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The First Law #3
袨褋褌邪薪薪褨泄 邪褉谐褍屑械薪褌 泻芯褉芯谢褨胁
小芯褞蟹 锌械褉械卸懈胁邪褦 薪械锌褉芯褋褌褨 褔邪褋懈. 袙褨泄薪邪 锌褉芯褌懈 泻芯褉芯谢褟 锌褨胁薪褨褔邪薪 袘械褌芯写邪 蟹邪褌褟谐谢邪褋褟, 泻褉邪褩薪芯褞 褕懈褉懈褌褜褋褟 褋械谢褟薪褋褜泻械 锌芯胁褋褌邪薪薪褟, 邪 胁 褋褌芯谢懈褑褨, 袗写褍邪, 褌褉懈胁邪褞褌褜 胁懈斜芯褉懈 胁械褉褏芯胁薪芯谐芯 泻芯褉芯谢褟 小芯褞蟹褍.
袩褨写泻褍锌 褨 褕邪薪褌邪卸 鈥� 薪械 褦写懈薪褨 褨薪褋褌褉褍屑械薪褌懈, 写芯 褟泻懈褏 屑邪褦 胁写邪褌懈褋褟 芯褔褨谢褜薪懈泻 覑谢芯泻褌邪, 褖芯斜 蟹邪斜械蟹锌械褔懈褌懈 锌械褉械屑芯谐褍 邪褉褏褨谢械泻褌芯褉邪 袣芯褉芯谢褨胁褋褜泻芯褩 袉薪泻胁褨蟹懈褑褨褩. 孝邪 薪械胁写芯胁蟹褨 褍 覑谢芯泻褌懈 蟹鈥櫻徯残谎徰斞傃屟佈� 薪芯胁懈泄 泻谢芯锌褨褌. 袟 褌邪褦屑薪懈褔芯褩 屑邪薪写褉褨胁泻懈 薪邪 泻褉邪泄 褋胁褨褌褍 锌芯胁械褉薪褍胁褋褟 袩械褉褕懈泄 蟹-锌芯屑褨卸 屑邪谐褨胁 袘邪褟蟹, 褨 胁 薪褜芯谐芯 薪邪 芯褑褨 褦 胁谢邪褋薪懈泄 锌褉械褌械薪写械薪褌 薪邪 泻芯褉芯薪褍.
袗 褌懈屑 褔邪褋芯屑 薪芯胁邪 蟹邪谐褉芯蟹邪 薪邪褋褍胁邪褦 薪邪 袦褨写写械褉谢邪薪写 褨蟹 袩褨胁写薪褟. 袥械谐褨芯薪懈 谐褍褉泻褨胁 泄写褍褌褜, 褖芯斜 锌芯薪械胁芯谢懈褌懈 小芯褞蟹 褨 薪邪褋邪写懈褌懈 胁谢邪写褍 褋胁芯谐芯 褨屑锌械褉邪褌芯褉邪. 袆 锌芯屑褨卸 薪懈褏 褨 锌芯卸懈褉邪褔褨, 谢懈褏褨 锌褉懈褋谢褍卸薪懈泻懈 锌褉芯褉芯泻邪 袣邪谢褍谢邪, 褟泻褨 锌芯谢褞褞褌褜 薪邪 袩械褉褕芯谐芯 蟹-锌芯屑褨卸 屑邪谐褨胁. 袟写芯谢邪褌懈 褌邪泻懈褏 褋褍锌械褉薪懈泻褨胁 薪械锌褉芯褋褌芯, 芯写薪邪泻 袘邪褟蟹 屑邪褦 锌谢邪薪...
袩褨写泻褍锌 褨 褕邪薪褌邪卸 鈥� 薪械 褦写懈薪褨 褨薪褋褌褉褍屑械薪褌懈, 写芯 褟泻懈褏 屑邪褦 胁写邪褌懈褋褟 芯褔褨谢褜薪懈泻 覑谢芯泻褌邪, 褖芯斜 蟹邪斜械蟹锌械褔懈褌懈 锌械褉械屑芯谐褍 邪褉褏褨谢械泻褌芯褉邪 袣芯褉芯谢褨胁褋褜泻芯褩 袉薪泻胁褨蟹懈褑褨褩. 孝邪 薪械胁写芯胁蟹褨 褍 覑谢芯泻褌懈 蟹鈥櫻徯残谎徰斞傃屟佈� 薪芯胁懈泄 泻谢芯锌褨褌. 袟 褌邪褦屑薪懈褔芯褩 屑邪薪写褉褨胁泻懈 薪邪 泻褉邪泄 褋胁褨褌褍 锌芯胁械褉薪褍胁褋褟 袩械褉褕懈泄 蟹-锌芯屑褨卸 屑邪谐褨胁 袘邪褟蟹, 褨 胁 薪褜芯谐芯 薪邪 芯褑褨 褦 胁谢邪褋薪懈泄 锌褉械褌械薪写械薪褌 薪邪 泻芯褉芯薪褍.
袗 褌懈屑 褔邪褋芯屑 薪芯胁邪 蟹邪谐褉芯蟹邪 薪邪褋褍胁邪褦 薪邪 袦褨写写械褉谢邪薪写 褨蟹 袩褨胁写薪褟. 袥械谐褨芯薪懈 谐褍褉泻褨胁 泄写褍褌褜, 褖芯斜 锌芯薪械胁芯谢懈褌懈 小芯褞蟹 褨 薪邪褋邪写懈褌懈 胁谢邪写褍 褋胁芯谐芯 褨屑锌械褉邪褌芯褉邪. 袆 锌芯屑褨卸 薪懈褏 褨 锌芯卸懈褉邪褔褨, 谢懈褏褨 锌褉懈褋谢褍卸薪懈泻懈 锌褉芯褉芯泻邪 袣邪谢褍谢邪, 褟泻褨 锌芯谢褞褞褌褜 薪邪 袩械褉褕芯谐芯 蟹-锌芯屑褨卸 屑邪谐褨胁. 袟写芯谢邪褌懈 褌邪泻懈褏 褋褍锌械褉薪懈泻褨胁 薪械锌褉芯褋褌芯, 芯写薪邪泻 袘邪褟蟹 屑邪褦 锌谢邪薪...
704 pages, Hardcover
First published March 20, 2008
6,898 people are currently reading
53.1k people want to read
About the author
Joe Abercrombie
158听books31.8k听followersJoe Abercrombie was educated at Lancaster Royal Grammar School and Manchester University, where he studied psychology. He moved into television production before taking up a career as a freelance film editor. During a break between jobs he began writing The Blade Itself in 2002, completing it in 2004. It was published by Gollancz in 2006 and was followed by two other books in The First Law trilogy, Before They Are Hanged and Last Argument of Kings. He currently lives and works in London with his wife and daughter. In early 2008 Joe Abercrombie was one of the contributors to the BBC Worlds of Fantasy series, alongside other contributors such as Michael Moorcock, Terry Pratchett and China Mieville.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 9,960 reviews
August 21, 2022
Abercrombie has been titled as Lord Grimdark for years now; I truly believe that Last Argument of Kings is majorly responsible for this.
Last Argument of Kings is the third鈥攁nd final book鈥攊n The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie. Every plot lines from the first two books lead to the revelations and ruthless conclusion in this installment. The story picks up immediately from where Before They Are Hanged left off, and it has come full circle. Depending on your perspective, the Last Argument of Kings is either bittersweet, depressingly bleak, or in between; I personally think it鈥檚 the latter. Abercrombie writes as if he鈥檚 a maestro of death and hopelessness. If you鈥檙e hanging on the edge of a cliff, Abercrombie will give you a dangling rope to save you but when you use that rope to save yourself from falling, he annihilates your hopes by using that rope to strangle you when you鈥檙e at the top. Yet, I must say that it is precisely for this unforgiving realism that I end up considering Last Argument of Kings as my favorite book in the series.
Picture: Last Argument of Kings by
By this point of the series, I think it鈥檚 safe to assume that you鈥攍ike me鈥攈ave grown very attached to the utterly memorable characters. Although some of the side character鈥檚 story continues in the next standalone trilogy of the series, this is where the main story arcs for the six main POV characters ended. Abercrombie has expertly weaved a tale that exhibited a harsh truth; despite insanely hard works and virtuous intentions, things may not go in our favor just because of one cruel reason: life isn鈥檛 fair. If you鈥檙e reading this review, and you haven鈥檛 started The Blade Itself, I鈥檒l suggest you to not expect that a happy conclusion will be reached; you鈥檙e not getting one. In my opinion, none of the main characters attained what readers usually consider as a satisfying/happy ending; what they do get, however, is an ending that fits the narrative of the series. Expect an unflinchingly vicious finale, and it鈥檚 highly probable that this trilogy will go down as one of your favorite series; it鈥檚 certainly one of my favorites. What Abercrombie does well, he does extremely well.
Speaking of the things that Abercrombie does well, the action scenes in this book were top-class. Out of all the grimdark fantasy series I鈥檝e read, when it comes to close-quarter combat, Abercrombie鈥檚 First Law and Jeff Salyards鈥檚 Bloodsounder鈥檚 Arc are always the first to come to mind. Abercrombie has conjured tempestuous war and battle scenes within this finale. We鈥檝e seen glimpses of the deadly magic of the series in the previous two books, but in Last Argument of Kings, Abercrombie displayed the cataclysmic potential of the magic and why they became forbidden to use. The action sequences were bloody, violent, and downright merciless. This is by far the most action-packed and explosive installment in the trilogy; even if I were to include all the books published in the series so far within my assessment鈥攖his includes The Heroes鈥擨鈥檇 still put Last Argument of Kings above them all, both in quality and quantity.
The war scenes were incredible, but if I were to choose one main highlight of the book, it would have to be the duel scene. If you鈥檝e read this book, you鈥檒l know which confrontation I鈥檓 talking about. Back when I first read this duel three years ago, I immediately thought that it was phenomenal; on my reread, I still feel the same way about it. It鈥檚 terrifying to me how vivid it was; it honestly felt like I was there. I could hear the sound of swords singing, and I was able to see blood and gore poured from the heart-hammering trade of skills and deathblows unleashed that made the decisive duel unforgettable. Abercrombie has seriously outdone himself in this particular scene. Abercrombie painted a devastating scene that鈥檚 incredibly easy to visualize within this circle of death where chaos and the Great Leveller reigns. I鈥檝e read many fantasy novel that features amazing duel scenes, and I can easily vouch that the mighty clash of death here, together with the one in The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang, are indeed the best duel scenes I鈥檝e ever read in a novel; it was THAT good!
It suffices to say that Last Argument of Kings is grimdark fantasy at its best, and it is one of my favorite books of all time, simple as that. I loved this book on my first read, and I鈥檓 gratified to say that I still absolutely love it on my reread; maybe even more now. Abercrombie is a fantastic writer and storyteller; his characterizations are masterful, his prose is compelling, and his capability in creating vivid cinematic scenes that are brutal, intense, philosophical, and at times hilarious established him as one of the finest authors in the genre. For years now, The First Law have often be recommended as a must-read series for A Song of Ice and Fire fans and grimdark fantasy enthusiasts. The longevity and the assurance of high quality in this recommendation can exist only if a specific series has received a world-wide qualification and praises from readers around the world. And this is a crowning achievement that Joe Abercrombie, the Lord of Grimdark, has indisputably claimed from this trilogy. If you鈥攕omehow鈥攈aven鈥檛 read this series yet, consider fixing that mistake by reading The First Law trilogy. Now. You have to be realistic about these things.
Series Review:
The Blade Itself: 5/5 stars
Before They Are Hanged: 5/5 stars
Last Argument of Kings: 5/5 stars
The First Law trilogy: 15/15 stars
You can order the book from:
You can find and the rest of my reviews at
Special thanks to my Patrons on for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!
My Patrons: Alfred, Alya, Annabeth, Blaise, Devin, Diana, Edward, Hamad, Helen, Jimmy Nutts, Joie, Lufi, Michelle, Mike, Miracle, Nicholas, Zoe.
鈥淩ound and round in circles we go, clutching at successes we never grasp, endlessly tripping over the same old failures. Truly, life is the misery we endure between disappointments.鈥�
Last Argument of Kings is the third鈥攁nd final book鈥攊n The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie. Every plot lines from the first two books lead to the revelations and ruthless conclusion in this installment. The story picks up immediately from where Before They Are Hanged left off, and it has come full circle. Depending on your perspective, the Last Argument of Kings is either bittersweet, depressingly bleak, or in between; I personally think it鈥檚 the latter. Abercrombie writes as if he鈥檚 a maestro of death and hopelessness. If you鈥檙e hanging on the edge of a cliff, Abercrombie will give you a dangling rope to save you but when you use that rope to save yourself from falling, he annihilates your hopes by using that rope to strangle you when you鈥檙e at the top. Yet, I must say that it is precisely for this unforgiving realism that I end up considering Last Argument of Kings as my favorite book in the series.
Picture: Last Argument of Kings by
By this point of the series, I think it鈥檚 safe to assume that you鈥攍ike me鈥攈ave grown very attached to the utterly memorable characters. Although some of the side character鈥檚 story continues in the next standalone trilogy of the series, this is where the main story arcs for the six main POV characters ended. Abercrombie has expertly weaved a tale that exhibited a harsh truth; despite insanely hard works and virtuous intentions, things may not go in our favor just because of one cruel reason: life isn鈥檛 fair. If you鈥檙e reading this review, and you haven鈥檛 started The Blade Itself, I鈥檒l suggest you to not expect that a happy conclusion will be reached; you鈥檙e not getting one. In my opinion, none of the main characters attained what readers usually consider as a satisfying/happy ending; what they do get, however, is an ending that fits the narrative of the series. Expect an unflinchingly vicious finale, and it鈥檚 highly probable that this trilogy will go down as one of your favorite series; it鈥檚 certainly one of my favorites. What Abercrombie does well, he does extremely well.
鈥淚 have learned all kinds of things from my many mistakes. The one thing I never learn is to stop making them.鈥�
Speaking of the things that Abercrombie does well, the action scenes in this book were top-class. Out of all the grimdark fantasy series I鈥檝e read, when it comes to close-quarter combat, Abercrombie鈥檚 First Law and Jeff Salyards鈥檚 Bloodsounder鈥檚 Arc are always the first to come to mind. Abercrombie has conjured tempestuous war and battle scenes within this finale. We鈥檝e seen glimpses of the deadly magic of the series in the previous two books, but in Last Argument of Kings, Abercrombie displayed the cataclysmic potential of the magic and why they became forbidden to use. The action sequences were bloody, violent, and downright merciless. This is by far the most action-packed and explosive installment in the trilogy; even if I were to include all the books published in the series so far within my assessment鈥攖his includes The Heroes鈥擨鈥檇 still put Last Argument of Kings above them all, both in quality and quantity.
鈥淭ravel brings wisdom only to the wise. It renders the ignorant more ignorant than ever.鈥�
The war scenes were incredible, but if I were to choose one main highlight of the book, it would have to be the duel scene. If you鈥檝e read this book, you鈥檒l know which confrontation I鈥檓 talking about. Back when I first read this duel three years ago, I immediately thought that it was phenomenal; on my reread, I still feel the same way about it. It鈥檚 terrifying to me how vivid it was; it honestly felt like I was there. I could hear the sound of swords singing, and I was able to see blood and gore poured from the heart-hammering trade of skills and deathblows unleashed that made the decisive duel unforgettable. Abercrombie has seriously outdone himself in this particular scene. Abercrombie painted a devastating scene that鈥檚 incredibly easy to visualize within this circle of death where chaos and the Great Leveller reigns. I鈥檝e read many fantasy novel that features amazing duel scenes, and I can easily vouch that the mighty clash of death here, together with the one in The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang, are indeed the best duel scenes I鈥檝e ever read in a novel; it was THAT good!
鈥淵ou can never have too many knives, his father had told him. Unless they're pointed at you, and by people who don't like you much. 鈥�
It suffices to say that Last Argument of Kings is grimdark fantasy at its best, and it is one of my favorite books of all time, simple as that. I loved this book on my first read, and I鈥檓 gratified to say that I still absolutely love it on my reread; maybe even more now. Abercrombie is a fantastic writer and storyteller; his characterizations are masterful, his prose is compelling, and his capability in creating vivid cinematic scenes that are brutal, intense, philosophical, and at times hilarious established him as one of the finest authors in the genre. For years now, The First Law have often be recommended as a must-read series for A Song of Ice and Fire fans and grimdark fantasy enthusiasts. The longevity and the assurance of high quality in this recommendation can exist only if a specific series has received a world-wide qualification and praises from readers around the world. And this is a crowning achievement that Joe Abercrombie, the Lord of Grimdark, has indisputably claimed from this trilogy. If you鈥攕omehow鈥攈aven鈥檛 read this series yet, consider fixing that mistake by reading The First Law trilogy. Now. You have to be realistic about these things.
鈥淚f you want to be a new man you have to stay in new places, and do new things, with people who never knew you before. If you go back to the same old ways, what else can you be but the same old person?鈥�
Series Review:
The Blade Itself: 5/5 stars
Before They Are Hanged: 5/5 stars
Last Argument of Kings: 5/5 stars
The First Law trilogy: 15/15 stars
You can order the book from:
You can find and the rest of my reviews at
Special thanks to my Patrons on for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!
My Patrons: Alfred, Alya, Annabeth, Blaise, Devin, Diana, Edward, Hamad, Helen, Jimmy Nutts, Joie, Lufi, Michelle, Mike, Miracle, Nicholas, Zoe.
April 5, 2010
Because, even after the first two volumes, every character will STILL surprise you. Because Glokta is the best fantasy character I've found since Tyrion Lannister. Because Logen is a mushroom-cloud-laying motherfucker. Because you should've seen it coming but you didn't. You really didn't.
Because even "gritty" fantasy writers are usually afraid to go this far against expectations. Because you will laugh. You will get angry. Because you will hate the ending. Because the ending is perfect. Because the last surprise is on the last page.
Because every combat sequence is spot on. Because every character's actions are spot on. (Despite the fact that we sometimes don't need quite as much explanation as we get.) Because we need more fantasy authors willing to give people like Terry Brooks, Margaret Weiss, Tracy Hickman and Robert Jordan a really good wedgie. (Giving dead people wedgies might be in bad taste, but it's occasionally necessary.)
Because worlds with swords and sorcerers are boring when they're perfect. Because people are boring when they're perfect. Because perfect things are boring. Because this series is totally not boring. Because in some ways Abercrombie's series works better than A Song of Ice and Fire (in some ways, just some, not all of them, please put down those rocks).
Because it's time to read something entirely made out of awesome. Because this is it. Because. Just because.
Because even "gritty" fantasy writers are usually afraid to go this far against expectations. Because you will laugh. You will get angry. Because you will hate the ending. Because the ending is perfect. Because the last surprise is on the last page.
Because every combat sequence is spot on. Because every character's actions are spot on. (Despite the fact that we sometimes don't need quite as much explanation as we get.) Because we need more fantasy authors willing to give people like Terry Brooks, Margaret Weiss, Tracy Hickman and Robert Jordan a really good wedgie. (Giving dead people wedgies might be in bad taste, but it's occasionally necessary.)
Because worlds with swords and sorcerers are boring when they're perfect. Because people are boring when they're perfect. Because perfect things are boring. Because this series is totally not boring. Because in some ways Abercrombie's series works better than A Song of Ice and Fire (in some ways, just some, not all of them, please put down those rocks).
Because it's time to read something entirely made out of awesome. Because this is it. Because. Just because.
October 1, 2023
A spectacular ending to an incredible series -- One of the best books fantasy books of all time.
The last book in a fantasy series can make or break the entire thing, and luckily Last Argument of Kings achieved this in spectacular fashion. This book is legitimately one of the best fantasy books ever written, and will help this series be considered an all-time great fantasy series, among the titans of this genre like The Lord of the Rings and A Wheel of Time.
The tone of this book is dark, and involves a lot of bad people doing bad things to each other. The twists are legitimately mind blowing, in part due to how overwhelmingly impactful they are, and in part due to the seeds of these twists being planted in the previous books without the reader knowing. And while the entire book in amazing, the ending of this book is 10/10 perfection.
From a riveting selection of a new king, to the greatest 1-v-1 duel ever written about in a book, to an ancient feud between wizards that comes to a head, to the most bittersweet of endings -- this book is incredible from start to finish.
Joe Abercrombie has rightly been titled as one of the titans of this genre, and anyone with even a vague interest in fantasy with darker elements needs to read this book yesterday.
The last book in a fantasy series can make or break the entire thing, and luckily Last Argument of Kings achieved this in spectacular fashion. This book is legitimately one of the best fantasy books ever written, and will help this series be considered an all-time great fantasy series, among the titans of this genre like The Lord of the Rings and A Wheel of Time.
The tone of this book is dark, and involves a lot of bad people doing bad things to each other. The twists are legitimately mind blowing, in part due to how overwhelmingly impactful they are, and in part due to the seeds of these twists being planted in the previous books without the reader knowing. And while the entire book in amazing, the ending of this book is 10/10 perfection.
From a riveting selection of a new king, to the greatest 1-v-1 duel ever written about in a book, to an ancient feud between wizards that comes to a head, to the most bittersweet of endings -- this book is incredible from start to finish.
Joe Abercrombie has rightly been titled as one of the titans of this genre, and anyone with even a vague interest in fantasy with darker elements needs to read this book yesterday.
July 26, 2010
Disappointing. This book probably deserves better than two stars, but I just can't bring myself to call it good, because I didn't really enjoy it even though I read it fairly quickly. Don't get me wrong: it's interesting enough, and the characters are still vaguely engaging, and there's plenty of action. By all means, the formula is there (even though it does feel a little bit tired).
So what's the problem? I guess I was just hoping Abercrombie would be able to salvage some of his characters and bring the story to a satisfying conclusion, but frustratingly, most of the characters end up less likeable at the end than they were at the beginning, and the book's "conclusion" feels loose and sloppy.
I'm okay with a "no good and no evil" sort of world, with ambiguous heroes, but for crying out loud, Abercrombie can't seem to come up with a sympathetic character, or any sort of heroic progression. His characters are in turn spineless, self-centered, vengeful, ruthless, feckless, and amazingly passive. Unlikeable in the extreme. Logen seems to be a completely different character from one book to the next, Ferro is static, Glokta becomes boring (can he stop tonguing his gums for a page or two, please?), and Jezal crumples into a worthless sack of dookie. By the end of the book, there was not a single character I was rooting for, and I really didn't care whether they lived or died. In fact, I was kind of hoping they would die, since then there wouldn鈥檛 be any sequels. Whatever happened to characters like Elric of Melnibone, Raven of the Black Company, Caine, Tyrion Lannister, Riddick, et al?
The humor seems to have disappeared by the third book, as well. This is too bad, since humor actually makes the characters a lot more sympathetic.
There is also some odd plotting. The logic of Bayaz is baffling: why exactly is he spending so much effort to build an empire when he could have accomplished his goals with a lot less hassle (he is, after all, incredibly rich and powerful and all that). And why does he show so little interest in "his" empire? Not even a hint of pride? What鈥檚 the point?
In the end, that鈥檚 what I came to. What exactly was the point of the story?
Oh well. Maybe I鈥檒l pick up another book by Abercrombie someday, but not any time soon.
So what's the problem? I guess I was just hoping Abercrombie would be able to salvage some of his characters and bring the story to a satisfying conclusion, but frustratingly, most of the characters end up less likeable at the end than they were at the beginning, and the book's "conclusion" feels loose and sloppy.
I'm okay with a "no good and no evil" sort of world, with ambiguous heroes, but for crying out loud, Abercrombie can't seem to come up with a sympathetic character, or any sort of heroic progression. His characters are in turn spineless, self-centered, vengeful, ruthless, feckless, and amazingly passive. Unlikeable in the extreme. Logen seems to be a completely different character from one book to the next, Ferro is static, Glokta becomes boring (can he stop tonguing his gums for a page or two, please?), and Jezal crumples into a worthless sack of dookie. By the end of the book, there was not a single character I was rooting for, and I really didn't care whether they lived or died. In fact, I was kind of hoping they would die, since then there wouldn鈥檛 be any sequels. Whatever happened to characters like Elric of Melnibone, Raven of the Black Company, Caine, Tyrion Lannister, Riddick, et al?
The humor seems to have disappeared by the third book, as well. This is too bad, since humor actually makes the characters a lot more sympathetic.
There is also some odd plotting. The logic of Bayaz is baffling: why exactly is he spending so much effort to build an empire when he could have accomplished his goals with a lot less hassle (he is, after all, incredibly rich and powerful and all that). And why does he show so little interest in "his" empire? Not even a hint of pride? What鈥檚 the point?
In the end, that鈥檚 what I came to. What exactly was the point of the story?
Oh well. Maybe I鈥檒l pick up another book by Abercrombie someday, but not any time soon.
June 19, 2012
and so the excellent First Law trilogy concludes. this was a splendid experience and certainly a hearty one as well. many things to consider and many enjoyments to be had. a full meal! and quite a bitter feast at that.
and here is the Last Argument of the title, succinctly delivered by the ferocious sorceror Bayaz:
this is a really marvelous series. bold in intent, clear in purpose, both a strikingly rigorous critique of the systems of power and a fun, fast-paced adventure that turns expectations around narrative & characterization upside down. it is not perfect; the most egregious fault is a certain shallowness in the dialogue - many lines read as if they are coming from a particularly snarky tv sitcom. i do not like. but that fault, and other minor ones, pales in comparison to all the positives of the trilogy.
the first book basically functions as a a prologue. indeed, in other books, the entirety of the action in that book would probably have been dispensed with in a chapter or two. but sees the building of character and the constructing of a strong foundation for its overarching narrative as key to its design, and so The Blade Itself sticks in the memory as one of the most in-depth introductions to the action that i've experienced. a bold move; i like. the second book is where all the action is at. but man does Abercrombie fuck with reader expectations in . there are two primary narrative threads in the second book: a Quest for a Band of Adventurers and the Defense of a City Under Siege. for such a contrastingly (to the first book) action-packed novel, the decisions of how to end these two adventures is rooted in the need to illustrate failure - so much so that the novel functions as a sardonic critique and attack on the use of Quests and City Sieges in fantasy. the Quest goes nowhere; nothing is gained and the whole thing is pointless. the Defense of a City fails; good people are slain, a city is taken, and then the 'hero' is rewarded for doing a good job in drawing out the Siege - his actual failure being preordained by his loathsome masters. truly a a kind of rough justice in terms of reader expectations for classic narrative pleasures; i like.
Last Argument is likewise determined to smack the reader upside the head with their own complacent desires. this happens in two distinct ways: (1) showing the true darkness at the heart of its sometimes rather loveable characters and (2) giving the novel's various narrative threads some of the bitterest versions of happy endings that i've experienced.
to the first goal, it is important to point out what Abercrombie did in the second book: he made his characters highly appealing. their courage & loyalty & cleverness are highlighted and they are given amusing character traits to make them charmingly down-to-earth. they grow and they do brave things and the novel shows that they can be better human beings, if given the opportunity. the third book is counting on the reader to remember those positive little bits - all the better to sting that reader when they are reminded of these characters' true natures. the only person who escapes unscathed is the most unloveable character of all - the savage and bloodthirsty Ferro, who is my own favorite character.
other characters do not make it out with their loveability intact. Logan the berserker barbarian's stomach-turning past is actually explored (with an emphasis on his various mindless atrocities) and, most importantly, we are given a scene where we witness Logan's terrifying alter ego do truly horrible things. my God, he cuts a child in half! he becomes distinctly un-loveable after that little bit. and the same goes for the rest: anti-heroes who Abercrombie set up to be surprisingly sympathetic are given their chance... not to shine, but to molder. Glokta tortures innocent people that he knows are innocent, simply because he is following orders. Jezal overindulges his tendency towards frustrating ditheriness. Ardee becomes a self-pitying, self-loathing lush. Black Dow, Frost, and Severard betray those who have given them trust. Quai is shown to be a foul imposter. and most stark at all, Bayaz the Eccentric Magician is shown to have the true colors of a classic megalomaniac, uncaring of who he hurts & kills, primarily interested in maintaining his authority, a liar and a bully and a murderer, contemptuous of all who do not share his goals, and willing to do literally anything to further those goals and gain more power. Bayaz the Eccentric Magician - the only character who seeks to truly protect a kingdom against the powers of darkness - turns out to be the darkest monster of them all. i like.
to the second goal... well, i don't want to do what i did above, and list the viciously ironic happy endings delivered on all the remaining characters. one example will suffice: a Happy Marriage for a king and his new bride. a happy ending where a lesbian is forced to pretend to be deliriously happy to bed her man night after night - or else her lover, a stalwart lady-in-waiting, will be tortured and killed. a happy ending where the naive new king is so pleased with his wife's change of heart that he never questions how that radical change of heart occurred. he finds her crying at the window each night after a session of lovemaking... well, it must be because she is homesick!
the cumulative effect of all of Abercrombie's bleakly sardonic decisions is one that gave me a hollow, depressed feeling. and yet i was thoroughly engaged and challenged by each of his decisions. i felt attacked; i felt like the rug was pulled out from under me; i felt as if all that i held to be important and meaningful were simply false constructs based on lazy thinking and a complacency with what i have automatically considered as "good", as "right". being challenged like that is a rare thing. i like.
and here is the Last Argument of the title, succinctly delivered by the ferocious sorceror Bayaz:
"Power makes all things right. That is my first law, and my last. That is the only law that I acknowledge."SPOILERS FOLLOW
this is a really marvelous series. bold in intent, clear in purpose, both a strikingly rigorous critique of the systems of power and a fun, fast-paced adventure that turns expectations around narrative & characterization upside down. it is not perfect; the most egregious fault is a certain shallowness in the dialogue - many lines read as if they are coming from a particularly snarky tv sitcom. i do not like. but that fault, and other minor ones, pales in comparison to all the positives of the trilogy.
the first book basically functions as a a prologue. indeed, in other books, the entirety of the action in that book would probably have been dispensed with in a chapter or two. but sees the building of character and the constructing of a strong foundation for its overarching narrative as key to its design, and so The Blade Itself sticks in the memory as one of the most in-depth introductions to the action that i've experienced. a bold move; i like. the second book is where all the action is at. but man does Abercrombie fuck with reader expectations in . there are two primary narrative threads in the second book: a Quest for a Band of Adventurers and the Defense of a City Under Siege. for such a contrastingly (to the first book) action-packed novel, the decisions of how to end these two adventures is rooted in the need to illustrate failure - so much so that the novel functions as a sardonic critique and attack on the use of Quests and City Sieges in fantasy. the Quest goes nowhere; nothing is gained and the whole thing is pointless. the Defense of a City fails; good people are slain, a city is taken, and then the 'hero' is rewarded for doing a good job in drawing out the Siege - his actual failure being preordained by his loathsome masters. truly a a kind of rough justice in terms of reader expectations for classic narrative pleasures; i like.
Last Argument is likewise determined to smack the reader upside the head with their own complacent desires. this happens in two distinct ways: (1) showing the true darkness at the heart of its sometimes rather loveable characters and (2) giving the novel's various narrative threads some of the bitterest versions of happy endings that i've experienced.
to the first goal, it is important to point out what Abercrombie did in the second book: he made his characters highly appealing. their courage & loyalty & cleverness are highlighted and they are given amusing character traits to make them charmingly down-to-earth. they grow and they do brave things and the novel shows that they can be better human beings, if given the opportunity. the third book is counting on the reader to remember those positive little bits - all the better to sting that reader when they are reminded of these characters' true natures. the only person who escapes unscathed is the most unloveable character of all - the savage and bloodthirsty Ferro, who is my own favorite character.
other characters do not make it out with their loveability intact. Logan the berserker barbarian's stomach-turning past is actually explored (with an emphasis on his various mindless atrocities) and, most importantly, we are given a scene where we witness Logan's terrifying alter ego do truly horrible things. my God, he cuts a child in half! he becomes distinctly un-loveable after that little bit. and the same goes for the rest: anti-heroes who Abercrombie set up to be surprisingly sympathetic are given their chance... not to shine, but to molder. Glokta tortures innocent people that he knows are innocent, simply because he is following orders. Jezal overindulges his tendency towards frustrating ditheriness. Ardee becomes a self-pitying, self-loathing lush. Black Dow, Frost, and Severard betray those who have given them trust. Quai is shown to be a foul imposter. and most stark at all, Bayaz the Eccentric Magician is shown to have the true colors of a classic megalomaniac, uncaring of who he hurts & kills, primarily interested in maintaining his authority, a liar and a bully and a murderer, contemptuous of all who do not share his goals, and willing to do literally anything to further those goals and gain more power. Bayaz the Eccentric Magician - the only character who seeks to truly protect a kingdom against the powers of darkness - turns out to be the darkest monster of them all. i like.
to the second goal... well, i don't want to do what i did above, and list the viciously ironic happy endings delivered on all the remaining characters. one example will suffice: a Happy Marriage for a king and his new bride. a happy ending where a lesbian is forced to pretend to be deliriously happy to bed her man night after night - or else her lover, a stalwart lady-in-waiting, will be tortured and killed. a happy ending where the naive new king is so pleased with his wife's change of heart that he never questions how that radical change of heart occurred. he finds her crying at the window each night after a session of lovemaking... well, it must be because she is homesick!
the cumulative effect of all of Abercrombie's bleakly sardonic decisions is one that gave me a hollow, depressed feeling. and yet i was thoroughly engaged and challenged by each of his decisions. i felt attacked; i felt like the rug was pulled out from under me; i felt as if all that i held to be important and meaningful were simply false constructs based on lazy thinking and a complacency with what i have automatically considered as "good", as "right". being challenged like that is a rare thing. i like.
August 5, 2021
this book blurs the lines between good and evil sooo well that i dont even know what to think.
i read somewhere that suggested a bad villain is someone who is just a jerk for no reason, a good villain is someone who thinks theyre right but in reality theyre wrong, and a great villain is someone who IS actually right but their methods go beyond what any moral person would approve of.
and let me tell you what - there are so many great villains in this. but they dont even feel like villains! thats the crazy thing. its that whole morally grey anti-hero vibes that almost every character has. its fantastic.
and its the characters that really sell this book/series, because honestly, the plot in this concluding installment didnt really do it for me. if you enjoy political and war manoeuvring, then you will enjoy this. but i personally found all the strategy and battles to be boring. im also not really sure i even liked the ending. for me, everything should come together in a conclusion and, in this, everything feels like its falling apart? i dont know how to describe it, but it wasnt what i was hoping for.
overall, great characters, good plot if youre into that kind of thing, and unexpected ending.
鈫� 3.5 stars
i read somewhere that suggested a bad villain is someone who is just a jerk for no reason, a good villain is someone who thinks theyre right but in reality theyre wrong, and a great villain is someone who IS actually right but their methods go beyond what any moral person would approve of.
and let me tell you what - there are so many great villains in this. but they dont even feel like villains! thats the crazy thing. its that whole morally grey anti-hero vibes that almost every character has. its fantastic.
and its the characters that really sell this book/series, because honestly, the plot in this concluding installment didnt really do it for me. if you enjoy political and war manoeuvring, then you will enjoy this. but i personally found all the strategy and battles to be boring. im also not really sure i even liked the ending. for me, everything should come together in a conclusion and, in this, everything feels like its falling apart? i dont know how to describe it, but it wasnt what i was hoping for.
overall, great characters, good plot if youre into that kind of thing, and unexpected ending.
鈫� 3.5 stars
February 15, 2025
I love The First Law and it was so much fun to rank the books in this world... do you agree with my list?
Will I ever stop thinking about The First Law? Probably not. You have to be realistic about these things.
My brother and I were lucky enough to interview JOE ABERCROMBIE!. Check it out!
SO good. The re-read made this trilogy even better, which I thought was impossible. Nothing is impossible when it comes to Abercrombie's writing, and no mistake. 5 Bloody Stars.
Last Argument of Kings is one of the best final books of a trilogy I鈥檝e ever had the pleasure of reading - actually, scratch that, it鈥檚 one of the best books I have EVER read. Seriously, it had moments of laughter, scenes that were so tense I was biting my nails and shocks that had me staring into the darkness of my palms as my hands covered my face.
鈥淚 have learned all kinds of things from my many mistakes. The one thing I never learn is to stop making them.鈥�
Before They Are Hanged, Book 2 of the First Law was a masterpiece, and Last Argument of Kings completes the trilogy superbly. Bethod, King of the Northmen is a constant threat and there鈥檚 only one man who prevent him from conquering the Union, yeah you guessed it, our guy Logen Ninefingers. As Logen is facing the minor task of defeating a whole army, Superior Glokta is up to his usual tricks of torture and blackmail in the capital. There is more of a personal mission for Glokta this time around as it quickly dawns on him that there鈥檚 only so many power-hungry lords he can continue to keep smiling. Jezal dan Luthar is back in the capital seeking to let go of the life he once loved, of fame, women, gambling, to focus on beginning a family with the woman he loves, but can it really be that simple? Again I鈥檓 sure you鈥檝e guessed the answer to that one. In true Abercrombie style, nothing is ever simple - you have to be realistic about these things. Also, book 3 brings about the true discovery of who Bayaz is, our questions are answered and he really comes into his own. I鈥檒l leave it as that!
鈥淚t's hard to be done a favour by a man you hate. It's hard to hate him so much afterwards. Losing an enemy can be worse than losing a friend, if you've had him for long enough.鈥�
One thing I love about Joe鈥檚 writing is just how clear each distinct voice is. You really know who the POV is from just after reading one sentence and I find that rare, especially one with multiple POVs. The characters are so quotable, with fantastic lines of speech and thoughts, it鈥檚 top quality writing. Each character has ample moments to shine which is exactly what you want in a final entry of a series, I felt so satisfied after finishing Last Argument of Kings - not to mention THAT ending. It was one of those few wide-eyed panic infusing moments that had me desperate for just one more chapter.
鈥淭he only difference between war and murder is the number of dead.鈥�
Within Last Argument of Kings is one of the best duels ever. Abercrombie writes action so well, so brutally full of gore. I felt the cuts, the burn of muscles, the panic of battle and the euphoria of victory. The Bloody Nine has some of his best scenes to date here and they gave me the chills, as did Logen鈥檚 father鈥檚 sayings about war. What I also love about The First Law is the balance of characters. Not every character needs to be or is a legendary sword-wielding beast of a man who smashes his way to victory. Sure it鈥檚 good fun to read but there鈥檚 none of that here. The character鈥檚 find their own way to take on battles, literally and metaphorically.
鈥淩ules are for children. This is war, and in war the only crime is to lose.鈥�
I also love how much depth there is to all of the characters even secondary ones such as The Dogman, Black Dow, Ardee and Arch Lector Sult. There were sections of non-stop action without much pause for breath, and there were other passages of the calm, allowing us to really get into the characters and understand them even more. There were touching scenes in the Last Argument of Kings that added so much to the story and the way I felt about the characters - which I find very rare in a grimdark story.
鈥淵ou can never have too many knives, his father had told him. Unless they're pointed at you, and by people who don't like you much. 鈥�
5/5 - I鈥檓 sure you can tell how much I loved this and The First Law. I would recommend this trilogy to anyone who likes reading. Or just everyone. If fantasy is your thing then this is a must read, and if fantasy isn鈥檛 your think then this is a brilliant starting place to highlight just how amazing it can be when written well. Mr Abercombie, I salute you. I hope to see the likes of The First Law again.
Will I ever stop thinking about The First Law? Probably not. You have to be realistic about these things.
My brother and I were lucky enough to interview JOE ABERCROMBIE!. Check it out!
SO good. The re-read made this trilogy even better, which I thought was impossible. Nothing is impossible when it comes to Abercrombie's writing, and no mistake. 5 Bloody Stars.
Last Argument of Kings is one of the best final books of a trilogy I鈥檝e ever had the pleasure of reading - actually, scratch that, it鈥檚 one of the best books I have EVER read. Seriously, it had moments of laughter, scenes that were so tense I was biting my nails and shocks that had me staring into the darkness of my palms as my hands covered my face.
鈥淚 have learned all kinds of things from my many mistakes. The one thing I never learn is to stop making them.鈥�
Before They Are Hanged, Book 2 of the First Law was a masterpiece, and Last Argument of Kings completes the trilogy superbly. Bethod, King of the Northmen is a constant threat and there鈥檚 only one man who prevent him from conquering the Union, yeah you guessed it, our guy Logen Ninefingers. As Logen is facing the minor task of defeating a whole army, Superior Glokta is up to his usual tricks of torture and blackmail in the capital. There is more of a personal mission for Glokta this time around as it quickly dawns on him that there鈥檚 only so many power-hungry lords he can continue to keep smiling. Jezal dan Luthar is back in the capital seeking to let go of the life he once loved, of fame, women, gambling, to focus on beginning a family with the woman he loves, but can it really be that simple? Again I鈥檓 sure you鈥檝e guessed the answer to that one. In true Abercrombie style, nothing is ever simple - you have to be realistic about these things. Also, book 3 brings about the true discovery of who Bayaz is, our questions are answered and he really comes into his own. I鈥檒l leave it as that!
鈥淚t's hard to be done a favour by a man you hate. It's hard to hate him so much afterwards. Losing an enemy can be worse than losing a friend, if you've had him for long enough.鈥�
One thing I love about Joe鈥檚 writing is just how clear each distinct voice is. You really know who the POV is from just after reading one sentence and I find that rare, especially one with multiple POVs. The characters are so quotable, with fantastic lines of speech and thoughts, it鈥檚 top quality writing. Each character has ample moments to shine which is exactly what you want in a final entry of a series, I felt so satisfied after finishing Last Argument of Kings - not to mention THAT ending. It was one of those few wide-eyed panic infusing moments that had me desperate for just one more chapter.
鈥淭he only difference between war and murder is the number of dead.鈥�
Within Last Argument of Kings is one of the best duels ever. Abercrombie writes action so well, so brutally full of gore. I felt the cuts, the burn of muscles, the panic of battle and the euphoria of victory. The Bloody Nine has some of his best scenes to date here and they gave me the chills, as did Logen鈥檚 father鈥檚 sayings about war. What I also love about The First Law is the balance of characters. Not every character needs to be or is a legendary sword-wielding beast of a man who smashes his way to victory. Sure it鈥檚 good fun to read but there鈥檚 none of that here. The character鈥檚 find their own way to take on battles, literally and metaphorically.
鈥淩ules are for children. This is war, and in war the only crime is to lose.鈥�
I also love how much depth there is to all of the characters even secondary ones such as The Dogman, Black Dow, Ardee and Arch Lector Sult. There were sections of non-stop action without much pause for breath, and there were other passages of the calm, allowing us to really get into the characters and understand them even more. There were touching scenes in the Last Argument of Kings that added so much to the story and the way I felt about the characters - which I find very rare in a grimdark story.
鈥淵ou can never have too many knives, his father had told him. Unless they're pointed at you, and by people who don't like you much. 鈥�
5/5 - I鈥檓 sure you can tell how much I loved this and The First Law. I would recommend this trilogy to anyone who likes reading. Or just everyone. If fantasy is your thing then this is a must read, and if fantasy isn鈥檛 your think then this is a brilliant starting place to highlight just how amazing it can be when written well. Mr Abercombie, I salute you. I hope to see the likes of The First Law again.
May 1, 2023
Wow. Just finished, and that was a book that was just... wow. Made expectations, fulfilled them, broke them apart into little pieces and reassembled into a huge jagged collage of a work. Amazing.
Glokta continues to be the character you would love to hate, except that he is the very essence of tortured humanity. Jezal grows beyond a self-involved ego into a man willing to stand for his beliefs--except that he remains manipulated and somewhat ignorant of the extent to which he is played. Logen unfortunately sees too many more appearances of The Bloody Nine, and it costs him almost everything even as he wins. Commander West continues to lead with loyalty and strategy. Everyone is so humanly flawed, admirable in their nobility and despicable in their actions at times.
Truly an impressive but uncomfortable work. The dark side of fantasy, not because it delves into Evil with the capital "E," but because it shows how choices and character continue to drive us, perhaps causing us to make the very same mistakes, or the choices we make when we have no choice at all. Even the most unsympathetic of characters have their moments.
Glokta continues to be the character you would love to hate, except that he is the very essence of tortured humanity. Jezal grows beyond a self-involved ego into a man willing to stand for his beliefs--except that he remains manipulated and somewhat ignorant of the extent to which he is played. Logen unfortunately sees too many more appearances of The Bloody Nine, and it costs him almost everything even as he wins. Commander West continues to lead with loyalty and strategy. Everyone is so humanly flawed, admirable in their nobility and despicable in their actions at times.
Truly an impressive but uncomfortable work. The dark side of fantasy, not because it delves into Evil with the capital "E," but because it shows how choices and character continue to drive us, perhaps causing us to make the very same mistakes, or the choices we make when we have no choice at all. Even the most unsympathetic of characters have their moments.
March 31, 2009
ORIGINALLY POSTED AT .
Say one thing for this reviewer, say she's a weak-minded sucker.
She really enjoyed the first two books of Joe Abercrombie's The First Law trilogy. This story was original, had a unique style, fascinating characters, and a darkly cynical style. She liked it. It was fresh. But she was kind of hoping, even daring to expect, that the last book, Last Argument of Kings, might have an ending that was, if not perhaps exactly happy, at least somewhat satisfying.
Unfortunately, Last Argument of Kings was more realistic than happy. Hooray, some might say -- a realistic ending! But realistic is not what this reader reads fantasy for. For three books she read about people's heads being chopped off, painful body parts clicking, toothless gums being sucked at, pain, wasting disease, bodies being cleaved in half, more pain, betrayal, torture, treason, tyranny, loveless marriages, abusive fathers and brothers, miscarriage, alcoholism, prejudice, more pain. Lots of pain. It has to get better, right?
Alas, no. There just wasn't enough redemption to balance all of the pain. A couple of characters became more noble (they couldn't have become less so), but their triumphs were outweighed by the degradation of other characters. It was all just kind of depressing.
Besides that, there really wasn't anything new in Last Argument of Kings. The story ends (for better or for worse), but there was none of the freshness that was so exciting in The Blade Itself. The writing is well above average, but not brilliant, and it certainly wasn't pretty.
