Before They Are Hanged (The First Law, #2)

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Before They Are Hanged (The First Law #2)

4.23 of 5 stars 4.23 · rating details · 21,089 ratings · 859 reviews

Superior Glokta has a problem. How do you defend a city surrounded by enemies and riddled with traitors, when your allies can by no means be trusted, and your predecessor vanished without a trace? It’s enough to make a torturer want to run – if he could even walk without a stick.

Northmen have spilled over the border of Angland and are spreading fire and death across the fr...more

Paperback, 441 pages

Published 2007 by Gollancz

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Mar 28, 2013 Dan Schwent rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, 2013

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. While Superior Glokta holds Dagoska against the Gurkish, Collum West endures untold hardship in the north in the companion of the Prince and Logen's six barbarian friends. Meanwhile, Bayaz, Logen, Luthar, and Nessa head toward the edge of the world for something that should best be left buried...

As Elizabeth said in her review of The Two Towers, middle books in a trilogy are tricky business. While you occasionally get one the literary equivalent of The Empire Strike Back, most of them are more l...more

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Mar 31, 2013 Jon added it

Shelves: fiction, fantasy, read-in-my-40s

4 stars.

Due to the acquisition of GoodReads by Amazon on March 28, 2013 and my existing and continuing boycott of all things Amazon, the review I wrote after reading this book has been relocated to my blog and can be found in its entirety by following this link: http://bit.ly/X7hx8Z

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Mar 30, 2013 Nermin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, series

Ok, two books down and only one to go and still i have scarcely any idea what this series is really about.

I often hear that the characters in the First Law trilogy is rather unpleasant and despicable. Bullshit. This series has the most fascinating set of main characters. My favorites so far are Glotka and Jezal. Glotka used to be a dashing soldier of the Union. One of the best. And then he was taken captive by enemy, tortured for two years. Now he is a bitter cripple and a torturer. Jezal is a...more

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Mar 29, 2013 Dirk Grobbelaar rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, books-i-own

Don’t write off the fantasy tropes just yet, all you unbelievers. This trilogy shows that there is still an enormous amount of life left in some of them.

This dark sequel to The Blade Itself is everything I hoped it would be. I would be hard pressed to select a favourite out of the multiple plot threads featured in Before They Are Hanged, but I’m probably partial to the sequences featuring the Named Men. Again, there is an old school sense of wonder to this novel, despite the modern fantasy grit...more Don’t write off the fantasy tropes just yet, all you unbelievers. This trilogy shows that there is still an enormous amount of life left in some of them.

This dark sequel to The Blade Itself is everything I hoped it would be. I would be hard pressed to select a favourite out of the multiple plot threads featured in Before They Are Hanged, but I’m probably partial to the sequences featuring the Named Men. Again, there is an old school sense of wonder to this novel, despite the modern fantasy grittiness. There are some nasty surprises between these pages and many issues aren’t resolved in quite the fashion that the reader might have expected, or even had hoped for. But, as Logen Ninefingers would almost certainly say: you have to be realistic about these things. A great mix of epic and heroic, fantasy-heads can do far worse than giving this trilogy a spin. Unless they are averse to some swearing, violence, dark humour and the occasional rather, um, unrefined and comical hop in the sack. It is at times an uneasy and unsettling read, yet I can’t help but feel that this is part of its charm.

The action scenes are relentless and splendidly written, albeit somewhat gruesome on occasion. The book showcases everything from minor skirmishes to full scale pitched warfare. There is even a siege thrown in for good measure. Two wars being fought on two separate fronts inevitably equal a high body count. Abercrombie certainly appears to have a knack for this kind of thing. You’d think that the character development would suffer in all this chaos and madness. Oh, how wrong you’d be!

As the second novel in a trilogy, this could easily be seen as a bridging work. However, I enjoyed it even more than the first. There’s certainly a lot more going on. The Blade Itself was very good, but it didn’t really go anywhere and left the reader somewhat mystified as to where the story was headed. Before They Are Hanged rectifies this in spades, and there is a lot of progression. Here’s hoping Last Argument of Kings continues this run of good form and closes the trilogy in spectacular fashion.

