Last Argument of Kings

“Rules are for children. This is war, and in war the only crime is to lose.”

What is there to say at this point? Maybe that this book delivered even more than I expected. My jaw dropped at the beginning with unbelievable plot twist. Then again at the end when I was wondering if



Now I can see the work of ‘Lord Grimdark'. While the first two books were mild imho this one dives right into the dark, the gritty, the bloody. I kind of criticized previous books for having such a big grimdark reputation while having very little of grimdark content. Well, here the reputation is deserved.

With exception of Jezal there is no character left who could be considered good or morally gray. Sure they do good, or try to do good but in the end even the book asks: “Does the devil know he is a devil?” It's still nowhere close to Malazan but it finally earned the moniker.

Simply put, phenomenal end to a phenomenal trilogy.

This is a short review for ‘The First Law' series.

Gritty, gritty books. None of the three tell happy stories. Stay away if you want to read a book that'll make you feel unconditionally good, in the way the Harry Potter(s), or even The Name of the Wind does.

So why read these, then? Because the writing is top-notch. Because, at times, it's funny, or sad, or both, and it never feels awkward or out-of-place. And the grittiness, and oh-so-very obvious flaws of the characters who we follow, is a breath of fresh air. Heck, even the sparsely mentioned magic system is way grittier than most Fantasy novels I've read - the author easily manages to convey the idea of magic in this world being a chaotic / powerful force.

However, the reason that the last book is the one I've added to my favorites list is the ending, which I felt was perfect - the inevitable conclusion to a journey in a world that is decidedly unfair.

My goodness. I seriously made it through this whole series expecting for something good to be at the end.

Even with an ending I hated, this was a good series. Throughout, the characters are colorful and full of flaws, the plot drags you along, and there are mysterious powers to keep you guessing.

Takeaway - society is terrible, people need to be herded by almost-omnipotent-not-so-benevolent-rich-men. < I reject this takeaway completely - I still think people can change, good things do happen, and society is not terrible >

It's always tough to satisfactorily end these epic fantasy trilogies. This one ends on a couple of unusual notes for the genre including one that I didn't see coming at all and didn't really like because it was so far outside the norm.

In the end, that's what I liked best about this series. All of the trappings of a Traditional Epic Fantasy are there but events unfold in a very non-fantasy way. Characters die, difficult decisions are made, and the consequences of those decisions a addressed head-on.

After a sluggish first 2/3 of the first volume the rest of this trilogy held an strong pace.

So I read this after finishing Lord of the Rings and geez it's probably as far as you can possibly get from Tolkien vibe-wise. Don't misunderstand though: I loved every grim, gore-y detail. The writing style, humor and characters are standouts so despite the fact that I think the plot and world-building could do with some fleshing out, I can't wait to continue with Abercrombie's other works.

Generally, this wrapped up the story threads for the series quite nicely.

If I had a wish for these books, it would be that the three main characters had a stronger role in their own destiny, rather than being manipulated by Bayaz Even Logen Ninefingers, who seems the least affected by this, made most of his mistakes due to his possession by the Bloody Nine so I can't really credit or fault him for any of it. It makes the overall character development a little disappointing.

The greatest moments for me were watching Glotka's intelligence, mercilessness, and vulnerability at play.

I honestly wasn't as taken with the first two books of the trilogy as I'd hoped—they were very solid and I greatly enjoyed the characters and tone, but was less impressed with the pacing or plotting. Last Argument of Kings has far better momentum, making it a much satisfying a read, in my opinion. After its more sluggish predecessors (that I'd argue don't really have proper arcs), I loved how the various threads of the trilogy—and all of our colourful cast—converge in Last Argument of Kings. I give the book extra props for its ending, which I'm assuming may have disappointed some. It felt much like how many non-Hollywood films end, never a simple black-and-white “good triumphs over evil and all loose ends are neatly wrapped up” affair, often melancholic and open-ended. I'm a big fan of greyness in characters and storytelling, so the trilogy's pretty ballsy conclusion is the icing on the cake for me.

Also, though it hardly needs any more saying, Sand Dan Glokta is really such a fantastic character. His story was the biggest pleasure the trilogy offered me, both due to the man himself and the intriguing plots he always seems surrounded by.

