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dbateman1355's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.25
barbare16's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kashna83's review against another edition
3.0
Pues igual es que tenía expectativas muy altas con esta trilogía... Pero no me ha gustado todo lo que esperaba de ella. El último libro se me ha hecho muy pesado. Estuve a punto de dejarlo pero después de hacer el esfuerzo de leer 2 libros y medio... hay que acabar. Los personajes es lo que más me ha gustado. Y lo que menos es la historia en sí. No la veo demasiado original. Prácticamente todas las cosas que sucedían las había anticipado, y la verdad es que me gusta que me sorprendan. La puntúo con un 3/5 porqué aún así está suficientemente bien escrita como para acabar el libro.
marit0223's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
timinbc's review against another edition
5.0
I don't see how I can not give this five stars.
There are many people I won't recommend it to, and I'm not even sure I liked it in the end.
But I have to admire what Abercrombie has wrought here.
So ... you have to set aside any expectation that They All Live Happily Ever After. You have to accept that there can be worlds where good and evil are not as closely balanced as they are here. Or that there can be a society in which everyone eventually faces a tough choice. Not even the choice of bad vs worse; more like bad vs another bad.
You have to be OK with a lot of hacking and slashing and maiming, but if you've already worked through the first two you won't have a problem. Sometimes it gets a bit silly, with 15-foot warriors and magic armour and swords that cut through far more than is realistic. Logistics are rarely mentioned; tens of thousands of soldiers are in place for days and we only ever hear of a few sheep and perhaps once some water.
Magic is used inconsistently. There's a bit of well, geez, if you could do THAT all along why the heck didn't you? There are some suggestions of limitations on magic's use in book two, and in book three one characters needs a Thing to do what it takes to stop opponents who are very powerful without a Thing. Hmmm.
You'll want to read all three books somewhat close together if you can, because this trilogy has one of the most complexly woven multi-multi-strand plots I have ever read, and I've read a LOT of them. It's a masterpiece of plotting, and using characters in a way that fits them, and setting things up thousands of pages ahead.
All the characters are flawed, most of them more than we are -- authors are allowed to magnify for effect. Some of them have flickers of goodness that haven't been knocked out of them yet. Several of the key characters are very believably just as you'd expect them to be after all they have been through in the other two books. Most key characters develop slowly and steadily, not in big leaps. There are at least ten really interesting characters.
Everything ties together marvellously in the end, and many plot threads are resolved. Maybe not the way you thought, but in a way that is quite plausible even while unpleasant. OK, horrible. And there are a few surprises even right near the end.
And one important non-resolution that suggests three explanations: (a) sequel! (b) no simple resolution would fit this character (c ) Abercrombie just decided to.
But this is one fantasy world I never, ever want to visit.
There are many people I won't recommend it to, and I'm not even sure I liked it in the end.
But I have to admire what Abercrombie has wrought here.
So ... you have to set aside any expectation that They All Live Happily Ever After. You have to accept that there can be worlds where good and evil are not as closely balanced as they are here. Or that there can be a society in which everyone eventually faces a tough choice. Not even the choice of bad vs worse; more like bad vs another bad.
You have to be OK with a lot of hacking and slashing and maiming, but if you've already worked through the first two you won't have a problem. Sometimes it gets a bit silly, with 15-foot warriors and magic armour and swords that cut through far more than is realistic. Logistics are rarely mentioned; tens of thousands of soldiers are in place for days and we only ever hear of a few sheep and perhaps once some water.
Magic is used inconsistently. There's a bit of well, geez, if you could do THAT all along why the heck didn't you? There are some suggestions of limitations on magic's use in book two, and in book three one characters needs a Thing to do what it takes to stop opponents who are very powerful without a Thing. Hmmm.
You'll want to read all three books somewhat close together if you can, because this trilogy has one of the most complexly woven multi-multi-strand plots I have ever read, and I've read a LOT of them. It's a masterpiece of plotting, and using characters in a way that fits them, and setting things up thousands of pages ahead.
All the characters are flawed, most of them more than we are -- authors are allowed to magnify for effect. Some of them have flickers of goodness that haven't been knocked out of them yet. Several of the key characters are very believably just as you'd expect them to be after all they have been through in the other two books. Most key characters develop slowly and steadily, not in big leaps. There are at least ten really interesting characters.
Everything ties together marvellously in the end, and many plot threads are resolved. Maybe not the way you thought, but in a way that is quite plausible even while unpleasant. OK, horrible. And there are a few surprises even right near the end.
And one important non-resolution that suggests three explanations: (a) sequel! (b) no simple resolution would fit this character (c ) Abercrombie just decided to
Spoiler
do a SopranosBut this is one fantasy world I never, ever want to visit.
ponken's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
l3vy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- 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
3.0
The book was fine and I enjoyed it. My expectations may have been too high but I just felt like it didn't really capture the same energy of the first two. I honestly think this book could have probably been split in two, or at the very least some of the beginning should have been put into the end of book 2. Just so much happens in a relatively short amount of time. I think this led to some climaxes feeling a little underdeveloped and a resolution that stretched on for way too long.
“Anyone can face ease and success with confidence. It is the way we face trouble and misfortune that defines us.”
bekahgern's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
creeves1818's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- 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
testaroscia's review against another edition
5.0
Surprisingly satisfying genre book. After a somewhat wobbly first book I lapped up 2 and 3 and greatly enjoyed the flawed characters, some of which you love to hate, others you will hate to love. He takes his time developing the plot and personalities and it shows, transforming my frustrations in the first book into clear lines in the subsequent books. There are certainly loose ends but there is an overall circular narrative arc that works. I will be looking into the stand-alones.