Capital!
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Jul 27, 2012 Apatt rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

This is the second volume of The First Law trilogy. I read the first book The Blade Itself in early March 2012, today is 27th July 2012 so the two books were read five months apart, I wonder if I will finish the trilogy by the end of the year. In any case, even with a memory like a sieve I had no problem getting into the second book after the 5 months gap. This is not a standalone book so you need to read The Blade Itself first which should be no great hardship unless you received "Before They A...more This is the second volume of The First Law trilogy. I read the first book The Blade Itself in early March 2012, today is 27th July 2012 so the two books were read five months apart, I wonder if I will finish the trilogy by the end of the year. In any case, even with a memory like a sieve I had no problem getting into the second book after the 5 months gap. This is not a standalone book so you need to read The Blade Itself first which should be no great hardship unless you received "Before They Are Hanged" as a present then you'd need to cough up the dough for the first book, it won't break the bank I'm sure (no, pirating is not an option).

"Before They Are Hanged" continues the adventure of three groups of characters introduced in the first book. One group is on a quest for a magical artifact, a traditional fantasy trope but with some unconventional character developments, events and eventual outcome. The second group is focused on a soldier and a group of mercenaries and their participation in a war against foreign invaders, the third is centered on the complex and fascinating Inquisitor Glokta and his effort to defend a city also under attack by invaders and the aftermath of his success / failure (don't ask).

I suspect some people will underestimate this series mistaking it for just another "gritty fantasy" with a lot of swearing, sex, and violence, certainly those elements are there in plenitude but there is also an undercurrent of some themes being subtly explored. Like how heroism - like greatness - is often thrust on reluctant people. How people sometime do despicable things just to survive and hate themselves for it. I wonder how many people are aware of the compassion and humanity in Joe Abercrombie's books? In my estimation he is a terrific writer, his prose style may not be lyrical but it is often very witty and the book is well balanced with action, violence, pathos, romance and humour. His greatest strength may well be his characterization, the main characters are complex, believable, interesting and often very funny. I have often seen his characters described as "unlikable", if this is true I must have been reading it wrong because I like all of them and find it hard to pick a favorite.

For the faint of heart I should mention that this book, like its predecessor, include a couple of torture scenes which I got through with a little flinching. My only concern about these scenes is that they will alienate readers who would otherwise love the book and Abercrombie deserves a wide readership.

I normally prefer narration from a single point of view, which I find easier to follow, and with multiple points of view some of the protagonists are so much more interesting than others that I often feel like I am wasting my time following the lesser characters. However, multiple POVs tend to be necessary for epic tales, to cover all the different events and locations. For this book I find all the POVs enjoyable and I don't really mind moving between them. The description are generally very vivid, you can really feel the cold, the hunger and the pain that the characters go through. Magic is utilized very sparingly in the story and there is no "magic system" worth mentioning because its appearance is so infrequent.

As with the first book this one is highly recommended for fans of heroic fantasy. The third and final volume of this trilogy is called Last Argument of Kings, come to think of it I don't want to wait to long before I dive into that one.(less)

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May 06, 2013 Amy Chamberlain rated it 4 of 5 stars

Collem West is in a huge pickle. Superior Glokta is in an enormous mess. Our Sorcerer, Bayaz, is grumpy and trying to save the world, without much luck. Ferro is looking for vengeance in a big way but can't get no satisfaction. Logen Ninefingers is bewildered by everyone. The Union is fighting a war on two fronts, badly misunderstands both its enemies, and thus is losing quite spectacularly.

Good times!

I really like the way Abercrombie gets us into the heads of his characters. And, even better,...more

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Sep 06, 2012 Allison rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: aficionados-best-fantasy-list, dark-depressing, can-i-have-the-hours-back-please, fantasy, own-it-e-book, gritty

There was plenty of action in Before They Are Hanged, at least in part 2. Part 1 was kind of slow at times. But whether it was full of bloody, bone-snapping action or not, I found it dragged for me most of the time. I skimmed, I took breaks to read other books and came back, and then I finally forced myself to make it through and be done with it.

I could somewhat appreciate the first book of this series, even though it wasn't really my cup of tea. But this second book was all grit and toiling, a...more

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Jul 25, 2011 mark monday rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantastickal

okay enough with the reviews and comments from folks saying that there aren't any likeable characters in this series! what we have here are:

(1) a barbarian with a heart of gold. sure, he can turn into a mass murdering psychopath when pressed, but my gosh, that doesn't happen too often!