What she's trying to say is: The First Law is an entertaining and well-written story for someone who is more the cynic than the optimist. But it left this reviewer feeling icky. Very icky.
Read more .
Say one thing for this reviewer, say she's a weak-minded sucker.
She really enjoyed the first two books of Joe Abercrombie's The First Law trilogy. This story was original, had a unique style, fascinating characters, and a darkly cynical style. She liked it. It was fresh. But she was kind of hoping, even daring to expect, that the last book, Last Argument of Kings, might have an ending that was, if not perhaps exactly happy, at least somewhat satisfying.
Unfortunately, Last Argument of Kings was more realistic than happy. Hooray, some might say -- a realistic ending! But realistic is not what this reader reads fantasy for. For three books she read about people's heads being chopped off, painful body parts clicking, toothless gums being sucked at, pain, wasting disease, bodies being cleaved in half, more pain, betrayal, torture, treason, tyranny, loveless marriages, abusive fathers and brothers, miscarriage, alcoholism, prejudice, more pain. Lots of pain. It has to get better, right?
Alas, no. There just wasn't enough redemption to balance all of the pain. A couple of characters became more noble (they couldn't have become less so), but their triumphs were outweighed by the degradation of other characters. It was all just kind of depressing.
Besides that, there really wasn't anything new in Last Argument of Kings. The story ends (for better or for worse), but there was none of the freshness that was so exciting in The Blade Itself. The writing is well above average, but not brilliant, and it certainly wasn't pretty.
What she's trying to say is: The First Law is an entertaining and well-written story for someone who is more the cynic than the optimist. But it left this reviewer feeling icky. Very icky.
Read more .
March 10, 2018
The end of this series is a cleverly crude mirroring of it鈥檚 opening, and it鈥檚 just so damn hilarious. I鈥檓 saying no more regarding that, but Abercrombie never fails to make me laugh. Logan Nine-fingers is such a great character; he really is the strongest aspect of this series.
鈥淵ou can never have too many knives, his father had told him. Unless they're pointed at you, and by people who don't like you much. 鈥�
His wise courage allowed him to defeat the impossible. Only he would have survived such an ordeal. Abercrombie sure knows how to write an excellent battle sequence, but the one on one combat at the end of the book is a whole new level of gripping. It was tense. It was exciting. And it felt like it could have gone either way. Every stroke of the sword was vital. One wrong move and it was over. The odds were against Logan; he faced a terrible foe, but Logan is a survivor. He has been through so much in his life, and he will continue to face his enemies until he falls. He is unshakable.
His proficiency for killing grants him a new beginning by the end. He is in a position where he could go anywhere and be anyone. It will be interesting to see how far the character goes in the future. Now I鈥檝e of course read Red Country but I want to see Logan after that. I hope one day that we finally get to see his end, whatever that may be. I think we need to because at the moment Logan鈥檚 story is far from over. An origin story would also be quite good. We know the basics of where he came from, but to read about it all would be great.
Strong endings all round
鈥淧ower makes all things right. That is my first law, and my last. That is the only law that I acknowledge.鈥�
Logan is not the only great character in this series. Sand dan Glokta stands amongst my favourite characters in all fantasy fiction. He is on par with Tyrion Lannister in his wit, cynicism and intelligence. He is the unsung hero. He is the cripple; the man twisted with rage and despair, but he also pulls through it and continues to serve his country despite his many personal daemons. He finally gets his due, one deserved and one justified. Perhaps.
As I said with Logan, I would love to see a reprisal of this character. His newest novels (The Shattered Sea trilogy) whist in themselves quite good, simply are not on par with his first trilogy. The tone isn鈥檛 the same. The story is not as good. So I think a return to this world is in order, hopefully some time soon.
The First Law Trilogy
1. The Blade Itself- A bloody four stars
2. Before They are Hanged - A gritty four stars
3. The Last Argument of Kings- A strong four stars
鈥淵ou can never have too many knives, his father had told him. Unless they're pointed at you, and by people who don't like you much. 鈥�
His wise courage allowed him to defeat the impossible. Only he would have survived such an ordeal. Abercrombie sure knows how to write an excellent battle sequence, but the one on one combat at the end of the book is a whole new level of gripping. It was tense. It was exciting. And it felt like it could have gone either way. Every stroke of the sword was vital. One wrong move and it was over. The odds were against Logan; he faced a terrible foe, but Logan is a survivor. He has been through so much in his life, and he will continue to face his enemies until he falls. He is unshakable.
His proficiency for killing grants him a new beginning by the end. He is in a position where he could go anywhere and be anyone. It will be interesting to see how far the character goes in the future. Now I鈥檝e of course read Red Country but I want to see Logan after that. I hope one day that we finally get to see his end, whatever that may be. I think we need to because at the moment Logan鈥檚 story is far from over. An origin story would also be quite good. We know the basics of where he came from, but to read about it all would be great.
Strong endings all round
鈥淧ower makes all things right. That is my first law, and my last. That is the only law that I acknowledge.鈥�
Logan is not the only great character in this series. Sand dan Glokta stands amongst my favourite characters in all fantasy fiction. He is on par with Tyrion Lannister in his wit, cynicism and intelligence. He is the unsung hero. He is the cripple; the man twisted with rage and despair, but he also pulls through it and continues to serve his country despite his many personal daemons. He finally gets his due, one deserved and one justified. Perhaps.
As I said with Logan, I would love to see a reprisal of this character. His newest novels (The Shattered Sea trilogy) whist in themselves quite good, simply are not on par with his first trilogy. The tone isn鈥檛 the same. The story is not as good. So I think a return to this world is in order, hopefully some time soon.
The First Law Trilogy
1. The Blade Itself- A bloody four stars
2. Before They are Hanged - A gritty four stars
3. The Last Argument of Kings- A strong four stars
Read
March 3, 2009Okay, so here's the thing with this book and why I gave it no stars:
1) It's the third and final volume in a trilogy that up to this book was pretty much as good as fantasy gets: good characterizations, egaging plot, nice overall writing style, etc etc etc.
1a) I specifically liked the first two because they were surprisingly nasty, not dark mind you (no brooding emo heroes of the night), nasty.
1b) "Nasty" isn't meant sexually either, incidentally, in case you were flashing to Janet Jackson right then.
2) All of that remains true for this book. I think it's important to know that no actions or events in this book are implausible given what's happened before or are unbelievable to the characters as written to this point.
SPOILER-ISH
3) Man, everything goes to shit and everyone dies or is fucking miserable forever is what happens here in book three.
4) And that turns out to be the point of it all, the philosophy the series intends to convey: That everyone is a total shit and you will die and death will be awful and degrading, but that's what life's like anyway so who cares.
4a) I think it's because that's the IT of the series that I found the book so dispiriting and also retroactively ruinous of the first two, which I no longer particularly like knowing what they'd lead to.
4b) Which makes me worry a little that I've turned into Pollyanna No-Unhappy-Endings let's have some cookies and hugs.
4b -i) Or even worse, someone who requires moral edification in entertainment.
5) I am going to resist those ideas about myself, even as I struggle to figure out why this is so repugnant to me, why I feel so.. almost offended by this book. I guess because this ending seems as trite as one where everyone wins and has cookies and hugs, only looking for some deeper credibility by instead of cookies it's slavery instead of hugs it's sharp pointy sticks being jabbed in various orifices. It ends up not TRYING to say anything more then the easiest black or white thing it could say, and it's even worse when you have this feeling the author COULD HAVE DONE BETTER.
1) It's the third and final volume in a trilogy that up to this book was pretty much as good as fantasy gets: good characterizations, egaging plot, nice overall writing style, etc etc etc.
1a) I specifically liked the first two because they were surprisingly nasty, not dark mind you (no brooding emo heroes of the night), nasty.
1b) "Nasty" isn't meant sexually either, incidentally, in case you were flashing to Janet Jackson right then.
2) All of that remains true for this book. I think it's important to know that no actions or events in this book are implausible given what's happened before or are unbelievable to the characters as written to this point.
SPOILER-ISH
3) Man, everything goes to shit and everyone dies or is fucking miserable forever is what happens here in book three.
4) And that turns out to be the point of it all, the philosophy the series intends to convey: That everyone is a total shit and you will die and death will be awful and degrading, but that's what life's like anyway so who cares.
4a) I think it's because that's the IT of the series that I found the book so dispiriting and also retroactively ruinous of the first two, which I no longer particularly like knowing what they'd lead to.
4b) Which makes me worry a little that I've turned into Pollyanna No-Unhappy-Endings let's have some cookies and hugs.
4b -i) Or even worse, someone who requires moral edification in entertainment.
5) I am going to resist those ideas about myself, even as I struggle to figure out why this is so repugnant to me, why I feel so.. almost offended by this book. I guess because this ending seems as trite as one where everyone wins and has cookies and hugs, only looking for some deeper credibility by instead of cookies it's slavery instead of hugs it's sharp pointy sticks being jabbed in various orifices. It ends up not TRYING to say anything more then the easiest black or white thing it could say, and it's even worse when you have this feeling the author COULD HAVE DONE BETTER.
July 14, 2024
Good gracious and gravy, this initial trilogy was amazing!!! There is no way for me to adequately express its greatness...
I have nothing but love. Ughhhh, my heart is bursting for Abercrombie's creation. Pure genius. This is a must for Fantasy Readers. I am really looking forward to continuing on in this world!
My friend, Shannon, and I binged these first three books together and it was so fun. The characters; I just want to be with them forever and ever, amen!!
I have nothing but love. Ughhhh, my heart is bursting for Abercrombie's creation. Pure genius. This is a must for Fantasy Readers. I am really looking forward to continuing on in this world!
My friend, Shannon, and I binged these first three books together and it was so fun. The characters; I just want to be with them forever and ever, amen!!
July 10, 2022
Here is a review of Last Argument of Kings on the channel -
鈥淩ules are for children. This is war, and in war the only crime is to lose.鈥�
Dived into this third instalment in The First Law trilogy straight after finishing Before They Are Hanged. I was tempted to leave it a few days, as I actually felt trepidation at finding out what happens to the characters that I now love, despite their serious flaws. I know that Joe Abercrombie can be a nasty, nasty man to his characters, but I hoped there could be a Disney happy ending here.
Is that silly?
Yes. Yes it was.
This is so real that I could just turn on the news. But it is also incredibly enjoyable, don't get me wrong about that. Joe Abercrombie has cultivated a reputation for being a cruel writer who will spare no pain from his characters. I'll be honest, that is well earned. I felt so emotionally manipulated it was unbelievable. It shows it鈥檚 a fantastic story if you feel that much emotion and attachment to the cast. But it still doesn鈥檛 make it the most pleasant of experiences.
鈥淵ou have to realistic about these things.鈥�
Joe Abercrombie is famous perhaps mostly for his characters, and that is because they are so unique and now iconic. Glokta the tortured torturer, he does such terrible things, but you鈥檙e still routing for him. Logan Ninefingers, who you just feel so, so sorry for, but who is also terrifying, as is made crystal clear in this finale. Jezal, the once most infuriating character, now the man who I somehow want to emerge victorious. They are the main three perspectives, but then there are the brilliant other perspectives and major characters. West, who is possibly the closest you will get to a good man in an Abercrombie book. Then Bayaz, who you should never cross, and many more. Joe Abercrombie is an absolutely masterful character creator, and he brings about a satisfying conclusion for every character.
Whilst Abercrombie is most well known for his characters, I think this sometimes means that people neglect to mention the perfectly executed plot, which was obviously all set out from the beginning of the series. All the little breadcrumbs you didn鈥檛 even know were there reveal themselves in this conclusion. The twists were magnificently announced, making you understand everything, and wonder how you missed it. Again, I鈥檓 going to use that word. Masterful.
Then their is the prose and action. Abercrombie subtly changes his prose for each perspective, which adds to the brilliance and realisation of the characters I mentioned earlier. But he is also brilliant at creating any tone that he needs. The tension between characters, the humour between friends, the despair when all is lost, the panic of a battle. All are achieved brilliantly. Also, I have to say that the duel in this book is the second greatest that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. And that is high praise.
鈥淵ou can never have too many knives鈥�
This is one of the best books I have ever read, and one of the best endings to a series as well. It was amazing. I feel sad, depressed, lonely and lacking faith in humanity, but it was still awesome to read, and it is definitely a story that lived up the hype and delivered a if not happy or enjoyable conclusion, a very well crafted and satisfying one, and one that is awesome to talk about long after you have closed the final page.
Everyone should at least try picking up The First Law Trilogy. It could easily become one of your favourite series of all time.
5/5 STARS
I now have a YouTube channel that I run with my brother, called 'The Brothers Gwynne'. Check it out -
鈥淩ules are for children. This is war, and in war the only crime is to lose.鈥�
Dived into this third instalment in The First Law trilogy straight after finishing Before They Are Hanged. I was tempted to leave it a few days, as I actually felt trepidation at finding out what happens to the characters that I now love, despite their serious flaws. I know that Joe Abercrombie can be a nasty, nasty man to his characters, but I hoped there could be a Disney happy ending here.
Is that silly?
Yes. Yes it was.
This is so real that I could just turn on the news. But it is also incredibly enjoyable, don't get me wrong about that. Joe Abercrombie has cultivated a reputation for being a cruel writer who will spare no pain from his characters. I'll be honest, that is well earned. I felt so emotionally manipulated it was unbelievable. It shows it鈥檚 a fantastic story if you feel that much emotion and attachment to the cast. But it still doesn鈥檛 make it the most pleasant of experiences.
鈥淵ou have to realistic about these things.鈥�
Joe Abercrombie is famous perhaps mostly for his characters, and that is because they are so unique and now iconic. Glokta the tortured torturer, he does such terrible things, but you鈥檙e still routing for him. Logan Ninefingers, who you just feel so, so sorry for, but who is also terrifying, as is made crystal clear in this finale. Jezal, the once most infuriating character, now the man who I somehow want to emerge victorious. They are the main three perspectives, but then there are the brilliant other perspectives and major characters. West, who is possibly the closest you will get to a good man in an Abercrombie book. Then Bayaz, who you should never cross, and many more. Joe Abercrombie is an absolutely masterful character creator, and he brings about a satisfying conclusion for every character.
Whilst Abercrombie is most well known for his characters, I think this sometimes means that people neglect to mention the perfectly executed plot, which was obviously all set out from the beginning of the series. All the little breadcrumbs you didn鈥檛 even know were there reveal themselves in this conclusion. The twists were magnificently announced, making you understand everything, and wonder how you missed it. Again, I鈥檓 going to use that word. Masterful.
Then their is the prose and action. Abercrombie subtly changes his prose for each perspective, which adds to the brilliance and realisation of the characters I mentioned earlier. But he is also brilliant at creating any tone that he needs. The tension between characters, the humour between friends, the despair when all is lost, the panic of a battle. All are achieved brilliantly. Also, I have to say that the duel in this book is the second greatest that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. And that is high praise.
鈥淵ou can never have too many knives鈥�
This is one of the best books I have ever read, and one of the best endings to a series as well. It was amazing. I feel sad, depressed, lonely and lacking faith in humanity, but it was still awesome to read, and it is definitely a story that lived up the hype and delivered a if not happy or enjoyable conclusion, a very well crafted and satisfying one, and one that is awesome to talk about long after you have closed the final page.
Everyone should at least try picking up The First Law Trilogy. It could easily become one of your favourite series of all time.
5/5 STARS
I now have a YouTube channel that I run with my brother, called 'The Brothers Gwynne'. Check it out -
August 21, 2020
亘丕蹖丿 丿乇 賲賵乇丿 蹖賴 爻乇蹖 趩蹖夭賴丕 賵丕賯毓 亘蹖賳 亘丕卮賲
賲孬賱丕 丕丨鬲賲丕賱 丕蹖賳讴賴 卮禺氐蹖鬲 倬乇丿丕夭蹖 亘賴 丕蹖賳 禺賵亘蹖 鬲賵蹖 蹖賴 讴鬲丕亘 蹖丕 賲噩賲賵毓賴 蹖 丿蹖诏賴 亘亘蹖賳賲 禺蹖賱蹖 倬丕蹖蹖賳賴
丿丕爻鬲丕賳 賵 倬蹖趩卮 賴丕蹖 丿丕爻鬲丕賳蹖卮 禺蹖賱蹖 禺賵亘賳 賵賱蹖 卮禺氐蹖鬲 倬乇丿丕夭蹖 亘丕毓孬 賲蹖卮賴 亘丿賵賳 匕乇賴 丕蹖 禺爻鬲诏蹖 2500 氐賮丨賴 讴鬲丕亘 乇賵 亘禺賵賳蹖丿 賵 亘毓丿 丕夭 丌禺乇蹖賳 氐賮丨賴 倬蹖卮 禺賵丿鬲賵賳 亘诏蹖丿 讴丕卮 賮賯胤 趩賳丿 賴夭丕乇 氐賮丨賴 蹖 丿蹖诏賴 賴賲 丕丿丕賲賴 丿丕卮鬲. 禺蹖賱蹖 丕夭 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 賴丕 卮禺氐蹖鬲 倬乇丿丕夭蹖卮賵賳 亘毓丿 丕夭 蹖賴 賲丿鬲 丿趩丕乇 丕賮鬲 賲蹖卮賴 賵賱蹖 鬲賵蹖 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 賯丕賳賵賳 鬲丕 丌禺乇蹖賳 賱丨馗賴 賮賵賯 丕賱毓丕丿賴 賲蹖賲賵賳賴
鬲賯乇蹖亘丕 賴賲賴 蹖 卮禺氐蹖鬲 賴丕蹖 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 亘賴 賳賵毓蹖 丕爻蹖乇 诏匕卮鬲賴 丕卮賵賳 賴爻鬲賳
賱賵诏賳 讴賴 - 卮賵丿 讴賵賴 丌賴賳 趩賵 丿乇蹖丕蹖 丌亘貙 丕诏乇 亘卮賳賵丿 賳丕賲 亘賱丕丿蹖 賳丕蹖賳 - 賲蹖禺賵丕丿 诏匕卮鬲賴 蹖 倬乇 丕夭 禺賵賳 賵 禺卮賵賳鬲卮 乇賵 倬卮鬲 爻乇 亘匕丕乇賴 賵 丕賵囟丕毓 乇賵 丿乇爻鬲 讴賳賴
賮蹖乇賵 讴賴 亘乇丿賴 亘賵丿賴 賵 賴蹖趩 賮讴乇蹖 噩夭 丕賳鬲賯丕賲 鬲賵蹖 匕賴賳卮 賳丿丕乇賴
賵 爻賳丿 丿賳 诏賱賵讴鬲丕 讴賴 蹖讴蹖 丕夭 亘賴鬲乇蹖賳 卮賲卮蹖乇夭賳 賴丕蹖 夭賲丕賳 禺賵丿卮 亘賵丿賴 賵賱蹖 丿賵 爻丕賱 丕爻蹖乇 丿卮賲賳 卮丿賴 賵 賴賲賴 噩賵乇賴 鬲丨鬲 卮讴賳噩賴 賯乇丕乇 诏乇賮鬲賴 賵 丕賱丕賳 丕夭 賳馗乇 噩爻賲蹖 丿丕卅賲丕賸 丿乇 丨丕賱 丿乇丿 讴卮蹖丿賳賴貙 賴賲蹖卮賴 讴丕亘賵爻 賲蹖亘蹖賳賴 賵 鬲賵蹖 诏賳丿 賵 讴孬丕賮鬲 禺賵丿卮 丕夭 禺賵丕亘 亘蹖丿丕乇 賲蹖卮賴 賵 亘蹖卮鬲乇 賵賯鬲賴丕 賲卮睾賵賱 賳蹖卮 賵 讴賳丕蹖賴 夭丿賳賴貙 丨丕賱丕 蹖丕 鬲賵 匕賴賳卮 蹖丕 賲賵賯毓 氐丨亘鬲 亘丕 亘賯蹖賴. 亘丕 丕蹖賳 丨丕賱 鬲噩乇亘賴 蹖 賳夭丿蹖讴 亘賴 賲乇诏 賵 丿丕卅賲 丿乇 賲毓乇囟 禺胤乇 亘賵丿賳 亘丕毓孬 卮丿賴 賴賵卮 賵 丨賵丕爻卮 禺蹖賱蹖 鬲蹖夭 亘丕卮賴 賵 丕賱丕賳 亘賴 毓賳賵丕賳 亘丕夭倬乇爻 賵 卮讴賳噩賴 诏乇 鬲賵蹖 丕丿丕乇賴 蹖 丕胤賱丕毓丕鬲 賲卮睾賵賱賴 亘賴 讴丕乇賴
亘乇丕蹖 賲賳 賴賲蹖賳 诏賱賵讴鬲丕蹖 鬲賳賴丕 亘乇丕蹖 賱匕鬲 亘乇丿賳 丕夭 丕蹖賳 爻賴 诏丕賳賴 讴丕賮蹖 亘賵丿. 賲毓乇賮蹖 卮禺氐蹖鬲卮 鬲賵蹖 讴鬲丕亘 丕賵賱貙 丿乇诏蹖乇蹖 賴丕蹖 匕賴賳蹖卮貙 丿蹖丕賱賵诏 賴丕卮 賵 卮賵禺蹖賴丕蹖 丿丕乇讴卮 賵 倬丕蹖丕賳卮 賴賲诏蹖 讴丕賲賱丕 亘蹖 賳賯氐 亘賵丿賳. 禺賵丕賳賳丿賴 賴蹖趩賵賯鬲 賳賲蹖賮賴賲賴 亘丕蹖丿 丿賱卮 亘乇丕蹖 诏賱賵讴鬲丕 亘爻賵夭賴 蹖丕 丕夭卮 亘鬲乇爻賴
禺蹖賱蹖 丿賵爻 丿丕卮鬲賲 鬲蹖乇蹖賵賳 賵 诏賱賵讴鬲丕 亘卮蹖賳賳 噩賱賵蹖 賴賲 賵 賮賯胤 亘賴 賴賲丿蹖诏賴 賲鬲賱讴 亘诏賳 賵 亘亘蹖賳賲 讴丿賵賲卮賵賳 讴賲 賲蹖丕乇賴 :))
丕爻倬賵蹖賱 爻乇賳賵卮鬲 卮禺氐蹖鬲 賴丕
禺賱丕氐賴 丕诏賴 賳睾賲賴 丿賵爻 丿丕卮鬲蹖賳貙 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 賯丕賳賵賳 賴賲 亘禺賵賳蹖丿
卮丕蹖丿 丨鬲蹖 亘蹖卮鬲乇 丕夭 賳睾賲賴 丕夭卮 賱匕鬲 亘亘乇蹖丿
鬲乇噩賲賴 賴賲 毓丕賱蹖賴 賵賱蹖 丕乇卮丕丿 噩賵賳 蹖賴 噩丕賴丕蹖蹖 丕夭 讴鬲丕亘賴丕 乇賵 爻賱丕禺蹖 讴乇丿賴 倬爻 賳爻禺賴 丕賳诏賱蹖爻蹖 賴賲 讴賳丕乇卮 丿丕卮鬲賴 亘丕卮蹖賳
丕蹖賳 賯囟蹖賴 丿乇 賲賵乇丿 丕讴孬乇 讴鬲丕亘賴丕蹖 鬲乇噩賲賴 氐丿賯 賲蹖讴賳賴 賮讴乇 讴賳賲
丕卮丕乇賴 亘賴 乇丕亘胤賴 蹖 噩賳爻蹖 亘丿賴 賵賱蹖 氐賱蹖亘 禺賵賳蹖賳 賵 乇蹖禺鬲賳 丿賱 賵 乇賵丿賴 賵 賯胤毓 倬丕 賵 丿爻鬲 賵 爻乇 賵 丕夭 賵爻胤 賳氐賮 卮丿賳 賵 丕賳賵丕毓 賵 丕賯爻丕賲 卮讴賳噩賴 丕賵讴蹖賴
賲孬賱丕 丕丨鬲賲丕賱 丕蹖賳讴賴 卮禺氐蹖鬲 倬乇丿丕夭蹖 亘賴 丕蹖賳 禺賵亘蹖 鬲賵蹖 蹖賴 讴鬲丕亘 蹖丕 賲噩賲賵毓賴 蹖 丿蹖诏賴 亘亘蹖賳賲 禺蹖賱蹖 倬丕蹖蹖賳賴
丿丕爻鬲丕賳 賵 倬蹖趩卮 賴丕蹖 丿丕爻鬲丕賳蹖卮 禺蹖賱蹖 禺賵亘賳 賵賱蹖 卮禺氐蹖鬲 倬乇丿丕夭蹖 亘丕毓孬 賲蹖卮賴 亘丿賵賳 匕乇賴 丕蹖 禺爻鬲诏蹖 2500 氐賮丨賴 讴鬲丕亘 乇賵 亘禺賵賳蹖丿 賵 亘毓丿 丕夭 丌禺乇蹖賳 氐賮丨賴 倬蹖卮 禺賵丿鬲賵賳 亘诏蹖丿 讴丕卮 賮賯胤 趩賳丿 賴夭丕乇 氐賮丨賴 蹖 丿蹖诏賴 賴賲 丕丿丕賲賴 丿丕卮鬲. 禺蹖賱蹖 丕夭 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 賴丕 卮禺氐蹖鬲 倬乇丿丕夭蹖卮賵賳 亘毓丿 丕夭 蹖賴 賲丿鬲 丿趩丕乇 丕賮鬲 賲蹖卮賴 賵賱蹖 鬲賵蹖 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 賯丕賳賵賳 鬲丕 丌禺乇蹖賳 賱丨馗賴 賮賵賯 丕賱毓丕丿賴 賲蹖賲賵賳賴
鬲賯乇蹖亘丕 賴賲賴 蹖 卮禺氐蹖鬲 賴丕蹖 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 亘賴 賳賵毓蹖 丕爻蹖乇 诏匕卮鬲賴 丕卮賵賳 賴爻鬲賳
賱賵诏賳 讴賴 - 卮賵丿 讴賵賴 丌賴賳 趩賵 丿乇蹖丕蹖 丌亘貙 丕诏乇 亘卮賳賵丿 賳丕賲 亘賱丕丿蹖 賳丕蹖賳 - 賲蹖禺賵丕丿 诏匕卮鬲賴 蹖 倬乇 丕夭 禺賵賳 賵 禺卮賵賳鬲卮 乇賵 倬卮鬲 爻乇 亘匕丕乇賴 賵 丕賵囟丕毓 乇賵 丿乇爻鬲 讴賳賴
賮蹖乇賵 讴賴 亘乇丿賴 亘賵丿賴 賵 賴蹖趩 賮讴乇蹖 噩夭 丕賳鬲賯丕賲 鬲賵蹖 匕賴賳卮 賳丿丕乇賴
賵 爻賳丿 丿賳 诏賱賵讴鬲丕 讴賴 蹖讴蹖 丕夭 亘賴鬲乇蹖賳 卮賲卮蹖乇夭賳 賴丕蹖 夭賲丕賳 禺賵丿卮 亘賵丿賴 賵賱蹖 丿賵 爻丕賱 丕爻蹖乇 丿卮賲賳 卮丿賴 賵 賴賲賴 噩賵乇賴 鬲丨鬲 卮讴賳噩賴 賯乇丕乇 诏乇賮鬲賴 賵 丕賱丕賳 丕夭 賳馗乇 噩爻賲蹖 丿丕卅賲丕賸 丿乇 丨丕賱 丿乇丿 讴卮蹖丿賳賴貙 賴賲蹖卮賴 讴丕亘賵爻 賲蹖亘蹖賳賴 賵 鬲賵蹖 诏賳丿 賵 讴孬丕賮鬲 禺賵丿卮 丕夭 禺賵丕亘 亘蹖丿丕乇 賲蹖卮賴 賵 亘蹖卮鬲乇 賵賯鬲賴丕 賲卮睾賵賱 賳蹖卮 賵 讴賳丕蹖賴 夭丿賳賴貙 丨丕賱丕 蹖丕 鬲賵 匕賴賳卮 蹖丕 賲賵賯毓 氐丨亘鬲 亘丕 亘賯蹖賴. 亘丕 丕蹖賳 丨丕賱 鬲噩乇亘賴 蹖 賳夭丿蹖讴 亘賴 賲乇诏 賵 丿丕卅賲 丿乇 賲毓乇囟 禺胤乇 亘賵丿賳 亘丕毓孬 卮丿賴 賴賵卮 賵 丨賵丕爻卮 禺蹖賱蹖 鬲蹖夭 亘丕卮賴 賵 丕賱丕賳 亘賴 毓賳賵丕賳 亘丕夭倬乇爻 賵 卮讴賳噩賴 诏乇 鬲賵蹖 丕丿丕乇賴 蹖 丕胤賱丕毓丕鬲 賲卮睾賵賱賴 亘賴 讴丕乇賴
亘乇丕蹖 賲賳 賴賲蹖賳 诏賱賵讴鬲丕蹖 鬲賳賴丕 亘乇丕蹖 賱匕鬲 亘乇丿賳 丕夭 丕蹖賳 爻賴 诏丕賳賴 讴丕賮蹖 亘賵丿. 賲毓乇賮蹖 卮禺氐蹖鬲卮 鬲賵蹖 讴鬲丕亘 丕賵賱貙 丿乇诏蹖乇蹖 賴丕蹖 匕賴賳蹖卮貙 丿蹖丕賱賵诏 賴丕卮 賵 卮賵禺蹖賴丕蹖 丿丕乇讴卮 賵 倬丕蹖丕賳卮 賴賲诏蹖 讴丕賲賱丕 亘蹖 賳賯氐 亘賵丿賳. 禺賵丕賳賳丿賴 賴蹖趩賵賯鬲 賳賲蹖賮賴賲賴 亘丕蹖丿 丿賱卮 亘乇丕蹖 诏賱賵讴鬲丕 亘爻賵夭賴 蹖丕 丕夭卮 亘鬲乇爻賴
夭賳丿丕賳蹖: 賲賳 丕毓鬲乇丕賮 賳丕賲賴 乇賵 丕賲囟丕 賲蹖讴賳賲貙 賵賱蹖 丕爻賲 丕賮乇丕丿 亘蹖 诏賳丕賴 乇賵 賳賲蹖賳賵蹖爻賲. 禺丿丕 亘賴 賲賳 乇丨賲 讴賳賴貙 賵賱蹖 丕爻賲蹖 丿乇 讴丕乇 賳蹖爻鬲
诏賱賵讴鬲丕: 卮丕蹖丿 禺丿丕 亘賴鬲 乇丨賲 讴賳賴貙 賵賱蹖 丕賵賳 讴爻蹖 賳蹖爻鬲 讴賴 丕蹖賳噩丕 诏丕夭丕賳亘乇 丿爻鬲卮賴! 賲丨讴賲 亘诏蹖乇卮
禺蹖賱蹖 丿賵爻 丿丕卮鬲賲 鬲蹖乇蹖賵賳 賵 诏賱賵讴鬲丕 亘卮蹖賳賳 噩賱賵蹖 賴賲 賵 賮賯胤 亘賴 賴賲丿蹖诏賴 賲鬲賱讴 亘诏賳 賵 亘亘蹖賳賲 讴丿賵賲卮賵賳 讴賲 賲蹖丕乇賴 :))
丕爻倬賵蹖賱 爻乇賳賵卮鬲 卮禺氐蹖鬲 賴丕
禺賱丕氐賴 丕诏賴 賳睾賲賴 丿賵爻 丿丕卮鬲蹖賳貙 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 賯丕賳賵賳 賴賲 亘禺賵賳蹖丿
卮丕蹖丿 丨鬲蹖 亘蹖卮鬲乇 丕夭 賳睾賲賴 丕夭卮 賱匕鬲 亘亘乇蹖丿
鬲乇噩賲賴 賴賲 毓丕賱蹖賴 賵賱蹖 丕乇卮丕丿 噩賵賳 蹖賴 噩丕賴丕蹖蹖 丕夭 讴鬲丕亘賴丕 乇賵 爻賱丕禺蹖 讴乇丿賴 倬爻 賳爻禺賴 丕賳诏賱蹖爻蹖 賴賲 讴賳丕乇卮 丿丕卮鬲賴 亘丕卮蹖賳
丕蹖賳 賯囟蹖賴 丿乇 賲賵乇丿 丕讴孬乇 讴鬲丕亘賴丕蹖 鬲乇噩賲賴 氐丿賯 賲蹖讴賳賴 賮讴乇 讴賳賲
丕卮丕乇賴 亘賴 乇丕亘胤賴 蹖 噩賳爻蹖 亘丿賴 賵賱蹖 氐賱蹖亘 禺賵賳蹖賳 賵 乇蹖禺鬲賳 丿賱 賵 乇賵丿賴 賵 賯胤毓 倬丕 賵 丿爻鬲 賵 爻乇 賵 丕夭 賵爻胤 賳氐賮 卮丿賳 賵 丕賳賵丕毓 賵 丕賯爻丕賲 卮讴賳噩賴 丕賵讴蹖賴
March 16, 2021
Damn Joe Abercrombie is a sick fuck...i like it
December 25, 2012
"Delightfully twisted, and evil." The excerpt from The Guardian tells everything you need to know about Joe Abercrombie. He writes twisted fantasy where the characters are as wicked and dark as the plot twists and morale is not a relevant consideration for any decision. And he writes it well. In short time he has become one of the leading names of the genre, mainly thanks to the First Law trilogy that concludes in the Last Argument of the Kings.
And after finally completing the trilogy, I can't help but coming to the conclusion that Abercrombie has nothing to offer to me.
I freely admit that he writes very varied characters, who have believable flaws and internal struggles. His dialogue is great and each character has a distinct voice of his or her own. However, by the third book in the trilogy, the obsession of making everyone dark, troubled, twisted, and gritty starts to work against the story. The transition from one character to another no longer offers an interesting contrast, and the plot twists start to become very predictable. This is not shades of grey, this is just the black of a black-and-white world. And as a result, none of the characters really develop anywhere during the story, even though they all had enough inner demons to really do so.
I was also very disappointed to see that my biggest worry after reading the first two books was very much realized: Abercrombie is all about his characters, and in the end he does not have a very interesting story to tell. Or that he does not tell it in a very interesting way. When I finally got to the bit where a handful of pages were dedicated to revealing what was actually going on behind the scenes, I very much wanted to groan.
Telling everything in the end may work in the detective novels, but it does not work in fantasy, especially not after the big conflict has already been resolved. I want to understand what the conflict is all about to actually care about it and the characters caught into it. The great revelation in itself was also somewhat of a let-down. The setup was promising, but it was used more as an excuse, than as a great, unifying theme. Not to mention that all of it didn't even make that much sense. So in the end, Last Argument of Kings was let down by a combination of far-too-predictable twist and a weak background story that was delivered in an uninspiring way.
Joe Abercrombie is clearly a talented writer. Unfortunately, based on the First Law trilogy, it seems that he is not a very interesting storyteller. To me, a truly memorable fantasy author should be both.
And after finally completing the trilogy, I can't help but coming to the conclusion that Abercrombie has nothing to offer to me.
I freely admit that he writes very varied characters, who have believable flaws and internal struggles. His dialogue is great and each character has a distinct voice of his or her own. However, by the third book in the trilogy, the obsession of making everyone dark, troubled, twisted, and gritty starts to work against the story. The transition from one character to another no longer offers an interesting contrast, and the plot twists start to become very predictable. This is not shades of grey, this is just the black of a black-and-white world. And as a result, none of the characters really develop anywhere during the story, even though they all had enough inner demons to really do so.
I was also very disappointed to see that my biggest worry after reading the first two books was very much realized: Abercrombie is all about his characters, and in the end he does not have a very interesting story to tell. Or that he does not tell it in a very interesting way. When I finally got to the bit where a handful of pages were dedicated to revealing what was actually going on behind the scenes, I very much wanted to groan.
Telling everything in the end may work in the detective novels, but it does not work in fantasy, especially not after the big conflict has already been resolved. I want to understand what the conflict is all about to actually care about it and the characters caught into it. The great revelation in itself was also somewhat of a let-down. The setup was promising, but it was used more as an excuse, than as a great, unifying theme. Not to mention that all of it didn't even make that much sense. So in the end, Last Argument of Kings was let down by a combination of far-too-predictable twist and a weak background story that was delivered in an uninspiring way.
Joe Abercrombie is clearly a talented writer. Unfortunately, based on the First Law trilogy, it seems that he is not a very interesting storyteller. To me, a truly memorable fantasy author should be both.
December 20, 2020
鉁嶏笍 馃摉 馃惁 馃摲
Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars
I am 10 years late to the party but I am happy that I finished my first trilogy by Abercrombie and it met most of my expectations! I mentioned in my reviews of the last books that the books read like one huge story rather than three books and it means this book had to tie up everything and close all the story lines which it did in one way or another.
Abercrombie鈥檚 does not need any introduction from me, he is well known as the lord of dark fantasy for a good reason. The prose is very unique and gripping as it was in the last books!
The characters are still what makes this book and Abercrombie this successful! The characters are very memorable, specially Glokta who is literally everyone鈥檚 favorite and to be honest, the story took some directions and thus character development that I did not see! All the characters arcs are closed in this one and except for the very last pages, I liked how weird and dark it was! I was very confused by the epilogue and salty to the fate of on the characters but I did some research and got some answers to their mysterious fate!
Also this was pretty merciless with all the action and war going, it meant saying good bye to many of the characters which may also make it a kind of an emotional read.
The plot is probably the best in this book because we finally get all the reveals and twists and we have the final anticipated war! The world gets more expanded and the magic more interesting and we get a few surprises along the way!
Summary: As good as can be expected from lord grimdark himself! This is a very good conclusion to the trilogy and I am definitely excited to read more Abercrombie next year!
Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars
鈥淩ules are for children. This is war, and in war the only crime is to lose.鈥�
I am 10 years late to the party but I am happy that I finished my first trilogy by Abercrombie and it met most of my expectations! I mentioned in my reviews of the last books that the books read like one huge story rather than three books and it means this book had to tie up everything and close all the story lines which it did in one way or another.
Abercrombie鈥檚 does not need any introduction from me, he is well known as the lord of dark fantasy for a good reason. The prose is very unique and gripping as it was in the last books!
The characters are still what makes this book and Abercrombie this successful! The characters are very memorable, specially Glokta who is literally everyone鈥檚 favorite and to be honest, the story took some directions and thus character development that I did not see! All the characters arcs are closed in this one and except for the very last pages, I liked how weird and dark it was! I was very confused by the epilogue and salty to the fate of on the characters but I did some research and got some answers to their mysterious fate!
鈥淚f you want to be a new man you have to stay in new places, and do new things, with people who never knew you before. If you go back to the same old ways, what else can you be but the same old person?鈥�
Also this was pretty merciless with all the action and war going, it meant saying good bye to many of the characters which may also make it a kind of an emotional read.
The plot is probably the best in this book because we finally get all the reveals and twists and we have the final anticipated war! The world gets more expanded and the magic more interesting and we get a few surprises along the way!
鈥淚 have learned all kinds of things from my many mistakes. The one thing I never learn is to stop making them.鈥�
Summary: As good as can be expected from lord grimdark himself! This is a very good conclusion to the trilogy and I am definitely excited to read more Abercrombie next year!
August 7, 2023
3.5/5. Still love Abercrombie's writing style, characters and humour but the nihilistic nature of this series really got me down during the finale
August 21, 2021
鈥淗e aprendido mucho de mis m煤ltiples errores. Lo 煤nico que no he conseguido ha sido aprender a no volver a cometerlos鈥�
Puntuaci贸n: 鈿斺殧鈿斺殧鈿�. Esperaba darle las 5, no ha defraudado.
El 脷ltimo Argumento de los Reyes, es tercer y 煤ltimo libro que cierra la trilog铆a de "La Primera Ley". Todas las l铆neas de la trama de las anteriores entregas conducen a las revelaciones y a la despiadada y sangrienta conclusi贸n de este magn铆fico cierre. La historia da comienzo desde donde se qued贸 "Antes de que los Cuelguen", cerrando as铆 el c铆rculo. Y joder, vaya c铆rculo.听
Dependiendo de la perspectiva de cada lector, esta 煤ltima entrega es agridulce, deprimente, sombr铆a o algo intermedio.听Abercrombie escribe como lo que es, un maestro de la muerte y la desesperanza. El te tira una cuerda para ayudarte y finalmente te estrangula con ella cuando cre铆as estar a salvo. Es precisamente por este realismo implacable y sucio por lo que termino considerando este como mi libro favorito de la saga. 驴Se llevar谩 cada uno lo que se merece?, 驴Qui茅n es realmente bueno o malo?. La pluma de Joe Abercrombie no solo es afilada y听 sangrienta, sino tambi茅n muy jodida. Tan jodido como uno de los personajes que me ha sorprendido. Vaya final exquisito hasta po茅tico se ha marcado el maestro del grimdark.
鈥淣o culpo a nadie. 驴De qu茅 sirve eso? Cada cual hace lo que le toca. Hace mucho tiempo que deje de buscar razones鈥�
Joe Abercrombie ha creado de manera experta y concienzuda como un cirujano que va paso a paso una historia que exhib铆a una cruda verdad y es que a pesar de los duros y grandes esfuerzos o de las "intenciones" virtuosas, es posible que las cosas no vayan a nuestro favor solo por una raz贸n 隆La puta vida no es justa!听Obvio no dir茅 nada del final solo que lo le谩is, lo disfrut茅is y contempleis dicho final, un final que encaja a la perfecci贸n con la narrativa de la saga y el estilo de Abercrombie.
Esperaba un final sin piedad, inquebrantable, cruel. Es muy probable que esta trilog铆a se convierta en una de vuestras sagas/autor favoritas, sin duda es una de mis favoritas.听Y a煤n no siendo el caso si que puedo decir que como m铆nimo se convertir谩 en una lectura memorable, tanto los personajes y s铆, s铆, hablo de Glokta el puto amo y se帽or de esta saga. Que s铆, el resto de grandes personajes est谩 muy bien pero que Glokta es mucho 隆Glokta!. Abercrombie lo hace bien, lo hace extremadamente bien.
鈥淟a mayor铆a de las heridas nunca llegan a cicatrizar del todo, pero hay algunas que duelen m谩s con cada d铆a que pasa鈥�
Las cosas que Abercrombie hace bien y no pocas de ellas destacables, pues son: Las escenas de acci贸n que en este tercer libro fueron de primera clase y categor铆a. Abercrombie ha usado su afilada pluma para crear escenas de guerra y batalla brutales en este final.听Hemos visto destellos de la magia en los dos libros anteriores, pero aqu铆 mostr贸 el potencial devastador de la magia y el porqu茅 de esas leyes que no se deben romper jam谩s. Escenas de acci贸n sangrientas, violentas y despiadadas. Esta es sin duda la entrega m谩s explosiva y llena de acci贸n de la trilog铆a.
听鈥淓n eso consiste sobrevivir. Se recuerda a los muertos, se dicen unas palabras en su memoria y luego se sigue adelante confiando en que las cosas vayan a mejor鈥�
Las escenas de guerra fueron la ostia, me gust贸 la escena del duelo.听 Si has le铆do este libro, sabr谩s de qu茅 estoy hablando. Lo increible y terror铆fico de Abercrombie es que consigue hacerte sentir como si realmente estuvieras all铆. As铆 puedes escuchar el sonido de las espadas danzando en el aire, el sonido del acero chocando contra el acero, el sonido de los pasos en el barro, la respiraci贸n jadeante, el sonido y el olor de la sangre derramada por los golpes a muerte. Como Miguel 脕ngel el se帽or Joe Abercrombie pinta unas escenas devastadoras que son incre铆blemente f谩ciles de visualizar dentro de esta cadena de eslabones sangrientos donde reina el caos y el es el juez, verdugo y dios. Si alg煤n d铆a este se帽or crea una religi贸n, voy a practicarla.
鈥淎lgunos tipos de poder no son m谩s que enga帽os de nuestra mente鈥�
Para mi es un escritor y un narrador de categoria sus caracterizaciones son magistrales, su prosa es hasta po茅tica al menos para la se帽ora que reina en todos los campos de batalla. Lo mejor que consigue es ser convincente mostrando esa realidad gris y sucia gracias a su capacidad para crear momentos v铆vidos que son tan brutales, intensos, filos贸ficos y divertidos como lo son los memorables personajes y di谩logos que se desarrollan. No me extra帽a nada la fama con la que cuenta Abercrombie y sobra decir que formo parte de su humilde reba帽o. Garant铆a de calidad, deber铆a venir esa etiqueta en sus libros. Se帽or del Grimdark, t铆tulo ganado a pulso, realismo y sangre.
鈥淪on todo mentiras. Era mejor tener dentro un vac铆o que llenarlo con esto鈥�
Uno de los mejores libros finales de una trilog铆a que he tenido el placer de leer. Hubo de todo, tenemos desde momentos de humor a escenas tan tensas y 茅picas que te mantienen sentado y pegado al libro que hasta te olvidas de respirar, tenemos tambi茅n grandes revelaciones que me dejaron flipando.
鈥溌縎e os ha atrofiado ya el poco seso que os haya concedido el destino?鈥�
Una de las cosas que me gusta de su narrativa es la distinta y clara voz de cada personaje. Tu sabes de qui茅n es el punto de vista justo despu茅s de leer una sola frase. Tenemos personajes que son memorables y citables como prueba de ello tengo el libro lleno de Post-it , con brutales discursos y pensamientos mostrando una escritura de alta calidad.听
鈥淟as reglas son para ni帽os.听 Esto es guerra, y en la guerra el 煤nico crimen es perder鈥�
La profundidad que poseen todos los personajes, incluso los secundarios viendo c贸mo las personas pueden crecer de manera dram谩tica frente a la adversidad, fue una demostraci贸n de lo r谩pido que esos desarrollos pueden dejarse en el camino y la facilidad con que los personajes pueden volver a caer en viejos h谩bitos, traiciones, revelaciones de ver sus verdaderas caras. Para nada esperaba en esta historia un final feliz, sino realista y como termin贸 siendo con Abercrombie sorprendi茅ndome. Logr贸 crear y lanzarme a la cara el personaje m谩s cabr贸n que jam谩s haya le铆do.听El alcance de dicho mal fue impactante, ya que de ninguna manera fue evidente para mi. Una absoluta insensibilidad que me dejo anonadado, rasgo que quiz谩s deber铆a haber anticipado mirando hacia atr谩s. Todas y cada una de las cosas y momentos que Abercrombie logr贸 en esta trilog铆a se ha ganado mi respeto. Brutal, pero cautivador y lleno de suspense. Lo que consigui贸 llev谩ndo a cabo este final es un equilibrio dif铆cil de lograr una cantidad impresionante de sorpresas, 驴Buenas o malas?, 驴Qui茅n vivir谩 y quien se ir谩 de vuelta al barro?
