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willrefuge's review against another edition
4.0
4 / 5 ✪
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2019/09/15/book-review-a-little-hatred-by-joe-abercrombie/
A Little Hatred is the 10th full-length novel by Joe Abercrombie set in the First Law world. Where Red Country saw the rise of expansionism, so does Hatred see the rise of Industrialization. Although, where this age of industry and innovation see the rise of many great miracles, they are built on the backs of the working class, and on flesh, sweat and blood. So, so much blood.
If you were thinking that the dawn of a new age possibly meant the dawn of a new Abercrombie—you really weren’t thinking clearly. I actually had a similar thought upon reading through, at a point where the plot-lines had tied up fairly well and each character had a nice (and if not “happy”, then) aesthetically pleasing end. Then I realized I was only at the 80% mark, and remembered who I was dealing with.
Industrialization has come to Adua. In the capital, Savine dan Glokta stands out as the most feared woman in the nation—even more so than Terez, Queen of the Union. Not only is she the only daughter of “Old Sticks” Arch Lector Sand dan Glokta, but a cutthroat businesswoman, with her finger in every pot. Prince Orso, meanwhile, the Crown Prince and only son of Jezal dan Luthar and Queen Terez—is a worthless disappointment. Known as a wastrel, playboy, drunk, whoremonger, the Young Lamb is possibly less loved than Savine, though definitely more hated. The Union may be a hotbed of industry, though the underclass is restless. Bull Broad thought he was done with war after Styria, but with a war brewing in the north, the eyes of the elite are soon to be distracted. And a war of another kind is stoking closer to home.
The North has come to Angland. Black Calder has tired of waiting for the Dogman to die and pushed Scale to invade. And when the Northmen, led by Calder’s son, Stour Nightfall, come knocking, the Union moves to engage. Rikke, daughter of the Dogman, is blessed with the Long Eye. Errmm… cursed with the Long Eye. But the future isn’t exactly helpful if you don’t have a clue to what it means. Luckily, she has allies. Unluckily, they’re like the Young Lion, Leo dan Brock. An inspired leader, if a selfish, arrogant one, he’s as pretty to look at as he is to bed. Clover is an uninspired warrior. A Named Man, he gained his name in the Circle. And then lost it, only to gain another. But when he’s pressed into war, he may gain yet another name, and this one might be the worst of all.
Darkness, intrigue and war ravage the world. Where there is war, there is blood. And where there is blood, there are heroes. And those other ones.
The character arcs and progression are evident in ALHatred, though I’d almost really separate them into pro- and regression arcs. Meanwhile, the plot and story both remain strong, sometimes powerful enough as to convince me I had lived it. After a decade plus of this, this Brit really knows what he’s doing.
Now, up to this point Abercrombie hasn’t exactly been all sunshine and daisies. But A Little Hatred is more than just a little depressing. There’re terrible people, and just mostly terrible people, and some only kinda terrible people—but they’re all just people. Oh, and they’re all selfish bastards.
I think this is my biggest issue with the book. Self-interest—more than anything else—ruins pretty much everything. I mean, a little self-preservation isn’t a bad thing. And some people are always going to be self-obsessed. In previous efforts, many of Abercrombie’s characters have been. But not in ALHatred. Because they all are. Every single character is a selfish bastard at one time or another, and most for pretty much the entire book. For the most part, it’s a book full of terrible, depressing people. Now, you may argue that this’s just Grimdark at its finest. Which, yeah… I guess. But it’s just not realistic. Not everyone is going to be a self-obsessed bastard. Except that in this case, they are.
As always, Abercrombie presents a dark rendering of the world. But while I found the industrial world of the First Law to be vibrant and interesting, realistic to a scary degree, immersive to almost the same amount—its characters fall well short. I had absolutely no issue picturing the world. So much of the book is rendered in gory detail, the scenes the text creating in my mind’s eye brought me chills. There’s one I remember best of all: a beggar set amidst the runoff from a textile mill, dye and filth mixing freely in the water, while behind her the city burns. It’s such a haunting image of progress, innovation, revolution. The world leaps forward, but once more leaves the common man behind.
