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Joe Abercrombie (UK): Creator of The First Law universe - first review for BSC out!
After reading his latest work, I felt I should try and bring a new favourite author of mine to the lot of you readers.
Joe Abercrombie is an UK fantasy writer and author of The First Law trilogy:
Spoiler:
"The blade itself incites to deeds of violence."Homer
Logen Ninefingers, infamous barbarian, has finally run out of luck. Caught up in one feud too many, he's on the verge of becoming a dead barbarian, leaving nothing behind but some bad songs, a few dead friends, and a lot of happy enemies.
Nobleman, dashing officer, and paragon of selfishness, Captain Jezal dan Luthar has nothing more dangerous in mind than fleecing his friends as cards and dreaming of glory in the fencing circle. But war is brewing, and on the battlefields of the frozen North they fight by altogether bloodier rules.
Inquisitor Glokta, cripple turned torturer, would like nothing better than to see Jezal come home in a jar. But then Glokta hates everyone: cutting treason out of the Union one confession at a time leaves little room for friendships. His latest trail of corpses may lead him right to the rotten heart of government... if he can stay alive long enough to follow it.
Murderous conspiracies rise to the surface, old scores are ready to be settled, and the line between hero and villain is sharp enough to draw blood. Unpredictable, compelling, wickedly funny, and packed with unforgettable characters, The Blade Itself is fantasy with a real cutting edge.
Spoiler:
"We should forgive our enemies, but not before they are hanged."Heinrich Heine
Superior Glokta has a problem. How do you defend a city surrounded by enemies and riddled with traitors, when your allies can by no means be trusted, and your predecessor vanished without a trace? It's enough to make a torturer want to run – if he could even walk without a stick.
Northmen have spilled over the border of Angland and are spreading fire and death across the frozen country. Crown Prince Ladisla is poised to drive them back and win undying glory. There is only one problem – he commands the worst-armed, worst-trained, worst-led army in the world.
And Bayaz, the First of the Magi, is leading a party of bold adventurers on a perilous mission through the ruins of the past. The most hated woman in the South, the most feared man in the North, and the most selfish boy in the Union make a strange alliance, but a deadly one. They might even stand a chance of saving mankind from the Eaters. If they didn't hate each other quite so much.
Ancient secrets will be uncovered. Bloody battles will be won and lost. Bitter enemies will be forgiven – but not before they are hanged.
Spoiler:
"Last Argument of Kings."Inscribed on his cannons by Louis XIV
The end is coming.
Logen Ninefingers might only have one more fight in him – but it's going to be a big one. Battle rages across the North, the King of the Northmen still stands firm, and there's only one man who can stop him. His oldest friend, and his oldest enemy: it's time for the Bloody-Nine to come home.
With too many masters and too little time, Superior Glokta is fighting a different kind of war. A secret struggle in which no-one is safe, and no-one can be trusted. As his days with a sword are far behind him, it's fortunate that he's deadly with his remaining weapons: blackmail, threats, and torture.
Jezal dan Luthar has decided that winning glory is too painful an undertaking, and turned his back on soldering for a simple life with the woman he loves. But love can be painful too – and glory has a nasty habit of creeping up on a man when he least expects it.
The King of the Union lies on his deathbed, the peasants revolt, and the nobles scramble to steal his crown. No-one believes that the shadow of war is about to fall across the heart of the Union. Only the First of the Magi can save the world – but there are risks. There is no risk more terrible, than to break the First Law...
His writing style is superb and quite gripping on the reader. The fighting scenes are also...well, superbly written. I recommend you all to give The Blade Itself a go and see, whether you like it or not.
Quotes from our NF members:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord Yu
I probably sound like a slobbering fool. But the more I read the more I like. The dialogue has bite, the characters flesh, and the fight scenes are gripping. Thanks for the recc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dream Brother
I finally finished The Blade Itself. I have to say that it's an awesome book -- certainly a debut that is amongst the best in the fantasy genre. Its main strength is the sheer readability factor; it's very smart in terms of structure/pacing. The 'one character perspective per chapter' scheme is wonderfully executed (much like in Martin's work) because Abercrombie is very good when it comes to delving into the minds of his characters. Logen, Jezal and Glokta are all very strong and interesting creations, and they comfortably carry the tale on their shoulders. Not only that, but even the 'secondary' characters like Bayaz, West, Ferro and Ardee stand on their own as distinctive creations and grow as the story continues. The action scenes are also pretty damn powerful -- I haven't seen that level of pure energy and chaos since reading Stover's work.
Overall, I'm very impressed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dream Brother
The second book is now finished.
Even better than the first. Damn. This guy can write. I didn't actually feel cheated at all -- what did you mean by that? If you're referring to the fact that:
Spoiler:
Sorry, but I can't have you get spoiled here - Segan
I didn't mind that at all. In fact I really liked that touch -- it put a nice twist on things, and it was once again an example of Abercrombie unmercifully playing with the sort of expectations that his readers have. I think the more important reason why I didn't feel cheated is the fact that I wasn't really interested in their goal or what they were trying to do. I was only interested in how the characters developed, and how their interactions/relationships with one another changed over time. I certainly wasn't disappointed in that area.
West continues to grow more awesome. Glokta was badass from the first chapter of the first book, and this trend only continues here. As for Logen...well, I finally appreciate how sweet The Bloody Nine's username is. I love Jezal -- he's always entertaining, but more importantly, he's showing signs of maturity at last. I could have done with more Ardee, but I have a feeling that she'll be playing a bigger role in the final book.
Speaking of that...I really need to read that final book. This series is like a drug addiction, eesh.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dream Brother
After just finishing the final book, I find myself agreeing on both points.
I must also thank Segan for creating this thread and making me curious enough to try the books out -- I haven't been that entertained in a long time. I'm just crushed that I'm finished, now. The drug addiction comparison really is apt in this case.