鈥淟os sue帽os son cosa de ni帽os. Nosotros somos adultos. No me merezco esto -exhal贸-. Nadie tiene lo que se merece鈥�
A estas alturas, estoy seguro de que casi todos los lectores han o铆do hablar de este autor y con raz贸n catadle sino lo hab茅is le铆do a煤n no os lo perd谩is solo con el personaje y la mayor y m谩s notable creaci贸n de este autor que es, Glokta, esta saga ya merece much铆simo la pena. Ten茅is personajes, momentazos, revelaciones, cambios y finales complejos, currados al detalle. Todas esto consigue despertar muchas cosas buenas y malas en vosotros. Pero sobretodo memorables. Mi camino con este autor por suerte solo acaba de comenzar, teniendo por delante sus libros independientes y su nueva saga. Como lector para mi coger un libro de este se帽or es significado de una delicia y un disfrute de lectura.
鈥淎 fin de cuentas, siempre hab铆a sido as铆. Pero, a pesar de todo, ah铆 segu铆a 茅l, meando contra el viento鈥�
Puntuaci贸n: 鈿斺殧鈿斺殧鈿�. Esperaba darle las 5, no ha defraudado.
El 脷ltimo Argumento de los Reyes, es tercer y 煤ltimo libro que cierra la trilog铆a de "La Primera Ley". Todas las l铆neas de la trama de las anteriores entregas conducen a las revelaciones y a la despiadada y sangrienta conclusi贸n de este magn铆fico cierre. La historia da comienzo desde donde se qued贸 "Antes de que los Cuelguen", cerrando as铆 el c铆rculo. Y joder, vaya c铆rculo.听
Dependiendo de la perspectiva de cada lector, esta 煤ltima entrega es agridulce, deprimente, sombr铆a o algo intermedio.听Abercrombie escribe como lo que es, un maestro de la muerte y la desesperanza. El te tira una cuerda para ayudarte y finalmente te estrangula con ella cuando cre铆as estar a salvo. Es precisamente por este realismo implacable y sucio por lo que termino considerando este como mi libro favorito de la saga. 驴Se llevar谩 cada uno lo que se merece?, 驴Qui茅n es realmente bueno o malo?. La pluma de Joe Abercrombie no solo es afilada y听 sangrienta, sino tambi茅n muy jodida. Tan jodido como uno de los personajes que me ha sorprendido. Vaya final exquisito hasta po茅tico se ha marcado el maestro del grimdark.
鈥淣o culpo a nadie. 驴De qu茅 sirve eso? Cada cual hace lo que le toca. Hace mucho tiempo que deje de buscar razones鈥�
Joe Abercrombie ha creado de manera experta y concienzuda como un cirujano que va paso a paso una historia que exhib铆a una cruda verdad y es que a pesar de los duros y grandes esfuerzos o de las "intenciones" virtuosas, es posible que las cosas no vayan a nuestro favor solo por una raz贸n 隆La puta vida no es justa!听Obvio no dir茅 nada del final solo que lo le谩is, lo disfrut茅is y contempleis dicho final, un final que encaja a la perfecci贸n con la narrativa de la saga y el estilo de Abercrombie.
Esperaba un final sin piedad, inquebrantable, cruel. Es muy probable que esta trilog铆a se convierta en una de vuestras sagas/autor favoritas, sin duda es una de mis favoritas.听Y a煤n no siendo el caso si que puedo decir que como m铆nimo se convertir谩 en una lectura memorable, tanto los personajes y s铆, s铆, hablo de Glokta el puto amo y se帽or de esta saga. Que s铆, el resto de grandes personajes est谩 muy bien pero que Glokta es mucho 隆Glokta!. Abercrombie lo hace bien, lo hace extremadamente bien.
鈥淟a mayor铆a de las heridas nunca llegan a cicatrizar del todo, pero hay algunas que duelen m谩s con cada d铆a que pasa鈥�
Las cosas que Abercrombie hace bien y no pocas de ellas destacables, pues son: Las escenas de acci贸n que en este tercer libro fueron de primera clase y categor铆a. Abercrombie ha usado su afilada pluma para crear escenas de guerra y batalla brutales en este final.听Hemos visto destellos de la magia en los dos libros anteriores, pero aqu铆 mostr贸 el potencial devastador de la magia y el porqu茅 de esas leyes que no se deben romper jam谩s. Escenas de acci贸n sangrientas, violentas y despiadadas. Esta es sin duda la entrega m谩s explosiva y llena de acci贸n de la trilog铆a.
听鈥淓n eso consiste sobrevivir. Se recuerda a los muertos, se dicen unas palabras en su memoria y luego se sigue adelante confiando en que las cosas vayan a mejor鈥�
Las escenas de guerra fueron la ostia, me gust贸 la escena del duelo.听 Si has le铆do este libro, sabr谩s de qu茅 estoy hablando. Lo increible y terror铆fico de Abercrombie es que consigue hacerte sentir como si realmente estuvieras all铆. As铆 puedes escuchar el sonido de las espadas danzando en el aire, el sonido del acero chocando contra el acero, el sonido de los pasos en el barro, la respiraci贸n jadeante, el sonido y el olor de la sangre derramada por los golpes a muerte. Como Miguel 脕ngel el se帽or Joe Abercrombie pinta unas escenas devastadoras que son incre铆blemente f谩ciles de visualizar dentro de esta cadena de eslabones sangrientos donde reina el caos y el es el juez, verdugo y dios. Si alg煤n d铆a este se帽or crea una religi贸n, voy a practicarla.
鈥淎lgunos tipos de poder no son m谩s que enga帽os de nuestra mente鈥�
Para mi es un escritor y un narrador de categoria sus caracterizaciones son magistrales, su prosa es hasta po茅tica al menos para la se帽ora que reina en todos los campos de batalla. Lo mejor que consigue es ser convincente mostrando esa realidad gris y sucia gracias a su capacidad para crear momentos v铆vidos que son tan brutales, intensos, filos贸ficos y divertidos como lo son los memorables personajes y di谩logos que se desarrollan. No me extra帽a nada la fama con la que cuenta Abercrombie y sobra decir que formo parte de su humilde reba帽o. Garant铆a de calidad, deber铆a venir esa etiqueta en sus libros. Se帽or del Grimdark, t铆tulo ganado a pulso, realismo y sangre.
鈥淪on todo mentiras. Era mejor tener dentro un vac铆o que llenarlo con esto鈥�
Uno de los mejores libros finales de una trilog铆a que he tenido el placer de leer. Hubo de todo, tenemos desde momentos de humor a escenas tan tensas y 茅picas que te mantienen sentado y pegado al libro que hasta te olvidas de respirar, tenemos tambi茅n grandes revelaciones que me dejaron flipando.
鈥溌縎e os ha atrofiado ya el poco seso que os haya concedido el destino?鈥�
Una de las cosas que me gusta de su narrativa es la distinta y clara voz de cada personaje. Tu sabes de qui茅n es el punto de vista justo despu茅s de leer una sola frase. Tenemos personajes que son memorables y citables como prueba de ello tengo el libro lleno de Post-it , con brutales discursos y pensamientos mostrando una escritura de alta calidad.听
鈥淟as reglas son para ni帽os.听 Esto es guerra, y en la guerra el 煤nico crimen es perder鈥�
La profundidad que poseen todos los personajes, incluso los secundarios viendo c贸mo las personas pueden crecer de manera dram谩tica frente a la adversidad, fue una demostraci贸n de lo r谩pido que esos desarrollos pueden dejarse en el camino y la facilidad con que los personajes pueden volver a caer en viejos h谩bitos, traiciones, revelaciones de ver sus verdaderas caras. Para nada esperaba en esta historia un final feliz, sino realista y como termin贸 siendo con Abercrombie sorprendi茅ndome. Logr贸 crear y lanzarme a la cara el personaje m谩s cabr贸n que jam谩s haya le铆do.听El alcance de dicho mal fue impactante, ya que de ninguna manera fue evidente para mi. Una absoluta insensibilidad que me dejo anonadado, rasgo que quiz谩s deber铆a haber anticipado mirando hacia atr谩s. Todas y cada una de las cosas y momentos que Abercrombie logr贸 en esta trilog铆a se ha ganado mi respeto. Brutal, pero cautivador y lleno de suspense. Lo que consigui贸 llev谩ndo a cabo este final es un equilibrio dif铆cil de lograr una cantidad impresionante de sorpresas, 驴Buenas o malas?, 驴Qui茅n vivir谩 y quien se ir谩 de vuelta al barro?
鈥淟os sue帽os son cosa de ni帽os. Nosotros somos adultos. No me merezco esto -exhal贸-. Nadie tiene lo que se merece鈥�
A estas alturas, estoy seguro de que casi todos los lectores han o铆do hablar de este autor y con raz贸n catadle sino lo hab茅is le铆do a煤n no os lo perd谩is solo con el personaje y la mayor y m谩s notable creaci贸n de este autor que es, Glokta, esta saga ya merece much铆simo la pena. Ten茅is personajes, momentazos, revelaciones, cambios y finales complejos, currados al detalle. Todas esto consigue despertar muchas cosas buenas y malas en vosotros. Pero sobretodo memorables. Mi camino con este autor por suerte solo acaba de comenzar, teniendo por delante sus libros independientes y su nueva saga. Como lector para mi coger un libro de este se帽or es significado de una delicia y un disfrute de lectura.
鈥淎 fin de cuentas, siempre hab铆a sido as铆. Pero, a pesar de todo, ah铆 segu铆a 茅l, meando contra el viento鈥�
April 4, 2013
As the Gurkish march on Adua, Bayaz schemes to defeat them, Jezel discovers his secret parentage, and Glokta tries to learn things no one wants him to know. Meanwhile, the Northmen are holed up in a fortress in the hills with Bethod's army at their gate, waiting for the Union army to arrive. Will they arrive in time? Is even Bayaz enough to defeat the Gurkish?
Apart from my Dark Tower reread of 2011, It's been a long time since I read the final book in a fantasy series. I guess re-reading the Elric books was the last time and probably Amber before that. The Last Argument of Kings, final book in the First Law trilogy, is way up in the series ender hierarchy.
The manure hits the windmill in a serious fashion in this volume. Several pretty important characters die. The rest of them have their lives change in real ways. Who would have Jezel dan Luthar and Logen Ninefingers would wind up kings? Or what would happen after they did?
Glokta and Bayaz were by far the most captivating characters in this volume. Glokta shocked me time and time again and I'm still not sure if Bayaz slew his mentor or not, only that he has his fingers in most of the pies in the bakery. All the revelations toward the end blew my mind.
There are so many things I want to gush about in this volume, like Bayaz using the Seed against the Eaters, Glokta marrying Ardee West, and the fight between The Bloody Nine and the Feared. I knew the confrontation was coming as soon as the Feared was introduced and I was pretty sure of his weakness. I just didn't picture the battle to be so brutal.
The character development over the course of the three books was pretty damn amazing considering where Jezel, Logen, and the rest started. The ending was the icing on the cake.
Like I said in my reviews of the other books, people compare these books to George R.R. Martin but they aren't that similar other than the brutal deaths. The First Law is way more like Pratchett. This particular volume reminds me of Watchmen quite bit when the heroes find out just how thoroughly they've been jerked around.
Five blood drenched stars. That's all I have to say.
Apart from my Dark Tower reread of 2011, It's been a long time since I read the final book in a fantasy series. I guess re-reading the Elric books was the last time and probably Amber before that. The Last Argument of Kings, final book in the First Law trilogy, is way up in the series ender hierarchy.
The manure hits the windmill in a serious fashion in this volume. Several pretty important characters die. The rest of them have their lives change in real ways. Who would have Jezel dan Luthar and Logen Ninefingers would wind up kings? Or what would happen after they did?
Glokta and Bayaz were by far the most captivating characters in this volume. Glokta shocked me time and time again and I'm still not sure if Bayaz slew his mentor or not, only that he has his fingers in most of the pies in the bakery. All the revelations toward the end blew my mind.
There are so many things I want to gush about in this volume, like Bayaz using the Seed against the Eaters, Glokta marrying Ardee West, and the fight between The Bloody Nine and the Feared. I knew the confrontation was coming as soon as the Feared was introduced and I was pretty sure of his weakness. I just didn't picture the battle to be so brutal.
The character development over the course of the three books was pretty damn amazing considering where Jezel, Logen, and the rest started. The ending was the icing on the cake.
Like I said in my reviews of the other books, people compare these books to George R.R. Martin but they aren't that similar other than the brutal deaths. The First Law is way more like Pratchett. This particular volume reminds me of Watchmen quite bit when the heroes find out just how thoroughly they've been jerked around.
Five blood drenched stars. That's all I have to say.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 18, 2015
The last book in Abercrombie鈥檚 dark fantasy trilogy. Done. Dusted.
It鈥檚 going to be a while before I鈥檝e properly assimilated everything that happened over the course of the series. It鈥檚 quite something, and it鈥檚 well worth your time if you enjoy genre fiction.
Last Argument of Kings 鈥� thoughts
Strange and painful events seemed to follow in his wake like stray dogs barking behind the butcher鈥檚 wagon.
Like I mentioned in one of my earlier reviews, it isn鈥檛 clear whether this wants to be (dark) heroic or (dark) high fantasy. It does contain elements of both; It鈥檚 very, very violent and bloody at times, but it also has moments of hush and awe. As expected, the action sequences are spectacularly impressive, especially any featuring Logen Ninefingers, or more particularly, The Bloody Nine.
[He] stood still and caught his breath, the sword hanging down by his side, the grip cold and wet in his clenched fist. He鈥檇 never been much of a one for moving until it was time.
鈥淏est tell me your name, while you still got breath in you. I like to know who I鈥檝e killed.鈥�
I鈥檇 be hard pressed to select just one word to describe Abercrombie鈥檚 writing, but something that did spring to mind was 鈥�immediate鈥�. There is an intimacy and urgency to the prose that pulls the reader in, kicking and screaming, for better or worse, until everything is played out. At almost 700 pages in pretty small print this is no light read, and yet it鈥檚 over before you know it.
The characterisation in this story and in this entry in particular, is extraordinary beyond my ability to describe. The POV characters are fairly ambiguous for the most part and you鈥檙e never quite sure just who is going to carry the day as the biggest bastard, or beloved, of the series. I think, though, that I鈥檓 not alone in being partial to master Ninefingers, who is easily one of the most bad-ass and provocative anti-heroes to grace (if you could call it that) the pages of a book.
It meant nothing to [the Bloody Nine] who men were, or what they had done. He was the Great Leveller, and all men were equal before him. His only care was to turn the living into the dead, and it was past time for the good work to begin.
A word of honour has to go to Inquisitor Glokta, whose inner musings are a delight and whose story is rife with intrigue and delivers the most surprises.
It always amazes me, how swiftly problems can be solved, once you start cutting things off people.
As with the previous books, there is a lot going on, mostly concerned with warfare. Siege, battle, bloodbath, siege: wash, rinse, repeat. Despite that, it remains a fascinating story that manages not to be overshadowed by the mayhem. The (extended) ending is likely the portion that readers will quibble over the most, but it鈥檚 a fantastic achievement all in all. Great stuff all round.
Addendum:
In a recent review of a different book I made a comment regarding the use of (crude) expletives during certain, um, scenes of intimacy. The same thing happens here, but it didn鈥檛 seem so out of place at all. This either makes me the biggest hypocrite in the universe, or this is just that good a book.
You have to be realistic about these things.
June 27, 2021
Full video review here:
What a freaking conclusion to this incredible trilogy. This is definitely my favorite of the 3 and there were just SO MANY AWESOME MOMENTS in this book. Video coming soon but damn, I need some more First Law.
What a freaking conclusion to this incredible trilogy. This is definitely my favorite of the 3 and there were just SO MANY AWESOME MOMENTS in this book. Video coming soon but damn, I need some more First Law.
October 5, 2014
鈥淢ercy and weakness are the same thing in war, and there's no prize for nice behavior.鈥�
When your two favorite characters in a book are a master torturer and a warrior who occasionally is filled with so much bloodlust that he forgets who he is and is as likely to kill a friend as much as a foe you really shouldn鈥檛 be surprised to have mixed feelings at the end of the series.
But I was surprised. Maybe I鈥檓 too used to the series I鈥檓 reading ending by tying everything up neatly in a bow and giving out an appropriate number of Happily Ever Afters. I can鈥檛 really say that happened. There are some people who got what they deserved, others who got far more than they deserved and even more who did not get what they deserved at all. At the end I wasn鈥檛 sure how to feel. This is one of those stories that is going to stick with me and I鈥檒l wonder what the characters went on to do long after the story ended.
I鈥檓 going to give Joe Abercrombie some props. He made me love characters that I shouldn鈥檛 have liked at all. I mean who loves the torturer in a story, but Glotka is one of my all-time favorite Anti-Heroes. I also adore Logan who sometimes goes on killing sprees and might kill his most trusted ally, still Logen Nine-fingers really made this story for me.
Say one thing for Joe Abercrombie, say he is never boring. I flew through the last half of this book needing to know what was going to happen. I was surprised by revelations that just kept coming. There was one character that I absolutely loved in prior books that I couldn鈥檛 believe how much I despised them by the end of this one.
鈥淏ut you love to play the good man, don't you? Do you know what's worse than a villain? A villain who thinks he's a hero. A man like that, there's nothing he won't do, and he'll always find himself an
别虫肠耻蝉别.鈥�
I really do not want to give away anything about this story. I just ask that you go in with an open mind and be ready for a very wild and unconventional and always entertaining ride. The ending to this trilogy is much like Abercrombie鈥檚 characters; complex, interesting, controversial and perfectly unapologetically flawed. Maybe that doesn鈥檛 sound like a good thing but looking back on it now a week after I finished I really liked some of the chances he took with his story.
I really hope he revisits a few of these characters since he left it a little open for some of them in the future. I grew really attached to so many of the characters in the story and I really want to see them again.
When your two favorite characters in a book are a master torturer and a warrior who occasionally is filled with so much bloodlust that he forgets who he is and is as likely to kill a friend as much as a foe you really shouldn鈥檛 be surprised to have mixed feelings at the end of the series.
But I was surprised. Maybe I鈥檓 too used to the series I鈥檓 reading ending by tying everything up neatly in a bow and giving out an appropriate number of Happily Ever Afters. I can鈥檛 really say that happened. There are some people who got what they deserved, others who got far more than they deserved and even more who did not get what they deserved at all. At the end I wasn鈥檛 sure how to feel. This is one of those stories that is going to stick with me and I鈥檒l wonder what the characters went on to do long after the story ended.
I鈥檓 going to give Joe Abercrombie some props. He made me love characters that I shouldn鈥檛 have liked at all. I mean who loves the torturer in a story, but Glotka is one of my all-time favorite Anti-Heroes. I also adore Logan who sometimes goes on killing sprees and might kill his most trusted ally, still Logen Nine-fingers really made this story for me.
Say one thing for Joe Abercrombie, say he is never boring. I flew through the last half of this book needing to know what was going to happen. I was surprised by revelations that just kept coming. There was one character that I absolutely loved in prior books that I couldn鈥檛 believe how much I despised them by the end of this one.
鈥淏ut you love to play the good man, don't you? Do you know what's worse than a villain? A villain who thinks he's a hero. A man like that, there's nothing he won't do, and he'll always find himself an
别虫肠耻蝉别.鈥�
I really do not want to give away anything about this story. I just ask that you go in with an open mind and be ready for a very wild and unconventional and always entertaining ride. The ending to this trilogy is much like Abercrombie鈥檚 characters; complex, interesting, controversial and perfectly unapologetically flawed. Maybe that doesn鈥檛 sound like a good thing but looking back on it now a week after I finished I really liked some of the chances he took with his story.
I really hope he revisits a few of these characters since he left it a little open for some of them in the future. I grew really attached to so many of the characters in the story and I really want to see them again.
February 26, 2019
Action
The Last Argument of Kings is a great ending to a superb fantasy trilogy. Don鈥檛 think this fantasy as light and ethereal 鈥� no, think dark, brutal and bloody. There are battles and battles and battles to be fought, and the most crucial is between Logen Ninefingers and his old friend come-enemy Bethod in the North.
This is just a wonderful trilogy that provides everything you need for a breathtaking page-turner. Great characters, a world of intrigue, battling nations, supernatural influences, enthralling landscape, entertaining dialogue, humour and the band of warriors including Logan Ninefingers, Ferro and Jezel, led by Bayaz, the First of the Magi. The characters are highly capable in battle but also vulnerable, they make good decisions and bad, and they inflict damage and suffer pain. The writing style is a perfect pace and balance for the adventurous plot and the descriptive content with the characters and landscape.
There are a lot of parallels to Game of Thrones but it does have its own place. I would highly recommend the trilogy and the entertainment through each book is tremendous.
The Last Argument of Kings is a great ending to a superb fantasy trilogy. Don鈥檛 think this fantasy as light and ethereal 鈥� no, think dark, brutal and bloody. There are battles and battles and battles to be fought, and the most crucial is between Logen Ninefingers and his old friend come-enemy Bethod in the North.
This is just a wonderful trilogy that provides everything you need for a breathtaking page-turner. Great characters, a world of intrigue, battling nations, supernatural influences, enthralling landscape, entertaining dialogue, humour and the band of warriors including Logan Ninefingers, Ferro and Jezel, led by Bayaz, the First of the Magi. The characters are highly capable in battle but also vulnerable, they make good decisions and bad, and they inflict damage and suffer pain. The writing style is a perfect pace and balance for the adventurous plot and the descriptive content with the characters and landscape.
There are a lot of parallels to Game of Thrones but it does have its own place. I would highly recommend the trilogy and the entertainment through each book is tremendous.
January 29, 2025
This one was quite a mixed bag for me. Not that I didn't enjoy it, though. I loved it. I enjoyed the whole series immensely, top to bottom. Abercrombie's writing is amazing, the intricacies of the plot finally came to fruition, his characters have so much depth, and I root for them despite their flaws.
It was just so damn bleak.
I don't know that I always expect happy endings, but maybe I do. Or maybe I just want to leave off feeling satisfied. But I wasn't here. I was sad at the end, wishing things could've ended better for some people, maybe a little worse for others. I felt conflicted about the endings, which isn't a normal feeling for me upon finishing a series.
Character by character word vomit incoming:
Quai was such a lost character. I knew immediately that something was wrong with him in Book 2. It was such a sudden change. I thought he was an eater, but wasn't sure on the details. But I did think it odd that no one questioned it, even a little.
I never quite loved Ardie, but I felt that her story wrapped up nicely. Her relationship with Jezal made me think less of her, I think, because I spent so much time hating him.
