A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie

[Greg]

Abercrombie returns to the land of the Bloody Nine and the First Law series. It seems like he was shaking off the onus of doing a YA series (Half a King, et al) and really amped up the sex, violence and gore. And the misery. This novel feels more like a Charles Dickens depiction of the workhouses than it does a fantasy novel.

I must say I spent a lot of time trying to figure out who was related to who from the First Law books. Abercrombie makes no allowances for what has gone before. He just starts right in and goes. A little preamble might be nice.

Everybody in the books still has their cynicism ramped up to 11. A few of the characters want hope but most are still down to practicality.

There were plenty of fight scenes. Lots of discussion of swordplay. Lots of squalor. 

Now, Abercrombie stated he planned out all three books in the trilogy before he did any of the writing. This book feels like it's just get started and I have no idea where it is going or what the thrust of the series will be.

In the end, I'm confused by the book. It's a well told tale but I don't know what it's supposed to be about. It could very well be set up. Maybe the workers who rose up against factory owners will be rewarded with better lives. But this is Abercrombie so I doubt it. Everyone has their place and it doesn't do anyone any good to try and leave their appointed place.

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

Finished it. Enjoyed it. It is all set up, ushering out the old, ushering in the new. It ends badly for many, others are just doing the death-spiral, still others might rise above the muck. A grim tale told with grimness and grim humor with grim prose. Did I mention the “grim” part?

Of course I loved it.

[Greg]

The Trouble with Peace by Joe Abercrombie

I thought I heard the full title should be "The Trouble with Peace is that it never lasts"

Such is the case here. It's still all grim. Peoples deeds are all dark. Nothing is ever clear cut. There are terrible repercussions for trying to do the right thing.

I was reading along thinking this was more of the same bleakness but I found just a tad bit of hope in the story. I continue to empathize with Rikke, Caul Shivers and the Northmen. I really like Clover's practical guide to war and how he approaches everything. I hate the reflections of our society in the book and how awful everything is, but on point.

I have the terrible feeling I need to start at the beginning with these books and get the full story all in one fell swoop.

I keep expecting The Bloody Nine to pop up. His ghost seems to always be there in the shadows.

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

It is better than the first book, utterly grim with surprising humor. The ending surprised me. He's one of my fave writers

[Greg]

The Wisdom of Crowds by Joe Abercrombie

The conclusion of the Age of Madness trilogy. Sort of. But these things never at this point

The revolutions continues to roll over the Union. People are being sentenced to death for treason in job lots. All of the heroes are in peril. And oddly there are two stories going on that don't really connect. They have Black Rikke in the North fighting to hold on to her throne while in the South, the Young Lion, King Orso, Savine and the rest deal with the Great Change. Rikke had the better story, but I did see the backstabbing coming. As for the union, time and again people are offered opportunities for redemption but they don't take them. I really hoped for a change in Savine, but the attraction of power was too much for her to resist. In the end, the terrible people are still terrible.

Lots of events happened in the Union but in the end everyone was pretty much back where they started only a few people were sitting in different seats.

And the conclusion sets up the next series of books.