I don’t really like reading Westerns. I don’t really like reading action stories. I don’t really seek out violent stories. And the last time Joe Abercrombie had a female protagonist (Best Served Cold) I was ambivalent about her, and that book in general. Red Country features all of those things, so I was a bit wary about it, to say the least. I probably wouldn’t have picked it up for a while yet, but I’d had such a fun time reading Half a King and The Heroes […]
For glory. For victory. For staying alive.
I may have waited too long to write this review. I read The Heroes over a month ago, as part of my Joe Abercrombie week-long reading frenzy, which started after I read his latest book, the excellent Half a King. I’ve actually owned a copy of this since the day it was released, but for some reason I’d never gotten around to reading it. The Heroes is one of three (so far) standalone fantasy books set in Abercrombie’s First Law universe, all of which are […]
The exact right book at the exact right time.
First, if you haven’t read Joe Abercrombie before, I highly recommend checking out his First Law trilogy. It’s a great exploration/takedown of classic fantasy tropes with some great and very memorable characters. It’s probably most representative of his writing style and the things he likes to write about. But if you don’t feel like reading three rather large books as an intro to an author, Half a King would do nicely as well. Keep in mind, however, this is technically YA, although it’s unlike any […]
I’m a nice man.
Rogues was my second George R.R. Martin/Gardner Dozois themed anthology in less than six months, and I’m happy to say I enjoyed it more overall than their previous effort, Dangerous Women. (I will pick up Warriors eventually. Maybe next year. I’m soooo done with anthologies for now.) And I’m sad to say, especially for how good Martin is at writing lady characters, I really think the main difference is that a lot of genre writers (including women!) just could not fathom how to write a […]
On Warfare, Camaraderie, and Malingering Corporals
Early in Joe Abercrombie’s The Heroes, a character, when asked about good and evil, remarks, “There’s always good men on both sides of a good question.” Left unspoken is the fact that there are also horrible bastards on both sides of that same question. Given that the book takes place largely during the three-day Battle of Osrung, the latest clash between the Union and the North in Abercrombie’s First Law world, that’s a fairly succinct summation of what the reader’s in for. There will be […]
On Vengeance, Collateral Damage, and Horrifying Eye Prosthetics
Monza Murcatto has spent the last eight years leading a mercenary company to fame and riches during the Years of Blood, a time of open warfare between the city-states of Styria. She and her charismatic brother Benna pay a visit to their patron, Duke Orso of Talins, the most powerful man in Styria, a man who is but a season of campaigning from vanquishing his enemies and becoming King. Unbeknownst to Monza and Benna, Orso sees in Monza a potential rival, as his grandfather leveraged […]