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Showing posts from March, 2022

The Heroes: Book Review

I just finished reading The Heroes, which is the second standalone novel written by Joe Abercrombie. This book is an account of three days of battle over a hill between the forces of the North, led by Black Dow, and the forces of the Union. The book is not plot driven, but rather focuses on the characters and the theme over the course of this very short period. Overall, the book is good. I don't think this one is near the top of my rankings for Abercrombie, especially surprising because I knew this one was a favorite among fans, but the book was still enjoyable, all around. Overall (No Spoilers) I think Whirrun of Bligh is my favorite character in the story. The audiobook gave him more or less the same voice as Casca, which made me draw a connection, though I'm not sure there are many more parallels. Either way, the voice was perfect. And the fight he has in the latter part of the book was both unexpected and amazing. I'm conflicted about how it ended, but not because I dis

The Wisdom of Crowds: Book Review

I just finished The Wisdom of Crowds, which is the third book in the Age of Madness trilogy, by Joe Abercrombie. As such, this book concludes the narrative that began in A Little Hatred and picks up in the immediate aftermath of The Trouble with Peace. What follows is a tense and epic tale mirroring key historical events that I won't mention for the sake of keeping this spoiler free. The Weaver's plans have finally kicked into gear, and now we get to the frenzied climax and the resulting horror of his actions. This book was quite simply amazing. I think it brought Abercrombie's best trilogy to a close. Overall (No Spoilers) Almost everything that I have to say about this story is positive. I'm not sure that there are any negatives at all, though I might have a nitpick here and there. The best part of the story, of course, is how everything comes together in the end. This book concludes the trilogy, ending the story in a manner that I felt was perfect. I will have to sav

Best Served Cold: Book Review

I just finished reading Best Served Cold, by Joe Abercrombie, which is his take on the . . . you guessed it . . . romance story. As such, the book opens with the main character being betrayed, her brother being killed, and then her being thrown off a mountain to her death. Her survival was a miracle, and from there she plots her revenge, swearing to take down seven men that were present at the time of her betrayal. This book is similar to Before They Are Hanged in that there is a ragtag team of people who all hate each other at the center of the story, struggling to work out their differences. The change is that these people all have prior histories, and one's filled with betrayal and killing, adding an interesting backdrop to the story. I really enjoyed this story. From beginning to end, I was engaged, and despite the revenge story structure being straightforward, the story is unpredictable and fun, with Abercrombie's twists on the story making it only better. Overall (No Spoi