Whilst the ending left a few questions unanswered, it did confirm one. It's well worth a read. May 07, Andy Crawford rated it it was amazing. What would an epic, magical quest be like with real, complicated, and highly flawed people as the protagonists? On the surface, this book and the series don't seem to offer much that's new. There's a great journey, a wise wizard, a young noble with shaky confidence, a brave, fireplug of a young maiden, and a fearsome northern barbarian.
But each of these characters do not quite fit the mold What really motivates the o What would an epic, magical quest be like with real, complicated, and highly flawed people as the protagonists? What really motivates the old sage? And there are characters that truly are fresh in the genre- chiefly, the acerbic-witted and crippled torturer. The author really gets into their minds, and each one is unique.
I highly recommend the series. Crawford, author of Sailor of the Skysea Apr 06, Joy rated it it was amazing Shelves: Never goes out of fashion. Engaging characters that you're sorry to see die and liberally peppered with humorous observations. The berserker and his fellow barbarians have great names and although there are many bloody battles necessary to medieval warfare, the author doesn't stoop to pornographic sex and grotesque violence to tell a good tale.
Better on second read! Revisit before going on to Aug 31, Shawn Wickersheim rated it it was amazing. A new favorite author. I stumbled upon this series at the local library. Loved the way the books were described on the cover. Loved the way the author made me care about characters that normally wouldn't be all that sympathetic. As a writer myself, I enjoy looking at the way other writers construct scenes, portray characters and offer dialogue.
These books came alive in my mind and I can't wait to read more by this a A new favorite author. These books came alive in my mind and I can't wait to read more by this author. Mar 08, Bookdragon Sean rated it really liked it Shelves: I really enjoyed this series. The characters, for the most part, can be defined as morally grey; being both capable of good and evil. This is especially true for Logan Ninefingers and Sand Dan Glokta, characters you hate to love and love to hate.
This makes their actions and choices unpredictable and leaves the plot twisting into unexpected directions. A must read for any lover of fantasy. Joe Abercrombie sets the benchmark for this genre. Feb 19, Ken rated it it was amazing. I absolutely loved this series. It's gritty, bloody, violent and full of characters that I hated one moment, loved the next then hated again. May 30, Eric Barnitt rated it really liked it. This is a tough series to review as a whole - mostly since I read these books for the first time about ten years ago when they were first published.
But I've read all of the books multiple times each since my first completion of the series, which is fairly rare for me to do. For me, these books were a gateway into a different type of fantasy novel that I didn't know I desperately wanted until I read them. When I first read The Blade Itself, I was so steeped in high fantasy, swords and sorcery no This is a tough series to review as a whole - mostly since I read these books for the first time about ten years ago when they were first published.
When I first read The Blade Itself, I was so steeped in high fantasy, swords and sorcery novels that the subversion of familiar tropes was refreshing. The world has turned since , and some of the nascent trends in "grimdark" fantasy as the genre has come to be called don't seem so revolutionary or unique now as they might have been perceived to be at the time.
On the whole, I think Abercrombie does a commendable job with building a world that feels complex and full without really getting into the traditional "worldbuilding" mode that most fantasy novelists include.
Readers are exposed to characters and races early, and those characters often embody in large part the characteristics of the ethnicity they belong to. This isn't to say that the characters are two-dimensional or Eddings-like where all people from the same country behave the same way and hold largely the same views on things. Where Abercrombie does falter a bit is in establishing consistent motivations for why characters act or make decisions.
As a couple of examples, think of the section in the latter half of book 2 where Nine-fingers and Ferro hook up or why in the hell Bethod used his entire army to chase the band of Northmen with Dogman and his crew to the fortress in the mountains. Both are examples of what feel like Abercrombie toying around with character development as both examples illustrate decisions or growth that the characters who made them wouldn't make when we are first introduced to them , but ultimately deciding that characters are who they are.
The growth and change we see in characters in the first two books are largely reset in the last book. It's an incisive look at how change in station or status in life doesn't change who people are in their core, but that doesn't alleviate the overwhelming feeling of clunky plot development.
