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4.48 AVERAGE
4.48 AVERAGE
This is an awesome series - probably one of the bloodiest, tongue-in-cheek things I've ever read.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this trilogy. It is set in a fictional fantasy medieval-like world, where most of the magic has gone due to events that occurred long ago, and what is left of magic seems to be slowly leaving this world. The world used to be inhabited by demons and humans but the demons were banished to the Other Side.
There are several protagonist, all of which are seriously flawed, to the point where you sometimes have to wonder if they are heroes or villains -- quite a bit of both, often. A former war hero that is now a cripple after years of torture and who has become an inquisitor, doing torture as part of the political intrigues that he is part of. A pompous arrogant young man who thinks the world of himself but who will have to face realities that don't match his own arrogant view. An old warrior that has done terrible things and would like to become a better person but that's harder to do than one might think, particularly with an affliction such as he has. A crazy warrior who wants nothing more than vengeance but winds up being dragged into various machinations with a promise of the ultimate vengeance. A very old wizard, a student from the old masters that have all disappeared long ago, who decides to come out of retirement to help deal with problems, and who assembles several heroes on a quest that only he knows the ultimate goal for. A soldier that has to do what he can even in an army that is plagued with generals that mix stupidity and arrogance. All of these characters wind up pulled through various interrelated tales about wars between different empires which make them face their inner demons and as well as dangers, mysteries and intrigue that goes beyond anything that they might have ever thought of. Ultimately, every thing is around the First Law (it is forbidden to touch the Other Side direct -- which means that the use of magic which taps into that world where demons are is mostly something to be avoided or it risks reopening the gate to allow the demons back in) and the Second Law (eating human flesh to gain powers and become near invincible ghoulish creatures).
The writing and pacing and story crafting in this book is all excellent. For the most part, I kept being surprised where the story was going until the third book. The third book had some predictable events (although all very well done) but also still holds some good surprises. The ending was very satisfying and extremely well done. Again, great writing and story telling, with characters that I loved, flaws et al. I highly recommend this one.
There are several protagonist, all of which are seriously flawed, to the point where you sometimes have to wonder if they are heroes or villains -- quite a bit of both, often. A former war hero that is now a cripple after years of torture and who has become an inquisitor, doing torture as part of the political intrigues that he is part of. A pompous arrogant young man who thinks the world of himself but who will have to face realities that don't match his own arrogant view. An old warrior that has done terrible things and would like to become a better person but that's harder to do than one might think, particularly with an affliction such as he has. A crazy warrior who wants nothing more than vengeance but winds up being dragged into various machinations with a promise of the ultimate vengeance. A very old wizard, a student from the old masters that have all disappeared long ago, who decides to come out of retirement to help deal with problems, and who assembles several heroes on a quest that only he knows the ultimate goal for. A soldier that has to do what he can even in an army that is plagued with generals that mix stupidity and arrogance. All of these characters wind up pulled through various interrelated tales about wars between different empires which make them face their inner demons and as well as dangers, mysteries and intrigue that goes beyond anything that they might have ever thought of. Ultimately, every thing is around the First Law (it is forbidden to touch the Other Side direct -- which means that the use of magic which taps into that world where demons are is mostly something to be avoided or it risks reopening the gate to allow the demons back in) and the Second Law (eating human flesh to gain powers and become near invincible ghoulish creatures).
The writing and pacing and story crafting in this book is all excellent. For the most part, I kept being surprised where the story was going until the third book. The third book had some predictable events (although all very well done) but also still holds some good surprises. The ending was very satisfying and extremely well done. Again, great writing and story telling, with characters that I loved, flaws et al. I highly recommend this one.
I can't help but feel like people who love this series are probably not the most experienced readers. Certainly, they can't yet have hit that wall that comes eventually to most avid fantasy readers: the point at which one realises that they have seen it all before, and that what makes a story truly worth reading is not grit or cynicism or quippy one-liners, but something delivered with true competency, that knows what it is and hones it to the finest possible point.
This is such a confused series. It is pure entertainment in the shallowest sense, which is fine except that it has such pretensions to be otherwise. Characters - yes, even the much-lauded (for reasons I cannot discern) Glokta - are essentially one-note. Motivations are thin. Politics are simplistic. All fine stuff. This is what one would expect from a pulpy, action-oriented, plot-driven adventure series.
But Abercrombie isn't trying to deliver that series. What we're given is a total dearth of plot for far, far too long. It's like Abercrombie thought he was writing a character-driven novel, but that he didn't know what made such a book differ from a plot-driven one, so he ended up writing a plot-driven novel with no plot and too much focus on characters that are most certainly meant for a plot-driven book. What results is a stagnant, unfocused mess.
I couldn't finish the series. I DNFed partway through the second book, having started it only because I made the mistake of buying all three in one. I don't expect it to get any better, but if it does, it will have happened far too late.
This is such a confused series. It is pure entertainment in the shallowest sense, which is fine except that it has such pretensions to be otherwise. Characters - yes, even the much-lauded (for reasons I cannot discern) Glokta - are essentially one-note. Motivations are thin. Politics are simplistic. All fine stuff. This is what one would expect from a pulpy, action-oriented, plot-driven adventure series.
But Abercrombie isn't trying to deliver that series. What we're given is a total dearth of plot for far, far too long. It's like Abercrombie thought he was writing a character-driven novel, but that he didn't know what made such a book differ from a plot-driven one, so he ended up writing a plot-driven novel with no plot and too much focus on characters that are most certainly meant for a plot-driven book. What results is a stagnant, unfocused mess.