(2) an ex-slave who lives to destroy her former abusers. yes, she's grouchy & savage & suspicious of everyone, particularly white people. do you blame her? she was a former slave, abused and raped repeated...more okay enough with the reviews and comments from folks saying that there aren't any likeable characters in this series! what we have here are:

(1) a barbarian with a heart of gold. sure, he can turn into a mass murdering psychopath when pressed, but my gosh, that doesn't happen too often!

(2) an ex-slave who lives to destroy her former abusers. yes, she's grouchy & savage & suspicious of everyone, particularly white people. do you blame her? she was a former slave, abused and raped repeatedly. come on!

(3) a centuries-old sorceror, also very grouchy. hey, he's been alive for centuries. he's seen the rise and fall of men. he's trying to stop the world from ending. give him a break!

(4) a spoiled nobleman. he doesn't stay spoiled for long! the reader clearly sees him grow and discover new-found empathy, freshly-discovered understanding of the world and the people around him. a person can change, can't they?

these are all completely loveable and endearing creations; i understood their bitterness and suspicious nature and off-putting high-handedness, but i also cheered their slow movements towards understanding each other, towards kindness (of a sort), towards decency. their courage has always been obvious, but with this novel, they become much more recognizably human. reading about their journey was pure pleasure. and the end of that journey? a great bit of dark, dark irony. it is a rather a brave and surprising thing for Abercrombie to pull off. although i am confident more will come out of that journey.

also pure pleasure: the continuing misadventures of the torturer Glotka. i was pleased to see a decrease of his italicized snarkiness. it is still there, of course, but it is not everywhere and no longer functions as a kind of shorthand for actual characterization - it is just a part of who he is. was anyone reminded of Tyrion at King's Landing when reading about him seeing to the city of Dagoska? i was. Glotka remains a wonderful and unusual character. as do West and Dogman and all the rest. sure these are all some bitter folks, but they barely even qualify as anti-heroes. to me, they are heroes.

Before They Are Hanged is a great middle book. unlike many second novels in a series, it does not feel at all like it is treading water. if anything, this is where the action of the series truly begins. the description of the various travels, battles, and siege are all riveting and Abercrombie retains his status as a writer who truly knows how to describe action. the depiction of magic and of mythology remain compelling. the mysteries remain mysterious - but not in a confounding way; we learn more but just enough to keep things tantalizing. and the writing remains "muscular". i usually hate seeing that word to describe prose because i'm often not sure what it even means, but in this case, the word fits. the writing is tight, sardonic, self-aware, and muscular. this was more than a good read, it was a wonderful experience and i am really stoked to see how it all turns out in the third book.(less)

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Feb 10, 2009 Ross rated it 5 of 5 stars

Much better than the first. In fact this leaves me with a sour taste for The Blade Itself. After reading Before They Are Hanged I know now that the first book is complete introduction. It introduces the characters, the world, and the plot that is to be moved, albeit not in the first book.

The book is very similar in style to the first. However, it concentrates more on the characters that move the plot forward, and it actually MOVES the plot forward. A nice change from the first. It continues to b...more

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May 12, 2011 Paul Stotts rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Before They Are Hanged" is the second volume in the First Law Series by promising young British writer Joe Abercrombie. The first novel, the wonderful "The Blade Itself" was a fantastic introduction to a series featuring brutal, hard-boiled characters, excessive profane language and copious amounts of violence. It was dark fantasy at its best--nasty and brutish.

Well I am here to say that "Before They Are Hanged" is an even bigger, meaner and better story as things get kicked up here to another...more "Before They Are Hanged" is the second volume in the First Law Series by promising young British writer Joe Abercrombie. The first novel, the wonderful "The Blade Itself" was a fantastic introduction to a series featuring brutal, hard-boiled characters, excessive profane language and copious amounts of violence. It was dark fantasy at its best--nasty and brutish.

Well I am here to say that "Before They Are Hanged" is an even bigger, meaner and better story as things get kicked up here to another gear.Inquistor Glokta and the barbarian, Logen "The Bloody Nine" Ninefingers are anti-heroes for the ages. Abercrombie turns all of his characters, who are filled with violence, maliciousness and machinations, into guilty pleasures. You know you should feel shocked and offended at some of the things the characters say or do, but it is just too damn hard not to enjoy it. While it may be good to be the King, it is also good to be bad.

As the novel begins, the Union finds itself at war on its Northern front against Bethod and his massive horde of battle-tested barbarians. Impending war with the Gurkish also threatens the southern city of Dagoska.

