Before They Are Hanged: Book Two Of The First Law (Gollancz SF S.) - Joe Abercrombie

life during wartime

second volume in a trilogy of fantasy novels. the first is called the blade itself. and whilst you could probably pick up the story by starting with this volume instead of that one, I would strongly recommend reading the blade itself first because you will get more out of the series by reading it as a whole.

if you have read the blade itself, then read on.

this second volume, which runs for roughly 570 pages, continues the story from that first novel. as with that one, we have a rather harsh world with no creatures other than humans, who belong to various nations that have gone to war with each other.

the main characters are caught up in the middle of this, and striving to deal with things in their own individual and different ways.

the good and readable prose from the first volume is here again. there's also the occasional bit of strong language, and some uncompromising battle scenes. the latter is a strength of the book, in that it doesnt shy away from a very believable recreation of what the style of combat it depicts would be like, and the effect it would have on participants.

there are inklings towards the end of there being something bigger going on here, and that turns what has been a largely event driven pair of novels into something a bit more plot based. and makes my statement about the lack of creaturees not entirely accurate. but I've said too much already.

A good and memorable read and one that will make you want to get the third volume as soon as possible

Better and Better

This the senond of the trillogy (?) is an improvement on the first which I found very enjoyable. He has created characters you feel empathy for and although slightly formulaic and repetative he nevertheless continues you on a roller coaster trip. I find it hard to put down- a good sign. He does use one phrase to an irritating extent (back to the mud!)otherwise this is good stuff. Keep it up.

Bitter, cynical and hugely enjoyable

I thoroughly enjoyed The Blade Itself, which breathed fresh and much needed life into the swords and sorcery genre, and so I plunged into this sequel with eager anticipation. Within a few pages I knew I wouldn't be disappointed. All the splendid characters are back - the pick of the bunch being Abercrombie's delightfully twisted (in every sense) anti-hero Glokta. Whilst Logan, Jezal, West, Ferro, Dogman, Ardee and all the rest are expertly depicted fully rounded characters, it is everyone's favourite torturer who steals the show once again with his cynical but also often profound and side-splittingly funny observations on human nature. Sometimes showing surprising kindness. Other times torturing without mercy and calmly letting an innocent man go to the gallows, Glokta is certainly a complex character and, for my money, is easily up there with the very best creations of the fantasy genre. As the plot separates into three main threads, we are treated to some remarkably vivid descriptions of combat, intrigue, sex, camp-fire cameraderie, comedy and, if you've ever wondered what it feels like to be hit in the face with a mace, you won't after reading this!

Wonderful stuff! Volume III is next on my reading list.

Series gets better.

I loved the first book, The Blade Itself, and Before They Are Hanged was even better! The storylines grow in pace and there are some suprising twists to them which I would never have seen coming at all (readers will probably know which twists I refer to when they come upon them!) and it is the way Abbercrombie handles these twists (much the same way as GRRM) that makes these books so good to read, no run of the mill fantasy that is very often churned out here!

The characters grow in development too which is good especially with the likes of dan Luthar and Ferro, Glokta and West (and his Nothmen allies) remain the best characters of the series however and it is these storylines that interest me the most. Minor characters are also dealt with to their best uses by Abercrombie, such as Cosca and Eider.

Once again I was very impressed by this novel and can't wait to get my hands on the third book.
5/5

Brilliant second book of an exciting contemporary fantasy series

Fantasy is a much maligned genre , yet it has given us a slew of hugely gifted writers. George RR Martin, Robin Hobb, Steven Erikson, Clive Barker, China Mieville to name some of the top of my shiny bonce. There is a new name to add to that list. Joe Abercrombie is a freelance film editor but on the evidence of The Blade Itself, the first of The First law trilogy , of which Before They are Hanged is the second, he has a new career as a writer . Like the first book this is terrific stuff.
There are three threads to the story featuring more of the wonderful array of characters , introduced to us in the first book . Some of these are developed further as you would expect ,but one or two even undergo unexpected character arcs that are importantly wholly believable. Plus there are several new characters introduced and Abercrombie is even confident enough to kill one of these off after developing an enthralling sub -plot around them.
The barbarian Logen Ninefingers, first of the Magi Byaz , his apprentice Quai and navigator Longfoot are joined by the perma-scowling misanthropic Ferro and arrogant aristocrat Jezal Dan Luther pining for the lady he left behind on a long journey to the island on the "Edge of the world" where Byaz is seeking "The Seed"- a magical weapon that could end all the conflict.
Union armies meanwhile are preparing to face the massed hordes of barbarians led by Bethod. Colonel West has reservations about his superiors and with good reason , finding to his surprise that the barbarian troop led by Threetrees are far greater fighters than his Union soldiers and he will need all their guile and ferocity to survive.
Meanwhile Inquisitor Glotka and his Practical's are despatched by Arch Lector Sult to the southern city of Dagoska where his predecessor has disappeared and the Gurkish army is amassing ready to reclaim the city from the Union. He suspects there are traitors within the city council and he's right but who are they and how can he engineer the ragtag band of defenders to repel the massive forces advancing on Dagoska ?
Like The Blade Itself this book this book is a cracking and exciting read. Happily and most entertainingly Abercrombie is the type of writer who can really make dialogue fizz ,He also has a highly modernistic irreverent approach to fantasy with lots of profanity , which no doubt will alienate fans of classic fantasy , and plenty of gory action sequences, including a couple of epic battles.
At the books conclusion it's all set up splendidly for the final instalment and I am salivating at the prospect of finding where that takes us. While The Blade Itself doesn't have the deep political intrigue of works by Robin Hobb or George RR Martin and indeed doesn't conjure up it's world quite as vividly, for which the lack of a map is a surprising oversight, it's still well written and about as compelling as fiction gets...fantasy or otherwise.