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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
Actual rating: 3,5 stars
Perhaps not as compelling as that of The Blade Itself, the cast of characters really carries this novel with their complexity, each with their own personality and agenda creating interesting conflicts. Abercrombie’s prose is as incredible as ever, full of wit and with a distinct voice for each of his protagonists.
The plot is made up of many twists and turns. Unfortunately, they weren’t enough to counterbalance the predictability of the plot. Not once did I doubt that our characters would achieve their goals and that made the conclusion a bit bland. The pacing was also an issue, slowed down by repetitions and recurring scenes.
Perhaps not as compelling as that of The Blade Itself, the cast of characters really carries this novel with their complexity, each with their own personality and agenda creating interesting conflicts. Abercrombie’s prose is as incredible as ever, full of wit and with a distinct voice for each of his protagonists.
The plot is made up of many twists and turns. Unfortunately, they weren’t enough to counterbalance the predictability of the plot. Not once did I doubt that our characters would achieve their goals and that made the conclusion a bit bland. The pacing was also an issue, slowed down by repetitions and recurring scenes.
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Cannibalism, Murder, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Incest, Xenophobia, Excrement, Medical content, Classism
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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:
Yes
Joe Abercrombie calls this subgenre as the "unheroic fantasy" and it is also referred to by others as "scoundrel lit". I agree. With both.
As the book summary says, this is a revenge story. Our main character (using that term in the loosest sense possible) wants revenge and assembles a crew of misfits to achieve it. A typical heist story? Ha nope.
In the history of heist stories with a group of misfits, the most important and well loved tropes are the found family elements and the aspect of romance within the crew. Joe Abercrombie takes these tropes and quite literally stabs them in the groin. It is glorious. That is not to say these tropes don't happen, they do, just in a way that is very unsatisfying. And you appreciate it for that.
Character work is spectacular as usual. Everyone of them is distinct, unique, memorable and entertaining. Just for the sake of comparing, I do wanna say, the first trilogy's characters are still my favorites. This books characters are still phenomenal. Cosca and Shivers the most, among them.
The writing has just the right amount of grit, snarky philosophy, grotesque humor and subtle (sometimes unsubtle) ironies. I am not a fan of grimdark, but I love these books. His writing is underappreciated in my opinion (understandable, because his character work shines so bright). I find Abercrombie's writing to be very poetic without the purple words poetic writing styles usually use. It is just pure perfection.
"Men are brittle, I reckon. They don’t bend into new shapes. They get broken into them. Crushed into them. "
"That was the difference between a hero and a villain, a soldier and a murderer, a victory and a crime. Which side of a river you called home."
"an axe in the head is the last word in any argument."
And sometimes, he makes comparisions that you wouldn't have thought of normally. And I love those too.
“Greedy as a duck, brave as a pigeon, loyal as a cuckoo.”
"..slippery as an eel and patient as winter."
There was twice more plot to this book than the entire first trilogy combined. To put it more precisely, the plot is more straightforward and faster paced. This book reflects the author's experience in film writing. A lot of the scenes were so cinematic and the dramatic effect was really good too. This book would make a fantastic movie.
That said, this is a long book, and it did get boring a couple of times. But something would change and I was back to being interested.
The culmination of this plot is as unsatisfying as the first trilogy's plot, if not more. Anticlimactic is Abercrombie's middle name at this point, and it is satisfying and cathartic in its own way.
This book is marketed as a standalone, and while the plot arc starts and ends within itself, It is more enjoyable to read first law books in the published order, in my opinion.
Overall, loved it, duh. He writes in a way that your love for the book grows with time and you appreciate it more, the more you think about it. It stays with you, for a long while.
As the book summary says, this is a revenge story. Our main character (using that term in the loosest sense possible) wants revenge and assembles a crew of misfits to achieve it. A typical heist story? Ha nope.
In the history of heist stories with a group of misfits, the most important and well loved tropes are the found family elements and the aspect of romance within the crew. Joe Abercrombie takes these tropes and quite literally stabs them in the groin. It is glorious. That is not to say these tropes don't happen, they do, just in a way that is very unsatisfying. And you appreciate it for that.
Character work is spectacular as usual. Everyone of them is distinct, unique, memorable and entertaining. Just for the sake of comparing, I do wanna say, the first trilogy's characters are still my favorites. This books characters are still phenomenal. Cosca and Shivers the most, among them.