Inquistor Glokta has been dispatched to Dagoska to solve the mysterious disappearance of the previous Inquisitor of Dagoska. He finds he must overcome the corrupt and incompetent leadership of the city in order to achieve his objective, and defend the city from the impending Gurkish attack. Deadly backroom political intrigue ensues as forces within and without battle for their own agendas, causing Glokta to use his wits in order to keep control.

Meanwhile operating under his own agenda, the wizard, Bayaz, has gathered a party of his own, the mindless and arrogant Union officer, Jezal dan Luthar, the mysterious hate-filled Ferro Maljinn, and Logen. They have set out to recover an apocalyptic artifact from the past which Bayaz covets, the Seed. This device supposedly contains a destructive force so powerful and otherworldly that it will be able to save the Union from the invasions of both the Gurkish and the North. But will Bayaz' group be able to recover the Seed and harness its power in time to save the Union?

Like "The Blade Itself", Abercrombie's writing here is hard-edged and relentless. Like a nail-chewing, steroid-popping beast of a fantasy novel, the story's pace flies at breakneck speeds, flexing its considerable muscles during well-conceived battle sequences. The action pounds, the dialogue cracks, and the humor oozes through, combining into one of the most enjoyable reading experiences of the year. I find that I cannot wait for the conclusion.

Last Word:
Better than the first novel, "Before They Are Hanged" is a fast-paced, gritty bit of brutality and fantasy that grabs you and doesn't let go. Dark, well-conceived and enjoyable, this is one not to be missed.
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Aug 30, 2008 Terence rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sf-fantasy

One of the advantages (or is it a pitfall?) of being a GoodReads member is that I feel some obligation to explain why I rate the books I read and so I find myself being more "aware" of my reading and trying to articulate why something appeals to me, why something doesn't. This doesn't necessarily extend to books I've read in the past and am adding but it certainly does to anything I've read since joining. I don't mind it so much when someone rates a book a 3 or 4 or 5 stars. They liked it; if I...more

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Nov 22, 2007 Joshua rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone waiting for "Dance of Dragons"

Say one thing for Joe Abercrombie, say that he's a hell of a writer. With this, he proves that he earned his status as a Named Man of fantasy.

This picks up where "TBI" left off, and carries the characters and plot away in new and unpredictable directions. There's political intrigue, betrayal, torture, fights galore, broken hearts and twisted limbs, love, sex, laughs, and going back to the mud. I don't want to give anything away, so I'll refrain from talking about the travails of Collem West in...more

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Nov 04, 2011 Debi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, fantasy

Adventure fantasy series. I'm particularly taken by his character Glotka who is broken, crippled, and disgusting (the character's self-description). Having finished 2 of the series I'm wondering where he will take this: to a satisfying conclusion or to a lame, far-fetched ending. Reminds me of the George R.R. Martin series A Song of Ice and Fire.

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Jun 06, 2009 Ron rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Good writing--if you can get by the repetitions and passive voice--but predictable in a Robert Jordan way. (Not meant as a compliment.) Would have been better for a reduction of ten percent (if skillfully done).

An ending would have been nice, too, but that seems too much to ask for these days. The three story threads just broke off at an appropriately dismal point.

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Mar 15, 2013 Eric rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fantasy fans

Recommended to Eric by: Max Kotelevets

Shelves: fantasy

I enjoyed the story told here a great deal, but it took me a long time to read it. It seems like every time a particular character's tale got interesting, the story would switch to a different plot-line, which made the book easy to put down. That being said, Abercrombie is telling a hell of an epic tale, and I am looking forward to reading the conclusion in Last Argument of Kings.

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Jul 27, 2011 Ubalstecha added it · review of another edition

How do you describe this book? Gritty fantasy? Check. Multi-layered? Check. Funny? Check Awesome? Hell yes!

Author Joe Abercrombie continues to spin out his tale at a breakneck speed. Told through a limited There are three plots that the reader jumps back and forth from. The first of these is a ragtag group that Bayaz has gather to travel across the continent to retrieve a sacred object. Bayaz is an interesting take on the "wise old wizard" trope of fantasy fiction. Think Belgarath on steroids.