Surprisingly satisfying genre book. After a somewhat wobbly first book I lapped up 2 and 3 and greatly enjoyed the flawed characters, some of which you love to hate, others you will hate to love. He takes his time developing the plot and personalities and it shows, transforming my frustrations in the first book into clear lines in the subsequent books. There are certainly loose ends but there is an overall circular narrative arc that works. I will be looking into the stand-alones.

3.75 stars? I have some mixed feelings, but overall this was an appropriate conclusion to a series like this (if anything, I was expecting the ending to be much bleaker).I liked this book, especially the first 25 ish percent. The ending did take me by surprise in a not-so-great way; I was left feeling gutted. But the more I thought about it the more I'm okay with it. SpoilerIn hindsight I imagined that after Logen jumped off the cliff and fell into the river, he'd wash up on land and say “Still alive” in classic Abercrombie fashion. I tend to hate it when things in stories are left to the readers' interpretation, but here it made sense and wasn't a bad decision imo.By the end, I also liked how everything came back full circle; the characters had their arcs and developments but ultimately came back to square one in some form. Jezal is still arrogant and clueless SpoilerBeing a king kind of got to his head, understandably so, Glokta is still a torturer under command SpoilerOnly difference being his higher position—yay character arc—and he's now under Bayaz, Logen is still the bloody nine Spoilerand fell off a cliff, just like in the beginning when he got separated from Dogman and them, and so on. A proper ending to character arcs given the nature of this story to being with. One of the things I love about this series is the way it handles extremely morally gray characters. None of our main characters are good people, but Joe Abercombie still manages to write them in a way that makes the readers become invested and root for them. I mean, take Glokta for example, the guy's a freaking torturer but is still the fan-favorite character.But with that said, the moral grayness of Logen in particular wasn't my favorite in this book. I loved Logen in the previous book, [b:Before They Are Hanged 40997713 Before They Are Hanged (The First Law, #2) Joe Abercrombie https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1532965730l/40997713.SY75.jpg 2116927]. There, we did see his “Bloody Nine” side where he goes all berserk and bloodthirsty, but it was balanced out with his oddly soft and caring side, and we witnessed his efforts into trying to be better which made him easier to root for. But in this book... He was too hard to root for at times. There were still instances of him saying how he wants to be better, but they were completely and utterly overshadowed by his bloodthirsty rampages. SpoilerThe dude kills a fucking child with no remorse....Logen knows about this berserk state he goes into during battles, but it's never acknowledged by him. Has he come to terms with it and sees it as inevitable? Or can he do something to deal with it? Or does he like going into that state? This state of his goes starkly against his apparent efforts in trying to be better, so the lack of ackolwedgement of it by him was quite odd.Also, there wasn't enough Ferro in this book! I'm obviously biased because she's my favorite character here, but she was such an integral part of the previous book that her making such fewer appearances here was quite disappointing. Her arc seemed somewhat incomplete even by the end.And dare I say the magic elements that came to fruition near the end also seemed a bit convenient? Bayaz and the magic stuff revolving around him never really interested me, but I still always gave attention to them out of the expectation that they'd be relevant in the last book. But I'm disappointed with how it turned out. I needed the supernatural elements to be more fleshed out to actually believe in them.These are the only complaints I have, everything else I loved as usual. Though this is my least favorite installment in the trilogy, it is still a good book nonetheless.

"I don't deserve this." he breathed.
"No one gets what they deserve."

I don't think there was a moment when I was reading this and didn't wish that HBO had chosen to adapt this series and not GoT for TV. I think that's enough of a recommendation honestly. It's constantly said that this is a landmark series and I can't agree more. I loved every single second and once I burn through a little more of my backlog, I will pick up The Age of Madness Trilogy.

This is the third and final book in The First Law Trilogy, it is the culmination of two books worth of setup and plotting. The pacing is relentless, and the narrative never slows down. While this keeps the reader engaged, it also leaves little room for reflection or breathing space between intense moments. Some may find this approach exhausting, as the story moves from one harrowing event to another. In this reader's opinion, we've had two books to stew and this is the pot boiling over as it ought to. Given the pace, Abercrombie's ability to maintain tension and keep readers on the edge of their seats became a standout feature of the book.

