** Warning ** THIS BOOK IS NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN
I rarely read a series from beginning to end without interruption. Sometimes, that is due to circumstances out of my control (the author has not finished the series). Other times, I simply have too many other authors on my bookshelf calling my name. The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie has been my first ever exception. The reason, you may ask? Firstly, its only three books of reasonable length (consider that the book I read before this, The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson, is nearly as long as the whole trilogy combined). Needless to say, I was not disappointed! World Building: We start off with, perhaps, Abercrombie's weakest point. The world is essentially four countries (note, a map would have been really helpful). The Union, based on The United Kingdom, is where most of the action takes place. The Old Empire, which I think is probably based on a collapsed Greco-Roman civilization, is west of the union (if I remember correctly). To the north of The Union is The North, which seems to be a hybrid of Scotland and medieval Viking civilizations. Lastly, we have Gurkal, undoubtedly based on the Arab/Muslim world. Magic and dark powers are important in every stage of this incredible story. However.....that's pretty much it. It really is quite simple. That's not to say that's a bad thing. Just keep in mind that if you are a Brandon Sanderson fan you will find the world building and magic system a little shallow by comparison. 7/10 Characters: I love a good anti-hero (doesn't everyone?). A morally ambiguous, conflicted protagonist straddling a fine-line between good and evil. Well if one is good, than 27 must be even better. The whole series is packed with a cast of completely unique characters. One of which, Sand Dan Glokta, I have already spoken about in a previous post as the best underdog I have ever encountered. The story essentially follows five main characters. Logen Ninefingers a legendary bi-polar barbarian. Jezal Dan Luthar, a narcissistic noblemen more interested in self-indulgence than anything else. Sand Dan Glokta, a war hero turned cripple turned torturer. Collem West, a motivated commoner and decorated soldier. Lastly, we have Bayaz, First of the Magi, a semi-immortal wizard. It is worth noting that Bayaz does not have a narrative voice in any of the books, where as Dogman, a character I have not mentioned, does have a strong place as a narrative voice in all three books. With that said, I find Bayaz to be a more central character than Dogman. In any case, If this cast doesn't catch your interest than you may be beyond redemption... There is a shortcoming with this such an awesome cast, however. When the whole cast is so...bad, the villains can come off as slightly unremarkable. Don't get me wrong, the villains were pretty bad too. Its just that the villains end up basically being rivals and opponents rather than actual villains. In some cases, in fact, Abercrombie really makes you question whether you are rooting for the right side... 10/10 Plot: Steering well clear of spoliers, let me just say that the three books twist and turn in ways that are totally unique, unpredictable, and very enjoyable. Every stage has major payoffs that reward the reader for sticking with the series. And (this one is really important) you will leave the series with nearly all of your questions answered. The only warning I have for readers is this. The First Law trilogy is not a classic good vs evil story. Therefore, do not expect a classic good vs evil ending. 10/10 Writing: There were a few occasions where I laughed out loud like a blabbering idiot while reading these books (much to my sleeping wife's displeasure). I never imagined something so dark could be so funny. And yet, it is. The prose are not beautiful like Rothfuss' work, but the language is still fantastically discriptive. One thing Abercrombie does really really well is changing the writing style to suit the narrative voice. There is a distinct shift in the voice of Ferro or Dogman from that of Glokta or Luthar, and so on. Is it the most beautiful thing I've ever read? No. But its still pretty amazing! 9.5/10 Total Score: 36.5/40
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AuthorBenny Adams is a fantasy and science fiction blogger, aspiring writer, and mediocre husband and father.
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