Long time fan of 'The Big Man', who I had the pleasure of meeting on numerous signings at the late, lamented 'Andromeda Booskhop' (one of the many business casualties of 9-11)
By a the quirk of fate of my picking up 'Legend' (as something 'undemanding' for my engineering exams... little did I know...), he sort of became one of the few male fixtures of my adult life, although I was never more than a face in the queue with two books for signing; one for my brother and one for me.
Strange how someone who one barely met, and certainly didn't know in any meaningful sense, could have a profound impact on ones ethical outlook, to the degree Mr Gemmell did. For me, he cast a long shadow.