The story is divided into several interconnected plotlines, each following different characters and factions as they maneuver for power and survival. Abercrombie masterfully handles the multiple story arcs, providing a balanced blend of action, intrigue, and character development. In many ways, this book is the inverse of the first, with our parties breaking apart and the individual stories of our characters reaching their culmination.

“Say one thing for Logen Ninefingers, say he's a cunt”

“This is how most of us go, isn't it? No final charge. No moment of glory. We just ... fall slowly apart.”

Last Argument of Kings

“I have my answers already.” Then why do I do this? Why? Glokta leaned slowly forwards across the table. “We are here for our amusement.”

A strong finish to the trilogy that I didn't find as engaging as the first two books but I loved all the same. 

Abercrombie still showed his mastery of character development and wrapped the various story lines up well. 

Some twists I saw coming but others like the first magi being in control of the bankers I did not 

Overall - amazing. I can't wait to read the other books in the universe. 

4,5 stars The thing about this series was that when I was reading it I had a blast, but a few months later I always kind of... forgot why. I'm not saying it's for the lack of value, not at all, but the whole thing is written in a way that works so well together that it's kind of hard to point out that one or two or three elements that are the reason why the series is worth a read. It's so effortlessly easy for me at least to read that I have a hard time saying the best features of it. In general, the book is just very fluid. Sometimes I sat down to read for a bit, I looked up and I was 60 pages in. The prose and the story itself are created in a way that doesn't feel like it takes much of an effort for you to get into it. It's dark, genuinely, but something I enjoy about it is the fact that it's not shock horror kind of edgy dark. Those things can become too much very fast and then I have a hard time taking any of the work seriously. The characters are also still great. In the not good people way, of course, by now everyone should have realised that this book is a big pile of total fucking jerks. I mean hello, one of our protagonists is an inquisitor. A very witty one with dark humour that made me chuckle more than once, but Sand dan Glokta is one fucked up individual. Logen is actually really nice. When he doesn't snap and go into a superhuman rage to just murder whoever is closest to him. At least he tried. Bayaz... is a profoundly shitty person, who basically treats the Union as his plaything against his old enemy in the worst feud of history, because he can. Ferro just want to murder. Then there is Jezal. My sweet, sweet boy Jezal, who used to be the single most stupid, selfish, ridiculous idiot on the planet. And fuck me, I actually managed to genuinely care about him, because he became such a vulnerable man who just can't handle not trying to help. He can't really make a difference when everything is going to shit, but he tries so hard. I have no idea how Mr. Abercrombie managed to make me like Jezal so much, but the dude needs someone to protect him. (Ardee can go to hell, though, they deserved each other when Jezal was a dickbag, but now that he became such a genuinely caring person that alcoholic psycho woman of profound “nobody gets me” doesn't deserve him) In the end he is like Quentin Clearwater from the much less loved series of [b:The Magicians 6101718 The Magicians (The Magicians #1) Lev Grossman https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1313772941s/6101718.jpg 6278977]And then there is West, who I love. I don't care, I just... love him. And now for the reason why I took away half a star from a series I loved. What the fuck was that ending? WHAT? I am not going to lie, I was a bit disappointed in how nothing really got resolved, other than the war. Sure, some good things happened, but everyone is being fucked by Bayaz, Logen being fucked over, Ferro going to FINALLY actually take her revenge... I just don't feel like anything got resolved for anyone. Now you can say that this gave the series a unique flavour or whatever, but I don't think all of the things happening paid off and that bothers me. We had so many story lines and characters and conflicts and then we end up with "ehhh, whatever"? So at this point I would definitely recommend this series to many, many people, as it's truly great. I know there are short stories or such still left that add some things to the main body of the thing, but the issue is, I am not a lover of that format, so for now I consider myself to be done with this series. It was definitely one of the highlights of my reading of 2017 and I feel content with starting out the year with finishing this one. Good night and... what now? Are we done? Is this the end of it?

