A good finale to a good trilogy. Abercrombie doesn't provide the standard rosy ending and the book finishes with a nice cliffhanger. Might we see some of these characters in his future books? I hope so. While his characters are certainly flawed, to the man, you find yourself cheering them on none the less.
This is Book 3 of The First Law Trilogy
Let me ask you a few questions...
* Are you looking for a nihilistic, cynical book completely devoid of hope?
* Do you want a wandering (and dare I say it?) pointless plot that never really comes into focus?
* Would you like to read about characters with very little (if any) redeeming qualities who strive to become better people, only to find that they can never change and end up as bad (or worse) than they were when they started?
* Would you care to see an unhappy and unfulfilling ending for everyone involved?
* Do you prefer untold heaps of death, destruction, slaughter, tyranny, helplessness, and misery to inundate every page and every event?
* And would you prefer that book to conclude with an open ending that provides little or no sense of closure?
If you answered YES to any of the previous questions, then THIS is the book for you.
Apparently, the author feels that "happy endings are for wimps" and chose instead to be more "realistic." The last time I checked, "realistic" is neither completely saccharine nor completely bleak, but something a little more bittersweet. But say one thing for Joe Abercrombie, say he's a pessimist. In his depressing little world, hope and happiness are in very short supply indeed.
Would I read anything else by this author in the future? Doubtful. But as Logen would say, you have to be realistic about these things...
Let me ask you a few questions...
* Are you looking for a nihilistic, cynical book completely devoid of hope?
* Do you want a wandering (and dare I say it?) pointless plot that never really comes into focus?
* Would you like to read about characters with very little (if any) redeeming qualities who strive to become better people, only to find that they can never change and end up as bad (or worse) than they were when they started?
* Would you care to see an unhappy and unfulfilling ending for everyone involved?
* Do you prefer untold heaps of death, destruction, slaughter, tyranny, helplessness, and misery to inundate every page and every event?
* And would you prefer that book to conclude with an open ending that provides little or no sense of closure?
If you answered YES to any of the previous questions, then THIS is the book for you.
Apparently, the author feels that "happy endings are for wimps" and chose instead to be more "realistic." The last time I checked, "realistic" is neither completely saccharine nor completely bleak, but something a little more bittersweet. But say one thing for Joe Abercrombie, say he's a pessimist. In his depressing little world, hope and happiness are in very short supply indeed.
Would I read anything else by this author in the future? Doubtful. But as Logen would say, you have to be realistic about these things...