Harding Grim's death hit me so fucking hard, and I wished we'd seen more of him. Honestly, the northmen were such a pure group, and I loved following them.
West's ending was just sad. I know there was some charmic retribution in his ending, but I also felt like it was out of balance. More just fucked up and unfortunate than deserved. Though, maybe the odds of all the characters we followed escaping unscathed was out of the question. Somebody had to get that disease.
Ferro's ending made sense, and I really hope to see more of her in the future. So grumpy, so badass, and so damn stubborn. I really want to see her get her vengeance.
Jezal's ending was fine, I guess. He actually had a full character arc and grew up a bit throughout the three books. Probably the only character i liked MORE by the end of the series. That said, the situation with him and Terez just made me sad. For her, mostly, but also for him. Just sad, sad, sad.
The twist of Bayaz being Valint and Balk took me by surprise. I did not see that coming. And I thought the execution of his control over Adua and the Union was incredible. But I did find it unsatisfying that the story ended where it did. We lost Yulwei, but still never saw Khalul? What a disappointment.
Glokta's story came full circle. I was satisfied with his ending, and honestly felt that it was well deserved. He is so cruel and sadistic, but also struggling with and denying his humanity. I hated that Severard and Frost both met untimely ends, and though i totally called the Frost betrayal, it was definitely heartbreaking. That said, I think the ending was fitting. I appreciated his story most, out of everyone.
Logen's story, along with Dogman and the rest, was the hardest for me. Dogman gets a small reprieve, but his journey was so fraught with unecessary pain and loss. And Logen...well, Logen was my favorite character from the series, but this book really twisted the knife and made it hard to love him. When the Bloody Nine killed Turu and the kid, it was a shock. I was heartbroken. But i think it was wise to show us just how dangerous he is. Though, I do wish we could've understood his DID more (it has to be from his father, right? Abuse, maybe? What caused his mind to create The Bloody Nine? And when did it start?! Gosh, I want to know more). Truth be told, I actually really appreciated the ending, totally full circle, and Black Dow's betrayal made a lot of sense. That last fight scene was classic Abercrombie, fun, hilarious, and violent. It was everything leading up to it that had me pulling my hair out. Say one thing about Logen Ninefingers, say that he just can't seem to figure it out.
I also think Abercrombie took this book to make sure we saw the evil or unfortunate or twisted side of every character. I went into this book loving everyone, and left hating some and liking others a little less. Or maybe just understanding them better. After all, they'd always been that way. It just took getting to the end of the story to see them clearly.
It was just so damn bleak.
I don't know that I always expect happy endings, but maybe I do. Or maybe I just want to leave off feeling satisfied. But I wasn't here. I was sad at the end, wishing things could've ended better for some people, maybe a little worse for others. I felt conflicted about the endings, which isn't a normal feeling for me upon finishing a series.
Character by character word vomit incoming:
Quai was such a lost character. I knew immediately that something was wrong with him in Book 2. It was such a sudden change. I thought he was an eater, but wasn't sure on the details. But I did think it odd that no one questioned it, even a little.
I never quite loved Ardie, but I felt that her story wrapped up nicely. Her relationship with Jezal made me think less of her, I think, because I spent so much time hating him.
Harding Grim's death hit me so fucking hard, and I wished we'd seen more of him. Honestly, the northmen were such a pure group, and I loved following them.
West's ending was just sad. I know there was some charmic retribution in his ending, but I also felt like it was out of balance. More just fucked up and unfortunate than deserved. Though, maybe the odds of all the characters we followed escaping unscathed was out of the question. Somebody had to get that disease.
Ferro's ending made sense, and I really hope to see more of her in the future. So grumpy, so badass, and so damn stubborn. I really want to see her get her vengeance.
Jezal's ending was fine, I guess. He actually had a full character arc and grew up a bit throughout the three books. Probably the only character i liked MORE by the end of the series. That said, the situation with him and Terez just made me sad. For her, mostly, but also for him. Just sad, sad, sad.
The twist of Bayaz being Valint and Balk took me by surprise. I did not see that coming. And I thought the execution of his control over Adua and the Union was incredible. But I did find it unsatisfying that the story ended where it did. We lost Yulwei, but still never saw Khalul? What a disappointment.
Glokta's story came full circle. I was satisfied with his ending, and honestly felt that it was well deserved. He is so cruel and sadistic, but also struggling with and denying his humanity. I hated that Severard and Frost both met untimely ends, and though i totally called the Frost betrayal, it was definitely heartbreaking. That said, I think the ending was fitting. I appreciated his story most, out of everyone.
Logen's story, along with Dogman and the rest, was the hardest for me. Dogman gets a small reprieve, but his journey was so fraught with unecessary pain and loss. And Logen...well, Logen was my favorite character from the series, but this book really twisted the knife and made it hard to love him. When the Bloody Nine killed Turu and the kid, it was a shock. I was heartbroken. But i think it was wise to show us just how dangerous he is. Though, I do wish we could've understood his DID more (it has to be from his father, right? Abuse, maybe? What caused his mind to create The Bloody Nine? And when did it start?! Gosh, I want to know more). Truth be told, I actually really appreciated the ending, totally full circle, and Black Dow's betrayal made a lot of sense. That last fight scene was classic Abercrombie, fun, hilarious, and violent. It was everything leading up to it that had me pulling my hair out. Say one thing about Logen Ninefingers, say that he just can't seem to figure it out.
I also think Abercrombie took this book to make sure we saw the evil or unfortunate or twisted side of every character. I went into this book loving everyone, and left hating some and liking others a little less. Or maybe just understanding them better. After all, they'd always been that way. It just took getting to the end of the story to see them clearly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 3, 2019
You can find review and more at .
I鈥檝e read some dark stuff in my life, but I believe that Last Argument of Kings is the bleakest, most brutal book I鈥檝e read, ever. Joe Abercrombie undoubtedly earned his title as the King of Grimdark. If it wasn鈥檛 for the humor Abercrombie had been deftly layering into the story since The Blade Itself, I don鈥檛 know that I could鈥檝e finished this final installment. I joked with my fellow Novel Notions bloggers that I felt like I needed to bathe in kittens and rainbows when I read the last pages, and that honestly wasn鈥檛 far from the truth. I started half a dozen or more books in the aftermath of this book, only to put them down again because they weren鈥檛 bright enough. I finally settled on rereading a Nora Roberts trilogy that I鈥檝e read over and over since my teenage years. Nora鈥檚 charming descriptions of Ireland could not be further removed from the Union and the North and Gurkhul as Abercrombie detailed them.
If Before They Are Hanged was a study in character development, in how people can grow dramatically in the face of adversity, Last Argument of Kings was a demonstration of how quickly those developments can be thrown by the wayside and how easily characters can slip back into old habits. People who had genuinely changed found that those changes weren鈥檛 strongly rooted enough to sustain. It felt like the plot was propelled almost entirely by one betrayal after another. I didn鈥檛 expect a happy ending, I really didn鈥檛. I mean, you have to be realistic about these things, after all. But I didn鈥檛 expect to hate nearly everything about the ending, either. A scant few characters found themselves in a decent place as the book drew to a close, and even those endings were heavily tempered with disappointment.
Abercrombie also succeeded in crafting perhaps the single evilest character I鈥檝e ever experienced. The full extent of said evil was shocking to me, as it was in no way apparent when the character was first introduced. Their callousness in regards to the value of human life was appalling, though it鈥檚 a trait that I should鈥檝e anticipated as I look back. Even though I was shocked by this revelation, I had to respect how elaborate and well executed their plan was. There was one character who managed to surprise me with their decency, but I鈥檒l refrain from naming them.
There were a couple of chapters that, though blood soaked, exhibited some amazing technique from the author. A duel scene, which is possibly the best such scene I鈥檝e ever read, managed to be horrifying in content and almost breathtakingly beautiful at the same time. The language used was incredibly impressive and demonstrated that Abercrombie is not only a gifted storyteller, but a phenomenal craftsman. I was also highly impressed with a chapter entitled 鈥淪acrifices.鈥� Almost every perspective character was present in this single chapter, and Abercrombie made an artistic decision that I found delightful. Whatever line ended one perspective was also the opening line of the next perspective. It was a fun and thoughtful addition that I appreciated immensely.
While this book was painful to read, I have incredible respect for what Abercrombie managed to do in the First Law trilogy. It might鈥檝e been brutal, but it was engaging and suspenseful and, even when I was disappointed in the characters鈥� decisions, I still cared about them. That鈥檚 a difficult balance to strike, and Abercrombie did it was great finesse. There were also an impressive amount of surprises, though few of them were happy. I鈥檝e heard that his standalone novels set in the same world aren鈥檛 quite as bleak. I very much look forward to reading these, though I鈥檒l be giving myself a breather before approaching them.
Oddly enough, I believe that the First Law trilogy is now among my favorite fantasy series I鈥檝e read. But, unlike others in this category, I鈥檓 not sure it鈥檚 a trilogy I鈥檒l be rereading, as most of the other series among my favorites have been or will be. I loved the characters and would definitely like to revisit them, but I don鈥檛 know if this last book in particular is one I could stomach a second time. While Last Argument of Kings was written and executed brilliantly, the difficulty I had in reading it kept me from giving it the full 5 stars I know it deserves. If you consider yourself a fan of the grimdark subgenre but have somehow never read this trilogy, that鈥檚 an oversight that undoubtedly needs to be remedied. But if you struggle with darker fiction, you might want to steer clear of the First Law. You鈥檝e been warned.
I鈥檝e read some dark stuff in my life, but I believe that Last Argument of Kings is the bleakest, most brutal book I鈥檝e read, ever. Joe Abercrombie undoubtedly earned his title as the King of Grimdark. If it wasn鈥檛 for the humor Abercrombie had been deftly layering into the story since The Blade Itself, I don鈥檛 know that I could鈥檝e finished this final installment. I joked with my fellow Novel Notions bloggers that I felt like I needed to bathe in kittens and rainbows when I read the last pages, and that honestly wasn鈥檛 far from the truth. I started half a dozen or more books in the aftermath of this book, only to put them down again because they weren鈥檛 bright enough. I finally settled on rereading a Nora Roberts trilogy that I鈥檝e read over and over since my teenage years. Nora鈥檚 charming descriptions of Ireland could not be further removed from the Union and the North and Gurkhul as Abercrombie detailed them.
鈥淚 have learned all kinds of things from my many mistakes. The one thing I never learn is to stop making them.鈥�
If Before They Are Hanged was a study in character development, in how people can grow dramatically in the face of adversity, Last Argument of Kings was a demonstration of how quickly those developments can be thrown by the wayside and how easily characters can slip back into old habits. People who had genuinely changed found that those changes weren鈥檛 strongly rooted enough to sustain. It felt like the plot was propelled almost entirely by one betrayal after another. I didn鈥檛 expect a happy ending, I really didn鈥檛. I mean, you have to be realistic about these things, after all. But I didn鈥檛 expect to hate nearly everything about the ending, either. A scant few characters found themselves in a decent place as the book drew to a close, and even those endings were heavily tempered with disappointment.
鈥淚f you want to be a new man you have to stay in new places, and do new things, with people who never knew you before. If you go back to the same old ways, what else can you be but the same old person?
Abercrombie also succeeded in crafting perhaps the single evilest character I鈥檝e ever experienced. The full extent of said evil was shocking to me, as it was in no way apparent when the character was first introduced. Their callousness in regards to the value of human life was appalling, though it鈥檚 a trait that I should鈥檝e anticipated as I look back. Even though I was shocked by this revelation, I had to respect how elaborate and well executed their plan was. There was one character who managed to surprise me with their decency, but I鈥檒l refrain from naming them.
鈥淧eople would far rather be handed an easy lie than search for a difficult truth, especially if it suits their own purposes.鈥�
There were a couple of chapters that, though blood soaked, exhibited some amazing technique from the author. A duel scene, which is possibly the best such scene I鈥檝e ever read, managed to be horrifying in content and almost breathtakingly beautiful at the same time. The language used was incredibly impressive and demonstrated that Abercrombie is not only a gifted storyteller, but a phenomenal craftsman. I was also highly impressed with a chapter entitled 鈥淪acrifices.鈥� Almost every perspective character was present in this single chapter, and Abercrombie made an artistic decision that I found delightful. Whatever line ended one perspective was also the opening line of the next perspective. It was a fun and thoughtful addition that I appreciated immensely.
鈥淩ules are for children. This is war, and in war the only crime is to lose.鈥�
While this book was painful to read, I have incredible respect for what Abercrombie managed to do in the First Law trilogy. It might鈥檝e been brutal, but it was engaging and suspenseful and, even when I was disappointed in the characters鈥� decisions, I still cared about them. That鈥檚 a difficult balance to strike, and Abercrombie did it was great finesse. There were also an impressive amount of surprises, though few of them were happy. I鈥檝e heard that his standalone novels set in the same world aren鈥檛 quite as bleak. I very much look forward to reading these, though I鈥檒l be giving myself a breather before approaching them.
鈥淩ound and round in circles we go, clutching at successes we never grasp, endlessly tripping over the same old failures. Truly, life is the misery we endure between disappointments.鈥�
Oddly enough, I believe that the First Law trilogy is now among my favorite fantasy series I鈥檝e read. But, unlike others in this category, I鈥檓 not sure it鈥檚 a trilogy I鈥檒l be rereading, as most of the other series among my favorites have been or will be. I loved the characters and would definitely like to revisit them, but I don鈥檛 know if this last book in particular is one I could stomach a second time. While Last Argument of Kings was written and executed brilliantly, the difficulty I had in reading it kept me from giving it the full 5 stars I know it deserves. If you consider yourself a fan of the grimdark subgenre but have somehow never read this trilogy, that鈥檚 an oversight that undoubtedly needs to be remedied. But if you struggle with darker fiction, you might want to steer clear of the First Law. You鈥檝e been warned.
July 17, 2009
I left 4 stars for books 1 and 2, even though after book 3, I really wanted to dump all the books. It has been a while since I read any fantasy book and books 1 and 2 were a great reintroduction, or so I thought. Books 1 and 2 had great characters, action, and storylines. And I thought there was even some character development going on and general progress as far as the storyline was concerned. It all came crushing down with book 3. I understand that the author wanted to express the view that sometimes things just turn out badly and history repeats itself, but could there be ANYTHING redeeming about anyone of the characters? I felt like I completely wasted 2 weeks of my life reading these books, when all it needed was chapter 1 of book 1, with the ending line "and no matter what events happen in between, everyone will be exactly the same and everything will still suck at the end of the saga." I think of all the good books I could have read in the time it took me to read these three. What a waste of my time....
August 26, 2019
鈥淭he only difference between war and murder is the number of the dead.鈥�
A fitting end to the trilogy, and yet the end seems rather pointless. These books are pageturners, they're sometimes funny, and they're mostly highly enjoyable, but there always seems to be something missing. Some deeper meaning. Some focus beyond just subverting tropes for cheap laughs.
Watching Bayaz' plans unfold is, in the end, what this trilogy has to offer, but fortunately it is indeed quite the enjoyable exercise.
鈥淧ower makes all things right. That is my first law, and my last. That is the only law that I acknowledge.鈥�
A fitting end to the trilogy, and yet the end seems rather pointless. These books are pageturners, they're sometimes funny, and they're mostly highly enjoyable, but there always seems to be something missing. Some deeper meaning. Some focus beyond just subverting tropes for cheap laughs.
Watching Bayaz' plans unfold is, in the end, what this trilogy has to offer, but fortunately it is indeed quite the enjoyable exercise.
鈥淧ower makes all things right. That is my first law, and my last. That is the only law that I acknowledge.鈥�
February 10, 2025
鈥炐栃感残狙傃娧� 械 懈蟹谐褉邪写械薪 芯褌 褉邪蟹芯褔邪褉芯胁邪薪懈褟.鈥�
鈥炐熜狙佇恍敌葱叫秆徰� 写芯胁芯写 薪邪 泻褉邪谢械褌械鈥� 械 锌械褉褎械泻褌械薪 蟹邪胁褗褉褕械泻 薪邪 鈥炐熝娧€胁懈褟褌 蟹邪泻芯薪鈥�... 袟邪 屑械薪, 泻邪褌芯 褑褟谢芯褋褌薪邪 褌褉懈谢芯谐懈褟 褌褟 褋械 薪邪褉械卸写邪 褋褉械写 薪邪泄-蟹薪邪褔懈屑懈褌械 懈 泻褍谢褌芯胁懈 褌胁芯褉斜懈 胁褗胁 褎械薪褌褗蟹懈 卸邪薪褉邪! 袧芯胁懈褟褌 锌褉芯褔懈褌 蟹邪褌胁褗褉写懈 褍褋械褖邪薪械褌芯 屑懈, 褔械 袛卸芯 袗斜褗褉泻褉芯屑斜懈 械 褋褗蟹写邪谢 薪械胁械褉芯褟褌薪芯 褋谢芯卸薪懈 懈 胁褗谢薪褍胁邪褖懈 锌械褉褋芯薪邪卸懈, 泻褗屑 褔懈懈褌芯 锌褉懈泻谢褞褔械薪懈褟 薪褟屑邪 泻邪泻 写邪 屑懈 芯屑褉褗蟹薪械 写邪 褋械 蟹邪胁褉褗褖邪屑.
袙 锌芯褋谢械写薪邪褌邪 泻薪懈谐邪 褋械 褉邪蟹锌谢懈褌邪褌 蟹邪谐邪写泻懈褌械 薪邪 褌芯蟹懈 褎械薪褌褗蟹懈 褋胁褟褌 - 薪邪褍褔邪胁邪屑械 褉邪蟹谢懈褔薪懈 写械褌邪泄谢懈 芯褌 写邪谢械褔薪芯褌芯 屑懈薪邪谢芯, 褔邪褋褌 芯褌 泻芯械褌芯 械 懈 褋邪屑懈褟褌 袘邪褟蟹... 袙 袗写褍邪 褋褗胁褋械屑 褋泻芯褉芯 锌褉械写褋褌芯褟褌 懈蟹斜芯褉懈 胁 泻邪屑邪褉邪褌邪 薪邪 谢芯褉写芯胁械褌械 蟹邪 薪芯胁 泻褉邪谢 薪邪 小褗褞蟹邪, 褌邪泻邪 褔械 褋械 褉邪蟹胁懈褏褉褟 芯谐褉芯屑薪邪 褌褗褉谐芯胁懈褟 褋 谐谢邪褋芯胁械. 袙 褋褗斜懈褌懈褟褌邪 械 胁褗胁谢械褔械薪 懈 袚谢芯泻褌邪... 袨褔邪泻胁邪 褋械 薪褟泻芯泄 芯褌 屑芯谐褗褖懈褌械 谢芯褉写芯胁械 写邪 斜褗写械 泻芯褉芯薪芯胁邪薪, 芯斜邪褔械 袩褗褉胁懈褟褌 屑邪谐褍褋 懈屑邪 褉邪蟹谢懈褔薪懈 锌谢邪薪芯胁械... 袧邪 小械胁械褉 锌褉芯写褗谢卸邪胁邪 褌械卸泻邪褌邪 胁芯泄薪邪, 邪 锌褗泻 袛械胁械褌芯锌褉褗褋褌懈褟 褋械 械 蟹邪胁褗褉薪邪谢 锌褉懈 袣褍褔械褌芯 懈 芯褋褌邪薪邪谢懈褌械 懈屑械薪懈褌懈 胁芯懈薪懈, 泻芯懈褌芯 褋械 斜懈褟褌 褋褉械褖褍 袘械褌芯写. 袥芯谐褗薪 芯褌薪芯胁芯 胁谢懈蟹邪 胁 褌械卸泻懈 斜懈褌泻懈 懈 屑褍 锌褉械写褋褌芯懈 褋褌褉邪褕薪芯 芯锌邪褋械薪 写褍械谢... 袦械卸写褍胁褉械屑械薪薪芯 谐褍褉泻褍谢褋泻邪褌邪 邪褉屑懈褟 薪邪褋褌褗锌胁邪 褋 锌褗谢薪邪 褋懈谢邪 泻褗屑 小褗褞蟹邪, 锌芯褋褌邪胁褟泄泻懈 褋褗褖械褋褌胁褍胁邪薪械褌芯 屑褍 锌芯写 薪械胁懈卸写邪薪邪 芯锌邪褋薪芯褋褌...
袙芯械薪薪懈褌械 写械泄褋褌胁懈褟 懈 锌芯谢懈褌懈褔械褋泻懈 懈薪褌褉懈谐懈 胁 鈥炐熜狙佇恍敌葱叫秆徰� 写芯胁芯写 薪邪 泻褉邪谢械褌械鈥� 芯锌褉械写械谢械薪芯 锌褉懈写芯斜懈胁邪褌 械锌懈褔薪懈 褉邪蟹屑械褉懈... 袧芯 锌褉芯褌懈胁芯褉械褔懈胁懈褌械 谐械褉芯懈 懈 褌械褏薪懈褌械 谐谢械写薪懈 褌芯褔泻懈 褋懈 芯褋褌邪胁邪褌 薪邪泄-褑械薪薪芯褌芯 懈 胁褗蟹写械泄褋褌胁邪褖芯 胁 懈褋褌芯褉懈褟褌邪!
鈥炩€� 袠蟹谐谢械卸写邪, 褋械 械 懈蟹写懈谐薪邪谢 胁 芯斜褖械褋褌胁芯褌芯. 袠谢懈 锌褉芯锌邪写薪邪谢 芯褖械 锌芯-薪懈褋泻芯, 蟹邪胁懈褋懈 芯褌泻褗写械 褖械 谐芯 锌芯谐谢械写薪械褕.鈥�
鈥炐ば笛€芯 薪械 褉邪蟹斜懈褉邪褕械 芯褌 泻褉邪褋芯褌邪 懈 锌械褌 锌邪褉懈 薪械 写邪胁邪褕械 蟹邪 薪械褟, 薪芯 褌芯胁邪 薪械褖芯 褋锌芯褉械写 薪械褟 斜械褕械 懈褋褌懈薪褋泻懈 泻褉邪褋懈胁芯. 袧褟屑邪褕械 薪懈褖芯 褉邪蟹屑械泻薪邪褌芯, 薪懈褖芯 谐谢械蟹械褖芯 胁 褌邪蟹懈 锌谢邪薪懈薪邪 芯褌 谐芯谢 泻邪屑褗泻. 袨褌 褌邪蟹懈 泻褍谢邪 谢褗褏邪褕械 芯褌泻褉芯胁械薪芯褋褌. 袘械蟹屑懈谢芯褋褌薪邪 锌褉械褑懈蟹薪芯褋褌 懈屑邪褕械 胁 芯褋褌褉懈褌械 泄 褔械褉薪懈 泻邪屑褗薪懈. 袧械褖芯 胁 薪械褟 褟 锌褉懈胁谢懈褔邪褕械 薪械懈褋褌芯胁芯鈥�.