This brings me to my broadest critique and largest criticism with the series: I generally don't like the "big reveal" to be that one character's carefully laid plans and intricate machinations worked perfectly when even a slight variance from what happened in the story would have rendered the entire house of cards moot.
What if Ninefingers had gotten beaten in battle while the group journeyed to the edge of the world and couldn't ask the spirit for the stone? What if Ferro said to hell with it and went back to killing Gurkish instead of sneaking into the House of the Maker and finding the stone?
Maybe the best way of summarizing how I feel is that the third book ends things too neatly. Now, all of this said, I truly do greatly enjoy this series. It's not perfect, but that's not a bad thing. I think the books are fairly obviously written by an aspiring and developing author. Some of the plot points are a bit wonky, and some things that happen only do so because the author needed a way to connect characters with events. But overall, it's a solid series that fans of fantasy should check out for sure.
May 31, Derek rated it it was amazing. I will make references to parts of the story. I am not going to write a full review of the book. But as I read through the books and after I finished them.. I didn't really know who to root for. I ended up loving Logan 9 fingers and he was a monster, a really low key humble guy that turns into a bloody mass murderer when he is in danger, he kills at random when he goes into a bloody rage.. But I f Spoiler Alert. But I found myself loving the character and rooting for him.
You can just about say that about every character in the book.
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But I love the fact that the book portrays an ancient war going on between Bayaz and the Prophet Khalul, I think the lore is amazing. And the rest of the world doesn't really understand that these 2 men are the most powerful men in the world, and manipulating the world into war without many people understanding why they are really fighting besides a select few. I want to understand more about the war. There are still many secrets to discover and hopefully the next trilogy will be gracious enough to explain more of the mysteries that are left hanging. Why did Bayaz suddenly get stronger after using the ancient artifact and wiping out all of the Prophets powerful Eaters?
While every other human besides Ferro with her Devil Blood, gets there life force sucked away and turned into human corpses within hours. How has Bayaz survived? Does he drain life force? Why is the worlds magic disappearing? But regardless of those facts I really enjoyed the books. In fact as far as dark adult fantasy these books are some of my favorite books I have read.
Mar 13, Matthew Barrett rated it it was ok. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This has some spoilers, so if you really want to read through the series, don't read this review. So everyone seems to like these books because they turn the fantasy world upside down. There's the usual tropes, the quest, with the prince, the barbarian, the warrior princess, and the mage, off to find some mysterious artifact that will stop some dark lord. Fairly familiar, except that everyone is a jerk and they never find the dumb artifact.
Theres also a crippled torturer who is supposed to gain This has some spoilers, so if you really want to read through the series, don't read this review. Theres also a crippled torturer who is supposed to gain sympathy. So there are some interesting twists, and if I were to judge this on the first book alone, without having read the others, I might have given this a higher score. It was intriguing, and you want to find out what's next. Are things going to get better?
Maybe I judge books too much on their ending, but if they don't end satisfactorially for my, then I'm not happy, even if it was good up till then.
The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie
The noble is a self righteous jerk. The warrior girl is blind to everything but her own revenge, which she never gets. The mage looks at everyone else as inferiors and tools. The barbarian is the most sympathetic, but he's pretty much just along for the ride. The torturer is just that: Just because we get to see his point of view doesn't make him good or sympathetic.
He does some bad things. And the ending is a total let down. It feels like someone played a prank on me. I read three books just for this? So back to the first point. It turns the fantasy genre upside down. I think the genre needs to look at itself now and then and not just follow blindly what others, like Tolkien, have done. But making the whole thing pointless? That turned me off. If you like gritty, you might like this, but if not, don't bother. View all 3 comments. Mar 26, David Knowles rated it it was amazing.
This trilogy was incredible.
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I was rooting hard for an expert torturer, a murderous barbarian, a revenge obsessed bitch, a self-obsessed idiot noble and a power-crazed anti-Gandalf. What a fucking ride. If you didn't like this series you should stop reading and stick to Hollywood movies. It's not like there's any shortage of them. Glokta is my favorite. My first son will be named Sand. If Logen is yours we can probably st Holy shit.
