Fantasy

The Wisdom of Crowds

The Wisdom of Crowds

  • Downloads：6218
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-09-18 10:51:03
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Joe Abercrombie
  • ISBN：0316187240
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

Chaos。 Fury。 Destruction。
 
The Great Change is upon us 。 。 。
 
Some say that to change the world you must first burn it down。 Now that belief will be tested in the crucible of revolution: the Breakers and Burners have seized the levers of power， the smoke of riots has replaced the smog of industry， and all must submit to the wisdom of crowds。
 
With nothing left to lose， Citizen Brock is determined to become a new hero for the new age， while Citizeness Savine must turn her talents from profit to survival before she can claw her way to redemption。 Orso will find that when the world is turned upside down， no one is lower than a monarch。 And in the bloody North， Rikke and her fragile Protectorate are running out of allies 。 。 。 while Black Calder gathers his forces and plots his vengeance。
 
The banks have fallen， the sun of the Union has been torn down， and in the darkness behind the scenes， the threads of the Weaver’s ruthless plan are slowly being drawn together 。 。 。
 

Download

Reviews

Brendan Davis ，

A passable fantasy novel， and a good commentary on our times， but not much more。

MK Frisby ，

Joe Abercrombie is getting billed for my anxiety med refills

Red Hand Pages ，

Weakest Abercrombie to date？Weakest Abercrombie to date。

Jake Bishop ，

I like the way everyone decides that friendship is the greatest force in the universe， and then they all live happily ever after， with no possibility of hardship or suffering in the future9。2/10 favorite First Law book

Greg ，

A good end to this trilogy， that all but shouts that there will be more。

Steve DuBois ，

The Age of Madness ends in the place that it has to end， I think。 All of the larger plot and character arcs make sense。 The Weaver's full scheme is revealed， and is utterly logical given what we know of the world of the First Law。 People suffer for reasons just and unjust， make necessary decisions that destroy their souls， and achieve long-desired goals only to discover that what they wanted and what would have made them happy are far from the same thing。 It's Abercrombie， in other words。The plo The Age of Madness ends in the place that it has to end， I think。 All of the larger plot and character arcs make sense。 The Weaver's full scheme is revealed， and is utterly logical given what we know of the world of the First Law。 People suffer for reasons just and unjust， make necessary decisions that destroy their souls， and achieve long-desired goals only to discover that what they wanted and what would have made them happy are far from the same thing。 It's Abercrombie， in other words。The plot architecture of The Age of Madness is probably the best that Abercrombie has ever produced， but despite that， I think the work as a whole is a step below the original First Law trilogy。 There's a couple of reasons for this。The first is that， while Abercrombie's better than ever at getting the pieces where they need to go， the process of seeing them advance across the board is not quite as interesting as it has been。 One of the keystones of fantasy is seeing characters reveal their natures through entertaining action。 Watching Bayaz's motley crew stumble their way across the Old Empire， bickering and blundering the whole way， was some absolutely first-rate character driven adventure full of wonderfully revelatory dialogue and fascinating displays of incompetence， competence， and growth。 _A Little Hatred_ had a lot of the same fascination in its early stages as we met the colorfully-drawn characters of this new world and observed the fascinating mechanics of an industrial revolution swallowing up a fantasy kingdom。 _The Trouble With Peace_ didn't fully sustain the momentum; there was a great deal of scheming in salons and political maneuvering that， while proficiently written， didn't fully fire my imagination。 I had thought that this was a middle-chapter problem， but it's back in _The Wisdom of Crowds_， and it's considerably worse。 The business involving Rikke and Black Calder in the north moves along at a fair pace， albeit with a couple of twists that are telegraphed a bit too broadly to be fully effective， but I'm afraid that the French Revolution redux in Adua bogs down pretty badly。 Part of the problem is that we've already seen much of the same in the previous book's Valbeck chapters; the horror is not fresh， even with the general violence level amped up。 Part of it is that the victims of the Burners are， for the most part， people we've never had much opportunity to identify with， and the people we HAVE been taught to care about never seem to be in meaningful jeopardy until the book's final third。My second criticism is this。 In Abercrombie's best work--The First Law， Best Served Cold， and some of the stuff in Sharp Endings--there's a powerful sense that the characters are driving the plot。 Here， as never before in my experience， there's a sense that the requirements of the plot are changing the nature of Abercrombie's characters。 In some cases this makes sense。 Gunnar Broad， for example， is defined by the fact that he allows himself to be the instrument of other people's will， so it is reasonable that events would make him a different man。 Rikke's personal transformation has been engineered both in overt ways by Isern and in subtler ways by her own hidden ambitions。 Vick and Gorst are true to their own established natures， but also shaped by events in ways that their decisions and ultimate destinies make sense。In other cases， the changes are jarring and hard to fully accept。 Savine dan Glokta undergoes a pretty radical personality shift in TWoC， and the explanation offered is both a bit of a cliche and （I'll be the first person ever to say these words about an Abercrombie book） a little bit twee。 It's great when characters change， but in her case， the change doesn't feel fully driven by her virtues and flaws， nor by the events surrounding her; it feels like something the book needs to happen in order to get her to the place she's supposed to go。 These problems manifest in minor characters as well; Tunny's portrayal is so far distant from who he's been throughout the entirety of the First Law saga， and the reasons for the transformation are so obscure， that one has to wonder whether his role wouldn't have been better occupied by an entirely new character。By far the worst example of this， though， is Leo。 It goes without saying that the events that occurred at the climax of TTWP would change a man， but to me， it feels as if half his brain has been amputated。 It's as if I'm reading a completely different character， and a far less interesting one。 The final chapter in which we see Leo is titled "The Villain"， and while Abercrombie is constitutionally incapable of making things _that_ simple， it's hard not to get the impression that Leo has been forced into a plot niche traditionally occupied by somebody else。 A fellow with more limbs and less hair。And while we have all of this astonishing trauma working massive personality shifts in several of the dramatis personae， there's also Orso， sitting in his cage swilling wine and quipping away wittily， his character utterly unchanged。 In many respects Orso is one of Abercrombie's most fascinating characters ever， a really interesting spin on the "playboy with hidden depths" archetype， and he's certainly an effective mouthpiece for some terrific one-liners。 But to the extent that events changed him at all， it seems to me that those changes were more or less complete at the end of ALH。 In TTWP， he's interesting in the sense that we see his hidden strengths revealed and contrasted with Leo's more superficial strengths。 In TWoC， he's just a guy who stuff happens to。The Wisdom of Crowds leaves The First Law universe in an interesting place， and it shows many of the same strengths that have made Joe Abercrombie my favorite fantasy author。 But I do feel he's taken me on more interesting rides。 。。。more