W...more

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May 09, 2013 Eastbelt rated it 4 of 5 stars

didn't give this book 5 stars because of two reasons. First, rather too much of the first 100 pages is given over to a character who accurately describes himself as "ponderous" and consequently, the book gets off to a, well, ponderous start. The there's the problem of a map. There isn't one (rumour has it Abercrombie doesn't like them??) and the author relies on longwinded and uninteresting description accounts of where characters are going , but they confuse rather than clarify or enlighten th...more

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Apr 06, 2013 Dane Richter rated it 3 of 5 stars

Where book 1 left me wanting more, book 2 was just left wanting…
If you are a fan of the grittiness and realism (which I am) then Abercrombie still sets the scene well. If you liked the first then this is still a must read - just don’t expect it to get better.

In book 2 all those wonderful characters Abercrombie created are “normalized”. The handsome arrogant noble learns humility. The bloodthirsty barbarian becomes really likeable. The feral demon-woman tolerates her companions. The powerful magi...more

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Apr 03, 2013 Keith rated it 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the Last Argument of Kings trilogy as one volume read on Nexus 7 but that is as far as I would go. It's entertaining and sustaining but not invigorating.

It's mid-level fantasy with the gritty visceral feel reminiscent of George R R Martin and a sense of the epic which is never quite realised.

The plot starts well but never quite delivers in the end and I disappointed myself by expecting a grand finale with some monstrous storytelling twists but was left with a whomping great deus ex mac...more

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Apr 03, 2013 Frrnchfly rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

"Before They Are Hanged" is, first and foremost, action-packed. Where "The Blade Itself (Book 1)" was full of world-building and nothing much else, Book 2 makes up for it with lots of interminable 'doing'. Bayaz's group journeys for a mythical rock. Ninefingers' ex-crew turns altruistic and fights Bethod alongside the Union. Everyone's favourite cripple Glokta somehow single-handedly defends a city against a siege whilst gloriously rooting out cannibalistic assassins.

It sounds exciting. In fact,...more

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Jan 25, 2013 John Haley rated it 4 of 5 stars

One of the better Fantasy series around, this is the second of three books in the "First Law" series. There are additonal stand alone books set in the same world and I believe a second trilogy is on the way. Set in the author's own (generally) low fantasy world, characters and dialogue are certainly where Abercrombie's talent shines. There are some of the most fully-fleshed and memorably unique characters in the genre here, and the dialogue for the most part feels like actual conversations and n...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Georganne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: audio-version, action-adventure, fantasy

I read all three books of this trilogy (The Blade Itself, Before They Are Hanged, and The Last Argument of Kings). The audio version is especially entertaining because the reader is absolutely awesome. The books are filled with colorful characters, well drawn and likable. The characters that are meant to be disliked are still colorful, interesting, and humorous. The books are well written, and humor and pathos are mixed together with skill. I enjoyed all three books but throughout the first two...more

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Oct 15, 2012 John Montagne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Yep... I just knew that Joe wouldn't let me down. The rousing tale continued. The inquisitor's whining unfortunately didn't lessen, and I think those many, many sentences bogged down those particular chapters - sure, perhaps the reader must be kept aware of such a painful physical existence... but I disagree with the level of the reminder. Joe's knack for combat description is top-notch though, whether skirmish level or mass battle, superb. "Before They Are Hanged" did have a couple chapters whe...more

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Aug 03, 2012 Warren Bennett rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm adding the following review to all three books in the First Law trilogy. Mainly because I discuss the books as whole.

The three books in the series are -

The Blade Itself (2006)
Before They Are Hanged (2007)
Last Argument of Kings (2008)

This is an odd trilogy for me to review. On one hand, I like the books very much and can recommend them to fans of ‘gritty’ fantasy, like the Song of Ice and Fire books. On the other, I feel a bit let down by the story and the characters. There seemed to be lit...more I'm adding the following review to all three books in the First Law trilogy. Mainly because I discuss the books as whole.

The three books in the series are -

The Blade Itself (2006)
Before They Are Hanged (2007)
Last Argument of Kings (2008)

This is an odd trilogy for me to review. On one hand, I like the books very much and can recommend them to fans of ‘gritty’ fantasy, like the Song of Ice and Fire books. On the other, I feel a bit let down by the story and the characters. There seemed to be little pay off at the end for my time invested. In fact, I think the author did his best not to have that pay off, instead choosing to be ‘realistic.’

Whatever that means.

I do get ahead of myself a bit since the first two books pulled me in and kept me interested. The reason is the typical British writing style, full of quirky dialogue and dry wit. The story follows a group of characters as the country they live in deals with war on two fronts: One from the north by a Barbarian King and one on the south by country of religious zealots. This drama plays out over the course of the three novels, with each of the characters starting out separate and eventually coming to be involved with each other to some degree.