TL;DR
A Little Hatred presents a level of realism unheard of in fantasy on all fronts—save one. The level of detail was truly astounding, as I was swept from a scene of majestic beauty, to one of tortured triumph, to the aftermath of a gruesome battle, and beyond. The overarching plot and each character’s story are almost as amazing, trailing through the murk as the world industrializes. A dark book, Abercrombie has not changed in the slightest. Though he may have lost some in transit. The characters, his bread and butter, seemed hollow, self-obsessed husks of humanity. Puppets rather than ‘men inhabiting this otherwise real world. While not his strongest work, A Little Hatred is definitely worth a read, whether you get it new or used. Even more so as it begins a new trilogy: the Age of Madness.
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2019/09/15/book-review-a-little-hatred-by-joe-abercrombie/
A Little Hatred is the 10th full-length novel by Joe Abercrombie set in the First Law world. Where Red Country saw the rise of expansionism, so does Hatred see the rise of Industrialization. Although, where this age of industry and innovation see the rise of many great miracles, they are built on the backs of the working class, and on flesh, sweat and blood. So, so much blood.
If you were thinking that the dawn of a new age possibly meant the dawn of a new Abercrombie—you really weren’t thinking clearly. I actually had a similar thought upon reading through, at a point where the plot-lines had tied up fairly well and each character had a nice (and if not “happy”, then) aesthetically pleasing end. Then I realized I was only at the 80% mark, and remembered who I was dealing with.
Industrialization has come to Adua. In the capital, Savine dan Glokta stands out as the most feared woman in the nation—even more so than Terez, Queen of the Union. Not only is she the only daughter of “Old Sticks” Arch Lector Sand dan Glokta, but a cutthroat businesswoman, with her finger in every pot. Prince Orso, meanwhile, the Crown Prince and only son of Jezal dan Luthar and Queen Terez—is a worthless disappointment. Known as a wastrel, playboy, drunk, whoremonger, the Young Lamb is possibly less loved than Savine, though definitely more hated. The Union may be a hotbed of industry, though the underclass is restless. Bull Broad thought he was done with war after Styria, but with a war brewing in the north, the eyes of the elite are soon to be distracted. And a war of another kind is stoking closer to home.
The North has come to Angland. Black Calder has tired of waiting for the Dogman to die and pushed Scale to invade. And when the Northmen, led by Calder’s son, Stour Nightfall, come knocking, the Union moves to engage. Rikke, daughter of the Dogman, is blessed with the Long Eye. Errmm… cursed with the Long Eye. But the future isn’t exactly helpful if you don’t have a clue to what it means. Luckily, she has allies. Unluckily, they’re like the Young Lion, Leo dan Brock. An inspired leader, if a selfish, arrogant one, he’s as pretty to look at as he is to bed. Clover is an uninspired warrior. A Named Man, he gained his name in the Circle. And then lost it, only to gain another. But when he’s pressed into war, he may gain yet another name, and this one might be the worst of all.
Darkness, intrigue and war ravage the world. Where there is war, there is blood. And where there is blood, there are heroes. And those other ones.
The character arcs and progression are evident in ALHatred, though I’d almost really separate them into pro- and regression arcs. Meanwhile, the plot and story both remain strong, sometimes powerful enough as to convince me I had lived it. After a decade plus of this, this Brit really knows what he’s doing.
Now, up to this point Abercrombie hasn’t exactly been all sunshine and daisies. But A Little Hatred is more than just a little depressing. There’re terrible people, and just mostly terrible people, and some only kinda terrible people—but they’re all just people. Oh, and they’re all selfish bastards.
