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4.3 AVERAGE
4.3 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Before they are hanged is the second novel in the First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie. Having played with subverting fantasy character stereotypes in the first novel, this time the author plays around with fantasy plot stereotypes. There are three subplots which all start as standard fantasy tropes - a band of heroes going on a long and arduous journey through hostile land for a mission involving a magical artifact, another band of heroes coming to the rescue of a city under siege, the third band of heroes going to a noble war against the barbarians from the north - and for most of the novel, things happen as expected, but again, Abercrombie manages to pull off some unexpected and surprising twists. Having said that, at least two of three story-lines have a bizarre anti-climactic ending, so much so that some readers may question the purpose of these subplots. Also, some annoying traits of the author are starting to emerge, such as over-written action scenes describing events in microscopic detail and yet somehow manage to be confusing, repeated descriptions of the pain and discomfort experienced by some of the characters, etc. The novel also suffers from the fact that much of the plot is bland and cliched. While there may not be much plot depth or world-building depth, there is still plenty of depth to be found in the characters, as we find out just how broken and twisted some of these characters really are. And yet, Abercrombie manages to make the readers empathize with them, with some scenes being especially poignant and heart-breaking. Overall, this is the typical middle book in a fantasy trilogy, with not many important things happening, but characters starting to show their true colors, and setting up the stage for the finale.
adventurous
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Definitely better than the first book (which I really liked). I really fell in love with the characters during this one! Can't wait to finish the trilogy.
Also, while I was reading this book, I realized that, compared to the usual use of made up languages in fantasy, I actually prefer Abercrombie's way of just using English, whether they're speaking common or some other language.
(damn, that's a long sentence!)
Also, while I was reading this book, I realized that, compared to the usual use of made up languages in fantasy, I actually prefer Abercrombie's way of just using English, whether they're speaking common or some other language.
(damn, that's a long sentence!)
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
Abercrombie keeps the entertainment violent, surprising, and compelling in this second book of the series. Following three storylines can be a challenge but each is so different and interesting (and ably voiced by narrator Steven Pacey on the audiobook), that it's well worth the effort.
What a fantastic book. I honestly don't even know what to say. The entire way through I was hooked and did not want to put the book down. I somehow grew to like these characters even more than I did in the last book and the plot was so freaking good. I guess I should break it down into the three main storylines.
First we had the war in the North storyline told from the POV of West and Dogman. This was my least favorite storyline at points, but as it progressed I grew to like it more and more and that climax was incredible. First I liked how Dogman and North's storylines intertwined and became one. Then watching the prince make stupid decision after stupid decision was freaking stressful but kept me reading just to see what would happen. When the Northmen along with Pike, his "daughter", West, and the prince had to travel together it was brutal but so good to watch. The skirmish where they killed some of Bethod's scouts was exciting, but then it was followed by the scene where West killed the prince after he attempted to rape the girl. That might have been my favorite scene of the entire book. Frustrations with West had been building for the entire book so it felt incredibly good to finally see his downfall. Then we got the climax of this storyline where the Union battled Bethod's army. It was incredible. The way things fell apart and West had to take control was just so freaking exciting. I couldn't put the book down. West was one of my favorite characters in this book. The way he fought to get through so many terrible situations was just incredible, but the entire time I remembered him beating his sister in the back of my head. It added a dark twist to everything.
Then we had the Bayaz storyline of traveling to the edge of the world told from the POV of Logen, Ferro, and most importantly, Jezal. Jezal is still my favorite character by far. I'm literally obsessed with him. Watching this crew slowly bond and become closer was one of the highlights of the book for me. Logen was such a champ and every time he had a positive interaction with someone it made my heart sing. Watching Jezal's arc here was also just so amazing. The way he went from being scared of everything to so much more brave was amazing. When he killed two of the attackers I wanted to shout for joy. That was then followed by his injury. I hated watching Jezal in pain, but the way that it made him grow and become a better person was so cool to watch. Ugh, I just loved this crew and all their interactions. I'm not sure how to feel about how this storyline ended with the rock not being what they were looking for and all. That was kind of frustrating.
Then finally we had the Glokta storyline. This was by far my favorite of the book. Glokta continued having such a hilarious inner monologue. Him arriving in this city and meeting all of these people running the city and having to deal with the politics of them, while trying to figure out who killed the last inquisitor, while also having to try to save the city from the attacks of the Gurkish empire was amazing. This city felt so well realized with it's segregation and evil ruling class. The mystery aspect made it fun and then the battle stuff was also really interesting. Everything about this plot was just perfection. Cosca became one of my favorite non POV characters with his sense of humor and also his carefree nature. I really hope he survived and returns in the next book. Vitari was also such an interesting character and the ending where it turned out she was a mom was fascinating.
So yeah I loved this book. It was even better than The Blade Itself and has me hyped to see what will happen in the third book.
First we had the war in the North storyline told from the POV of West and Dogman. This was my least favorite storyline at points, but as it progressed I grew to like it more and more and that climax was incredible. First I liked how Dogman and North's storylines intertwined and became one. Then watching the prince make stupid decision after stupid decision was freaking stressful but kept me reading just to see what would happen. When the Northmen along with Pike, his "daughter", West, and the prince had to travel together it was brutal but so good to watch. The skirmish where they killed some of Bethod's scouts was exciting, but then it was followed by the scene where West killed the prince after he attempted to rape the girl. That might have been my favorite scene of the entire book. Frustrations with West had been building for the entire book so it felt incredibly good to finally see his downfall. Then we got the climax of this storyline where the Union battled Bethod's army. It was incredible. The way things fell apart and West had to take control was just so freaking exciting. I couldn't put the book down. West was one of my favorite characters in this book. The way he fought to get through so many terrible situations was just incredible, but the entire time I remembered him beating his sister in the back of my head. It added a dark twist to everything.
Then we had the Bayaz storyline of traveling to the edge of the world told from the POV of Logen, Ferro, and most importantly, Jezal. Jezal is still my favorite character by far. I'm literally obsessed with him. Watching this crew slowly bond and become closer was one of the highlights of the book for me. Logen was such a champ and every time he had a positive interaction with someone it made my heart sing. Watching Jezal's arc here was also just so amazing. The way he went from being scared of everything to so much more brave was amazing. When he killed two of the attackers I wanted to shout for joy. That was then followed by his injury. I hated watching Jezal in pain, but the way that it made him grow and become a better person was so cool to watch. Ugh, I just loved this crew and all their interactions. I'm not sure how to feel about how this storyline ended with the rock not being what they were looking for and all. That was kind of frustrating.
Then finally we had the Glokta storyline. This was by far my favorite of the book. Glokta continued having such a hilarious inner monologue. Him arriving in this city and meeting all of these people running the city and having to deal with the politics of them, while trying to figure out who killed the last inquisitor, while also having to try to save the city from the attacks of the Gurkish empire was amazing. This city felt so well realized with it's segregation and evil ruling class. The mystery aspect made it fun and then the battle stuff was also really interesting. Everything about this plot was just perfection. Cosca became one of my favorite non POV characters with his sense of humor and also his carefree nature. I really hope he survived and returns in the next book. Vitari was also such an interesting character and the ending where it turned out she was a mom was fascinating.
So yeah I loved this book. It was even better than The Blade Itself and has me hyped to see what will happen in the third book.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes