The Heroes

Three days battle in the North from Lord Grim Dark

So many various, interesting characters already in the first couple chapters and it’s so good to see how characters change as the story progresses. Also there's a very well made, kinda natural recap of the most important events from previous books. Although some characters have too many descriptions and inner monologues in their chapters.

Abercrombie captured the three days battle from every possible angle—young, scared men with no experience, generals, great swordsmen, strange and furious Northmen. You can feel the heavy atmosphere of war in the air with detailed and very helpful maps, fast, chaotic fights and, of course, fantastic chained points of view during battles. But there’s also a bit too much politics with too many names of various officers and their relationships.

It could've been a bit better, especially after the perfect Best Served Cold, but I still want to read all the spin offs.

Loooooved Whirrun of Bligh :)

I've read just about every book Abercrombie has written in the First Law series and this one is probably the best. The Heroes is action packed, fast paced, exciting, but most importantly an earnest and damning examination of the violent people he often glamorizes in other books.

Abercrombie writes a lot about the pointlessness of war and the waste of human life but he's never been so focused on his critique of violence as he is in The Heroes. War is not glamorous, and “heroes” as they are often worshipped in his stories are nothing more than ordinary people that can swing a sword and have been lucky to survive long enough to earn a name... names that are soon forgotten once they've been put “back to the mud.” Abercrombie is usually really good at weaving complex morality into his tales, but he's at his best in The Heroes.

It also sets up the Age of Madness trilogy and frame those books in a new light. Calder is now one of my favourite characters and I really didn't see that coming and it makes me want to re read that entire trilogy!

Anyway, yeah, damn good read.