The characters in the book are the main reason read the trilogy. While some books can survive on the tale itself, The First Law trilogy is different. The story is secondary to the characters, with the world being nothing more than a mishmash of fantasy tropes. My favorite characters include the bitter and cynical former soldier Sand dan Glokta, who is a torturer by trade but has a weird sort of morality about him. His dry sense of humor helps lighten an otherwise dark setting. Another is Logen Ninefingers, a barbarian with a bloody past who is trying to change. His humble and realistic outlook helps to ground the other characters when they start getting above themselves. I also like Collem West, an anger prone soldier who has gained his position against all odds. He is a relatively moral person and does his best in an army of immoral people. There are other characters, of course, including a wizard, a nobleman, Collem’s Sister, and many others. They are all characterized well and help move the story along.

The characters in the series became real to me. My biggest disappointment with the trilogy comes near the end of the second book and throughout the third book. I won’t go in to spoiler territory, but at this pint is when everything starts to unravel. Abercrombie begun to take the hopes I had built up for the characters and started to dash them on the ground. I can understand not wanting to stick to ‘fantasy’ norm, yet I think that Abercrombie was so intent on being gritty and real that it hurt the story as a whole. I didn’t expect him to start destroying what I liked about the characters, but once he started, nothing he did was unexpected. I knew what would happen and I ended up groaning as each new event revealed itself. The third volume of the series is the weakest, when it really should be the strongest.

It is obvious these books are influenced by the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin. Many of the characters could be extras in that series. I believe that The First Law trilogy is valiant first try, but ultimately the last book brings the trilogy down. It won’t keep me from reading more by Abercrombie, since I feel he is a good writer that creates great characters, but I just hope he doesn’t give in to his need to be ‘edgy’ in the future. There are two more books set in the First Law universe with another coming. I do plan to read them, but I am unsure if I will enjoy them or not.(less)

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Jul 19, 2012 Brooke Banks rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, written-reviews

- Funny/Sarcasm/Gallows Humor
- Characters are real, complex people with grey morality
- Character Progression
- Character Driven story
- Great Fight Scenes
- More background information/world building
- Good pacing and switching between groups and POVs.
- Plot Moving
- Plot not fully revealed
- More questions than answers
- Skips between three groups of characters, in three different areas, doing their own thing and going their own way
- There are obvious connects between the characters, but it's not obvi...more

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May 10, 2012 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars

In my review of The Blade Itself, I noted how this series was in the same vein as the Gentleman Bastards and Kingkiller series if perhaps a rung lower. After reading this sequel, I can pronounce that they are all truly peers and in many ways this book was superior to the sequels of the other series. All of my complaints regarding the first book (lesser world building, delayed momentum, etc.) are resolved in Before They Are Hanged while expounding on the fantastic character development that drew...more

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Feb 24, 2012 Cheryl rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I just discovered Joe Abercrombie and I'm beginning to work my way through his books. His heroes??? are oafish, violent, empathetic, sympathetic, maddening, and trying to stay alive. Just like all of us.

Logen Ninefingers is a Named Man as are Dogman, Black Dow, Threetrees and others from the North. But Logen has set off with a wizard and motley band seeking some kind of Seed, a magic that will stop the wars and the unworldly creatures the North is bringing out. The other Named Men have chosen to...more

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Dec 24, 2011 Tanabrus rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, in-inglese

Secondo volume della trilgoia The first law, il cui primo libro (The blade itself) mi aveva intrigato in quanto a personaggi e ambientazione lasciandomi però alquanto perplesso come storia, visto che si dilungava enormemente sui personaggi e sulle loro evoluzioni ma terminava in pratica quando la storia cominciava.

Questo secondo volume, come era prevedibile alla fine del primo, si divide in tre grossi tronconi.
Abbiamo il viaggio del gruppo guidato dal Bayaz, radunato da tutto il mondo per scovar...more

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Oct 23, 2011 Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

Ah middle books of a series. Books with neither a beginning nor an end. Nothing but big honking chunks of middle.

Before They Are Hanged follows three separate stories with no overlap. Of the three stories, two of them are excellent and one doesn't work. Two out of three isn't bad but the weak story is, in comparison, clearly weak and it costs the book a half a star. (It's a 3.5 stars book).