I think this is my biggest issue with the book. Self-interest—more than anything else—ruins pretty much everything. I mean, a little self-preservation isn’t a bad thing. And some people are always going to be self-obsessed. In previous efforts, many of Abercrombie’s characters have been. But not in ALHatred. Because they all are. Every single character is a selfish bastard at one time or another, and most for pretty much the entire book. For the most part, it’s a book full of terrible, depressing people. Now, you may argue that this’s just Grimdark at its finest. Which, yeah… I guess. But it’s just not realistic. Not everyone is going to be a self-obsessed bastard. Except that in this case, they are.
As always, Abercrombie presents a dark rendering of the world. But while I found the industrial world of the First Law to be vibrant and interesting, realistic to a scary degree, immersive to almost the same amount—its characters fall well short. I had absolutely no issue picturing the world. So much of the book is rendered in gory detail, the scenes the text creating in my mind’s eye brought me chills. There’s one I remember best of all: a beggar set amidst the runoff from a textile mill, dye and filth mixing freely in the water, while behind her the city burns. It’s such a haunting image of progress, innovation, revolution. The world leaps forward, but once more leaves the common man behind.
TL;DR
A Little Hatred presents a level of realism unheard of in fantasy on all fronts—save one. The level of detail was truly astounding, as I was swept from a scene of majestic beauty, to one of tortured triumph, to the aftermath of a gruesome battle, and beyond. The overarching plot and each character’s story are almost as amazing, trailing through the murk as the world industrializes. A dark book, Abercrombie has not changed in the slightest. Though he may have lost some in transit. The characters, his bread and butter, seemed hollow, self-obsessed husks of humanity. Puppets rather than ‘men inhabiting this otherwise real world. While not his strongest work, A Little Hatred is definitely worth a read, whether you get it new or used. Even more so as it begins a new trilogy: the Age of Madness.
tinawuhu's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
diarmuid's review
4.0
A great return to the First Law universe and FINALLY getting back to Adua, the Union, and some of our favorite characters from the original trilogy. Don't get me wrong, I adored the standalone trilogy, but there's a certain excitement that comes of knowing we'll have three books in a row to tell one single story.
I was a bit worried going in, as the jump to the "next generation" is often fraught and rarely succeeds, but Abercrombie pulls it off with aplomp. The (adult) children of some of our previous POV characters are all very well fleshed out, with Sabine and Orso in particular being great. Worthy successors to their fathers (or, just the one father as it turns out). Seeing Glokta and Jezal again absolutely brought a smile to my face, especially with how successful they both are now. Bayaz returning to mastermind everything and seeing how scared the OGs are of him is just *chefs kiss*. The quality of writing is as great as usual, probably better as Abercrombie is more experienced now.
My only (minor) gripes with the novel are on plot, although it is perhaps not fair as it's only the first in a trilogy. Gurkel is just zero threat now (I know it collapsing offpage is very on brand for the series, but still) and the built up threat of Styria in the standalones and Sharp Ends is nowhere to be seen other than the rear view mirror. Instead, we get a war in . . . wait for it . . . The North! How original. Joe, this is the fifth book out of seven you've had a war in the north. It's time to mix it up.
The revolution in Valbeck was great though. I love the industrial revolution mixed with age of revolution thing he's going for here. I am intrigued to see where it goes next after being "crushed". Although I did dislike that when Valbeck was in full swing we stayed focused on it the whole way through, I felt a break to go somewhere else would have been welcome.
Finally, the book continues for a good 3-4hr after it should end, with the conclusion of hostilities. I get that he wanted to push it up to the new kings, but it meant the last few hours were fairly meandering and I was just waiting for the book to end so I could move on to something else. That's not to say they weren't a good few hours, far from it, but just felt unnecessary putting them in at the end here to take the wind out of the sails and kill the momentum. It does, however, leave us in a good spot for the next book. And of course, this is a trilogy, so it gets some slack for that, and it's a little unfair to judge it on its own.
