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A review by icarusabides
The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie
5.0
"Just keep in mind what Rudd Threetrees once told me. Let’s us get them killed, and not the other way round.’ Wonderful grinned. ‘Best damn advice about war I ever heard."
Most of the books in Joe Abercrombie's First Law World are quite epic in scope, with potentially world changing events at play across the various nations of the Circle Sea. The Heroes is about a battle. A bloody big one mind between the forces of the Union and the North. The book follows the entirety of the battle from the initial tentative skirmishes, through the churning meat grinder at the battles peak, to the denouement and aftermath. The reduction in scope for this standalone entry and the smaller scale of events really lets the conflict itself breathe and take centre stage rather than having to fit into a book with other goals. The characters, individual moments of struggle or glory, and the tactical decisions both good and bad really benefit as a result.
"That’s what war does. Strips people and places of their identities and turns them into enemies in a line, positions to be taken, resources to be foraged. Anonymous things that can be carelessly crushed, and stolen, and burned without guilt."
That's not to say there isn't a fair share of scheming going on in the background, there are still wheels within wheels, and the ramifications of some of the events in this book could have big implications for the wider series going forwards but the general cut and thrust of this book being more concentrated works so well.
"The smell of it. The feel of it." He rubbed one hand up and down the stained sheath of his sword, making a faint swishing sound. "War is honest. There's no lying to it. You don't have to say sorry here. Don't have to hide. You cannot. If you die? So what? You die among friends. Among worthy foes. You die looking the Great Leveller in the eye. If you live? Well, lad that's living, isn't it? A man isn't truly alive until he's facing death." Whirrun stamped his foot into the sod. "I love war!"
Vividly depicted characters are always the strong point of an Abercrombie book and The Heroes is no exception. The more straightforward narrative structure of The Heroes being focused around one major event over the course of less than a week really allows the characters to come to the fore and shine. The book contains characters from the wider First Law world such as Black Dow, Caul Shivers, and Bremer dan Gorst while also introducing brilliant new characters like straight edged Curnden Craw who may be a more honest version of the Bloody Nine, naive glory hound Beck, and loveable scoundrel Corporal Tunny who definitely has something of Private Walker from Dad's Army about him. Then there's Whirrun of Bligh, whose cheese trap philosophising alone made him one of my favourite characters of anything ever. The Northern warrior's lust for war and gleeful anticipation of every fight was a highlight every time he was on the page.
"War’s ninety-nine parts boredom and, now and then, one part arse-opening terror. Craw had a powerful sense one of those was about to drop on him from a height."
It's a book that's also replete with Abercrombie's usual usual wry brand of trench or gallows humour that helps to bring a good amount of levity to otherwise dark events. There's something that feels so down to earth, almost distinctly northern, about the characters jokes and musings that really adds a sense of realness to them. Abercrombie absolutely nailed it with this one, it's the perfect standalone for a book set in a wider series and the focus on a battle gives Cornwell a run for his very well earned money.
Most of the books in Joe Abercrombie's First Law World are quite epic in scope, with potentially world changing events at play across the various nations of the Circle Sea. The Heroes is about a battle. A bloody big one mind between the forces of the Union and the North. The book follows the entirety of the battle from the initial tentative skirmishes, through the churning meat grinder at the battles peak, to the denouement and aftermath. The reduction in scope for this standalone entry and the smaller scale of events really lets the conflict itself breathe and take centre stage rather than having to fit into a book with other goals. The characters, individual moments of struggle or glory, and the tactical decisions both good and bad really benefit as a result.
"That’s what war does. Strips people and places of their identities and turns them into enemies in a line, positions to be taken, resources to be foraged. Anonymous things that can be carelessly crushed, and stolen, and burned without guilt."
That's not to say there isn't a fair share of scheming going on in the background, there are still wheels within wheels, and the ramifications of some of the events in this book could have big implications for the wider series going forwards but the general cut and thrust of this book being more concentrated works so well.
"The smell of it. The feel of it." He rubbed one hand up and down the stained sheath of his sword, making a faint swishing sound. "War is honest. There's no lying to it. You don't have to say sorry here. Don't have to hide. You cannot. If you die? So what? You die among friends. Among worthy foes. You die looking the Great Leveller in the eye. If you live? Well, lad that's living, isn't it? A man isn't truly alive until he's facing death." Whirrun stamped his foot into the sod. "I love war!"
Vividly depicted characters are always the strong point of an Abercrombie book and The Heroes is no exception. The more straightforward narrative structure of The Heroes being focused around one major event over the course of less than a week really allows the characters to come to the fore and shine. The book contains characters from the wider First Law world such as Black Dow, Caul Shivers, and Bremer dan Gorst while also introducing brilliant new characters like straight edged Curnden Craw who may be a more honest version of the Bloody Nine, naive glory hound Beck, and loveable scoundrel Corporal Tunny who definitely has something of Private Walker from Dad's Army about him. Then there's Whirrun of Bligh, whose cheese trap philosophising alone made him one of my favourite characters of anything ever. The Northern warrior's lust for war and gleeful anticipation of every fight was a highlight every time he was on the page.
"War’s ninety-nine parts boredom and, now and then, one part arse-opening terror. Craw had a powerful sense one of those was about to drop on him from a height."
It's a book that's also replete with Abercrombie's usual usual wry brand of trench or gallows humour that helps to bring a good amount of levity to otherwise dark events. There's something that feels so down to earth, almost distinctly northern, about the characters jokes and musings that really adds a sense of realness to them. Abercrombie absolutely nailed it with this one, it's the perfect standalone for a book set in a wider series and the focus on a battle gives Cornwell a run for his very well earned money.