Justin ，

When I was beginning to read regularly again， after a hiatus lasting from roughly halfway through high school to a couple months ago， I returned to familiar territory。 The fantasy genre occupied large territory in my reading-scape growing up。 Created worlds were interesting and brimming with potential， letting my imagination free。 However， the one mainstay through my reading semi-hiatus was the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R。R。 Martin。 The series features dragons breathing fire， icy n When I was beginning to read regularly again， after a hiatus lasting from roughly halfway through high school to a couple months ago， I returned to familiar territory。 The fantasy genre occupied large territory in my reading-scape growing up。 Created worlds were interesting and brimming with potential， letting my imagination free。 However， the one mainstay through my reading semi-hiatus was the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R。R。 Martin。 The series features dragons breathing fire， icy night zombies terrorizing the north， and witches worshipping a fiery god， but it was the humanity of the characters that drew me into the text。 A good friend of mine and I have stayed connected over these very characters。 I searched vigorously for this aspect as I returned to the fantasy genre this year， aiming to be a steadfast reader。 Lo and behold， Joe Abercrombie was there waiting with The Blade Itself， the first novel in the First Law world and series， published in 2006。 Through the original First Law Trilogy， the “Great Leveler” trilogy of “standalone” novels， and now the completed Age of Madness trilogy I have been treated to the whole breadth of humanity in all of its ups and downs， successes and failures。 The Wisdom of Crowds， out now， is a monumental capstone to what Abercrombie has created， and I couldn’t be more ecstatic with how things concluded in the trilogy， while also being eager for what may come next in the First Law universe。The novel begins right as the previous entry in the series ended。 That said， the script is rapidly flipped。 Victories fall away， new conflict arises， and our characters are swept into the most dramatic times the series has seen so far。 As the title suggests， a substantial portion of the novel reflects， through the characters’ experiences， on the horrors that arise when unbridled anger and frustration take over a people’s consciousness。 It is a warning against the insanity of the masses， perhaps not inherent in humanity， but nevertheless inevitable after being squeezed for all its worth by the rich and powerful。 Some of our main characters are swept up in the wave， feeling helpless against themselves， some see the broken world as a window through which to step on their way to power， fueled by their personal pains， losses， and inadequacies。 Will the small few that want to do good by others， rather than lust after power， be safe amidst the wisdom of revolution that caves into madness？ These questions and more are explored as Abercrombie characteristically buffets the characters in the Union with terrors and deeply personal conflicts。 We feel for them， even as we are repulsed by them， even as we know， perhaps， that hopes for every character's saintly redemption are foolhardy。 In the North， the unsettled scores come to a head in stunning fashion。 Rikke is a true standout in the book， starkly different from the scared young woman we met in A Little Hatred。 As she struggles with her new role， the reader is pleasurably kept guessing as her mentor Isern’s words echo in our minds。 Will Rikke make her heart a stone？ And then there is Clover， Jonas Steepfield， the most untrustworthy enigma in all the North， yet again teetering over the tightrope as he attempts to stay alive in his perpetually warlike homeland。 Again and again he surprises us， but I appreciated what we also saw of his heart， his person。 A riveting wildcard in his own right， I’m glad to say I never knew what he was going to do next。 It goes without saying among the fans that all of these events make for characteristically stunning character work。 Abercrombie delves into the depths of his characters’ persons， transforming them while retaining their identity。 One in particular says， after the dust settles， that they are all a little more， a little less， than what they were before。 In that way， they are still themselves， but forced into new shapes， some more beautiful， some more twisted， and perhaps some no longer present with us。On that note， the true star of the book is indeed what happens after the dust settles。 Dramatic， revealing endings after a resounding climax are par for the course in Abercrombie’s books now， but The Wisdom of Crowds sets an entirely new standard。 I stayed up nearly all night finishing this book， and in the remaining scenes after the final battles were fought and everyone set their weapons down， I was shocked， awed， and devastated page after page after page。 I will not say that I was taken totally by surprise on all counts。 In fact， I was clapping myself on the back when some of my theories became true。 But the devil is in the details， in the execution， and Abercrombie carries the reader from twist to twist with incredible dexterity。 And when I turned the final page， I realized that I had witnessed an astounding evolution of plotting。 Even more surprising， this book made me giddy at displays of epicness that are increasingly rare as I get older。 Maybe we’ll see it adapted to screen one day。 We can only hope。 In some ways， the Age of Madness’ conclusion wraps itself in a nice bow， but in others， the First Law narrative is poised to continue， and I am more eager than ever before to know what happens next （please Joe， write more First Law books）。 It will truly be a beautiful sight to behold， even amidst inevitable deadliness。 In short， The Wisdom of Crowds is my favorite Joe Abercrombie book yet。 I felt the depths of sadness， the highs of joy， and the twists and turns of shock in a succinct 511 page testament to the power of fantasy literature。 Abercrombie’s eye for the real world around us is impeccable。 I cannot speak for the man’s true personal philosophy， aside from what he writes and tells us， but I was left with an appreciation for reasoned cynicism， while also marveling at the glimmers of hope and significance in the smallest of instances。 I witnessed a world much like our own， with people just like us， getting torn apart by itself， but still powerless against the flow of time and progress。 Towards what， however， remains the question。 I hope all diehard fans reading The Wisdom of Crowds will be as fulfilled as I was。 And I hope that any curious newcomers who stumble on this page and read this review will be convinced of this series’ worth。 I encourage those readers to start from the beginning， The Blade Itself。 It was more than worth the time spent to get to this point。 Happy reading。 。。。more