I couldn't finish the series. I DNFed partway through the second book, having started it only because I made the mistake of buying all three in one. I don't expect it to get any better, but if it does, it will have happened far too late.
adventurous
dark
funny
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:
Complicated
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
There are few books that I can say are nearly perfect. Books so well written and well done that their flaws are drowned in their better parts. Abercrombie comes very close with these 3 books.
The setting is bleak, a world in which dark forces bicker with one another over the empty shell of a world of which magic has long ago begun to drain from. The world feels lived in and breathed in, and there are several moments in the story that gush with unwritten history and environmental storytelling. Worldbuilding in fantasy novels is ever an important thing, and Abercrombie is off to a strong start. Not the best I’ve ever seen, but far removed from the worst.
The plot is likely what will turn any prospective reader off of the trilogy. It is winding and convoluted; characters are often across the world from one another doing seemingly unrelated things. Unrelated entirely, which is a criticism I won’t hesitate to levy onto the first two books. Until the final book, it feels like there is next to no rhyme or reason for why Abercrombie picked or even included these stories with one another. It becomes much clearer to the end of the series what Abercrombie was planning, and would probably make much more sense on a reread.
The characters are where Joe Abercrombie hits his stride. Each and every point of view character in these books are horrible, terrifyingly cold-hearted people. Somehow, through reading the trilogy, I came around to empathizing with them, and understanding why they were the way they were, and finally cheering for them as they committed terrible acts of murder and brutality. It’s a dark book. The characters and their journey through the world is what kept me going through the rougher parts. Seeing good men commit terrible acts, and seeing terrible men commit good acts, and the more common terrible people committing terrible acts is what makes Abercrombie’s novels tick. His characters are prolific and standout, and I don’t mean among fantasy alone. Glotka in particular is one of the most well written characters in all of the fiction I’ve ever read, if not the most well written.
If you like Game of Thrones, but want something easier and quicker to read, or you actually want an author who writes novels regularly, the First Law trilogy and the wider works of Joe Abercrombie are for you. I cannot recommend this enough to any low/dark fantasy fan.
The setting is bleak, a world in which dark forces bicker with one another over the empty shell of a world of which magic has long ago begun to drain from. The world feels lived in and breathed in, and there are several moments in the story that gush with unwritten history and environmental storytelling. Worldbuilding in fantasy novels is ever an important thing, and Abercrombie is off to a strong start. Not the best I’ve ever seen, but far removed from the worst.
The plot is likely what will turn any prospective reader off of the trilogy. It is winding and convoluted; characters are often across the world from one another doing seemingly unrelated things. Unrelated entirely, which is a criticism I won’t hesitate to levy onto the first two books. Until the final book, it feels like there is next to no rhyme or reason for why Abercrombie picked or even included these stories with one another. It becomes much clearer to the end of the series what Abercrombie was planning, and would probably make much more sense on a reread.
The characters are where Joe Abercrombie hits his stride. Each and every point of view character in these books are horrible, terrifyingly cold-hearted people. Somehow, through reading the trilogy, I came around to empathizing with them, and understanding why they were the way they were, and finally cheering for them as they committed terrible acts of murder and brutality. It’s a dark book. The characters and their journey through the world is what kept me going through the rougher parts. Seeing good men commit terrible acts, and seeing terrible men commit good acts, and the more common terrible people committing terrible acts is what makes Abercrombie’s novels tick. His characters are prolific and standout, and I don’t mean among fantasy alone. Glotka in particular is one of the most well written characters in all of the fiction I’ve ever read, if not the most well written.
If you like Game of Thrones, but want something easier and quicker to read, or you actually want an author who writes novels regularly, the First Law trilogy and the wider works of Joe Abercrombie are for you. I cannot recommend this enough to any low/dark fantasy fan.
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This turned out to be a reread for me, although I skimmed pages and jumped over chapters, as I realized I had read the series before, but went totally brain dead about it.
Lots of interesting characters. Power struggles and greed prevail, with snippets of humor and some catchy phrases. Brawn seems to rule in this saga with just a tad of cleverness occasionally tossed in. Medieval weaponry and magic. Darkness, but that goes hand in hand with evil.
Perhaps one reason the cells between my ears forgot about my previous perusal of the pages is the story simply ends. Finito, Fini, Fertig, Finished. No brave man runs off with the beautiful warrior queen. No final stroll into the sunset. Nadda, nothing. Story over. Just like this review. ;)
Lots of interesting characters. Power struggles and greed prevail, with snippets of humor and some catchy phrases. Brawn seems to rule in this saga with just a tad of cleverness occasionally tossed in. Medieval weaponry and magic. Darkness, but that goes hand in hand with evil.
Perhaps one reason the cells between my ears forgot about my previous perusal of the pages is the story simply ends. Finito, Fini, Fertig, Finished. No brave man runs off with the beautiful warrior queen. No final stroll into the sunset. Nadda, nothing. Story over. Just like this review. ;)
The First Law is now my go to recommendation to anyone who might like fantasy. I think the sequel trilogy (Age of Madness) is superior, but The First Law has a charm and an emphasis on the supernatural that feels missing in later books.
I really, really, hope Abercrombie continues the story into the future with another generation of characters, but I know I’m going to be waiting a while for that.
I only have the three middle “one-off” books left and then what will I read?! Other authors???
I really, really, hope Abercrombie continues the story into the future with another generation of characters, but I know I’m going to be waiting a while for that.
I only have the three middle “one-off” books left and then what will I read?! Other authors???
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes