The First Law Trilogy
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- Create Date：2021-07-12 08:54:40
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Joe Abercrombie
- ISBN：1473213703
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Reviews
Nguyen Hoang Quan
，
It's pretty good， all in all。 The storyline is kind of eh， especially in the third book - everything got collapsed together and I couldn't find head or tail of what was going on， characters got killed almost randomly and served no great purpose， the hyped-up villain faction（s） just fizzled out like soap bubbles， and I felt like Logen and Jezal both regressed heavily from their situation in the second book。 On the other hand， taken as a whole the trilogy was a decent ride。 I especially enjoyed ch It's pretty good， all in all。 The storyline is kind of eh， especially in the third book - everything got collapsed together and I couldn't find head or tail of what was going on， characters got killed almost randomly and served no great purpose， the hyped-up villain faction（s） just fizzled out like soap bubbles， and I felt like Logen and Jezal both regressed heavily from their situation in the second book。 On the other hand， taken as a whole the trilogy was a decent ride。 I especially enjoyed character interactions and monologue and thoughts， to the point that the somewhat basic plot didn't bother me at all。 Had it resolved itself more competently， it would be a 5-star。 At least I didn't feel I wasted my time reading it。 。。。more
Jovita
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Well， have not read last book yet。 But love it！ Starts a but slowly， but like all the twists and characters。 Not keen on war parts， find it boring to read， but that ks probably expected from female readers :）
metempsicoso
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L'impresa è conclusa。 Devo dire che qualche difficoltà me l'ha data， principalmente。。。 Beh， per noia。So che questa serie viene spesso celebrata come una delle migliori del fantasy contemporaneo， nel mondo anglofono - o forse solo in quello americano。 Per quel che valgo， per me è stata un'esperienza senza grandi sprizzi d'entusiasmo e con livello medio di mediocrità。 Riconosco ad Abercrombie che il suo stile è più curato di quello di altri colleghi del genere - che poi， ovviamente， il paragone lo L'impresa è conclusa。 Devo dire che qualche difficoltà me l'ha data， principalmente。。。 Beh， per noia。So che questa serie viene spesso celebrata come una delle migliori del fantasy contemporaneo， nel mondo anglofono - o forse solo in quello americano。 Per quel che valgo， per me è stata un'esperienza senza grandi sprizzi d'entusiasmo e con livello medio di mediocrità。 Riconosco ad Abercrombie che il suo stile è più curato di quello di altri colleghi del genere - che poi， ovviamente， il paragone lo si fa sempre con Sanderson e chiunque， rispetto a Sanderson， è Dante Alighieri non appena aggiunge un aggettivo inusuale ad una proposizione。 Ma stiamo parlando di una grande penna？ Forse per il fantasy， di certo ampliando appena un poco la prospettiva credo che "senza infamia" sia una definizione onesta。 Non ci ho trovato nessuna bella frase davvero "pensata"， con palese labor limae per renderla tale。 Abercrombie è un narratore stilisticamente accorto， ma uno scrittore piccino。I tre volumi complessivamente hanno pochissima trama。 Il primo è un grosso preambolo utile a presentare i personaggi， il secondo la tipica tinozza di acqua gelida buttata dentro la pentola del brodo per allungarlo （con due trame principali che in realtà si rivelano， se non inutili， poco rilevanti） e il terzo tomo ha un ritmo claudicante nello svolgere e risolvere le poche questioni lasciate aperte， come tali， praticamente dall'inizio。 Alcuni fili rimangono sospesi， senza che nulla si sappia di un paio di personaggi。 Suppongo sia voluto， nella prospettiva di altri volumi。 Pur mettendo a segno un paio di svolte ben orchestrate - con elementi che ricompaiono dopo centinaia di pagine a sorpresa -， spesso i punti più salienti mi sono risultati abbastanza telefonati。 In sostanza， poca carne al fuoco - suddivisa su oltre 1800 pagine - e non squisita。 È una vicenda character-driven， ve lo diranno tutti。 E qui， come è ovvio， è tutta questione di gusti。 Le persone che prendono parola ti piacciono o meno: siamo umani。 Abercrombie ha il pallino di raccontare uomini schifosi， moralmente abbietti e umanamente esecrabili。 Te li racconta con minuzia e te li fa diventare simpatici， così da farti fare un po' di tifo。 In questo è bravo。 Ma ha un difetto enorme， per il mio gusto: non sa scrivere donne [e relazioni sentimentali， aggiungo]。 Così come gli uomini finiscono tutti per essere diverse sfumature del prototipo dello schifoso， allo stesso modo le donne sono tutte "fuori dalla società"， imprevedibili e irascibili。 Sono donne che vengono spacciate per indipendenti e forti， ma che il più delle volte vengono usate solo per scopi meramente narrativi e poi rapidamente eliminate， proprio perché donne （da notare bene: in tutta la compagnia， c'è solo un personaggio femminile， che è tra tutti il più debole， il meno approfondito e quello che viene dimesso nel modo più scadente dall'autore alla fine）。 Donne oggetto， che non riescono a stare al passo con la società fallocentrica， e oggettificate。 Riporto una citazione che credo renda bene l'idea:（view spoiler）[Sarò pure storpio， e orrendo， e costantemente sofferente， ma umiliare belle donne è un piacere che posso ancora godermi。 Adesso lo faccio con minacce e violenza， prima usavo dolci parole e preghiere， ma non cambia nulla。 Mi diverte oggi quanto allora。（hide spoiler）]Al di là della rappresentazione che Abercrombie vuole fare del suo mondo - perché ovviamente è libero di fare ciò che vuole -， come essere umano e come lettore io non posso non domandarmi se è accettabile che frasi come queste ancora trovino spazio nei libri di quella che è narrativa di consumo。 Perché？Perché scegliere di raccontare un mondo come questo？ Perché avere solo uomini così spietati e non una donna？ Credo che gli scrittori fantasy di oggi e di domani dovrebbero porsi proprio questo obbiettivo: scardinare 'sto maschilismo dalle loro storie。 Che ha pure rotto， che se ho voglia di leggere stronzi del genere vado sulla pagina Facebook di qualche fascista。Mi crei una storia dove esiste la magia e non riesci a concepirmi un personaggio femminile decente？ Eddai。 Che cazzo。 Ma sei uno scrittore o cosa？È vero che i personaggi di Abercrombie sono davvero ben raccontati， ma non so se voglio vederli raccontati。 E， soprattutto， essi sono immobili: non ce ne è uno che si sposti， anche solo di poco， dalla prima all'ultima di queste 1800 pagine。Infine， per quanto riguarda ambientazione e magia: non c'è niente， se non qualche dettaglio confuso。Deludente 1。 Il richiamo delle spade ⭐⭐⭐2。 Non prima che siano impiccati ⭐⭐ e mezzo3。 L'ultima ragione del re ⭐⭐ e mezzo 。。。more
Ben Watson
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I read this entire series， and though I did go through them all， I never really felt drawn to this world。 The characters are a bit flat in my opinion， the worlds， though vast feel pretty basic and on the odd occasion characters do things that feel out of character or act illogically。 I would however say that it could easily be my own bias at play here as this series is very popular。 I just felt for me it was too focussed on fight scenes and not enough on deep story。 The whole selling point for t I read this entire series， and though I did go through them all， I never really felt drawn to this world。 The characters are a bit flat in my opinion， the worlds， though vast feel pretty basic and on the odd occasion characters do things that feel out of character or act illogically。 I would however say that it could easily be my own bias at play here as this series is very popular。 I just felt for me it was too focussed on fight scenes and not enough on deep story。 The whole selling point for this is that its dark and gritty， but for me it never breaks from this tone enough for you to appreciate it。 Its still good， just not great。 。。。more
Calvin Biss
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Thoroughly enjoyable read with strong characters 。
Gareth
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Fantastic， some great characters so well described it just drew me in， the story telling was just superb。
Olga Raine
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Well， that was。。。 amazing really。I'm not all that easily impressed， but the power of writing， world-building and character creation is astounding。 And more so is that the author is perfectly capable to keep the pace and the tension and the reader's greatest interest for the whole of 2000 pages without EVER tripping over his feet or lowering the bar。Great characters， very lively dialogue， beautiful， cinematographic descriptions - and all that on the top of a really well thought-through plot with Well， that was。。。 amazing really。I'm not all that easily impressed， but the power of writing， world-building and character creation is astounding。 And more so is that the author is perfectly capable to keep the pace and the tension and the reader's greatest interest for the whole of 2000 pages without EVER tripping over his feet or lowering the bar。Great characters， very lively dialogue， beautiful， cinematographic descriptions - and all that on the top of a really well thought-through plot with lots of twists and turns。I don't remember being this happy with someone's writing for a very long time and think this book deserves to be A LOT more popular than it already is。 It's very much on par with Martin's saga， but Martin is a lot more painful （to me） to read and I usually prefer the entertainment that doesn't leave me bleeding and scarred。 Abercrombie is very good。 。。。more
Macha
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4 and a half stars。 the trilogy consists of The Blade Itself， Before They Are Hanged， and Last Argument of Kings。 Abercrombie places this work in the usual semi-medieval setting of this subgenre， complete with magic; but it is unusually a broadside against war， delineated in all its gritty， unsettling， and indecorous detail， and with all the destruction it causes front and center。 as such it's a profoundly cynical Point of View， expressed and/or disavowed by a collection of riveting and memorabl 4 and a half stars。 the trilogy consists of The Blade Itself， Before They Are Hanged， and Last Argument of Kings。 Abercrombie places this work in the usual semi-medieval setting of this subgenre， complete with magic; but it is unusually a broadside against war， delineated in all its gritty， unsettling， and indecorous detail， and with all the destruction it causes front and center。 as such it's a profoundly cynical Point of View， expressed and/or disavowed by a collection of riveting and memorable figures in the thick of it， including an unsung hero of。。。 the Inquisition。 but though it's pointed， it's also passionate。 it loves its setting， and its characters - and inventing ever-new obstacles to strew in their path， too。 it sets them up， it knocks them down， then they （mostly） get up to do it all over again。 you've got to admire their perseverance。 and i kind of love all the writing， the wicked joy of it， the world， built up over time over a thousand years only to be torn down again。 is it the human condition？ all that striving， all that building， all that care expended， to make something thought of as permanent， like say civilization， only to half-willfully， half-unwittingly， fail to preserve it （the status quo， or the dearly desired， or the dastardly plans） once again。 is it inevitable， or not？ read on。 because it also reads really well， rollicking from page to page and from book to book with a zest and breakneck pace that make the whole work difficult to put down。 along the way all the usual stock figures are made fresh， and all the conventions are subverted， and the result is one of those breath-of-fresh-air new standards that may change the genre as a whole for the better。 。。。more
Martin Corrigan
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A very thin but enjoyable plot made into a must-read by one of the best Authors around today。I could spend every day of the rest of my life reading the prose and character development of this series， in that respect it's almost perfect。 If I could give it 6 stars I would happily do so。Perhaps some folks wouldn't enjoy it as much as me， there's a story in there but it's rarely the focus， what sets it apart is Joe Abercrombie making you empathise with psychotic murderers or rash young fools who do A very thin but enjoyable plot made into a must-read by one of the best Authors around today。I could spend every day of the rest of my life reading the prose and character development of this series， in that respect it's almost perfect。 If I could give it 6 stars I would happily do so。Perhaps some folks wouldn't enjoy it as much as me， there's a story in there but it's rarely the focus， what sets it apart is Joe Abercrombie making you empathise with psychotic murderers or rash young fools who do little with what they are given。 His choice of phrasing and word-choice also seems to set the mood of any given scene just right。Masterful！ 。。。more
Robi Grigio。Fumo
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Joe Abercrombie sta entrando prepotentemente e a gamba tesa nell'olimpo dei miei scrittori fantasy preferiti， questo ormai è assodato。Sarà la sua vena ironicamente nichilistica， la sua visione disillusa del mondo e dell'animo umano che però continua a coltivare una flebile， anche se spesso inutile， speranza。I suoi personaggi sono terribilmente complessi， buoni e cattivi allo stesso tempo， anime perse prede della vendetta， del rancore， della follia， della brama di potere o vittime， corpi spez Joe Abercrombie sta entrando prepotentemente e a gamba tesa nell'olimpo dei miei scrittori fantasy preferiti， questo ormai è assodato。Sarà la sua vena ironicamente nichilistica， la sua visione disillusa del mondo e dell'animo umano che però continua a coltivare una flebile， anche se spesso inutile， speranza。I suoi personaggi sono terribilmente complessi， buoni e cattivi allo stesso tempo， anime perse prede della vendetta， del rancore， della follia， della brama di potere o vittime， corpi spezzati， in balia dei venti di cambiamento di cui non sono neppure a conoscenza， eppure non potrete fare a meno di amarli， TUTTI。 Ci sarà， in questo tomo mastodontico， chi è impegnato in quest dall'altra parte del mondo che non andranno come devono， chi si troverà costretto a fare patti assurdi per salvare la pelle， chi cercherà vendetta per i torti subiti， chi la vendetta ha smesso di volerla ma ne è comunque perseguitato， chi si troverà a gestire imprese troppo più grandi di lui， e in tanti torneranno alla terra。La Prima Legge non è solo una trilogia fantasy， è un viaggio bellissimo e terribile con destinazione il profondo di ognuno di noi。。。 un viaggio sporco， graffiante， violento tra i ghiacci del nord fino agli sconfinati deserti del sud。。。tra magi dalle arti oscure e mangiatori di carne umana， tra uomini induriti dal sangue e dal freddo e flaccidi damerini che giocano alla guerra。。。。。。ma una volta giunto al termine del viaggio， avrai il coraggio di guardare nello specchio il nero della tua anima ？ "Ognuno dovrebbe perdonare i propri nemici， ma non prima che siano impiccati。" 。。。more
Eva
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Overall a very interesting trilogy， a good introduction to Abercrombie’s world， stakes and dynamics。 Compared to the first two books， which were indeed very exciting while not plot-driven， I felt the third one faltered due to a change in the successful recipe。 There was significantly more action in the third book， and while that choice was "realistic" for the resolution of the two main plotlines， it took time away from what made the books special for me。 Instead of focusing so much on self-ref Overall a very interesting trilogy， a good introduction to Abercrombie’s world， stakes and dynamics。 Compared to the first two books， which were indeed very exciting while not plot-driven， I felt the third one faltered due to a change in the successful recipe。 There was significantly more action in the third book， and while that choice was "realistic" for the resolution of the two main plotlines， it took time away from what made the books special for me。 Instead of focusing so much on self-reflection and inner monologue in response to interactions with other characters， most protagonists found themselves reacting to violence。 As someone who does not really care for battle scenes in books， while these were definitely well written， after a while I couldn't really find myself caring about what body part one's sword slashed through （although I greatly appreciated the Bloody Nine fight scenes and especially the one against the Shanka in Aulcus）。For that same reason I felt like the characters took the back seat in the third installment （always compared to the first two tomes）。 Jezal， for example， whose headspace we occupied for so long and whose evolution I really cared about， found himself in a tricky situation in the third book - but his POV was not adequately explored。 I struggled to “follow” him， it felt as if I hardly knew him at some points; one could argue that since he himself is lost it could not have been any other way， but I think the blame lies at least in part with the limited time he is given throughout this transition。 Another example is that of Ferro， who was treated rather badly by the author in the last volume。 Much like Bayaz， who turns out to care solely for the role the characters play in his master plan （rather than for the characters themselves）， Abercrombie does not really pay attention to Ferro in the final novel。 She seems to hang around only to be a conduit for the power of the Seed and then she disappears。 That being said， I really liked what Abercrombie tried to do with the series - and even though I found the fates of some characters extremely sad and unfulfilling， I wholeheartedly understood why these choices were made given the overall tone of the story。 I just wish they were equally fleshed-out in all three novels。Character-wise， we find some of the most multilayered， despicable and at the same time exciting individuals that come to mind。While I didn’t really care about the Bayaz/ Khalul feud （it was more of a vehicle to expose the magus’s true nature - but I reserve judgment for further novels）， it was really interesting to see the shift in perspective when it came to Bayaz’s motivations。 It is very refreshing having a wizard who is not all-powerful， but rather cunning， resourceful， strategic and authoritarian。 People like to watch the pretty puppets， Superior。 Even a glimpse of the puppeteer can be most upsetting for them。 Why， they might even suddenly notice the strings around their own wristsPower makes all things right。 That is my first law， and my last。 That is the only law that I acknowledge。 I also appreciated the thread that linked most of the principal POVs of the story。 Can people change？ What drives that change？ How easy is it to fall back on one’s old habits？ Jezal （arguably my favorite character in the series） is a prime example of that theme。 While annoying and arrogant， I found him to be sympathetic from the get-go。 He starts off as a product of his upbringing; haughty， thinking he is better than the commoners and expecting to have an exceptional life as if by divine right。 At the same time， though， I saw a person trapped in his preconceived notions of what his life should be， someone who made decisions for all the wrong reasons: he wanted to secure a high-responsibility post without being interested in what such a reality will entail， his decision to actually put in his best efforts for the contest stemmed from his desire to impress a girl， and he did not commit to the one person he cared about due to her inferior status。 All and all， he reminded me of a child who hasn’t grown up， and who has yet to see the world through his own eyes - whether that will eventually mean disappointing others or even himself。 His adventures throughout book 2 spark his change: his incompetence puts things in perspective， and he finally sees himself through a more realistic lense。 He reassesses his priorities。 Granted， he does not transform into an angel， or a brave warrior， yet the change is significant。 Upon returning to Adua he partly slips back into his old ways - accepting promotions without earning them etc。 - but even so he is a different man who finally shows some potential for who he can be。 After his coronation， however， his potential was squandered and I really ached for him - his evolution did not matter in the end， he would forever be a pawn in Bayaz’s master plan。 He seems to bargain for what little he can do his own way， but I doubt his determination will remain unwavering in such a stifling environment。 What a waste。 Logen ， in the beginning， seemed like the moral of the bunch - he had a wisdom and stoic take on everything。 That continues to be the case as we move forward， but his image is tainted by the revelations of his past and particularly of the role he had to play in Bethod’s rise to power。 He tries， however - even though his history and his circumstances do not allow for a new path after all。 The sad thing was that Logen had felt more warmth and more trust with Ferro and Jezal， Byaz and Quai， than he did with his own kind now。 They’d been a difficult set of bastards， each in their own way。 It wasn’t that he really understood them， or even liked them much， but Logen had liked himself when he was with them。 Out there in the deserted west of the world， he’d been a man you could rely on。 A man with no bloody history breathing on his shoulder， no name blacker than hell， no need to watch his back every moment。 A man with hopes for something better。Logen wanted to feel as they did。 He wanted to weep for the death of a good man， for the fact that he might have been the one to cause it。 But the tears wouldn't come。 … he felt less than nothing。 If 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 but the same old person。。。 He played at being a different man but it had all been lies。 The hardest kind to see through， the kind you tell yourself。Blood gets you nothing but more blood。 It follows me now， always， like my shadow， and like my shadow I can never be free of it。 I should never be free of it。 I’ve earned it。 I’ve deserved it。 I’ve sought it out。 Such is my punishment。 Ferro I did not like initially。 But she grew on me - her trauma， her single-mindedness， her stubborn desire for revenge that prevailed over all else。 She changed as well - unwillingly， begrudgingly， but change she did。 It saddened me to see her unable to move on to a more fulfilling life， and instead endlessly pursuing vengeance。 But at least in the end （contrary to Jezal） she had agency， she made a choice to continue with her quest （although one could argue that her decision was the only possible one for her， and therefore no choice at all）。 And is vengeance all you think of， every minute of every day， your only desire？’ ‘Yes。’ ‘Hurting them？ Killing them？ Ending them？’ ‘Yes！’ ‘You want nothing for yourself？’ She paused。 ‘What？’ ‘For yourself。 What do you want？’ She stared at the old man suspiciously， but no reply came to her。 Yulwei shook his head sadly。 ‘It seems to me， Ferro Maljinn， that you are as much a slave as you ever were。 Or ever could be。 Glokta ， to the contrary， has no arc。 At least not one explored in real time during the course of the novels。 His transformation has occurred prior to the events of the trilogy - it is successful and it is complete。 This version of himself - bitter， self-loathing and constantly in pain - has been stripped of all delusions of grandeur。 He does awful things， but not out of malice。 Sure， he has no scruples， but neither does he revel in his depravity。 He unflinchingly goes through with what needs to be done， but not sadistically - rather pragmatically : that else is there for a cripple to do？ He often wonders why he does the things he does - but more as a musing on his degradation: it's not as if he goes out of his way to be redeemed。 So he does what he knows best， and what he does so well。 Always with a twisted sense of humor and with profound self-hatred。 And in doing so he offers us unique insights to the inner workings of the corrupt government。 Having lost everything， death， would be a relief for him。 But Glokta is nothing if not a sore loser - so he plays the game to win， or rather not to lose。 And he ends up better off than most characters。 Perhaps that is the only way to exist in Abercrombie's world。 Play your part， be conscious of your freedoms （or rather of the lack thereof）， have no expectations and perceive anything even remotely enjoyable as a lucky bonus。I really liked the structure of the novel - you follow the characters， but （while it all leads to something） you are not certain what “chapter” of each person’s life you will see next。 Thus you get to know the characters separately， and then you witness how they change upon interacting with others。 Abercromie’s writing serves the story well。 It took me a while getting used to a language that is not particularly “lyrical”， but the work put into it is evident in other ways。 The descriptions are very cinematic - and i do not just refer to the descriptions of the surroundings - but mostly to the character’s inner thoughts。 Each has a distinct “voice” - something which becomes blatantly apparent when their POVs converge during the visit to the House of the Maker。 Each takes mental notes of different aspects of the environment， all in keeping with their character。 Jezal， always used to feeling superior， remarks on the aspects of the environment that make him seem small and insignificant。 Logen， always on the lookout for possible danger， notices the stale， stagnant air。 Glokta， his physical suffering always in the background， is filled with questions - his inquisitive nature does not only serve for his profession。 Finally， my sincere congratulations to Steven Pacey ， who really did elevate the story with his narration。 。。。more
Keyla Damaer
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Book 1In a grim dark world， where hunger， blood， and pain to various degrees are prevalent， a mysterious mage returns to Adua to claim his place on the Closed Council， putting together all the other characters of the novel， Sand dan Glokta， the crippled interrogator， Jezal Luthar， the dandy rich fencer， Logen， the ruthless mercenary， and others。 Each one has its own POV， an approach that I personally love in worldbuilding。 Skimming other reviews on various sites， I see these are the characters e Book 1In a grim dark world， where hunger， blood， and pain to various degrees are prevalent， a mysterious mage returns to Adua to claim his place on the Closed Council， putting together all the other characters of the novel， Sand dan Glokta， the crippled interrogator， Jezal Luthar， the dandy rich fencer， Logen， the ruthless mercenary， and others。 Each one has its own POV， an approach that I personally love in worldbuilding。 Skimming other reviews on various sites， I see these are the characters everyone mentions。 Among them， Glokta is definitely the one who limped into my heart with his dark， witty humour。 A tormented soul， but aren't those the best ones？ I was surprised by the fact that no one mentions Ferro in their reviews， the only woman with a POV。 Ferro， the former slave who escaped her captives now lives only for one reason: revenge。 The author doesn't dedicate many chapters to her story， but I believe， or perhaps it's just a hope， that she'll be more central in the rest of the trilogy。There's also another woman in the story， Ardee， but she has no POV。 We only see her through the others’ eyes。 His brother， Major West， vain Jezal who for once behaves like the gentleman he’s not， and Glokta， of course。As you can imagine by now， I loved this book。 The characters are all unique and reach out to the reader with their unmistakable voice。 The only part that really really bored me was Logan’s last chapter。 It was like it would never end—as a matter of fact， I think it's the longest chapter of the book—and I’m sure some readers loved it for that same reason。 Sorry， but I can’t tell more because 。。。 spoilers。That said， there are a few things that I didn’t like。First， the formatting quality。 I purchased my copy on Amazon， so the issue may be limited to their edition。 Many times， I found myself having to read back entire paragraphs to understand what was happening。 There are many scene breaks in the middle of the scene exactly where they aren't supposed to be。 One would expect that an author with a publishing house at their back would have decent formatting。 Alas， that was not the case with my copy。 Shit happens。On top of these， there’s a scene where West and Jezal names are misplaced and some typos throughout the book。 These aren’t as relevant as the scene breaks that shouldn’t be there and that made my read-through harder than it should have been。Formatting aside， if you want to read something that goes along the lines of A Song of Ice and Fire without too many names to remember and better-developed characters—not to mention the fact that there no need to wait for twenty years to read the end。。。 if that ever happens—then go for it。 I made the mistake to purchase only book one and then risk spending too much for the rest of the trilogy。Book 2Before They Are Hanged is the second instalment of the First Law Trilogy。 We find the characters where we had left them。 My favourite one， the torturer Glokta is in Dagoka trying to discover what happened to his predecessor， vanished in mysterious circumstances and to save the city from the Gurkish’s siege。Dandy Jedzal left for the Edge of the World with an improbable company， the magus Bayaz， Ferro the relentless former Gulkish’s slave， Ninefingers the ruthless mercenary， and Quai， the magus’ apprentice。West is in the North trying to win a war on the second front， with the Crowned Prince Ladisla and a bunch of Northmen at his side。I must say that once again Abercrombie delivers what promised。 More torture， more crazy magical adventures， and more battles （even too many IMO， especially towards the end）。 Again， some people will love those chapters。 Not me。 Still， I read on because I couldn’t stop。 This isn’t a book you can put down easily。 But when I finished I was like， noooo。 Is it already over？ Why？ Why？ Why？I wasn’t disappointed by Glotka’s path。 He gets to a point where I expected him to go and makes several decisions that undoubtedly may bite his arse in the third book。 His biting sarcasm is always a great joy to read。 It kind of reminds me of myself。The chapter ‘Allies’ has one of the most wonderful dialogues in the two books。What kind of surprised me was West。 However， that’s probably my fault。 I dismissed his behaviour in the chapter ‘Nobody’s Dog’ in book 1 as total assholery and that was a mistake。 It’s an unsettling character。 Cathil， a girl who is following the army， describes him as ‘too angry for me’。 And now to what I didn’t like。 Despite buying this edition on a different site from Amazon， I still found some typos and mistakes。 I’ll add some screenshots below， just so you know that if that’s the kind of stuff you can’t handle when reading a book， this one’s not for you。 This time， there wasn’t any issue with the formatting， so my reading was smoother than with the previous book （for reference to book one， here’s the review）。I’m having certain expectations about the future of some characters and I don’t know if I prefer to be surprised or disappointed。 Probably the former。All in all， this book was a page-turner exactly like the first one。 On with book 3。Book 3The Last Arguments of Kings is the third and last instalment of the First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie。 It’s a book packed with battles。 There’s war in the north， war in the capital， war everywhere。Superior Glokta is back in Adua， the capital， where he has to deal with more political intrigues than ever before。West is forced to take the lead by the circumstances and doesn’t get too battered in the first part of the book。Logen is Logen and being back in the north he can only do harm。Ferro is in Adua with the First of the Magi to fulfil her destiny， but how can she after the flop in book two？ Well， I had a feeling about how this would happen and I was right。 After all， there wasn’t any other option， and I say this from an author’s point of view。And last， of all there’s Jedzal。 He’s back in Adua too and back with Ardee。 Poor， sweet， always drunk Ardee。 What he does， I can’t tell。 He doesn’t end up as he imagined， for sure， but given that he’s my least favourite character， I think he deserves everything that happens to himAs usual， I loved Glokta’s timeline almost to the end。 Almost because I had some expectations。 The way his story ends was anticlimactic to me。 After a certain scene in book one， I had pictured the ending as it is and then I said to myself， nah， it can’t be。 Then I forgot because so many things happen in between。Like I said above， I wasn’t surprised either by Jedzal’s insignificant existence。 As for Logen， he wasn’t a bad character， except when he was。 I still don’t know what to think about this character。 There were moments when he was enjoyable but most of the times I was just bored with his berserk scenes。I can’t comment much about West without spoiling his timeline。 It left me with a bittersweet taste in the mouth， but I suppose it’s inevitable in a grimdark fantasy。And finally Ferro。 She stays true to the last。 Again， she’s not given too much space in the story， but none of the female characters is。 Perhaps it's for the best。 It’s not easy to properly write a character of a gender different from yours。 I’m curious to see if the author experimented more in this sense with more recent books。There's something else I didn't like: the sex。 There is an explicit sex scene in this book， and one in book two。I confess I wasn't impressed at all。 I'm not bigoted， I've read erotica and steamy romance， although they aren't my favourite genres。 Of course， sex scenes in those kind of books are a must， but in a grimdark fantasy book and out of the blue they really make no sense to me。An experiment of the author？ Or just a ruse to sell， because sex always sells a lot？ If that's the case， he didn't need it。 either way， I didn't appreciate them。 Unlike A Song of Ice and Fire， there's no character like Cersei Lannister here。 Therefore， there was really no need to throw in pricks at random。All in all， I recommend this trilogy to those who like grimdark stories with gritty humour and battles， many battles， too many battles。 All well pictured。 。。。more
Katerina
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If you like the underdog taking the win this is for you
Tatiana
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3。5 stars
Aditi
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"Body found floating by the docks"That's it， that's all I have to say "Body found floating by the docks"That's it， that's all I have to say 。。。more
Ville Paloheimo
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After the awesome three books the third one let me down big time。。 The author created an awesome cast of characters and just wastes everything in the last book。Did the author get tired of writing or what？ Why is the last book so different from the first two？ For shame。
Jaq {Gwen}
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Si può immaginare la Compagnia dell'Anello guidata da Saruman al posto di Gandalf？ Con un Azzurro come Re degli uomini， al posto del virtuoso e inflessibile Aragorn？Abercrombie ci ha un po' provato， e in gran parte anche riuscito。 I suoi protagonisti sono insopportabili quando va male， positivi ma avviati per una brutta brutta china quando va bene。 Non mi hanno fatta sentire al codazzo di una compagnia di eroi， o di "simpatici fuorilegge dal cuore tenero"， rilassata e convinta che avrebbero vint Si può immaginare la Compagnia dell'Anello guidata da Saruman al posto di Gandalf？ Con un Azzurro come Re degli uomini， al posto del virtuoso e inflessibile Aragorn？Abercrombie ci ha un po' provato， e in gran parte anche riuscito。 I suoi protagonisti sono insopportabili quando va male， positivi ma avviati per una brutta brutta china quando va bene。 Non mi hanno fatta sentire al codazzo di una compagnia di eroi， o di "simpatici fuorilegge dal cuore tenero"， rilassata e convinta che avrebbero vinto alla fine。 Nel senso che non ero proprio sicura di volere che vincessero。。。 Insomma， se volete un fantasy vecchio stile dovreste guardare altrove， perché questo per alcuni versi non lascia soddisfatti。 Però ho cercato immediatamente se ci fossero dei seguiti ambientati nello stesso mondo， perché voglio sapere， perdinci， soprattutto per alcuni di loro， voglio sapere！Il più grosso difetto che ascrivo al libro è la scrittura a volte ripetitiva， che， in un'edizione comprensiva dell'intera trilogia， con ben 1100 pagine da macinare， si è fatta sentire in diversi punti。 Alcuni personaggi hanno dei siparietti fissi （Glotka e le sue "scale maledetteh！"） che vengono riproposti pressoché uguali ogni volta， a volte ho distintamente percepito frasi che avrebbero potuto essere tagliate con grande tranquillità senza alterare minimamente l'andamento della storia， combattimenti troppo dettagliati senza essere davvero emozionanti （quante volte una spada può "mancarti di un soffio"， o un alleato salvarti all'ultimo minuto dal nemico con la mannaia che già si abbassa su di te？）。 Possibile che leggendo i libri separatamente i difetti si percepiscano di meno， ma in un'epoca un cui un fantasy non può non essere una trilogia-mattone， mi piacerebbe non avere l'impressione che l'autore venga pagato a parola come ai tempi di Dickens。Il linguaggio scurrile è in alcuni punti un po' gratuito， con nobili che potrebbero far sfigurare gli scaricatori di porto， anche lì ho avuto l'impressione che fosse fatto apposta per "distinguersi da solito fantasy" e dimostrare che "siamo nel mondo di Mainaggioia， mica la Terra di Mezzo"。 Ecco， lo consiglio， ma non mettetelo in mano ai più giovani， fatevelo dire da una che di traumi da letture precoci ne ha avuti tanti。Letto per le sfide1。 Scaffali traboccanti 2021: （8/20）2。 Randomly 2021: （8/10）3。 Alphabet 2021 per Un libro il cui titolo inizi per P4。 Esimio sconosciuto 2021: （3/20）5。 Extra-Large 2021: modalità difficile （1/9） - #1152 pagine 。。。more
Robert Banovský
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A great epic fantasy story with no elves or dwarves at all。 :-） Abercrombie uses non-black and white characters with lots of dark humor。
Jeremy Brown
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Listened to this on audible。 The story is bloody， but very good。 The characters are memorable。 The guy who reads it on audible （Steven Pacey） is maybe the best narrator in the business。 You feel like there are 20 guys in the room next to the microphone。
Ostrava
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Do NOT read this series if you're interested in worldbuilding， or if a lack of proper worldbuilding is a deal breaker to you。 There's like two continents with an inch of depth。 No attempt at creating a world was made。Do NOT read this series if you want a character-study work， I've seen the trilogy sold as such and it's a lie。 This is a plot-driven fantasy， just heavily invested in its characterization。 I wouldn't even recommend it based on the complexity of its characters。Do NOT read this series Do NOT read this series if you're interested in worldbuilding， or if a lack of proper worldbuilding is a deal breaker to you。 There's like two continents with an inch of depth。 No attempt at creating a world was made。Do NOT read this series if you want a character-study work， I've seen the trilogy sold as such and it's a lie。 This is a plot-driven fantasy， just heavily invested in its characterization。 I wouldn't even recommend it based on the complexity of its characters。Do NOT read this series if nihilist stories bother you。 You won't be positively surprised here。 If you're critical of such stories， this one might just look juvenile at best。 In fact， do not bother with a more in-depth analysis。 It's not a deep series。 Just enjoy the ride。Do NOT read this series if action bores you。 It will bore you here too。 Most of what you will read about， especially in the last book is， you guessed it， actions scenes。 But don't be discouraged either， because action is not the only thing Abercrombie is offering with this trilogy。Do NOT read this series if you can only tolerate satisfying endings。 I don't think the ending is depressing or anything， but Abercrombie doesn't shy away from fucking with his characters。 He's not a writer of tragedy however， just a really twisted troll。 GIVE IT A TRY if you are interested in dark fantasy with a taste for dark humor。 If you however don't enjoy its humor in the first book， drop it。 It won't get much better （although it doesn't really get worse either， and that's coming from someone who does enjoy Abercrombie's sense of humor）。GIVE IT A TRY if you want good action。 I didn't care too much about it， but it is a valid reason to read this trilogy。 GIVE IT A TRY if you like it when authors flesh out their characters。 If one thing can be said about Abercrombie is that he allows you to spend a lot of time with them。 You won't miss them by the end because of said amount of time spent。 This is a fine trilogy， but with a polarizing ending。 It's not as emotionally or intellectually stimulating as other works of fantasy but it can't be denied that as far as blockbuster-literature goes， Abercrombie does a wonderful job。 Remember， you're here mostly just for the characters。 Not the story， not ideas。 Characters。 If that's not enough for you， stay away， if not， give it a try。 。。。more
Joel Harris
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Great Trilogy。 Love all three books。 The third was my favorite of them all。 Loved the Characters。 Loved the World Building。 Nine Fingers was my favorite character of them all。
Elijah Stormblessed
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Abercrombie is now in my top 3 favorite writers of all time。
Guy Jonathan
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My all time favourite collection。Joe Abercrombie Brings to life characters of epic proportions。 My favourite one is the bloody nine。 These books are amazingly well written， too well written， in fact that one suspects Joe Abercrombie of possessing magical powers。
Pesho
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I do understand that my opinion may be biased due to the fact that I saw all the great reviews， but I personally think the series is not worth it。 The books left a lot of unanswered questions all around， the characters seemed to be complex and interesting but it turned out they weren't。SPOILERS AHEADLogen was going for the redemption ark， which was good， especially for a blood crazed barbarian， until he stopped doing that and just fled。Fero could easily be substituted with a device that can hold I do understand that my opinion may be biased due to the fact that I saw all the great reviews， but I personally think the series is not worth it。 The books left a lot of unanswered questions all around， the characters seemed to be complex and interesting but it turned out they weren't。SPOILERS AHEADLogen was going for the redemption ark， which was good， especially for a blood crazed barbarian， until he stopped doing that and just fled。Fero could easily be substituted with a device that can hold a stone， for all the impact she had on the storyline。 Additionally， she showed no change whatsoever， totally blunt character。The Northmen were fun and likable but were mostly killed off so that everybody can hate Logen a bit more。Glokta is just whining for his lost life for three books and doing the dirty work for the powerful， without a change at the end。And as a conclusion the books just throw a "it was all an intricate plot of the， at best， morally ambiguous wizard"。The only one that tried to make something of himself is Jezal， who failed miserably。I'm not even sure why I added the second star， probably because I actually managed to read them to the end。The books lack the epic battles of other fantasy bests， the political struggles of a book like "A song of ice and fire" and frankly it leaves the reader with the feeling that nothing actually happened at the end。 Some people died， some cities were destroyed and in the end it's still the wizard who runs the show。Say one thing for "The First Law" trilogy， say that it sucked。 。。。more
Jbussen
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Long， drawn， but intriguing character development。 Hard for me to put down once I started I had to read the trilogy。
JB
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Excellent。 Right up there with The Kingkiller Chronicles。
Crimson
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I recently jumped back into reading fantasy and decided to reread the First Law。 When I was a teen this was one of my most favorite series， and it does hold up to some extent on reread。 I will say， I don't consider the writing to be very good at all， and that was hard to deal with。 But at least Abercrombie doesn't commit the most common sins in fantasy writing - bloated worldbuilding and excessive detail。 As a result， even with the poor prose the trilogy is fast and fun to read through。 Also， th I recently jumped back into reading fantasy and decided to reread the First Law。 When I was a teen this was one of my most favorite series， and it does hold up to some extent on reread。 I will say， I don't consider the writing to be very good at all， and that was hard to deal with。 But at least Abercrombie doesn't commit the most common sins in fantasy writing - bloated worldbuilding and excessive detail。 As a result， even with the poor prose the trilogy is fast and fun to read through。 Also， this isn't really grimdark。 ASOIAF is grim dark， and often left me sick to my stomach at some of the events。 This trilogy has dark moments， but the overall tone is light and funny throughout。 It has a somewhat comic book or manga vibe to it， which is both a strength and a weakness。 The worldbuilding is not good at all， but （THANKFULLY） not much time is spent on it compared to the characters and， in the final book， the plot。 The first two entries in the trilogy are fun books， but they don't really have a very good plot at all。 Rather than telling a compelling story in their own right， they merely build up to the final book in the trilogy。 The final book delivers， and here you see both the elegant overarching narrative of the First Law， and the primary theme or moral of the trilogy。 That is， characters can transcend to meet the requirements and responsibilities thrust upon them， but they will likely revert back to who they were before it。 In the First Law we see some deeply flawed characters seemingly become better people， only to go full circle back to who they were before their journey。 However， they change enough that I still consider the ending to be bittersweet rather than depressing， and realistic rather than nihilistic。 Overall I would rate the First Law trilogy a 7/10。 I will be updating this review as I reread more fantasy， but it is currently number 3 of the fantasy series I have reread:Lord of the RingsA Song of Ice and FireThe First LawDragonlance LegendsThe Wheel of TimeDragonlance ChroniclesDragonlance: War of Souls 。。。more
Dr G
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Pleasantly Quirky Really enjoyed this unusual book。 The characters were described with wit and empathy。 A little on the dark side perhaps but I enjoy that
Christopher Davis
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This book is amazing。 I was hesitant to read it for years。 I did it as an audiobook and was hooked。 I have flown thru the rest of the books and have been so pleased with every part of this story so far。 It’s FUCKING AMAZING。 Do yourself a favor and jump in
Mads Bo Arvidsson
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Preamble: I haven't read hundreds， or even dozens， of fantasy books。 Heck， I probably haven't even read a full hundred books of fiction total。 I'm on my second dozen fantasy books， so if you want literary analysis， this is not the review for you。 Also， mild spoilers。Joe Abercrombie's The First Law is the type of fantasy you read for the characters。The world is fairly unfantastic and largely an ignored set piece; the magic， soft-ruled and sparse。Thankfully， Joe has written up a cast of interestin Preamble: I haven't read hundreds， or even dozens， of fantasy books。 Heck， I probably haven't even read a full hundred books of fiction total。 I'm on my second dozen fantasy books， so if you want literary analysis， this is not the review for you。 Also， mild spoilers。Joe Abercrombie's The First Law is the type of fantasy you read for the characters。The world is fairly unfantastic and largely an ignored set piece; the magic， soft-ruled and sparse。Thankfully， Joe has written up a cast of interesting and funny characters which at first seem rigidly stereotypical， but as the story moves along they hint at development as they change and grow on you。So why the three stars you might ask？ Do I not enjoy soft magic？ Was the worldbuilding of insufficient interest？Not so。 Unfortunately， Joe completely shafts his characters and to some extent his entire world in the final book， in a way which I can only describe as subverting expectations for the sake of subverting them。There's no sense of finale， no resolution for， well， anybody。 But worse than the absence of those feelings， is the very present feeling that everything you've read up to this point is irrelevant and unimportant。There's an difference between hinting at something and have that become something unexpected， and hinting at something to then say "Oh no， that？ That was nothing"。The character development which was nurtured and hinted at is thrown aside。 Enemies， nations， whole plots， crumble and reveal the straws they were stuffed with。Make no mistake。 I'm not sitting here pining for a happy ending。 For the unresolved lovers to have found each other。 For the hero's journey to end in cheerful and deserved celebration。 I'm just。。。 left unsure what the story actually was about。Say one thing for Mads Arvidsson， say he's disappointed。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The First Law Trilogy
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The First Law Trilogy&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The First Law Trilogy&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0