Jamie ，

An excellent conclusion to The Age of Madness trilogy， gritty and witty as ever and packed with epic intrigue， betrayals and reversals of fortune。 I've long thought character development is by far the most compelling aspect of Abercrombie's First Law series。 Each of the many characters is given a unique flavor and authentic voice， including an incredibly rich and amusing cast of secondary characters （Vick dan Teufel， Jonas Clover， Gunnar Broad， Tunny， Caul Shivers， Bremer dan Gorst to name a few An excellent conclusion to The Age of Madness trilogy， gritty and witty as ever and packed with epic intrigue， betrayals and reversals of fortune。 I've long thought character development is by far the most compelling aspect of Abercrombie's First Law series。 Each of the many characters is given a unique flavor and authentic voice， including an incredibly rich and amusing cast of secondary characters （Vick dan Teufel， Jonas Clover， Gunnar Broad， Tunny， Caul Shivers， Bremer dan Gorst to name a few） that often command as much interest and attention as the main ones。My only gripe is that Abercrombie's stories seem to have steadily moved farther away from fantasy territory with each successive book， with less of the magical and supernatural to be found。 It's the opposite approach to A Song of Fire and Ice， which feels like historical fiction at the outset but steadily marches more squarely into fantasy territory as the series progresses。 Nothing wrong with either approach， but some readers may feel they were sold one thing but ended up with another。 Personally I like fantasy done with a light touch， but one could argue those elements hardly play any real role whatsoever in this series。As Abercrombie always does so masterfully， he manages to wrap up the story lines in an completely satisfying way while still leaving enough threads and foreboding hanging out there to keep you wondering what he might have in store for us next。 。。。more

Reid ，

What the fuck

Joseph ，

I'm a little iffy on the ending but on the whole， it's yet another entry confirming what we already know 'Joe Abercrombie is the best living fantasy author' I'm a little iffy on the ending but on the whole， it's yet another entry confirming what we already know 'Joe Abercrombie is the best living fantasy author' 。。。more

Brittany Sauls ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Why'd you kill ✨him✨ tho？ 😭😭😭😭 Why'd you kill ✨him✨ tho？ 😭😭😭😭 。。。more

Chad ，

I've enjoyed the mixture of fantasy elements and industrial revolution leading up to this point， but this book was more french revolution than lord of the rings。 Not awful。。。 but not really what I was expecting。Will almost certainly have to re-review this in a few months， as I don't think I loved the previous two books in this trilogy either after my first read。 I've enjoyed the mixture of fantasy elements and industrial revolution leading up to this point， but this book was more french revolution than lord of the rings。 Not awful。。。 but not really what I was expecting。Will almost certainly have to re-review this in a few months， as I don't think I loved the previous two books in this trilogy either after my first read。 。。。more

tobes ，

AHHHHHHHHHHHH

Triicycletops ，

Say one thing for The Age of Madness， say it's ending is perfect。 Say one thing for The Age of Madness， say it's ending is perfect。 。。。more

a。 ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Needed gay sex but it was still pretty good。

Paul ，

This was a great book and I loved most of the characters especially Orso， Vick and Savine。 This book was very "grim" and that is exactly what I expected。 I should have taken Isern's advice when she said: "Make of your heart a stone"。 Anyway， I love the First Law World and hope to read more books set in this world in the future。 This was a great book and I loved most of the characters especially Orso， Vick and Savine。 This book was very "grim" and that is exactly what I expected。 I should have taken Isern's advice when she said: "Make of your heart a stone"。 Anyway， I love the First Law World and hope to read more books set in this world in the future。 。。。more

Gerald ，

Well it's a good thing nothing with Monza was wrapped up。 Or Ferrero or Bayaz and the Gurkhul。But I'm not surprised。 It's what I was expecting after reading the first book in the sequel trilogy。Nevermind the high ratings。 Fan boy ratings。 Like mine used to be。 Red Country was the ending for me in spite of a lack of any resolution。Abercrombie followed the same format as a lot of successful authors （cough GRRM cough） your fans love the narrative， characters， action， mystery， so。。。 LETS CHANGE IT F Well it's a good thing nothing with Monza was wrapped up。 Or Ferrero or Bayaz and the Gurkhul。But I'm not surprised。 It's what I was expecting after reading the first book in the sequel trilogy。Nevermind the high ratings。 Fan boy ratings。 Like mine used to be。 Red Country was the ending for me in spite of a lack of any resolution。Abercrombie followed the same format as a lot of successful authors （cough GRRM cough） your fans love the narrative， characters， action， mystery， so。。。 LETS CHANGE IT FOR THE SAKE OF CHANGE。MARK LAWRENCE - CHECK （YOUNG ADULT？ WTF）GRRM - CHECK （DECADE BETWEEN BOOKS？！） THE MOUNTAIN DIDN'T ACTUALLY KILL THE BABY TARGARYEN DURING ROBERTS REBELLION？ WHAT？！ NOT TO MENTION ANYTHING HBO TRIED TO FILM AFTER BOOK 3 could be summed up to how Butters put it， "The dragons are coming， WHEN？ ALL I SEE IS PENIS。" So far the only two continually original grim dark authors who haven't sacrificed said originality for complete god awful change just for the sake of change， or leaving out zero closure in long series books supposed to have closure， or made the grim dark switch to young adult genre is two great authors -Brian McClellan。Brett Staveley。Stop being a fan boy。 。。。more

