be so distracted by them. At the same time they’re often written as independent and intelligent people. Just, well, one may spend half a book with torn clothing and random reminders she’s got her tits out. This part is very 80s to me. 
EDIT: I just want to add, that while these books were written prior to Google search engine being in everyone’s pocket. I think it’s great that you can follow so much more of what the author was referencing nowadays. And so much of what’s in these books has some historical or mythological reference to it. I know I said I Googled to remind myself of minor characters, but I also do it when I get an inkling that I missed something. Like, “I know that name… Thecla?”
I’ve read a few of Cassidy’s before - Rest Stop, Nestling, & Mary. All library loans, so this will be the first of his I’ve bought, just cause I dig this UK cover so much.
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I’m in total agreement. There is a non-apologetic dash and boldness with Gemmell and “stirring” describes it well.