In the Union, Inquisitor Sand dan Glotka, our intrepid evil torturing hero, gets an upgrade to Superior Gl...more Ah middle books of a series. Books with neither a beginning nor an end. Nothing but big honking chunks of middle.

Before They Are Hanged follows three separate stories with no overlap. Of the three stories, two of them are excellent and one doesn't work. Two out of three isn't bad but the weak story is, in comparison, clearly weak and it costs the book a half a star. (It's a 3.5 stars book).

In the Union, Inquisitor Sand dan Glotka, our intrepid evil torturing hero, gets an upgrade to Superior Glotka and is sent off to the far-off exotic city of Dagoska on the edge of the Gurkhul Empire to find why Dagoska's last Inquisitor Superior disappeared. He finds a city under siege by endless armies, some sophomore attempts at underhanded politics, a military in disarray, and a city crumbling. The strongest part of the book -- and clearly Joe Abercrombie's favorite character -- Glotka demonstrates why he's a man not to be messed with, even with his broken and crippled body.

Up in Angland, the Union forces face the implacable Northern armies of King Bethod. Colonel West witnesses the Union crumble as their overestimate their own abilities and underestimate Bethod's willingness to reach into every kind of evil imaginable to crush his foes. West finds himself traveling through the Northern winter woods chasing down an army with Logan Ninefinger's old crew, Rudd Threetrees and his Named Men. Excellent battle scenes riddle West's viewpoint section as they chase through the woods to take out Bethod's scouts and the story unfolds to some setpiece battles.

Meanwhile, Logan Ninefingers, Bayaz and friends cross an empty continent on a quest for a rock. Road trips can be interesting but this roadtrip wasn't; the characters went through some battles but mostly they roadtripped across a vast, empty continent full of ruins. Easily the weakest part of this book, it didn't bring anything to the table except explain some of the doings of wizards thousands of years before.

When "Before They Are Hanged" is good, it is very, very, very good. Joe Abercrombie pulls off what most fantasy authors fail to do: he writes almost Tolstoy-esque battle scenes with huge set pieces all moves through the woods. The battle scenes are great. When they're small, they're personal. When they're huge, they're immense. The wars -- from the Gurkhul sieging Dagoska to the huge battles in the woods in the snow between armies -- these parts shine. But when the characters have nothing to do except talk to one another, the books just sort of fall apart.

Clearly good enough to finish the trilogy. It's a pretty decent fantasy book. It's just a middle one. So it is what it is. (less)

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Sep 10, 2011 Chris rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a review of the audio version [22h 37m].

This oppressive, violent sword and sorcery is sometimes difficult to stomach, but there's a lot to like. The story was often difficult to take because of the neverending violence and because people did not do what I expected. No one is good and most are barely sympathetic. I found myself yelling at the characters more than once and often hoping for their deaths. Obviously, I was very engaged. The story is fast-paced with a lot of action. I enjoyed...more

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All hail Abercrombie!	5	48	Mar 24, 2013 03:13pm
"Oh the irony", she hissed.	39	208	Feb 17, 2013 12:33pm
Fantasy Book Club...: * Before they are Hanged-Finished! Spoilers allowed	27	54	Sep 26, 2012 09:11pm
Fantasy Book Club...: * Before they are Hanged II- Bloody Company through Heading North	8	61	Sep 15, 2012 06:49am
Fantasy Book Club...: * Before they are Hanged III-Scant Mercy through Beneath the Ruins	9	54	Sep 11, 2012 07:19pm
Fantasy Book Club...: * Before they are HangedIV-No Good for each Other thru Back to the Mud	6	54	Sep 11, 2012 02:52pm
Fantasy Book Club...: * Before They are Hanged Part I -The Great Leveller through Rain (p136)	14	46	Sep 06, 2012 08:01am

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About Joe Abercrombie

Joe Abercrombie was educated at Lancaster Royal Grammar School and Manchester University, where he studied psychology. He moved into television production before taking up a career as a freelance film editor. During a break between jobs he began writing The Blade Itself in 2002, completing it in 2004. It was published by Gollancz in 2006 and was followed by two other books in The First Law Trilogy...more

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Last Argument of Kings (The First Law, #3)

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“We should forgive our enemies, but not before they are hanged.” — 65 people liked it

“Honour, eh? What the hell is that anyway? Every man thinks it's something different. You can't drink it. You can't fuck it. The more of it you have the less good it does you, and if you've got none at all you don't miss it.” — 59 people liked it

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Before They Are Hanged (The First Law #2)

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