鈥炐⊙傃€邪薪薪懈 褋邪 芯斜褉邪褌懈褌械 薪邪 褋褗写斜邪褌邪. 袛邪 褋械 斜懈械褕 写芯 薪褟泻芯谐芯 懈谢懈 褋褉械褖褍 薪械谐芯 鈥� 写械谢懈 谐懈 械写懈薪 泻芯褋褗屑 褉邪蟹褋褌芯褟薪懈械. 袧芯 懈 胁 写胁邪褌邪 褋谢褍褔邪褟 褋懈 锌褉械泻邪谢械薪芯 斜谢懈蟹芯, 蟹邪 写邪 懈蟹斜械谐薪械褕 斜芯褟.鈥�
鈥炐澬� 泻邪泻褌芯 芯褌斜械谢褟蟹邪 袦芯褉芯褍, 袚谢芯泻褌邪 薪械 斜械褕械 褔芯胁械泻, 泻芯泄褌芯 斜懈 褋械 锌褉懈褌械褋薪懈谢 芯褌 屑邪谢泻芯 褕褍屑, 薪芯卸芯胁械 懈谢懈 胁芯薪褟. 袙 泻褉邪褟 薪邪 泻褉邪懈褖邪褌邪 锌褉械泻邪褉胁邪屑 写薪懈褌械 褋懈, 薪邪谐邪蟹懈谢 胁 屑械褌邪褎芯褉懈褔薪懈 泻芯褔懈薪懈. 袟邪褖芯 薪械, 蟹邪 屑邪谢泻芯 褉邪蟹薪芯芯斜褉邪蟹懈械, 胁 懈褋褌懈薪褋泻邪?鈥�
鈥炐⑿拘恍盒拘残� 械 芯褔械胁懈写薪芯, 褔械 写邪 褋懈 锌褉懈蟹薪邪褟, 薪械 谐芯 芯褔邪泻胁邪褏. 鈥� 孝芯泄 胁褗蟹写褗褏薪邪 写褗谢斜芯泻芯. 鈥� 袧芯 鈥炐叫� 芯褔邪泻胁邪褏鈥� 懈 鈥炐叫� 褋械 锌芯写谐芯褌胁懈褏鈥� 褋邪 写胁械 薪邪锌褗谢薪芯 褉邪蟹谢懈褔薪懈 薪械褖邪.鈥�
鈥炩€� 袧械 械 懈 薪邪锌芯谢芯胁懈薪邪 褌芯谢泻芯胁邪 谢褍写, 泻芯谢泻芯褌芯 懈蟹谐谢械卸写邪. 鈥� 袥芯谐褗薪 褋械 锌芯褔械褋邪 锌芯 斜褉邪写邪褌邪. 鈥� 袩褉械蟹 胁褋懈褔泻懈褌械 褌械蟹懈 谐芯写懈薪懈 薪械 褋械 写邪写械 薪邪 袘械褌芯写. 袝写懈薪褋褌胁械薪懈褟褌, 泻芯泄褌芯 褍褋锌褟. 袛胁邪薪邪泄褋械褌 蟹懈屑懈 谢懈 褖械 褋褌邪薪邪褌 胁械褔械, 芯褌泻邪泻褌芯 屑褍 褋械 懈蟹锌谢褗蟹胁邪, 褌芯褉屑芯蟹懈 谐芯 薪械锌褉械泻褗褋薪邪褌芯 懈 胁懈薪邪谐懈 械 薪邪 泻褉邪褔泻邪 锌褉械写 薪械谐芯? 袙褟褉薪芯, 胁懈褋芯泻芯 胁 锌谢邪薪懈薪懈褌械, 薪芯 胁褋械 锌邪泻. 袟邪 写邪 褍褋锌械械褕 胁 褌邪蟹懈 褉邪斜芯褌邪, 褌褉褟斜胁邪 写邪 褋懈 褏懈褌褗褉 泻邪褌芯 谢懈褋懈褑邪 懈 泻芯褉邪胁 泻邪褌芯 泻邪屑褗泻.
鈥� 袟薪邪褔懈 屑褍 胁褟褉胁邪褕?
鈥� 袛邪 屑褍 胁褟褉胁邪屑 谢懈? 鈥� 懈蟹褋褍屑褌褟 袥芯谐褗薪. 鈥� 袣邪泻 薪械, 屑邪屑泻邪 屑褍. 袧芯 薪械谐芯胁邪褌邪 胁褉邪卸写邪 褋 袘械褌芯写 械 锌芯-写褗谢斜芯泻邪 懈 芯褌 薪邪褕邪褌邪.鈥�
鈥炐捫靶缎叫� 械 械写懈薪 芯褎懈褑械褉 写邪 写械屑芯薪褋褌褉懈褉邪 蟹邪谐褉懈卸械薪芯褋褌 蟹邪 褏芯褉邪褌邪 褋懈, 薪芯 械 芯褖械 锌芯-胁邪卸薪芯 写邪 褍屑械械 写邪 薪械 谐芯 锌褉邪胁懈. 袝写懈薪 芯褎懈褑械褉 褌褉褟斜胁邪 写邪 械 胁 褋褗褋褌芯褟薪懈械 写邪 懈蟹谢邪谐邪 胁芯泄薪懈褑懈褌械 褋懈 薪邪 芯锌邪褋薪芯褋褌. 袗泻芯 械 薪械芯斜褏芯写懈屑芯, 褌褉褟斜胁邪 写邪 屑芯卸械 懈 薪邪 褋屑褗褉褌 写邪 谐懈 懈蟹锌褉邪褌懈. 孝褉褟斜胁邪 写邪 械 谐芯褌芯胁 写邪 锌褉邪胁懈 卸械褉褌胁懈 懈 写邪 锌褉械褑械薪褟胁邪 褌褉械蟹胁芯 褋懈褌褍邪褑懈褟褌邪, 泻邪褌芯 薪械 褋械 芯褋褌邪胁褟 薪邪 械屑芯褑懈懈褌械 写邪 锌芯胁谢懈褟褟褌 褉械褕械薪懈褟褌邪 屑褍. 孝芯褔薪芯 蟹邪褌芯胁邪 褌械 褏邪褉械褋胁邪屑, 校械褋褌. 校 褌械斜 懈屑邪 褋褗褋褌褉邪写邪薪懈械, 薪芯 懈屑邪 懈 卸械谢褟蟹薪邪 薪械锌芯泻芯谢械斜懈屑芯褋褌. 袧械 屑芯卸械褕 写邪 斜褗写械褕 胁械谢懈泻 锌褗谢泻芯胁芯写械褑 斜械蟹 锌芯薪械 屑邪谢泻芯鈥� 斜械蟹褋泻褉褍锌褍谢薪芯褋褌.鈥�
鈥炐а冃残靶恍� 褋邪 懈褋褌芯褉懈褟褌邪 懈 锌褉械写懈. 小谢褍褏芯胁械 屑芯卸械 斜懈, 薪芯 锌芯蟹薪邪褌懈. 袛芯褋褌邪褌褗褔薪芯, 褔械 写邪 谐懈 薪邪泻邪褉邪褌 写邪 褋械 蟹邪褋谢褍褕邪褌. 袩芯褋谢械 褖械 锌褉械褑械薪褟胁邪褌 写邪谢懈 褖械 械 胁 褌械褏械薪 懈薪褌械褉械褋 写邪 锌芯胁褟褉胁邪褌 胁 褌褟褏.鈥�
鈥炩€� 孝邪泻邪胁邪 械 褌褗卸薪邪褌邪 懈褋褌懈薪邪, 泻芯泄褌芯 褍写褉褟 锌褉褗胁, 褔械褋褌芯 褍写褉褟 锌芯褋谢械写械薪.鈥�
鈥炐捬娦垦€芯褋懈, 泻芯懈褌芯 屑芯谐邪褌 写邪 薪懈 胁泻邪褉邪褌 胁 谐芯谢械屑懈 薪械锌褉懈褟褌薪芯褋褌懈. 袙褗锌褉芯褋懈, 胁 蟹邪写邪胁邪薪械褌芯 薪邪 泻芯懈褌芯 薪褟泻芯懈 褏芯褉邪 屑芯卸械 写邪 芯褌泻褉懈褟褌 写褗褉卸邪胁薪邪 懈蟹屑褟薪邪. 孝邪泻邪 写械, 褌芯胁邪 械 写芯褋褌邪 褉邪蟹褌械谐谢懈胁芯 锌芯薪褟褌懈械.鈥�
鈥炐浶秆囆笛埿� 褋懈, 褔械 薪械 屑褍 写芯褋褌邪胁懈 褍写芯胁芯谢褋褌胁懈械 写邪 谐芯 泻邪卸械, 懈 袥芯谐褗薪 蟹薪邪械褕械 蟹邪褖芯. 孝褉褍写薪芯 械 写邪 锌芯谢褍褔邪胁邪褕 褍褋谢褍谐懈 芯褌 褔芯胁械泻, 泻芯谐芯褌芯 屑褉邪蟹懈褕. 小褌邪胁邪 锌芯-褌褉褍写薪芯 写邪 谐芯 屑褉邪蟹懈褕 褋谢械写 褌芯胁邪. 袟邪谐褍斜邪褌邪 薪邪 胁褉邪谐 屑芯卸械 写邪 械 锌芯-褌械卸泻邪 芯褌 褌邪蟹懈 薪邪 锌褉懈褟褌械谢, 芯褋芯斜械薪芯 薪邪 褋褌邪褉 胁褉邪谐.鈥�
鈥炐┬拘� 懈褋泻邪褕 写邪 褋懈 薪芯胁 褔芯胁械泻, 褌褉褟斜胁邪 写邪 褋褌芯懈褕 薪邪 薪芯胁懈 屑械褋褌邪 懈 写邪 胁褗褉褕懈褕 薪芯胁懈 薪械褖邪. 小 褏芯褉邪, 泻芯懈褌芯 薪械 褌械 锌芯蟹薪邪胁邪褌 芯褌锌褉械写懈. 袣芯谐邪褌芯 褋械 胁褗褉薪械褕 锌芯 褋褌邪褉懈褌械 屑械褋褌邪, 泻邪泻褗胁 屑芯卸械褕 写邪 褋懈, 芯褋胁械薪 褋褌邪褉懈褟 褔芯胁械泻 芯褌 械写薪芯 胁褉械屑械? 孝褉褟斜胁邪 写邪 褋懈 褉械邪谢懈褋褌.鈥�
鈥炐澬� 肖械褉芯 蟹邪 锌芯褉械写械薪 锌褗褌 泄 褋械 锌褉懈懈褋泻邪 袛械胁械褌芯锌褉褗褋褌懈褟 写邪 斜械褕械 褌褍泻. 袛芯斜褗褉 懈谢懈 谢芯褕, 褌芯泄 锌芯薪械 褋懈 褉邪蟹斜懈褉邪褕械 芯褌 褉邪斜芯褌邪褌邪.鈥�
鈥炐澬� 蟹邪 写邪 屑褉邪蟹懈褕 褌芯谢泻芯胁邪 褋懈谢薪芯 褔芯胁械泻, 褌褉褟斜胁邪 锌褗褉胁芯 写邪 褋懈 谐芯 褏邪褉械褋胁邪谢. 袠 褔邪褋褌 芯褌 褌械蟹懈 锌褗褉胁芯薪邪褔邪谢薪懈 褔褍胁褋褌胁邪 薪懈泻芯谐邪 薪械 褌械 薪邪锌褍褋泻邪褌.鈥�
鈥炐懶把徯� 褋褌懈褋薪邪 锌邪褉邪锌械褌邪 褋 懈蟹泻褉懈胁械薪芯 芯褌 蟹谢芯斜邪 谢懈褑械. 袙 锌芯褋谢械写薪芯 胁褉械屑械 袩褗褉胁懈褟 屑邪谐褍褋 褌邪泻邪 写芯斜褉械 褋械 斜械褕械 胁卸懈胁褟谢 胁 褉芯谢褟褌邪 薪邪 写芯斜褉懈褟 褋褌邪褉 褔懈褔芯, 褔械 袛卸懈蟹邪谢 斜械褕械 蟹邪斜褉邪胁懈谢 泻芯谢泻芯 褍卸邪褋褟胁邪褖 斜械褕械 谐薪械胁褗褌 屑褍, 邪 褋褗褖芯 泻邪泻 胁薪械蟹邪锌薪芯 褋械 褉邪蟹锌邪谢胁邪褕械.鈥�
鈥炩€� 袛邪 胁懈 锌褉懈蟹薪邪褟 鈥� 泻邪蟹邪 袣芯褋泻邪 懈 薪械斜褉械卸薪芯 懈蟹褌褉褗褋泻邪 屑褉褗褋芯褌懈褟褌邪 芯褌 锌褉褗褋褌邪 褋懈, 鈥� 褏邪褉械褋胁邪 屑懈 泻邪泻 褋械 芯褌薪邪褋褟褌械 褋褗褋 褋谢褍卸懈褌械谢懈褌械 褋懈, 薪邪褔邪谢薪懈泻. 袛懈褋褑懈锌谢懈薪邪, 胁懈薪邪谐懈 褋褗屑 泄 褋械 胁褗蟹褏懈褖邪胁邪谢.
鈥� 袠薪褌械褉械褋械薪 泻芯屑锌谢懈屑械薪褌 芯褌 薪邪泄-薪械写懈褋褑懈锌谢懈薪懈褉邪薪懈褟 褔芯胁械泻 胁 袣褉褗谐邪 薪邪 褋胁械褌邪.
鈥� 袧邪褍褔懈谢 褋褗屑 屑薪芯谐芯 芯褌 谐褉械褕泻懈褌械 褋懈. 鈥� 袣芯褋泻邪 胁懈褉薪邪 斜褉邪写懈褔泻邪 懈 褉邪蟹褔械褋邪 芯斜褉懈胁邪 薪邪 胁褉邪褌邪 褋懈. 鈥� 袝写薪芯 薪械 薪邪褍褔懈褏 褋邪屑芯 鈥� 泻邪泻 写邪 褋锌褉邪 写邪 谐懈 锌褉邪胁褟.鈥�
鈥炩€� 袠薪褌褉懈谐褍胁邪褖邪 谢懈褔薪芯褋褌 褋懈 褌懈, 薪邪褔邪谢薪懈泻. 袞懈胁芯褌褗褌 褌懈 懈蟹谐谢械卸写邪 薪械锌芯薪芯褋懈屑, 薪芯 褌懈 褋懈 褋械 胁泻芯锌褔懈谢 胁 薪械谐芯 褋褗褋 蟹褗斜懈 懈 薪芯泻褌懈. 袘芯褉懈褕 褋械 蟹邪 薪械谐芯 褋 胁褋褟泻芯 芯褉褗卸懈械 懈 褋褌褉邪褌械谐懈褟. 袧邪锌褉邪胁芯 芯褌泻邪蟹胁邪褕 写邪 褍屑褉械褕.
鈥� 袚芯褌芯胁 褋褗屑 写邪 褍屑褉邪 鈥� 芯褌胁褗褉薪邪 薪邪 锌芯谐谢械写邪 屑褍 袚谢芯泻褌邪. 鈥� 袧芯 芯褌泻邪蟹胁邪屑 写邪 蟹邪谐褍斜褟.
鈥� 袧邪 胁褋褟泻邪 褑械薪邪, 邪? 袛胁邪屑邪褌邪 褋 褌械斜 褋屑械 锌芯褋谢械写薪懈褌械 芯褌 薪邪褕懈褟 胁懈写, 芯褌 薪邪褕懈褟 屑薪芯谐芯 褉褟写褗泻 胁懈写. 袧懈械 蟹薪邪械屑 泻邪泻胁芯 褌褉褟斜胁邪 写邪 褋械 薪邪锌褉邪胁懈. 袠 泻芯谐邪褌芯 谐芯 锌褉邪胁懈屑, 芯泻芯褌芯 薪懈 薪械 褌褉械锌胁邪, 薪械 褋械 褉邪蟹薪械卸胁邪屑械 芯褌 褔褍胁褋褌胁邪.鈥�
鈥炐曅葱叫� 械 褋懈谐褍褉薪芯, 褌芯胁邪 芯褌懈胁邪 芯褌 锌褉邪胁懈谢薪邪褌邪 褋褌褉邪薪邪 薪邪 胁械蟹薪懈褌械. 袙褋械泻懈 褋械 薪褍卸写邪械 芯褌 薪械褖芯 薪邪 锌褉邪胁懈谢薪邪褌邪 褋褌褉邪薪邪 薪邪 胁械蟹薪懈褌械.鈥�
鈥炐撔恍把佈娧� 薪邪 芯褋褌褉懈械褌芯鈥�:
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鈥炐熝€械写懈 写邪 褍胁懈褋薪邪褌 薪邪 胁褗卸械褌芯鈥�:
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鈥炐熜狙佇恍敌葱叫秆徰� 写芯胁芯写 薪邪 泻褉邪谢械褌械鈥� 械 锌械褉褎械泻褌械薪 蟹邪胁褗褉褕械泻 薪邪 鈥炐熝娧€胁懈褟褌 蟹邪泻芯薪鈥�... 袟邪 屑械薪, 泻邪褌芯 褑褟谢芯褋褌薪邪 褌褉懈谢芯谐懈褟 褌褟 褋械 薪邪褉械卸写邪 褋褉械写 薪邪泄-蟹薪邪褔懈屑懈褌械 懈 泻褍谢褌芯胁懈 褌胁芯褉斜懈 胁褗胁 褎械薪褌褗蟹懈 卸邪薪褉邪! 袧芯胁懈褟褌 锌褉芯褔懈褌 蟹邪褌胁褗褉写懈 褍褋械褖邪薪械褌芯 屑懈, 褔械 袛卸芯 袗斜褗褉泻褉芯屑斜懈 械 褋褗蟹写邪谢 薪械胁械褉芯褟褌薪芯 褋谢芯卸薪懈 懈 胁褗谢薪褍胁邪褖懈 锌械褉褋芯薪邪卸懈, 泻褗屑 褔懈懈褌芯 锌褉懈泻谢褞褔械薪懈褟 薪褟屑邪 泻邪泻 写邪 屑懈 芯屑褉褗蟹薪械 写邪 褋械 蟹邪胁褉褗褖邪屑.
袙 锌芯褋谢械写薪邪褌邪 泻薪懈谐邪 褋械 褉邪蟹锌谢懈褌邪褌 蟹邪谐邪写泻懈褌械 薪邪 褌芯蟹懈 褎械薪褌褗蟹懈 褋胁褟褌 - 薪邪褍褔邪胁邪屑械 褉邪蟹谢懈褔薪懈 写械褌邪泄谢懈 芯褌 写邪谢械褔薪芯褌芯 屑懈薪邪谢芯, 褔邪褋褌 芯褌 泻芯械褌芯 械 懈 褋邪屑懈褟褌 袘邪褟蟹... 袙 袗写褍邪 褋褗胁褋械屑 褋泻芯褉芯 锌褉械写褋褌芯褟褌 懈蟹斜芯褉懈 胁 泻邪屑邪褉邪褌邪 薪邪 谢芯褉写芯胁械褌械 蟹邪 薪芯胁 泻褉邪谢 薪邪 小褗褞蟹邪, 褌邪泻邪 褔械 褋械 褉邪蟹胁懈褏褉褟 芯谐褉芯屑薪邪 褌褗褉谐芯胁懈褟 褋 谐谢邪褋芯胁械. 袙 褋褗斜懈褌懈褟褌邪 械 胁褗胁谢械褔械薪 懈 袚谢芯泻褌邪... 袨褔邪泻胁邪 褋械 薪褟泻芯泄 芯褌 屑芯谐褗褖懈褌械 谢芯褉写芯胁械 写邪 斜褗写械 泻芯褉芯薪芯胁邪薪, 芯斜邪褔械 袩褗褉胁懈褟褌 屑邪谐褍褋 懈屑邪 褉邪蟹谢懈褔薪懈 锌谢邪薪芯胁械... 袧邪 小械胁械褉 锌褉芯写褗谢卸邪胁邪 褌械卸泻邪褌邪 胁芯泄薪邪, 邪 锌褗泻 袛械胁械褌芯锌褉褗褋褌懈褟 褋械 械 蟹邪胁褗褉薪邪谢 锌褉懈 袣褍褔械褌芯 懈 芯褋褌邪薪邪谢懈褌械 懈屑械薪懈褌懈 胁芯懈薪懈, 泻芯懈褌芯 褋械 斜懈褟褌 褋褉械褖褍 袘械褌芯写. 袥芯谐褗薪 芯褌薪芯胁芯 胁谢懈蟹邪 胁 褌械卸泻懈 斜懈褌泻懈 懈 屑褍 锌褉械写褋褌芯懈 褋褌褉邪褕薪芯 芯锌邪褋械薪 写褍械谢... 袦械卸写褍胁褉械屑械薪薪芯 谐褍褉泻褍谢褋泻邪褌邪 邪褉屑懈褟 薪邪褋褌褗锌胁邪 褋 锌褗谢薪邪 褋懈谢邪 泻褗屑 小褗褞蟹邪, 锌芯褋褌邪胁褟泄泻懈 褋褗褖械褋褌胁褍胁邪薪械褌芯 屑褍 锌芯写 薪械胁懈卸写邪薪邪 芯锌邪褋薪芯褋褌...
袙芯械薪薪懈褌械 写械泄褋褌胁懈褟 懈 锌芯谢懈褌懈褔械褋泻懈 懈薪褌褉懈谐懈 胁 鈥炐熜狙佇恍敌葱叫秆徰� 写芯胁芯写 薪邪 泻褉邪谢械褌械鈥� 芯锌褉械写械谢械薪芯 锌褉懈写芯斜懈胁邪褌 械锌懈褔薪懈 褉邪蟹屑械褉懈... 袧芯 锌褉芯褌懈胁芯褉械褔懈胁懈褌械 谐械褉芯懈 懈 褌械褏薪懈褌械 谐谢械写薪懈 褌芯褔泻懈 褋懈 芯褋褌邪胁邪褌 薪邪泄-褑械薪薪芯褌芯 懈 胁褗蟹写械泄褋褌胁邪褖芯 胁 懈褋褌芯褉懈褟褌邪!
鈥炩€� 袠蟹谐谢械卸写邪, 褋械 械 懈蟹写懈谐薪邪谢 胁 芯斜褖械褋褌胁芯褌芯. 袠谢懈 锌褉芯锌邪写薪邪谢 芯褖械 锌芯-薪懈褋泻芯, 蟹邪胁懈褋懈 芯褌泻褗写械 褖械 谐芯 锌芯谐谢械写薪械褕.鈥�
鈥炐ば笛€芯 薪械 褉邪蟹斜懈褉邪褕械 芯褌 泻褉邪褋芯褌邪 懈 锌械褌 锌邪褉懈 薪械 写邪胁邪褕械 蟹邪 薪械褟, 薪芯 褌芯胁邪 薪械褖芯 褋锌芯褉械写 薪械褟 斜械褕械 懈褋褌懈薪褋泻懈 泻褉邪褋懈胁芯. 袧褟屑邪褕械 薪懈褖芯 褉邪蟹屑械泻薪邪褌芯, 薪懈褖芯 谐谢械蟹械褖芯 胁 褌邪蟹懈 锌谢邪薪懈薪邪 芯褌 谐芯谢 泻邪屑褗泻. 袨褌 褌邪蟹懈 泻褍谢邪 谢褗褏邪褕械 芯褌泻褉芯胁械薪芯褋褌. 袘械蟹屑懈谢芯褋褌薪邪 锌褉械褑懈蟹薪芯褋褌 懈屑邪褕械 胁 芯褋褌褉懈褌械 泄 褔械褉薪懈 泻邪屑褗薪懈. 袧械褖芯 胁 薪械褟 褟 锌褉懈胁谢懈褔邪褕械 薪械懈褋褌芯胁芯鈥�.
