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A review by wouterk
The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie
adventurous
dark
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The Heroes is an awesome book about the bleakness and senselessness of war. And still it gives some of the greatest fight scenes there are. We find ourselves right around the time of the events in Best Served Cold and many of the characters from the First Law Trilogy show up here. The whole book is centered around The Heroes, which is a place, not a group of people. On both sides of the fight, the Union and the North, we find some great characters we've met earlier. And most of them have made some advancement. We also meet some new characters.
Although a bit whiny, I loved the perspectives from Bremer dan Gorst and Calder. And you can be sure that wherever Black Dow shows up or Bayaz, some very heavy lifting will be done. This is also the book with the famous long scene where the perspective changes continuously from the person being killed to the killer, on and on, to better emphasize the senselessness of war and the fleeting nature of life in war.
Abercrombie, as always is a master at creating people to read about. All characters feel truly real and alive, and mostly petty, self-absorbed and trying to get by. It is a pleasure to read it and gives all kinds of perspectives on what's truly important in life. I definitely recommend this one. And yes, having read the first trilogy does really add to the fun.
Although a bit whiny, I loved the perspectives from Bremer dan Gorst and Calder. And you can be sure that wherever Black Dow shows up or Bayaz, some very heavy lifting will be done. This is also the book with the famous long scene where the perspective changes continuously from the person being killed to the killer, on and on, to better emphasize the senselessness of war and the fleeting nature of life in war.
Abercrombie, as always is a master at creating people to read about. All characters feel truly real and alive, and mostly petty, self-absorbed and trying to get by. It is a pleasure to read it and gives all kinds of perspectives on what's truly important in life. I definitely recommend this one. And yes, having read the first trilogy does really add to the fun.