If Logen is yours we can probably still be friends. My girlfriend liked Ferro best. Say one thing for Steven Pacey, say he can narrate a fucking audiobook. Jul 23, Amy rated it did not like it. The first two books were okay and I was expecting the story to take off during the last book. The characters all got what they wanted and nothing worked out in the end. Every book shouldn't have a happy ending, but this was horrible.
I never felt attached to the characters because they were so irritating and they weren't developed. The book is mostly fight scenes and back stabbing. By the time I was halfway through the last book, I started reading a sentence or two each parag Hated this trilogy! By the time I was halfway through the last book, I started reading a sentence or two each paragraph and didn't miss out on any of the story line.
I just wanted to finish the last book since I finished the first two. There isn't a great magic system or whole new world created. Most of the magic has "leaked" from the world so I'm not sure this should even be called a fantasy Nov 09, Sksujan rated it liked it. I think even fantasy fiction should have the element of realism and unpredictability which is clearly missing. The magic should look believable. Can there be any different than - a ring or a sword or a stone, a group of people after them and a wizard with illogical powers. The battles are like kids play ,one buffoon goes left another to the right and it is over, n I think even fantasy fiction should have the element of realism and unpredictability which is clearly missing.
The battles are like kids play ,one buffoon goes left another to the right and it is over, no tactics no elaborate planning no spies no evaluation of enemy forces the intricacies of war all missing. And especially the third book an overdose of magic seems the author out of ideas. Dec 27, LJ Waguespack rated it it was amazing. A rollicking, no holds barred, extravaganza epic, that requires three books to complete, well written and satisfying.
A rollicking, no holds barred, unpredictable saga of a story that I could not get enough of. Please try again later. I really like books with multiple first person characters. There are plenty of parallel storylines to keep it varied and although there are lots of typical plots, they don't always end as expected. Not as full of surprises as Game of thrones where main characters die on a whim, but he makes an effort to have some unpredictable twists. Really detailed fight scenes and character thinking.
It adds a depth that is welcome.
More books by Joe Abercrombie
It is a long series but I find myself lamenting the end of each book which is quite a feat for a page book. Many authors have tired out my patience by that time but not Abercombie. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. Epic Fantasy - First law trilogy In the famous Hindu epic Mahabharatha the Kauravas are vilified and the Pandavas are glorified as righteous and the god Krishna as the lynchpin around which the epic revolves.
The righteous strive to be good and try to do the right thing. Krishna is on their side and he does not care a rats ass to their righteousness. He just gets his way out by hook or crook. The author Vyasa dude simply justifies whatever Krishna does as "if god does, its for the greater good and therefore its the right thing to do. As you keep reading the great epic again and again, you start peeling the layers and then it strikes you..
There are only people and people only do things that serve their own purposes. All human deeds are simply manifestations of 'whats in it for me'. Joe Abercrombie has woven an epic trilogy that is set almost on the lines of LoTR minus the ring. There are adventures, magic, man eating vampires, kings, knights and vain fools. The book fits the definition of a page turner to the T. It starts in the middle of a fight from page 1 and never stops. While Joe's book has enough material for another 5 books, he has chosen to sacrifice it for the tautness that a trilogy offers. If you are a sucker for a good epic fantasy , you'll love this.
Be warned, there are no heroes, none!
Okay, I have only got through the first third of the first book, but it was so good that I wanted to see what else Joe Abercrombie has published. I was very surprised to see so few reviews for this book. First thing I thought when I started was: This guy can write! Second thing I thought: This guy can write great characters! The first chapters introduce us to the main characters and the world they inhabit. You get a very clear picture of these characters with the authors great descriptions, and the world comes alive as the characters inhabit their place in it. The Legion of Flame. Kings of the Wyld.
The Rose and the Thorn. The Death of Dulgath. The Faithful and the Fallen 4. The Complete Farseer Trilogy: The Gentleman Bastard Sequence. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. The Empire of Ashes. A Crucible of Souls. The Faithful and the Fallen 3. A Plague of Swords.
The Dragon Knight Frostborn Half a King Shattered Sea, Book 1. Half a War Shattered Sea, Book 3. Half the World Shattered Sea, Book 2. The Collected Joe Abercrombie. Clarkesworld Magazine Issue How to write a great review. The review must be at least 50 characters long.