Ratings129
Average rating4.1
They say Black Dow's killed more men than winter, and clawed his way to the throne of the North up a hill of skulls. The King of the Union, ever a jealous neighbor, is not about to stand smiling by while he claws his way any higher. The orders have been given and the armies are toiling through the northern mud. Thousands of men are converging on a forgotten ring of stones, on a worthless hill, in an unimportant valley, and they've brought a lot of sharpened metal with them. THE HEROES For glory, for victory, for staying alive.
Series
5 primary books6 released booksThe First Law is a 9-book series with 5 primary works first released in 2001 with contributions by Joe Abercrombie, Gillian Flynn, and 20 others.
Series
11 primary books12 released booksFirst Law World is a 11-book series with 11 primary works first released in 2001 with contributions by Joe Abercrombie.
Reviews with the most likes.
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.
This is a book with all the hallmarks of Abercrombie's writing, except for a very critical one: an intriguing plot. Otherwise, the writing is engaging, the characters are unique and well-developed, and it's all infused with the gritty anti-heroic Abercrombie magic throughout. But it wasn't a compelling read for me.
He did something interesting by placing the entirety of the book over the course of a few days of a battle. I respect him for trying. But ultimately, it was not a compelling read, and from about the middle of the book onwards, it was a true slog to finish.
DNF. After 250+ pages decided 780 pages of sword battles was not for me.
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2,097 booksWhen you think back on every book you've ever read, what are some of your favorites? These can be from any time of your life – books that resonated with you as a kid, ones that shaped your personal...