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A review by onthesamepage
The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The author sets out to do something very specific here: write an entire book about one multi-day battle. This is something that is either going to work for you or it won't, but regardless you are guaranteed some fantastic writing and characters as usual.
I think the pacing was a bit too slow for me, and the book could've been 200 pages shorter and still achieve the same thing. I do really love several of the characters we are (re-)introduced to. We get a new, really interesting female character in the form of Finree, the daughter of Marshal Kroy, who is ambitious enough for her and her husband. Then there are a few familiar names: Black Dow, Shiver and Calder all make an appearance, and Calder's character arc was my favourite.
The descriptions of war and battle are top-notch, but I'd expect nothing less from Abercrombie at this point. There were a couple of chapters where he alternated points of view between characters in a way that seamlessly connected all of them together, and I kept being impressed by how clever the writing is. And throughout all the grim and dark events, we get moments filled with humor. I also appreciate the commentary on war, and how it only serves to make powerful men even more powerful.
Speaking of powerful men, Bayaz is really being built up in my head as a massive villain. I hate him more with every book, and I am waiting for the moment of his fall.
I think the pacing was a bit too slow for me, and the book could've been 200 pages shorter and still achieve the same thing. I do really love several of the characters we are (re-)introduced to. We get a new, really interesting female character in the form of Finree, the daughter of Marshal Kroy, who is ambitious enough for her and her husband. Then there are a few familiar names: Black Dow, Shiver and Calder all make an appearance, and Calder's character arc was my favourite.
The descriptions of war and battle are top-notch, but I'd expect nothing less from Abercrombie at this point. There were a couple of chapters where he alternated points of view between characters in a way that seamlessly connected all of them together, and I kept being impressed by how clever the writing is. And throughout all the grim and dark events, we get moments filled with humor. I also appreciate the commentary on war, and how it only serves to make powerful men even more powerful.
Speaking of powerful men, Bayaz is really being built up in my head as a massive villain. I hate him more with every book, and I am waiting for the moment of his fall.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War