Unlike many modern "grimdark" novels that can feel nihilistic, Legend is gritty but ultimately hopeful. It acknowledges the horror of war while celebrating the nobility of the soul. It is a "one-sitting" type of book—once the siege begins, it is almost impossible to put down.
In the VK groups, Legend is often referred to not by its English title but by its Russian translation: or sometimes "Друсс-Легенда." The book opens with the elderly Druss being called back to service. The fortress of Dros Delnoch has six walls. It will fall. The Nadir horde numbers half a million. The defenders number a few thousand.