Finally got my copy of 'A Little Hatred' by Joe Abercrombie. Haven't gotten far yet but I can already tell that he's yet again created superbly
interesting characters, as always. It strikes me how masterful he is at this, in that previous legendary characters which you would really want to
come back, are rivaled by his new creations. He doesn't totally sideline the old, but rather keeps them in mind in a respectful, or at least proper,
way. I already have a perspective of how heroes of old are looked upon by the younger generations, which totally reflects the real world, and how
skewed this view really is. It's a good reminder of how forgetful we are as a species, and that we single out what we want to remember, both
consciously and sub-consciously.
I usually find that when authors manage to "strike gold" by creating popular characters, they usually keep them going and going over several books or
series. This can tend to water them down. Not the case with old Joe.
For anyone who likes top notch quality grimdark fantasy, this is your man. It's not on the level of Game of Thrones in terms of extremely detailed and
complex family lines, together with their squabbles, but he makes up for it in many other ways. Blood, gore and sex play an intricate part, but all of
them have a ring of humor to them. Those parts also make sense to the relative characters and storyline. In other words, they're not just filler.
You can jump right into A Little Hatred (part one of his new trilogy) without having read his previous installments, but I highly recommend you read
from the start as you'll appreciate how talented this man is in weaving things together in unforgettable ways. I'll list them just for reference:
The First Law trilogy:
- The Blade Itself
- Before They Are Hanged
- Last Argument of Kings
- Best Served Cold
- The Heroes
- Red Country
- Sharp Ends (an anthology of short stories from within this world)
The Age of Madness trilogy:
- A Little Hatred
- The Trouble With Peace (coming in 2020)
- The Beautiful Machine (coming in 2021)
edit on 13 10 2019 by Skeletonized because: (no reason given)
edit on 13 10 2019 by Skeletonized because: (no reason
given)