The writing has just the right amount of grit, snarky philosophy, grotesque humor and subtle (sometimes unsubtle) ironies. I am not a fan of grimdark, but I love these books. His writing is underappreciated in my opinion (understandable, because his character work shines so bright). I find Abercrombie's writing to be very poetic without the purple words poetic writing styles usually use. It is just pure perfection.
"Men are brittle, I reckon. They don’t bend into new shapes. They get broken into them. Crushed into them. "
"That was the difference between a hero and a villain, a soldier and a murderer, a victory and a crime. Which side of a river you called home."
"an axe in the head is the last word in any argument."
And sometimes, he makes comparisions that you wouldn't have thought of normally. And I love those too.
“Greedy as a duck, brave as a pigeon, loyal as a cuckoo.”
"..slippery as an eel and patient as winter."
There was twice more plot to this book than the entire first trilogy combined. To put it more precisely, the plot is more straightforward and faster paced. This book reflects the author's experience in film writing. A lot of the scenes were so cinematic and the dramatic effect was really good too. This book would make a fantastic movie.
That said, this is a long book, and it did get boring a couple of times. But something would change and I was back to being interested.
The culmination of this plot is as unsatisfying as the first trilogy's plot, if not more. Anticlimactic is Abercrombie's middle name at this point, and it is satisfying and cathartic in its own way.
This book is marketed as a standalone, and while the plot arc starts and ends within itself, It is more enjoyable to read first law books in the published order, in my opinion.
Overall, loved it, duh. He writes in a way that your love for the book grows with time and you appreciate it more, the more you think about it. It stays with you, for a long while.
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-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
I always say I don’t mind books with unlikeable POV characters. But, you know, to write an unlikeable character, the writer needs to hook the reader into some measure of complicity with the motives of the character. I’d say that’s true even with a villain. I think all readers of fiction have both hero and villain within them. We have within us the ability to imagine our best selves and our worst.
In this book, we get to know Monza, the captain-general of an army of mercenaries. She and her brother are betrayed and murdered by the Duke they were working for. Well, her brother was murdered anyway. In her case, the murderers botched the job. She survives and vows revenge against the seven men who were in the room when her brother was killed.
She assembles a group to help her, and together they become sort of a villainous “Magnificent Seven.” The catch is, none of them are trustworthy. Various heists, plots, battles, reversals, and betrayals ensue.
I’d give the book 3 1/2 to four stars, not five, mainly because Abercrombie overplays the “unlikeable protagonist” angle. At a certain point, maybe three quarters of the way through, although the plot was still engaging, I stopped caring what happened to most of the characters.
Three characters stood out for me. Cosca, the drunken mercenary leader, is actually a likable amoral rascal. He’s witty, dashing, and totally honest about being someone who’d sell you out for enough coin. Then there’s Morveer, the master poisoner. He’s a true scumbag, but always entertaining in his scenes. Finally, there’s the mysterious super-powered assassin, Shenkt. His subplot is apparently a thread that will continue into subsequent books. Oh, by the way, Best Served Cold is a “standalone”, but it definitely fits into the continuity of the “First Law” universe. Many characters from the first trilogy appear or are referred to.
In this book, we get to know Monza, the captain-general of an army of mercenaries. She and her brother are betrayed and murdered by the Duke they were working for. Well, her brother was murdered anyway. In her case, the murderers botched the job. She survives and vows revenge against the seven men who were in the room when her brother was killed.
She assembles a group to help her, and together they become sort of a villainous “Magnificent Seven.” The catch is, none of them are trustworthy. Various heists, plots, battles, reversals, and betrayals ensue.
I’d give the book 3 1/2 to four stars, not five, mainly because Abercrombie overplays the “unlikeable protagonist” angle. At a certain point, maybe three quarters of the way through, although the plot was still engaging, I stopped caring what happened to most of the characters.
Three characters stood out for me. Cosca, the drunken mercenary leader, is actually a likable amoral rascal. He’s witty, dashing, and totally honest about being someone who’d sell you out for enough coin. Then there’s Morveer, the master poisoner. He’s a true scumbag, but always entertaining in his scenes. Finally, there’s the mysterious super-powered assassin, Shenkt. His subplot is apparently a thread that will continue into subsequent books. Oh, by the way, Best Served Cold is a “standalone”, but it definitely fits into the continuity of the “First Law” universe. Many characters from the first trilogy appear or are referred to.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-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