鈥炐⊙傃€邪薪薪懈 褋邪 芯斜褉邪褌懈褌械 薪邪 褋褗写斜邪褌邪. 袛邪 褋械 斜懈械褕 写芯 薪褟泻芯谐芯 懈谢懈 褋褉械褖褍 薪械谐芯 鈥� 写械谢懈 谐懈 械写懈薪 泻芯褋褗屑 褉邪蟹褋褌芯褟薪懈械. 袧芯 懈 胁 写胁邪褌邪 褋谢褍褔邪褟 褋懈 锌褉械泻邪谢械薪芯 斜谢懈蟹芯, 蟹邪 写邪 懈蟹斜械谐薪械褕 斜芯褟.鈥�
鈥炐澬� 泻邪泻褌芯 芯褌斜械谢褟蟹邪 袦芯褉芯褍, 袚谢芯泻褌邪 薪械 斜械褕械 褔芯胁械泻, 泻芯泄褌芯 斜懈 褋械 锌褉懈褌械褋薪懈谢 芯褌 屑邪谢泻芯 褕褍屑, 薪芯卸芯胁械 懈谢懈 胁芯薪褟. 袙 泻褉邪褟 薪邪 泻褉邪懈褖邪褌邪 锌褉械泻邪褉胁邪屑 写薪懈褌械 褋懈, 薪邪谐邪蟹懈谢 胁 屑械褌邪褎芯褉懈褔薪懈 泻芯褔懈薪懈. 袟邪褖芯 薪械, 蟹邪 屑邪谢泻芯 褉邪蟹薪芯芯斜褉邪蟹懈械, 胁 懈褋褌懈薪褋泻邪?鈥�
鈥炐⑿拘恍盒拘残� 械 芯褔械胁懈写薪芯, 褔械 写邪 褋懈 锌褉懈蟹薪邪褟, 薪械 谐芯 芯褔邪泻胁邪褏. 鈥� 孝芯泄 胁褗蟹写褗褏薪邪 写褗谢斜芯泻芯. 鈥� 袧芯 鈥炐叫� 芯褔邪泻胁邪褏鈥� 懈 鈥炐叫� 褋械 锌芯写谐芯褌胁懈褏鈥� 褋邪 写胁械 薪邪锌褗谢薪芯 褉邪蟹谢懈褔薪懈 薪械褖邪.鈥�
鈥炩€� 袧械 械 懈 薪邪锌芯谢芯胁懈薪邪 褌芯谢泻芯胁邪 谢褍写, 泻芯谢泻芯褌芯 懈蟹谐谢械卸写邪. 鈥� 袥芯谐褗薪 褋械 锌芯褔械褋邪 锌芯 斜褉邪写邪褌邪. 鈥� 袩褉械蟹 胁褋懈褔泻懈褌械 褌械蟹懈 谐芯写懈薪懈 薪械 褋械 写邪写械 薪邪 袘械褌芯写. 袝写懈薪褋褌胁械薪懈褟褌, 泻芯泄褌芯 褍褋锌褟. 袛胁邪薪邪泄褋械褌 蟹懈屑懈 谢懈 褖械 褋褌邪薪邪褌 胁械褔械, 芯褌泻邪泻褌芯 屑褍 褋械 懈蟹锌谢褗蟹胁邪, 褌芯褉屑芯蟹懈 谐芯 薪械锌褉械泻褗褋薪邪褌芯 懈 胁懈薪邪谐懈 械 薪邪 泻褉邪褔泻邪 锌褉械写 薪械谐芯? 袙褟褉薪芯, 胁懈褋芯泻芯 胁 锌谢邪薪懈薪懈褌械, 薪芯 胁褋械 锌邪泻. 袟邪 写邪 褍褋锌械械褕 胁 褌邪蟹懈 褉邪斜芯褌邪, 褌褉褟斜胁邪 写邪 褋懈 褏懈褌褗褉 泻邪褌芯 谢懈褋懈褑邪 懈 泻芯褉邪胁 泻邪褌芯 泻邪屑褗泻.
鈥� 袟薪邪褔懈 屑褍 胁褟褉胁邪褕?
鈥� 袛邪 屑褍 胁褟褉胁邪屑 谢懈? 鈥� 懈蟹褋褍屑褌褟 袥芯谐褗薪. 鈥� 袣邪泻 薪械, 屑邪屑泻邪 屑褍. 袧芯 薪械谐芯胁邪褌邪 胁褉邪卸写邪 褋 袘械褌芯写 械 锌芯-写褗谢斜芯泻邪 懈 芯褌 薪邪褕邪褌邪.鈥�
鈥炐捫靶缎叫� 械 械写懈薪 芯褎懈褑械褉 写邪 写械屑芯薪褋褌褉懈褉邪 蟹邪谐褉懈卸械薪芯褋褌 蟹邪 褏芯褉邪褌邪 褋懈, 薪芯 械 芯褖械 锌芯-胁邪卸薪芯 写邪 褍屑械械 写邪 薪械 谐芯 锌褉邪胁懈. 袝写懈薪 芯褎懈褑械褉 褌褉褟斜胁邪 写邪 械 胁 褋褗褋褌芯褟薪懈械 写邪 懈蟹谢邪谐邪 胁芯泄薪懈褑懈褌械 褋懈 薪邪 芯锌邪褋薪芯褋褌. 袗泻芯 械 薪械芯斜褏芯写懈屑芯, 褌褉褟斜胁邪 写邪 屑芯卸械 懈 薪邪 褋屑褗褉褌 写邪 谐懈 懈蟹锌褉邪褌懈. 孝褉褟斜胁邪 写邪 械 谐芯褌芯胁 写邪 锌褉邪胁懈 卸械褉褌胁懈 懈 写邪 锌褉械褑械薪褟胁邪 褌褉械蟹胁芯 褋懈褌褍邪褑懈褟褌邪, 泻邪褌芯 薪械 褋械 芯褋褌邪胁褟 薪邪 械屑芯褑懈懈褌械 写邪 锌芯胁谢懈褟褟褌 褉械褕械薪懈褟褌邪 屑褍. 孝芯褔薪芯 蟹邪褌芯胁邪 褌械 褏邪褉械褋胁邪屑, 校械褋褌. 校 褌械斜 懈屑邪 褋褗褋褌褉邪写邪薪懈械, 薪芯 懈屑邪 懈 卸械谢褟蟹薪邪 薪械锌芯泻芯谢械斜懈屑芯褋褌. 袧械 屑芯卸械褕 写邪 斜褗写械褕 胁械谢懈泻 锌褗谢泻芯胁芯写械褑 斜械蟹 锌芯薪械 屑邪谢泻芯鈥� 斜械蟹褋泻褉褍锌褍谢薪芯褋褌.鈥�
鈥炐а冃残靶恍� 褋邪 懈褋褌芯褉懈褟褌邪 懈 锌褉械写懈. 小谢褍褏芯胁械 屑芯卸械 斜懈, 薪芯 锌芯蟹薪邪褌懈. 袛芯褋褌邪褌褗褔薪芯, 褔械 写邪 谐懈 薪邪泻邪褉邪褌 写邪 褋械 蟹邪褋谢褍褕邪褌. 袩芯褋谢械 褖械 锌褉械褑械薪褟胁邪褌 写邪谢懈 褖械 械 胁 褌械褏械薪 懈薪褌械褉械褋 写邪 锌芯胁褟褉胁邪褌 胁 褌褟褏.鈥�
鈥炩€� 孝邪泻邪胁邪 械 褌褗卸薪邪褌邪 懈褋褌懈薪邪, 泻芯泄褌芯 褍写褉褟 锌褉褗胁, 褔械褋褌芯 褍写褉褟 锌芯褋谢械写械薪.鈥�
鈥炐捬娦垦€芯褋懈, 泻芯懈褌芯 屑芯谐邪褌 写邪 薪懈 胁泻邪褉邪褌 胁 谐芯谢械屑懈 薪械锌褉懈褟褌薪芯褋褌懈. 袙褗锌褉芯褋懈, 胁 蟹邪写邪胁邪薪械褌芯 薪邪 泻芯懈褌芯 薪褟泻芯懈 褏芯褉邪 屑芯卸械 写邪 芯褌泻褉懈褟褌 写褗褉卸邪胁薪邪 懈蟹屑褟薪邪. 孝邪泻邪 写械, 褌芯胁邪 械 写芯褋褌邪 褉邪蟹褌械谐谢懈胁芯 锌芯薪褟褌懈械.鈥�
鈥炐浶秆囆笛埿� 褋懈, 褔械 薪械 屑褍 写芯褋褌邪胁懈 褍写芯胁芯谢褋褌胁懈械 写邪 谐芯 泻邪卸械, 懈 袥芯谐褗薪 蟹薪邪械褕械 蟹邪褖芯. 孝褉褍写薪芯 械 写邪 锌芯谢褍褔邪胁邪褕 褍褋谢褍谐懈 芯褌 褔芯胁械泻, 泻芯谐芯褌芯 屑褉邪蟹懈褕. 小褌邪胁邪 锌芯-褌褉褍写薪芯 写邪 谐芯 屑褉邪蟹懈褕 褋谢械写 褌芯胁邪. 袟邪谐褍斜邪褌邪 薪邪 胁褉邪谐 屑芯卸械 写邪 械 锌芯-褌械卸泻邪 芯褌 褌邪蟹懈 薪邪 锌褉懈褟褌械谢, 芯褋芯斜械薪芯 薪邪 褋褌邪褉 胁褉邪谐.鈥�
鈥炐┬拘� 懈褋泻邪褕 写邪 褋懈 薪芯胁 褔芯胁械泻, 褌褉褟斜胁邪 写邪 褋褌芯懈褕 薪邪 薪芯胁懈 屑械褋褌邪 懈 写邪 胁褗褉褕懈褕 薪芯胁懈 薪械褖邪. 小 褏芯褉邪, 泻芯懈褌芯 薪械 褌械 锌芯蟹薪邪胁邪褌 芯褌锌褉械写懈. 袣芯谐邪褌芯 褋械 胁褗褉薪械褕 锌芯 褋褌邪褉懈褌械 屑械褋褌邪, 泻邪泻褗胁 屑芯卸械褕 写邪 褋懈, 芯褋胁械薪 褋褌邪褉懈褟 褔芯胁械泻 芯褌 械写薪芯 胁褉械屑械? 孝褉褟斜胁邪 写邪 褋懈 褉械邪谢懈褋褌.鈥�
鈥炐澬� 肖械褉芯 蟹邪 锌芯褉械写械薪 锌褗褌 泄 褋械 锌褉懈懈褋泻邪 袛械胁械褌芯锌褉褗褋褌懈褟 写邪 斜械褕械 褌褍泻. 袛芯斜褗褉 懈谢懈 谢芯褕, 褌芯泄 锌芯薪械 褋懈 褉邪蟹斜懈褉邪褕械 芯褌 褉邪斜芯褌邪褌邪.鈥�
鈥炐澬� 蟹邪 写邪 屑褉邪蟹懈褕 褌芯谢泻芯胁邪 褋懈谢薪芯 褔芯胁械泻, 褌褉褟斜胁邪 锌褗褉胁芯 写邪 褋懈 谐芯 褏邪褉械褋胁邪谢. 袠 褔邪褋褌 芯褌 褌械蟹懈 锌褗褉胁芯薪邪褔邪谢薪懈 褔褍胁褋褌胁邪 薪懈泻芯谐邪 薪械 褌械 薪邪锌褍褋泻邪褌.鈥�
鈥炐懶把徯� 褋褌懈褋薪邪 锌邪褉邪锌械褌邪 褋 懈蟹泻褉懈胁械薪芯 芯褌 蟹谢芯斜邪 谢懈褑械. 袙 锌芯褋谢械写薪芯 胁褉械屑械 袩褗褉胁懈褟 屑邪谐褍褋 褌邪泻邪 写芯斜褉械 褋械 斜械褕械 胁卸懈胁褟谢 胁 褉芯谢褟褌邪 薪邪 写芯斜褉懈褟 褋褌邪褉 褔懈褔芯, 褔械 袛卸懈蟹邪谢 斜械褕械 蟹邪斜褉邪胁懈谢 泻芯谢泻芯 褍卸邪褋褟胁邪褖 斜械褕械 谐薪械胁褗褌 屑褍, 邪 褋褗褖芯 泻邪泻 胁薪械蟹邪锌薪芯 褋械 褉邪蟹锌邪谢胁邪褕械.鈥�
鈥炩€� 袛邪 胁懈 锌褉懈蟹薪邪褟 鈥� 泻邪蟹邪 袣芯褋泻邪 懈 薪械斜褉械卸薪芯 懈蟹褌褉褗褋泻邪 屑褉褗褋芯褌懈褟褌邪 芯褌 锌褉褗褋褌邪 褋懈, 鈥� 褏邪褉械褋胁邪 屑懈 泻邪泻 褋械 芯褌薪邪褋褟褌械 褋褗褋 褋谢褍卸懈褌械谢懈褌械 褋懈, 薪邪褔邪谢薪懈泻. 袛懈褋褑懈锌谢懈薪邪, 胁懈薪邪谐懈 褋褗屑 泄 褋械 胁褗蟹褏懈褖邪胁邪谢.
鈥� 袠薪褌械褉械褋械薪 泻芯屑锌谢懈屑械薪褌 芯褌 薪邪泄-薪械写懈褋褑懈锌谢懈薪懈褉邪薪懈褟 褔芯胁械泻 胁 袣褉褗谐邪 薪邪 褋胁械褌邪.
鈥� 袧邪褍褔懈谢 褋褗屑 屑薪芯谐芯 芯褌 谐褉械褕泻懈褌械 褋懈. 鈥� 袣芯褋泻邪 胁懈褉薪邪 斜褉邪写懈褔泻邪 懈 褉邪蟹褔械褋邪 芯斜褉懈胁邪 薪邪 胁褉邪褌邪 褋懈. 鈥� 袝写薪芯 薪械 薪邪褍褔懈褏 褋邪屑芯 鈥� 泻邪泻 写邪 褋锌褉邪 写邪 谐懈 锌褉邪胁褟.鈥�
鈥炩€� 袠薪褌褉懈谐褍胁邪褖邪 谢懈褔薪芯褋褌 褋懈 褌懈, 薪邪褔邪谢薪懈泻. 袞懈胁芯褌褗褌 褌懈 懈蟹谐谢械卸写邪 薪械锌芯薪芯褋懈屑, 薪芯 褌懈 褋懈 褋械 胁泻芯锌褔懈谢 胁 薪械谐芯 褋褗褋 蟹褗斜懈 懈 薪芯泻褌懈. 袘芯褉懈褕 褋械 蟹邪 薪械谐芯 褋 胁褋褟泻芯 芯褉褗卸懈械 懈 褋褌褉邪褌械谐懈褟. 袧邪锌褉邪胁芯 芯褌泻邪蟹胁邪褕 写邪 褍屑褉械褕.
鈥� 袚芯褌芯胁 褋褗屑 写邪 褍屑褉邪 鈥� 芯褌胁褗褉薪邪 薪邪 锌芯谐谢械写邪 屑褍 袚谢芯泻褌邪. 鈥� 袧芯 芯褌泻邪蟹胁邪屑 写邪 蟹邪谐褍斜褟.
鈥� 袧邪 胁褋褟泻邪 褑械薪邪, 邪? 袛胁邪屑邪褌邪 褋 褌械斜 褋屑械 锌芯褋谢械写薪懈褌械 芯褌 薪邪褕懈褟 胁懈写, 芯褌 薪邪褕懈褟 屑薪芯谐芯 褉褟写褗泻 胁懈写. 袧懈械 蟹薪邪械屑 泻邪泻胁芯 褌褉褟斜胁邪 写邪 褋械 薪邪锌褉邪胁懈. 袠 泻芯谐邪褌芯 谐芯 锌褉邪胁懈屑, 芯泻芯褌芯 薪懈 薪械 褌褉械锌胁邪, 薪械 褋械 褉邪蟹薪械卸胁邪屑械 芯褌 褔褍胁褋褌胁邪.鈥�
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鈥炐撔恍把佈娧� 薪邪 芯褋褌褉懈械褌芯鈥�:
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鈥炐熝€械写懈 写邪 褍胁懈褋薪邪褌 薪邪 胁褗卸械褌芯鈥�:
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July 7, 2019
This review is for all three books in the First Law trilogy. I was set to name this as the greatest fantasy trilogy that I've ever read. And yet the ending hit me so hard that I just can't muster up the enthusiasm that I had halfway through Book 3. Not to say that this isn't brilliant in so many ways. And while I respect the view of humanity as an honest and not unreasonable critique, it's hard to be quite as enthusiastic about something that, in the end, is so dark. Viewing our current society, from Hitler to Trump, it's clear that power and selfishness dominates. But unfortunately, as a thematic conclusion, it's depressing. Truth hurts.
That said, this is one of the most compelling fantasy trilogies that I've ever read. It's merciless and brutal, but for all that, it feels honest. Abercrombie does just about everything right. The characters are all fascinating and compelling. They are believable and yet also surprising. Sometimes they make choices exactly as you expect, and other times they are driven by motives that were just under the surface, which you didn't recognize. The dialogue is excellent and realistic. The plot is complex and never boring yet not overwhelming. Abercrombie masterfully, and I mean masterfully, ratchets up the tension slowly and carefully. The drama builds and builds and builds, to a point where I was literally shouting at the book. I had to know what happened next, and it had to happen quickly. He manages atmosphere quite well, with diverse tones ranging across heartless cruelty, ironic comedy, awkward realism, and eerie horror. Something that seems obvious but I have found to be a weakness for many authors is actual physical movement and physical struggles. Abercrombie is quite good at describing all the physical aspects of movement, human contact, fighting and warfare. Even his sex scenes aren't ludicrous because they are uniquely character based. The overall fantasy worldbuilding is outstanding. Everything holds together as a concrete and coherent place. Thematically, Abercrombie seems to be exploring what forces drive us human animals. And whether there is an opportunity for us to become "better." More humane humans, if you will. His answer in the end is, well...not really. With some nuance, there are opportunities. If the weather is right and the world gives you a window...briefly. But the opportunity and timing is rare, and given the more typical unfairness that life has to offer, it brings out the selfishness inside everyone. We each do just what we think we have to do. Abercrombie also explores gender relations to interesting effect. He manages to create strong female characters, and yet show how they are trapped and controlled by patriarchal society. Hello Kavanaugh. Oh, and we shouldn't forget social class and wealth, which is another thematic area Abercrombie investigates.
This 3,000+ page story follows a diverse group of individuals through a story that sprawls across a couple years. Two wars are fought almost simultaneously along with a mission to retrieve a powerful magical artifact that could turn the tide of the battles. One country is facing off against two enemies and political intrigue dogs every step of the struggle. Magical forces have taken sides as well. You'll find yourself surprised by the twists and turns this series takes. I certainly was.
The main characters encompass: a powerful and pompous ancient wizard, a barbarian (of sorts) and one of the greatest fighters alive who can speak to spirits, a female with a demonic ancestor in her past who is also a great warrior, an arrogant soldier of noble birth and his friend, a skilled soldier of common birth and his sister, who is strong-willed, witty and aggressive. And last but not least, the most sympathetic torturer that you are likely to ever encounter in literature. Yes, truly, you will be rooting for this torturer to succeed throughout the entire series.
In the end, most of the story threads are resolved and come together in a way that overall satisfies...although as we know, life isn't fair so Abercrombie leaves us with a few intentionally unresolved events and an uncertain future. I just did a little interwebs research and discovered there is another trilogy set to continue this story. Well, well. We shall see.
I was truly blown away by this series and highly recommend it to any fans of fantasy. Or for those readers interested in taking a dip into an incredibly well-crafted and literary fantasy series (as long as you don't turn away from some brutal violence). This is a great work that stands outside the mainstream of fantasy.
That said, this is one of the most compelling fantasy trilogies that I've ever read. It's merciless and brutal, but for all that, it feels honest. Abercrombie does just about everything right. The characters are all fascinating and compelling. They are believable and yet also surprising. Sometimes they make choices exactly as you expect, and other times they are driven by motives that were just under the surface, which you didn't recognize. The dialogue is excellent and realistic. The plot is complex and never boring yet not overwhelming. Abercrombie masterfully, and I mean masterfully, ratchets up the tension slowly and carefully. The drama builds and builds and builds, to a point where I was literally shouting at the book. I had to know what happened next, and it had to happen quickly. He manages atmosphere quite well, with diverse tones ranging across heartless cruelty, ironic comedy, awkward realism, and eerie horror. Something that seems obvious but I have found to be a weakness for many authors is actual physical movement and physical struggles. Abercrombie is quite good at describing all the physical aspects of movement, human contact, fighting and warfare. Even his sex scenes aren't ludicrous because they are uniquely character based. The overall fantasy worldbuilding is outstanding. Everything holds together as a concrete and coherent place. Thematically, Abercrombie seems to be exploring what forces drive us human animals. And whether there is an opportunity for us to become "better." More humane humans, if you will. His answer in the end is, well...not really. With some nuance, there are opportunities. If the weather is right and the world gives you a window...briefly. But the opportunity and timing is rare, and given the more typical unfairness that life has to offer, it brings out the selfishness inside everyone. We each do just what we think we have to do. Abercrombie also explores gender relations to interesting effect. He manages to create strong female characters, and yet show how they are trapped and controlled by patriarchal society. Hello Kavanaugh. Oh, and we shouldn't forget social class and wealth, which is another thematic area Abercrombie investigates.
This 3,000+ page story follows a diverse group of individuals through a story that sprawls across a couple years. Two wars are fought almost simultaneously along with a mission to retrieve a powerful magical artifact that could turn the tide of the battles. One country is facing off against two enemies and political intrigue dogs every step of the struggle. Magical forces have taken sides as well. You'll find yourself surprised by the twists and turns this series takes. I certainly was.
The main characters encompass: a powerful and pompous ancient wizard, a barbarian (of sorts) and one of the greatest fighters alive who can speak to spirits, a female with a demonic ancestor in her past who is also a great warrior, an arrogant soldier of noble birth and his friend, a skilled soldier of common birth and his sister, who is strong-willed, witty and aggressive. And last but not least, the most sympathetic torturer that you are likely to ever encounter in literature. Yes, truly, you will be rooting for this torturer to succeed throughout the entire series.
In the end, most of the story threads are resolved and come together in a way that overall satisfies...although as we know, life isn't fair so Abercrombie leaves us with a few intentionally unresolved events and an uncertain future. I just did a little interwebs research and discovered there is another trilogy set to continue this story. Well, well. We shall see.
I was truly blown away by this series and highly recommend it to any fans of fantasy. Or for those readers interested in taking a dip into an incredibly well-crafted and literary fantasy series (as long as you don't turn away from some brutal violence). This is a great work that stands outside the mainstream of fantasy.
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