Legend is the first, and most popular, book from David Gemmell the famous British heroic fantasy author.
Legend was first published in 1986 by Del Rey Ballantine Books. It was republished in 1993 by Orbit.
Legend is the first of Gemmel's long series of Drenai books. These are all set in the land of the Drenai or it's surrounding countries.
An extremely brief synopsis of Legend is that there is large Nadir army amassing to the North. The only way they can invade Drenai lands is through the great fortress of Dros Delnoch. This is guarded by a small, weak army of soldiers led by the legendary Druss the axeman.
Unfortunately Druss is far past his prime and is unable to perform the feats that he once could and that everbody believes he still can. This makes for a very interesting storyline in which Druss continually fights against his old age and fatigue. This is often said to represent Gemmell's own struggle against cancer
The main character of Legend is Rek. He is a simple man with, he believes, nothing special about him. But as the story progresses, his past becomes revealed.
Legend is filled with many, many other characters such as the warrior priests - The Thirty and Rek's main love interest - Rowena.