<span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>

David Gemmell was born in West London, England, on August 1, 1948, and was expelled from school when he was 16 for forming a gambling syndicate. He found work as a day laborer on building sights and farms, and as a bouncer at night clubs in the Soho section of the London. He became a freelance journalist for the London Daily Mail, the Daily Mirror, and the Daily Express, then a newspaper editor in East Sussex. Finally he tried his hand as a novelist.

His first attempt at acquiring an agent met with little success, but he persisted until his first published novel, Legend, was released by Century, and it is so successful that it has remained in print ever since. It introduced his most famous character, Druss the Legend, captain of the axe.

Gemmell has written more than two dozen novels, including The Sword in the Storm, which began his Rigante cycle, Ghost King, which began the Stones of Power series (published in England as the Sipstrassi cycle), Wolf in Shadow, which introduced his post-apocalyptic hero John Shannow (The Jerusalem Man), and Waylander, introducing the character of the same name. Legend itself began his popular Drenai series, and in 2005 he began a trilogy of novels based on the Trojan War with the release of Troy: Lord of the Silver Bow. Under the pen name Ross Harding he published the suspense thriller White Knight, Black Swan.

David Gemmell has noted three particular influences on his writing: J. R. R. Tolkien, Louis L’Amour, and Stan Lee. Often in his novels he will feature a central character who has been the most powerful hero in his day, but that day is past. As the hero is feeling the effects of his age, an overwhelming threat will appear that will force him to find a way to deal with it, against all odds. This great hero often will find himself dealing with a younger, less-experienced warrior who also must learn the skills necessary to prevail.