Legend by David Gemmell

The Blurb On The Back:

The legend is Druss.

The stories of his life are told everywhere. Instead of the wealth and fame he could have claimed, he chose a mountain lair, high in the lonely country bordering on the clouds. There the grizzled old warrior keeps company with snow leopards and awaits his old enemy, death.

The fortress is Dros Delnoch.

It is the only route by which an army can pass through the mountains. Protected by six outer walls, it was the stronghold of the Drenai empire. Now it is the last battleground, for all else has fallen before the Nadir hordes.

And the only hope rests on the skills of that one old man.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

A classic of the fantasy genre, this is a nail-biting read that draws on the legend of the 300 Spartans and yet makes the story its own. It’s unfortunate that the female characters creak with the passing of time, but that shouldn’t detract from checking this book out.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

The Blurb On The Back:

In a world where people born with an exceptional skill, known as a Grace, are both feared and exploited, Katsa carries the burden of a skill even she despises: the Grace of killing.

Feared by the court and shunned by those her own age, the darkness of her Grace casts a heavy shadow over Katsa’s life. Yet she remains defiant: when the King of Lienid’s father is kidnapped she investigates, and stumbles across a mystery. Who would want to kidnap the old man, and why? And who was the extraordinary Graced man whose fighting abilities rivalled her own?

The only thing Katsa is sure of is that she no longer wants to kill. The intrigue around this kidnapping offers her a way out – but little does she realise, when she takes it, that something insidious and dark lurks behind the mystery. Something spreading from the shadowy figure of a one-eyed king ...

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

This is an interesting novel set in a fully realised fantasy world with a lot of potential. Although Katsa’s superior fighting skills became a little dull after a while, the romance is refreshing and I hope this isn’t the last of Katsa’s world.