Amai, dit was een heel onverwacht, maar eigenlijk best wel passend einde van deze trilogie.
Toegegeven, deze las een stuk trager dan het vorige deel en soms had ik nood aan wat andere lectuur, waardoor ik toch dubbel zo lang aan dit laatste deel las in vergelijking met het vorige deel. Wat absoluut niet wil zeggen dat dit niet goed was, maar het speelde wel wat op mijn gemoed.

Ook al bleek deze serie een pak humoristischer te zijn dan ik had verwacht voor een zogenoemde grimdark fantasy, toch was het nog heel grimmig, bloederig en deprimerend. Vooral in dit laatste deel krijgen we een paar opdoffers te verwerken en werd het aantal actiescènes exponentieel opgedreven. Hierdoor had ik af en toe wel eens een kleine pauze nodig om op adem te komen.
Uiteindelijk vond ik dit echt wel een heel slim en uniek einde voor de trilogie, eentje waar ik tegelijkertijd tevreden mee ben, als mij doet hongeren naar meer.

“You have to be realistic about these things.”

Net als bij het vorige deel, gaat dit boek verder waar boek 2 eindigde en racet daarna meedogenloos doorheen choquerende onthullingen om te eindigen met duistere, ietwat hol aanvoelende conclusies.

Natuurlijk, met een genre dat onheilspellend ‘grimdark‘ wordt genoemd, verwachtte ik me nu niet meteen aan een vrolijk en gelukkig einde, maar toch kon ik niet nalaten te hopen. En Abercrombie speelt zo goed met die hoop, voedt en koestert het, om het dan wreed en onverbiddelijk van een klif te gooien.

“Round and round in circles we go, clutching at successes that we never grasp, endlessly tripping over the same old failures. Truly, life is the misery we endure between disappointments.”

In deze finale wordt de cirkel van het verhaal in elke mogelijke zin gesloten, wat zowel frustrerend als geniaal is.
We leren meer over de motieven van onze personages, we worden ingewijd in een aantal schokkende geheimen en we zijn getuige van zowel de opkomst als de ondergang van personages.

Doch blijft ook veel onbeantwoord of vaag, maar dit heeft uiteindelijk weinig invloed op de uiteindelijke boodschap van het verhaal, wat voor mij eigenlijk vooral weerspiegelt hoe futiel en onbelangrijk het individu is.
Het maakt me dan wel nieuwsgierig naar de overige boeken in de overkoepelende reeks, waar hopelijk nog meer vragen worden beantwoord.

“Travel brings wisdom only to the wise. It renders the ignorant more ignorant than ever.”

Ultiem, ook al voelde dit laatste boek een beetje hol en erg desolaat aan, ik vond het nog steeds geweldig.
Ja, het zou gemakkelijk zijn om te zeggen dat ik er een hekel aan had, omdat het niet leverde wat ik gewoonlijk van een einde verlang. Er zijn geen grote overwinning (behalve voor de grote manipulator), geen gelukkige conclusies, geen triomferende helden. En toch was het zo passend en perfect. Een echt opgewekt en gelukkig einde zou waarschijnlijk als een groter verraad hebben gevoeld dan het moedeloze einde dat ons werd voorgeschoteld.
En ik moet zeggen, die slotscène was zowel eindeloos wreed als hilarisch. En slim ook.

“ Because the vast majority of men would far rather be told what to do than make their own choices. Obedience is easy.”

When they say Abercrombie wrote these books without a strong plot, they really mean it.
I love all of the characters in this series despite how frustrating it was to read from their POVs. I just really need a stronger plot for it to be a full 5 star. I felt like the book went on a bit too long after the biggest climax. Yes, there were still reveals but I could not say that all of them were satisfying. There are some loose threads left for other books in the series I presume.  Also, the whole magic system is so minuscule and underexplained, and as a reader that loves having it all laid out, it left me frustrated in some moments. 
All in all, I was engaged the whole time enjoying the ride but it just didn't quite hit all of the marks for my taste.

I was a bit surprised at how satisfied I felt at the ending. I didn't like it so much as felt done. Which is very rare. I know some other of Abercronbies books take lace in the same world, and I look forward to that. I really enjoyed being in this world. But unlike some series Enders I didn't feel ripped off or hungry for another volume. I really felt oddly done.