The Trouble with Peace
Ratings92
Average rating4.6
15
Ratings92
Average rating4.6
CONSPIRACY. BETRAYAL. REBELLION. PEACE IS JUST ANOTHER KIND OF BATTLEFIELD . . . 'Nimble, brutal and hilarious' Daily Mail 'Will leave fans begging for more' Starburst * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Unrest worms into every layer of society. The Breakers lurk in the shadows, plotting to free the common man from his shackles, while yesterday's heroes nurse grievances and noblemen bicker for their own advantage. The King of the Union struggles to find a safe path through the maze of knives that is politics, only to see his enemies, and his debts, multiply. The old ways are being swept aside, but those who would seize the reins of power will find no alliance, no friendship, and no peace, lasts forever. Second in the AGE OF MADNESS trilogy, THE TROUBLE WITH PEACE is the next instalment of a series which is revolutionising fantasy . . . * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 'A breakneck- speed fantasy book that brings in all the elements of a political thriller, action romp and reflective memoir. Job well done' The Sun 'Joe Abercrombie is a master of the genre' Lev Grossman 'It's smart. It's witty. This is an absolutely top-notch work of fantasy' Sci-Fi and Fantasy Reviews 'The Trouble with Peace mauls expectations to serve up a sublime sequel that's even better than it's showstopper of a predecessor' Novel Notions 'Effortlessly brilliant' The Bookbeard's Blog 'I had insanely high expectations for the sequel. But The Trouble with Peace met pretty much all of them' The Fantasy Inn
Reviews with the most likes.
Joe Abercrombie books are my happy place. They are pure comfort reading for me, albeit with a somewhat grim and dark theme. I think it is the character work he does. Every single one of his characters has there morals and manipulations going on - a seething web of different objectives and purposes tangled into delightful tale of pointless and bloody rebellion.
The Trouble with Peace takes up pretty close to where A Little Hatred left us. Savine is trying to reestablish herself in society, Orso is confused as hell but oddly likeable as a King. The Northerners are plotting and squabbling (like much of the rest of the union). It all comes to head in a glorious battle of rebellion against the crown. Very bloody and ultimately very pointless (like most war). It also sets up for an intriguing finale with plenty of foreshadowing of things to come (where are the Burners and the Breakers?).
Ultimately it is the array of tragi-heroic characters and their interactions that make this book, and there are few better in the business than Abercrombie at painting vivid characters. Beneath the blood and guts is a warmth of wit and wry cynicism that brings the characters he is gradually murdering off to life.
Oh man, what a ride! I could not put this book down and I really don't know if I'll be able to resist immediately picking up the next entry in the series!
I'm so completely invested in every single character in these books (some more than others), and I could not stop reading towards the end (you'll know why). I find myself cheering for both sides of every conflict even though some of them are honestly terrible people.
My only real complaints are fairly minor. It was heavily focused on a smaller subset of the overall cast and I was looking forward to exploring some storylines outside of the inner Union politics. It was also occasionally difficult to follow the plot due to the barrage of family names, but, meh.
All in all I'm recommending this series to everyone I talk to. It's so. Damn. Good! Perfect? No. But I don't know what else I'd give 5 stars to, so yeah, 5 stars!
Damn!
Five stars are not enough to do justice to this book.
Series
3 primary books4 released booksThe Age of Madness is a 4-book series with 3 primary works first released in 2014 with contributions by Joe Abercrombie.
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.