Max Richter ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 :0。。。:D。。。:（

Nick Tankard ，

7/10

Matthew ，

That was fucking brilliant。

Slick ，

5 Stars Simultaneously loved it and fucking hated it。

Fares ，

The year long BR will come to an end with this oneBuddy read with She fought 11 duels in the circle and won them all！ The year long BR will come to an end with this oneBuddy read with She fought 11 duels in the circle and won them all！ 。。。more

Jerrud （JD） Collins ，

Damnit Abercrombie。 God damnit。 ………。when’s the next one？

Książkowe Bajdurzenie ，

Jeżeli kogoś interesuje moja opinia o całym uniwersum Pierwszego Prawa lub na temat tej właśnie książki to zapraszam serdecznie！https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=R48S1。。。 Jeżeli kogoś interesuje moja opinia o całym uniwersum Pierwszego Prawa lub na temat tej właśnie książki to zapraszam serdecznie！https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=R48S1。。。 。。。more

Kelsey Stanley ，

Well， he did it。 Stuck the landing and ended the trilogy with blast。 Emotions are everywhere but that was to be expected with the finale。 Everything is wrapped up。 Questions are answered， but with those answers came more questions。 I look forward to the continuation of this world if Joe decides to pursue it （I really hope he does）。

Alina ，

Well， I managed not to choke on my own bile and not have a stroke out of sheer anger at this book。 Here comes the review， hot off the press and a filthy， fucking mess。 When I read the first two books in the Age of Madness trilogy in September 2020， I had only one wish: to survive the pandemic long enough to read all three books。 Then a whole year passed， my expectations grew and grew， along with my anxiety and impatience for this bloody book。 Then I got it， now I read it and what can I say。。。 ex Well， I managed not to choke on my own bile and not have a stroke out of sheer anger at this book。 Here comes the review， hot off the press and a filthy， fucking mess。 When I read the first two books in the Age of Madness trilogy in September 2020， I had only one wish: to survive the pandemic long enough to read all three books。 Then a whole year passed， my expectations grew and grew， along with my anxiety and impatience for this bloody book。 Then I got it， now I read it and what can I say。。。 except that Joe Abercrombie is the Stour Nightfall of writing。 He just revels in breaking everything I love。Of course this book gets 5 stars， Joe's a bloody genius （though I ought to dock one star on account of how hating everything I was reading made me see some of the flaws and foibles I would normally never notice in a Joe Abercrombie book）。 But I have to wonder。。。 can I still love a book for its incredible writing and the strength of the emotions it evoked in me， when those emotions ranged from loathing and disgust to paroxysms of fury and tidal waves of hatred toward some of the characters？ I'm thinking LordGrimDark would take it as a compliment and consider it mission accomplished。 About 200 pages into this book I was wondering （like good old Glokta always used to） 'why do I do this？' Other than being a glutton for punishment， I can't think of a single reason。 300 pages in， I was ready to swap places with Judge and burn EVERYTHING down。 At the end of the book。。。 I'm all dead inside。 The last shred of sanity I had left has been consumed in the flames of how much I hate all the cunts and arseholes who are still alive at this point in the story。 With one notable exception。 My most beloved character is still around and at the top of his game and somehow didn't get killed， though I thought for sure he wouldn't escape this time。 I'm thinking this devastation and desolation is proper payment for the satisfaction and joy I felt at the end of Last Argument of Kings。 Way to balance the scales， Joe。 Also， kudos for the continuous success in making your characters universally vile and contemptible。 Add iredeemable into the bargain。 Don't get me wrong， I don't need Disney princes in my books， Glokta and Bayaz are my favorite characters in all of Joe's books。 But I defy anyone to give me one reason why I should not be overflowing with loathing for characters like Savine and Leo and Broad and Clover， for example。 I dare anyone to give me one reason why I should have， at any point， rooted for any of these people。 I'll be fucked if I could find any and it's not for lack of searching。 But， since this is an hysterical rant instead of a proper review and it's not so much the story as it's the characters who have me mired in a cesspit of fetid emotions， let me just tick them off Pov by PoV。 Rikke: I'll start with her because she's the least loathesome of the lot。 In fact， all the machinations and goings on in the North kind of saved me from actually hating this book instead of just being made into a mess by it。 The fight for the North didn't require the Long Eye to see through， in fact， the plotting and scheming were pretty childish。 But eh， watching Northmen hack at each other for whatever reason and with whatever outcome is always fun。 And Rikke herself is still a fairly sympathetic character。 Her I don't hate。 Except， she does one thing I could never forgive。 And for that， I am EXTREMELY satisfied with her vision of the future， at the end of this trilogy。 