A review by danprisk
Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie

dark fast-paced
  • Loveable characters? No

3.5

For me this book goes way too far into violence. The other books in the series I've read have similarly awful graphic violence, but it didn't quite put me off like this one. I think that the others balance the violence with a decent amount of tension of other aspects going on which makes the violence feel like just one part of the story, whereas BSC leans fully into constant extreme violence. It feels like barely a page goes by without someone being killed, maimed, or tortured in an extremely graphic and brutal manner. The nihilistic philosophy becomes a lot more pronounced and centre stage here as well, so that the idea that there can be anyone or anything decent or good goes by the wayside. This total darkness kind of nullifies it's impact, so the book just began to feel a bit off putting for me. I think this might be the sort of book that appeals to those who enjoy "torture porn" type horror, but it's a bit  too much for me.
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