Abercrombie has a deftness with characters to match Martin, a powerful brutality in fight scenes to equal Stover and the kind of smart plotting and humour that reminds me of Lynch. Comparing him to other fantasy authors does him a disservice, though, because (overall) he has a distinctive style of his own, and it works brilliantly. I especially like the exploration of morality -- granted, moral ambiguity has become a staple of the genre at present, but Abercrombie seems to really explore it in more depth than is usual. I'm not sure about other readers, but when I was reading the final book I really wondered who was in the right and who was in the wrong -- or even if there was such a thing as right or wrong. This is an unflinching foray into the human condition; it's admirably honest. Then you have the gleeful toying with the expectations of his readers...turning stereotypes upside down, etc. There are no convenient or contrived moments that I could spot -- in fact, many of the most powerful moments were (in hindsight) actually set up from the very first book. The pacing is exemplary. Characters are true to themselves; everything flows naturally and smoothly, and you rarely feel the hand of the author behind it all. That's one of the marks of the very best writing.
The final segment with Logen was, I must say, a very fitting way to conclude it all.
The only problem?
I wanted more, damnit. Surely that can't be the end? I see so many things left open to further exploration...
Either way, I'm now a big fan.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Batman
Ha! Well I'll keep it short and sweet then.
My thoughts on Book 1:
This is one of the most refreshing books I've read in years. Refreshing in the sense that it's so engaging. Refreshing in the sense that it's not predictable. I can't express how impressed I was with this books unpredictability. Not to mention that the world is fascinating and the characters are so real they practically live in my mind. The writing style, I can only describe as getting repeatedly stabbed with a knife made of words. Deadly. Precise. With an edge that will take your head off if you're not careful.
There are so many characters I love and so many characters I hate in Abercrombie's world. And that's what blows me away; I care.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tyrael
Necro'd.
Halfway the second book and I am rather bloody impressed. Glockta, more than anyone else, really seems to have come into his own.
Finished the second book. My usual pedantic views:
At first going into this, memories of The Blade Itself fresh in my mind I knew I was going to be in for a highly readable and entertaining book. There was worries I had, and unfortunately the start of the book looked as if my doubts were well placed. Nevertheless Abercrombie then remeinded me how many things he does very well and I was pulled in willingly. When it did, I can describe the experience with one word:
Phwoar
A review I read prior to it seems very apt: all of what was good about it the first is awesome about the second. Characters, structure, humour and inventiveness are all the more apparent. It gets you caring about the ragtag collection of protagonists and gives them depth. It was funny at times, but also managed to, during a couple of scenes, uphold a poignancy of sorts too.
My primary worry about the book was what seemed to be a real lack of ambition in the books. The Blade Itself had little in the way of memorable set pieces, mostly just working it's way a long a type of story equilibrium. Before They Are Hanged, however, gave me a fair few big scenes to chew on.
The best thing about Abercrombie is his originality though. A book that has a complete character of it's own is a rare thing in fantasy and whenever one comes along that alone makes it worth a read. Luckily, it happens to be both original and brilliant.
Concerning the ending:
Spoiler:
You thought I would let you get spoiled here?
West is still my favourite character, but Glockta really came into his own here. Very, very good book.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord Yu
Finally, finished it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord Yu
Further comments on Last Argument of Kings. It left me with that warm hollow feeling I get after finishing a good book. The amount of thoughts it gave me was delicious.
Currently, Joe Abercrombie is working on a new book set in The First Law universe, and this time with a female lead character. The title is Best Served Cold and comes out June 2009 in the UK and July 2009 in the US.
Best Served Cold cover
Best Served Cold copy
Spoiler:
"Revenge is a dish best served cold."Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
Springtime in Styria. And that means war.
There have been nineteen years of blood. The ruthless Grand Duke Orso is locked in a vicious struggle with the squabbling League of Eight, and between them they have bled the land white. While armies march, heads roll and cities burn, behind the scenes bankers, priests and older, darker powers play a deadly game to choose who will be king.
War may be hell but for Monza Murcatto, the Snake of Talins, the most feared and famous mercenary in Duke Orso's employ, it's a damn good way of making money too. Her victories have made her popular - a shade too popular for her employer's taste. Betrayed, thrown down a mountain and left for dead, Murcatto's reward is a broken body and a burning hunger for vengeance. Whatever the cost, seven men must die.
Her allies include Styria's least reliable drunkard, Styria's most treacherous poisoner, a mass-murderer obsessed with numbers and a Northman who just wants to do the right thing. Her enemies number the better half of the nation. And that's all before the most dangerous man in the world is dispatched to hunt her down and finish the job Duke Orso started...
Springtime in Styria. And that means revenge.
Since it will be a hardcover, the cover spans the length of the whole front and back.
I've been pimping this ever since i got here and as you can see from my name im a fan!
I would say that the first book is easily the weakest of the three and its not that much better then decent. So bare that in mind. If you don't like the second book though then its probably not for you.
I've been pimping this ever since i got here and as you can see from my name im a fan!
I would say that the first book is easily the weakest of the three and its not that much better then decent. So bare that in mind. If you don't like the second book though then its probably not for you.
In relation to the whole trilogy, the first isn't the strongest, but still damn rock-solid.
From the beautiful readability I'm guessing this is like gold vs platinum.
Exactly. Segan was right i was a bit careless. What i meant was the first (at least in my opinion) gets a 7.5/10 the second gets a 9/10 and the last one gets a flawless 10.
Its far far far away from Malazan. The books get obviously better as the series goes along and the characterisation, plot and pacing are miles better. Abercrombie does battles even better too.
Joe Abercrombie (UK): Creator of The First Law universe - first review for BSC out!
- Segan
