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da3m0nic's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Kidnapping, Murder, War, Cursing, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Grief, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Misogyny
Minor: Emotional abuse and Death of parent
surdiablo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Pedophilia
adammtucker's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Violence and War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Xenophobia, and Slavery
A work that makes exploring the standalones of the First Law worth it, my favorite yet - which is impressive given I thought The Heroes was also excellent.bookishwondergoth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Looking at the previous review I wrote for this book, I think I was way too harsh on it. It stands up incredibly well in the wider context of The First Law series, and to tell the truth, I don’t remember reading the latter half of the book beyond a couple of very key events, so it was nice to go back and refresh my memory and realise it wasn’t that pointless or awful after all!
It really is wonderful to be back with with these characters again, both as a veteran reader and also after having recently reread ‘Best Served Cold’ and ‘The Heroes’. Cosca, Shivers and “Lamb” all make a welcome reappearance, whilst new characters Temple and Shy are just as entertaining as they were the first time around. Temple especially is a delight. I see the blueprint of my all time favourite Orso (from The Age of Madness trilogy) in him; he's that rare breed of Abercrombie character who is genuinely good and just trying to do the right thing, even if he sometimes fails spectacularly.
I also really loved the ending to this one; bittersweet after so much misery in previous instalments—sometimes the light is necessary to make the darkness hit that much harder.
It remains Joe’s weakest book in The First Law series for sure, but that’s not really the biting of a criticism you think it is. I love this world, this story and these characters in all their messy glory with all my heart.
Graphic: Blood, Alcohol, Vomit, Cursing, Death, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Trafficking, and War
Minor: Excrement, Sexual assault, and Torture
The story concerns the abuduction of children and their retrieval by the main character. The children are being trafficked to a buyer for a specfic plot reason, however they are not physically harmed or abused. Two of the characters are canonically alcoholics, one of whom is a lost cause and other who is trying to get better. There is also a backdrop subplot concerning rebellion (and consequently war) , and suppression of said rebellion by the inquisition. Contains the usual Joe Abercrombie grossness concerning bodily fluids, sex and swearing.apiecalypsejen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It's basically a gold rush story about what might happen if your children got stolen, and you were to discover that the guy who you thought was this sweet old man on your farm was a sleeper cell, and actually, one of the most prolific and famous killers in the world, ten years dormant. I highly recommend it. Especially if you've read the first 3 books.
No need to have read the first two stand alone books to follow this one, unless you are curious about what happened to
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Cursing, Death, Kidnapping, Trafficking, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Drug use, Bullying, Physical abuse, and Drug abuse
Minor: Misogyny, Colonisation, Mental illness, Animal death, Abandonment, Confinement, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Pedophilia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Child death, Child abuse, and Death of parent
elliotvanz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This book feels more like a western (or a series of connected western stories) than it does a fantasy. Thankfully for me, that's what I signed up for, but someone going in looking for a fantasy epic is in for a surprise. There's no magic (at least that I noticed) - this is a western with swords and bows instead of guns (mostly). It hits many of the western story tropes: stolen children, mysterious strangers, wagons west, perilous natives, a broken down mining town, "this town's not big enough for the two of us," a heist, the last stand, and even a massacre. Which is where I get to why this was the most divisive book my book club has ever read.
This book is violent and filled with horrible people. I would argue the book tells you what it is right up front, so if you carry on and despite that, well, the book did warn you. Both implicitly and explicitly. When you get a scene where a dog's head ends up on a stick fairly early on that's a signpost for things to come. (Did you just decide to skip this book after reading that?) The language surrounding the people who are obviously stand-ins for the native peoples in the Cowboys versus Indians tropes is...not great. And the absolute gleeful slaughter that occurs later is disturbing. But I don't think that's entirely unintentional.
Abercrombie writes dark violent books that examine the failings of humanity, and how the mundane can be the monstrous. This book felt like an exploration of what makes someone a white hat versus a black hat, and how that assessment shifts depending on where you're standing. It's a deconstruction of western stories and the assumptions about the "good guys" featured is such tales. I found that compelling. A lot of people will simply find it nauseating. I would posit there's no wrong answer here. If you want to read a book exploring the monstrous side of the western genre, peopled with characters who are morally grey at best, this book might interest you. If you don't like reading about bad people doing bad things you're going to want to give this one a pass. Enjoyment of this book is very much going to boil down to a matter of taste.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, Medical content, Misogyny, and Sexual content
Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Excrement, Grief, Rape, Sexual violence, and Torture