Gunnar Broad: I don't know what the point of this character was， except to waste precious page space with the same， broken-record， repetition of the same shit over and over again。 Three books in a row。 No idea why Joe wanted to write about this guy， especially since he did the violent but wannabe decent spiel with Logen and Shivers and whoever else already。Victarine dan Teuffel: I wasn't sold on her for the longest of time， but then she proved herself to be one of the very rare good people in this story。 For many reasons， not the least her loyalty toward Old Sticks， who ultimately screwed her over monumentally， Vick is one of the few characters that didn't leave a sour taste in my mouth。Jonas Clover: How the fuck is this shit weasel still alive？！ Every chapter of the trilogy with him in it made me shout this question out loud and when he walks off alive in book three it nearly gave me a fucking aneurysm， I was so pissed that no one knifed this traitorous fucker in the back。 On the other hand， if he serves as an instrument of potential future anihilation。。。 it's good that he's still around。 Savine: I expected to love her when I began to read the first book in the trilogy， but was never sold on this character throughout book one。 I began to revile her in book two and it only grew worse in book three。 I cannot express the depth of my regret that she didn't die， when the story had her on the very edge of it。 I wish Joe had had the cojones to do away with her， that would have saved the trilogy for me。 I get that she exists and was groomed to inherit the world from Sand dan Glokta and hopefully to stamp out her vile husband at some point。 But that barely chips the pedestal of loathing I've got this character perched on。 Leo dan Brock: thank fuck this guy isn't real， because if he were， I would have to make it my life's mission to find him and kill him by slicing thin slivers of him like Sholla does with her cheese。 Wow， I didn't think I could feel such visceral loathing for a fictional character but Leo makes my skin crawl。 Not only because he started off as the dumbest， most arrogant， bigoted， racist piece of shit in creation， but because it was downhill for him ever since。 And I hate this character so profusely because he's where I see Joe finally making a fatal mistake in characterization。 Leo dan Brock in The Wisdom of Crowds lost limbs and somehow magically gained a brain， a backbone， a personality and it all came out of the blue。 It's OOC as fuck， completely unjustified， done at the drop of a coin and with ZERO introspection。 This piece of scum should have hung at the end of book two， but instead he was reborn as someone else。 And this someone else is ten times more loathesome。 I may have held out one sliver of something softer than burning hatred for Leo （it was Jurand-shaped） but that went down the shit chute faster than I thought possible and I'm sitting here stunned， bereaved and still smouldering with anger。Orso: I cannot even speak of Orso， because this hysterical rant would turn into something that might get me banned from goodreads。 And it might bring Joe insult， which is the last thing I want （all the above cursing and griping is actually praise， but in a backhanded sort of way）。 Orso is too good for the First Law world。 If I could， I would pluck him out and toss him over to Valinor， to live among Tolkien's Elves。 Orso and the people who were loyal to him， who died for him and who showed that there is still a （dying） ember of decency in that horrible world， are the reason I will read these books again。 But only because I am a glutton for punishment。 And not without asking Mr。 Abercrombie a serious question， for once: "Why， sir， did you bother to build up a character in such a fashion as was done in The Trouble With Peace， only to completely misuse him and waste him in the following book？" This， to me， is the second mistake of the series。 The third being Joe's choice to repeat the same scenes over and over again for 200 pages at the beginning of book 3: sham council meetings， gratuitous mayhem/murder/destruction， sham trials， the same fucking verdict all the time and repeated executions。 The shock value disappeared after a couple of chapters and all that remained was disgust/impatience to have it the fuck done with。Speaking of the Great Change。 Fucking horrible thing to read about。 Even worse to discover who engineered it all and let the hell hounds loose。 But not surprising。 Though my love for that one character is not the least bit dimmed， I'm also heavily underwhelmed。 Because it doesn't look like he got all that much accomplished， not when you look at all the death and destruction。 And not much fucking change happened either。 Before I nitpick more and turn this into actual criticism insteat of a whiny bitchfest， let me hold a moment of silence for Calder， for Brint， for Gorst， for Forest and for everyone else in the old guard who died so these pieces of shit， scumbag new generation could come out on top。 Right at this very moment， I hope Joe doesn't write another line in the First Law world， because if it's anything else but Bayaz coming back to stomp the fuck out of everyone， I don't want to read about it。 But if there are more First Law books or stories in the future， I will throw my money at them faster than I can earn it。 Because I'm a sucker for punishment， as has already been established。 。。。more

Laser dan Gorst ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The furious conclusion to 13 years of books in the Circle of the World is a rollercoaster of emotions。I cried， I laughed， I was angry， I felt pain， and above all， I could not look away - I read it in one session。As I turned the last page of the Wisdom of Crowds， there's was just one， overwhelming feeling: stunned， dazed， thrown of balance。 I can't believe that Orso did not make it。 I hoped so hard。 I winced at every word after his hanging， gripping anything that would allow me to believe somehow The furious conclusion to 13 years of books in the Circle of the World is a rollercoaster of emotions。I cried， I laughed， I was angry， I felt pain， and above all， I could not look away - I read it in one session。As I turned the last page of the Wisdom of Crowds， there's was just one， overwhelming feeling: stunned， dazed， thrown of balance。 I can't believe that Orso did not make it。 I hoped so hard。 I winced at every word after his hanging， gripping anything that would allow me to believe somehow he made it。 A deeply layered plan of Savine。 A rich uncle intervening。 Leo finding his mercy。Truly one of the most soul crushing chapters in all of literature。 It's the best， brightest， kindest， most considerate human being we have come to know in this world who dies the most senseless death， meets it with the highest resolve and even humor， and stabs Leo one last time with his blown kiss。My eyes still water a little at the thought。 I developed a new found little hate for Joe Abercrombie since those chapters。This is truly great art， and I am blessed to live in this age and know of these books。I give a 100% unrestricted， absolute recommendation for the Wisdom of Crowds。 Don't blame me when it leaves you drained and sad。 Blame Joe Abercrombie。WoC mirrors many events of the Last Argument of Kings， but on a less grand scale than Bayaz' reckless use of the Seed。 Is it less captivating？ A definite no。 It's simply happening on a different scale， through social upheaval and blind currents of history more than through a few very powerful， but ruthless "big people"。 The little people hold the power here。 。。。more

Sepanta M ，

7/10

Liviu ，

A bit disappointing in the sense that the pre-release hype of twists etc turned out to be quite predictable as whoever you expect to live and rule， lives and rules， whoever you expect to die， dies and of course， nothing in the big picture is settled as the finale - while ending conclusively this series pretty much as the original trilogy ended except with the next generation now in charge - shows that more books in the series are sure to follow with the next-next-generation now and maybe for onc A bit disappointing in the sense that the pre-release hype of twists etc turned out to be quite predictable as whoever you expect to live and rule， lives and rules， whoever you expect to die， dies and of course， nothing in the big picture is settled as the finale - while ending conclusively this series pretty much as the original trilogy ended except with the next generation now in charge - shows that more books in the series are sure to follow with the next-next-generation now and maybe for once there will be genuine twists; this being said， the prose， irony and dark humor was as expected and made the book enjoyable to a large extent but it also made it a repeat of the previous many similar books in the series and I think that the original Glotka-NineFingers-Jezal etc beats the cast here 。。。more

Bernhard ，

This is so frustrating。 Everyone except me （and Klaus） seems to be already reading it and my pre-ordered copy is still not in sight 🤬😭

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Wisdom of Crowds

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Wisdom of Crowds&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Wisdom of Crowds&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0