Gemmell writes in the tradition Howard created: a warrior without a kingdom moving between cultures, violence described as work rather than as spectacle, and no elves or wizards to carry the plot. Where Gemmell departs is the moral centre, and that departure is what the series is known for. Druss is old, has a code, and the books are about whether a man who is good at killing can be a good man. Conan never asks. Filed MEDIUM, as heroic fantasy inheriting from its founder rather than a debt Gemmell stated.