A review by theravenkingx
The Wisdom of Crowds by Joe Abercrombie

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

"Dear Joe Abercrombie, You have exhausted my patience. But I do hope you understand... that even now... what's about to happen... this is me... being reasonable."

A trilogy implies that by the end of the third book, readers should receive a satisfying conclusion—a resolution to the story or at least the completion of character arcs. Is that too much to ask, Mr Joe?

While I didn't love the open-ended conclusion of the first trilogy, it didn't infuriate me as much as this book did. Unfortunately, the writing and overall concept fell short. The first 200 pages and the last 100 pages held the most substance, leaving the middle section feeling like filler. The ending lacked the anticipated climax, leaving us with a cliffhanger and the possibility of future books rather than a fulfilling resolution. Most of the character arcs were left unfinished or concluded poorly. Some characters ended up becoming more unlikeable then they were in the beginning 

I think everyone was a loser in the end, some more than the others. Orso, the only truly virtuous character, deserved a better conclusion. I questioned the purpose of his character and his father's. Joe Abercrombie seems to enjoy giving bad endings to good characters just because he can. Savine and Leo's character development felt circular—they returned to where they started. Savine’s 360° turn infuriated me the most. The journey of most characters seemed unfinished. 

From the moment we met Rikke in the first book, I disliked her. However, I held out hope that her character would improve and that her long eye would lead her to play a significant role. Unfortunately, she didn't play any role and only grew more annoying. In the end, her betrayal left me wanting to strangle her.

Everything felt disjointed. I kept hoping that the various points of view and character arcs would eventually converge into a satisfying climax, but unfortunately, they didn’t. Broad’s perspective added nothing interesting to the story—he felt utterly useless. He remained a one-dimensional muscle man with no development. Vick’s chapters, on the other hand, oscillated between filler material and genuinely engaging moments. 

Shivers, on the other hand, felt like wasted potential. His presence in this book remains unclear, and I struggle to understand why he was even included. He has been in every book so far but he hasn't played a significant role in any of them. 

I hoped for more involvement from Bayaz, expecting him to actively defend his position. But like always, he appeared cryptically in the final few pages to utter some cryptic shi* and leaving us wondering about his true intentions. it seems both Bayaz and Joe Abercrombie share a talent for building anticipation but fall short when it comes to delivering on those promises. Perhaps they should form a club—the “Anticipation Society of Lackluster Results."

The only twist i cared for was Glotka's transformation, although I predicted it as soon as they came for Vick in the end. Other plot twists were disappointingly predictable—those expected to die did, and those expected to survive lived.

Joe played it safe by recreating characters from the First Law trilogy, but in a less compelling manner. Vitari resembled Vick, Carlot mirrored Savine, and Leo echoed Black Dow, etc.

I anticipated more integration of the standalone books into the series, especially after the cliffhanger in 'Best Served Cold' involving Monza and her defiance of the Wizards. Unfortunately, Joe Abercrombie excels at promising but falls short on delivery.

While the original First Law trilogy remains a favorite, subsequent books have been disappointing. 'Red Country' had its moments, 'Best Served Cold' tried too hard, and 'The Heroes' was merely okay.

If there are more books in this universe, I'm hesitant to read them.