Mike he was one of my absolute favs. I can almost SEE him as described in “the Heroes”.
Bless his heart as my mother would say.
Just like I may have said above: Abercrombie creates legends and them throws them into a furnace of hell.
I finished the first book this weekend, and just loved it. So good.
I really, really, really like how the second book starts immediately with just like another chapter, it could have been the next chapter in the previous book, it’s that seamless. More series should do that.
So Joe’s worldbuilding … I am not sure it ends up adding up. I’d love to hear an opinion. ALL f his plot threads re: worldbuilding never … well…
Characters he is good at. Unique action situations … yes. Worldbuilding and story?
Scott I am at the end of a re-read of the first so I am dogging you. Yes extremely excellent. ALL characters In the first book get BETTER. Truly all characters get better --three trees, Logan, even that tool empire guy that fences.
And Black Dow.
I recently completed 40 hyperbaric therapy ‘dives’; that’s 2 hours a day, 5 days a week, for 8 weeks. Locked into a steel container like a submarine with no access to electronics all there really is to do is to read. During that time I (re)read The First Law Trilogy, Red Country, The Heroes and Best Served Cold. As the acclaimed wordsmith, Grim, himself would probably say… “I’ve no complaints.”
Also, “That’s a fucking beautiful ceiling.”
So nice to see the Abercrombie love!
Have you read Sharp Ends?
Peach he has excellent woodcraft, and even better when you listen on audio.
But I am not sure in the end we had a world story. Let’s give it 30 days here in this thread for many others to finish the books and then discuss,
Oh and anyone really interested grab a map.
Sharp Ends! Yes, had forgotten about that book of short stories (set in First Law world).
I’ve also read a couple of his YA ventures (“Half” series?) which I though were well done but give me the undiluted Lord Grimdark any day.
My son (14 & 15 at the time) tore through the “Half” series and adored it. He used as a launchpad into the First Law series and had a bit of a shock. He powered through and is now a rabid Abercombie fan.
He is, however, forbidden from reading Richard K. Morgan despite his attempts to equate First Law with “The Steel Remains”.
Ok while Joe (if I may call him that) may do a great job at (1) action sequences (good heavens yes), and (2) crazy legendary characters (just the rumor of the Bloody Nine) I am NOT sure (3) the world-building makes sense in the end.
When some of you finish the First Law series and get into the other 3 we should discuss what he was trying to go with his a vis “The Union” and it’s enemies and… what the hell? And yes it is a criticism because I am not sure … well ok I won’t say anything else until we have more that say they finished at least the first 6 books.
As an aside it might help to look at the First law maps on google. Just to figure out the locations he is talking about.
I’d agree that Abercrombie’s characters and set pieces are superb, and that his world building, while intriguing, lacks a certain coherency. But I never found it disconcerting, really. After all, there’s so much weird stuff going on that mere matters of political jockeying and warfare seem almost secondary.
I believe Abercrombie time and again makes fun of world-building as a fantasy trope. I don’t think it is an accident that it seems sort of slapped together; it’s meant to be a poke at those who take so seriously the lore of Middle Earth, of Westeros, pore over maps, etc.
Could be, and if so, I commend him. While there are some fantasy literature worlds that really work, and justify a bit of obsession, most are pretty much recycled dreck.
I believe this is kind of the ‘theme’ he heavily borrowed from A Song of Fire and Ice. In both stories there’s a whole lot of political games being played which mean nothing once Magic! gets fired back up in the world.
Damn you guys are making me want to re-read these again.
I agree with most of the above. I am on “Before they are Hanged” on a re-read.
Gosh talk about the worst D n D group ever … I do think ol Joe mocks fantasy conventions. Worldbuilding and even storytelling. Think about the classes/characters that go “west” with Logan.
Mage, Barbarian, fencer(?), little demon, apprentice (total weirdo) and the new class: Navigator!
BTW and this is NOT an audible plug --but the narraton of Joe’s books is pretty great. Not everything is read well but I think it is Stephen pacey --does a great job getting the characters.
A lot of the narration is the thoughts of the first person (cripple, fencer, nine fingers) and it is particularly good how he can switch.
(hey as an aside – take a few days and read “True Grit” or listen to the masterful audible version – what a classic.)
I am not shilling for audible! I just happen to be constantly listening to a book on tape --as we used to say.
So I reread the trilogy because of this thread title.
Say one thing about Joe Abercrombie, he doesn’t waste your time. It’s a dark fucking forest and it’s so cold your fingers are gonna fall off. Something like that. Shit happens, then move on and tell you the next interesting thing that happens.
Say one thing about Logan Nine-fingers: he’s a survivor.
Wise you are so right. That IS a dark fucking forest. Those are cliffs. That is an axe aimed at your head.
Damn series does not mess around.
BTW above discussion of worldbuilding. I agree he semi-mocks worldbuilding a bit. But maybe in spite of himself he created a strange world (check the maps out on google) that we’d like to know better. I still don’t get this overarching story with these mages and the maker blah blah. But who cares. When Logan starts getting realistic it just doesn’t fricken matter.