On the POVs, as I mentioned earlier Sabine and Orso were standouts. Rikke is interesting, I like the long eye, and Leo has a good story (although he gets to be quite insufferable as it goes on). Broad is a nice addition as a "common man". Clover is a little annoying, it's good to have a POV in that camp but I don't care for his character all that much. And if he's such a great old warrior, why have I never heard of him? His ending does set him up to be potentially more interesting going forward though.
Overall, I had a great time with this book. I don't think it quite hits the highs of the original trilogy so far, but considering how difficult it is to write a compelling sequel with a reason for it to even exist, Abercrombie has done a damn good job.
I was a bit worried going in, as the jump to the "next generation" is often fraught and rarely succeeds, but Abercrombie pulls it off with aplomp. The (adult) children of some of our previous POV characters are all very well fleshed out, with Sabine and Orso in particular being great. Worthy successors to their fathers (or, just the one father as it turns out). Seeing Glokta and Jezal again absolutely brought a smile to my face, especially with how successful they both are now. Bayaz returning to mastermind everything and seeing how scared the OGs are of him is just *chefs kiss*. The quality of writing is as great as usual, probably better as Abercrombie is more experienced now.
My only (minor) gripes with the novel are on plot, although it is perhaps not fair as it's only the first in a trilogy. Gurkel is just zero threat now (I know it collapsing offpage is very on brand for the series, but still) and the built up threat of Styria in the standalones and Sharp Ends is nowhere to be seen other than the rear view mirror. Instead, we get a war in . . . wait for it . . . The North! How original. Joe, this is the fifth book out of seven you've had a war in the north. It's time to mix it up.
The revolution in Valbeck was great though. I love the industrial revolution mixed with age of revolution thing he's going for here. I am intrigued to see where it goes next after being "crushed". Although I did dislike that when Valbeck was in full swing we stayed focused on it the whole way through, I felt a break to go somewhere else would have been welcome.
Finally, the book continues for a good 3-4hr after it should end, with the conclusion of hostilities. I get that he wanted to push it up to the new kings, but it meant the last few hours were fairly meandering and I was just waiting for the book to end so I could move on to something else. That's not to say they weren't a good few hours, far from it, but just felt unnecessary putting them in at the end here to take the wind out of the sails and kill the momentum. It does, however, leave us in a good spot for the next book. And of course, this is a trilogy, so it gets some slack for that, and it's a little unfair to judge it on its own.
On the POVs, as I mentioned earlier Sabine and Orso were standouts. Rikke is interesting, I like the long eye, and Leo has a good story (although he gets to be quite insufferable as it goes on). Broad is a nice addition as a "common man". Clover is a little annoying, it's good to have a POV in that camp but I don't care for his character all that much. And if he's such a great old warrior, why have I never heard of him? His ending does set him up to be potentially more interesting going forward though.
Overall, I had a great time with this book. I don't think it quite hits the highs of the original trilogy so far, but considering how difficult it is to write a compelling sequel with a reason for it to even exist, Abercrombie has done a damn good job.
sevve's review against another edition
4.0
Nie jest to raczej moja ulubiona książka Abercrombiego, ale i tak było git. Świetne nowe postaci i jak zawsze świetny Steven Pacey.
Książka, zwłaszcza w 1 połowie, cierpi trochę na syndrom "Ostrza", gdzie akcja na kartkach leci i leci, ale w sumie nie wiadomo gdzie i po co. W standalonach przestało mi do doskwierać, ale przyznam, że tutaj zajęło mi chwilę wciągnięcie się.
Książka, zwłaszcza w 1 połowie, cierpi trochę na syndrom "Ostrza", gdzie akcja na kartkach leci i leci, ale w sumie nie wiadomo gdzie i po co. W standalonach przestało mi do doskwierać, ale przyznam, że tutaj zajęło mi chwilę wciągnięcie się.
gabrielle713's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
bx34949's review
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
4.75
jaydoncornell's review
dark
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
annakelcey's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0