David Gemmellย was born in London, England, in the summer of 1948. Expelled from school at sixteen, he became a bouncer, working nightclubs in Soho. Born with a silver tongue, Gemmell rarely needed to bounce customers, relying on his gift of gab to talk his way out of trouble. This talent eventually led him to jobs as a freelancer for theย London Daily Mail, Daily Mirror,ย andย Daily Express.ย His first novel,ย Legend, was published in 1984 and has remained in print ever since. He became a full-time writer in 1986, and his books have consistently topped the Londonย Timesย bestseller list. David Gemmell died in the summer of 2006.