Took me a little while to warm up to this one but when it all started kicking off I was gripped and couldn't get enough. Can't wait to read the next oTook me a little while to warm up to this one but when it all started kicking off I was gripped and couldn't get enough. Can't wait to read the next one. ...more
Absolutely phenomenal geopolitical wide-scope fantasy. A breath-taking and criminally underrated text. Feels like a mix of the wide-raging impact of MAbsolutely phenomenal geopolitical wide-scope fantasy. A breath-taking and criminally underrated text. Feels like a mix of the wide-raging impact of Martin's Game of Thrones and the fast-paced narrative structure of Gemmell's Drenai series. Having read Liu's translations of The Three Body Problem and Death's End, I definitely felt a similarity in the narrative voice (which is only a good thing!) I am very interested to see where this series goes next....more
Red Country was a very enjoyable read. Abercrombie keeps our interest in the First Law world with his stunning characters, witty dialogue, and captivaRed Country was a very enjoyable read. Abercrombie keeps our interest in the First Law world with his stunning characters, witty dialogue, and captivating writing style. I wouldn't say this was my favourite of his works, but that being said 'Best Served Cold' and 'The Heroes' are difficult books to better and this novel was still a blast from beginning to end.
Red Country follows the life and times of Shy South and her reserved 'shy' step-father Lamb and how their world is torn apart when Shy's younger siblings are kidnapped by a vile group of bandits. It's fairly normal stuff and I would say that this feels like the most down-to-earth novel I've read of Abercrombie's. It almost doesn't even feel like a fantasy book. There's no magic in this one, no weird beings that can slip through walls, no big battles or world-shaking events. It is instead a very personal story, one that could be seen on the shelf of the 'Westerns based in fictional universes' section i your local book store. This take was rather refreshing and allowed the reader to be fully engrossed in the plights and tribulations of these characters. Being an Abercrombie book, a lot of things are grim, and that serves to evoke the tragic realism of a group of people travelling across a frightening arid landscape, some trying to save their loved ones, others simply attempting to find a life for themselves.
I feel of the three standalone Abercombie novels, this one is the only real one that can be truly appreciated by readers who hadn't read any of the previous novels. Unlike 'BSC' and 'Heroes' it has very limited ties to the previous works and the few characters that do return can be fully understood and appreciated for who they are in this particular novel. Take Lamb for instance, for Abercombie readers coming into this as their sixth Abercrombie, it's fairly easy to spot that Lamb isn't what he appears to be and is in fact a rather major character from the original trilogy. However, Abercrombie deals with Lamb's story with the touch of a master. A new reader can attempt to piece together who, or what, Lamb used to be with the small mentions and hints throughout the story without really needing to know more about him. They could wonder and speculate and read this about a character with a dark secret past, rather different to the Abercrombie fan reading it as the distant secret future of a warrior unforgotten. Lamb's true name is never mentioned in the whole of Red Country , and his past actions are barely referred to. This creates a suitable divide between the present and past Lamb that disassociates him with the previous novels and allows his tale to be enjoyable to any reader that picks this up. Shy was a very entertaining central character and Temple was an excellent addition to the cast. Abercrombie just fills his world with believable varied people. It was great to see Shivers come back and have somewhat of a satisfying resolution to his character arc. Cosca’s return was somewhat more random and his role shift was striking. In past volumes he was always a bit of eccentric comic-relief. A violent and grim character, as are they all, but always one of the ones who was there to make people laugh, with his wild philosophising and his goat. This time however he comes across as a darker villainous figure, and quite a tragic individual. I spent the novel wanting him to fail, which was an unusual stance for me. This book was wonderful and the last 30 or so pages in particular were excellent, probably the best ending Abercrombie has written. I did have some gripes with the story though. I found the beginning to be rather slow and hard to get into. The novel really kicked off about a quarter of the way through. I find it had less of an impact on me as its two predecessors. I also felt there were certain things that would have benefited from more explanation. The Dragon People’s purpose, for instance. The Starikland rebels could also have done with a bit more fleshing out but it seemed like they were mainly being set up for future novels.
All in all, Red Country was another fantastic installment of the First Law series and I am eager for more to come. Go Abercrombie! ...more
This book is breathtaking. The ultimate sum of it's parts, 'The Heroes' is a perfect display of Abercrombie at his absolute best: grim, brutal, vivid,This book is breathtaking. The ultimate sum of it's parts, 'The Heroes' is a perfect display of Abercrombie at his absolute best: grim, brutal, vivid, real, and intensely moving. I fell in love with this novel early on and that feeling still hasn't gone away even after I turned its last page. It's a story that made me want to finish work as soon as possible so I could go back to it. An experience that had me thinking about it hours after it ended. It is a phenomenal ride, one that has pushed this into the ranks of my favourites of all time.
What I love about this novel (the same reason I loved 'Best Served Cold') is that it doesn't need to dwell on worldbuilding. The necessary stage-setting has all been dealt with in the original 'First Law' trilogy allowing Abercrombie to take the characters we've already come to know, put them in a separate independent story, and focus so finely on it that it has the amount of depth, realism, and time to make this story extremely satisfying.
I feel like I learn something new every time I read an Abercrombie novel. He goes into his work with so much heart and intelligence with lessons and analyses of all types of human nature, inviting you to think of the nature of humanity when the odds are completely stacked against them. It is an incredibly human novel in an inhuman world and the characters that inhabit it are beautifully, achingly real.
The military tactics shown indicated a real amount of research into Medieval battles, and the map of the ever fluctuated regimental tides with each passing day really aided the reader in gaining a full understanding of the battle in hand. There was so much thought put into the ins and outs of this novel. From the personal character-shaking stories of Gorst and Shivers, to the world-changing actions of Bayaz, First of the Magi. Each individual thread felt like all part of a plan for the world of the First Law, and it was incredibly exciting to see the world develop.
Gorst, Calder, and Craw were the three characters who received the most attention in the novel, and it shows clear skill that Abercrombie is able to evoke empathy with multiple viewpoints in this novel. You get a grand sense of how this battle affects everyone, not just the select few. With important moving choices being made by other characters such as Tunny, Finree, Beck, and Whirrun. Each individual stands out as a fully-realised character in a horrific situation. Some deal with it far better than others, but all of their reactions are entirely real and believable.
The sense of combat anarchy is achieved through selective description and a rapid writing-style during the most intense battle sequences. This served to place the reader directly in the midst of the battle. You feel like you are right in the middle of it all, with people fighting and dying all around you. It is seriously intense. And there are moments of pure brilliance like with the chapter 'Casualties' which follows a number of different people caught in the battle, the viewpoint swiftly moving to whoever killed them as you jump from sorry victim to sorry victim and witness the full extent of this battle's horrific brutality. If this doesn't show you the utter shit that is war, no novel will.
The themes were full explored and the genre-bending that Abercrombie is so known for is subtle, not in your face. Heroism, self-preservation, redemption, ambition, desire are ripe throughout and make this story what it truly is, an absolute masterpiece.
A brief and lovely look into a week in the life of Auri with beautiful verbose language and fascinating insight into the mind of this rather unusual cA brief and lovely look into a week in the life of Auri with beautiful verbose language and fascinating insight into the mind of this rather unusual character.
That is the book's premise and it does it very well. If you're looking for more than that, then look elsewhere. Try 'The Name of the Wind' perhaps and see for yourself why Rothfuss is one of the best authors out there today. This is simply a small episode of wild wonderful weirdness, not mind-blowing but enjoyable all the same....more
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