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 truste...
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Jun 11, 2010
Jon
rated it: 
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jul 25, 2011
mark
rated it:
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 an More...
(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 an More...
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Jun 12, 2011
Ross
rated it: 
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. I More...
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. I More...
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May 12, 2011
Paul
rated it:
"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 More...
Well I am here to say that "Before They Are Hanged" is an even bigger, meaner and better story More...
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Aug 30, 2008
Terence
rated it: 
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
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(4 people liked it)
Nov 22, 2007
Joshua
rated it:
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 t More...
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 t More...
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(6 people liked it)
Nov 04, 2011
Debi
rated it:
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:
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.
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.
Jul 27, 2011
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 Be More...
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 Be More...
Dec 24, 2011
Tanabrus
rated it:
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 i More...
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 i More...
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Oct 23, 2011
Emily
rated it:
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 More...
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 More...
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Sep 10, 2011
Chris
rated it:
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. More...
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. More...
Aug 26, 2011
Cameron
rated it:
Before They Are Hanged is a fast, tight read. While I was somewhat ambivalent about The Blade Itself due to a few issues with its world-building and lack of descriptions, Before They Are Hanged is a very, very entertaining read with one of the better endings in the fantasy genre.
It's not surprising that the highlight of the book for me was, again, the character Glokta. Crippled, struggling more and more each day both with his own demons while satisfying his shady boss's needs, the ch More...
It's not surprising that the highlight of the book for me was, again, the character Glokta. Crippled, struggling more and more each day both with his own demons while satisfying his shady boss's needs, the ch More...
Jun 28, 2011
Mark
rated it:
Pretty good stuff right here. Perhaps the only complaint I have to offer is that I'm not really sure what is supposed to be the thread connecting the three big plots and the trilogy is 2/3 over at this point. But I'm not going to mark this book off for that. We'll see how it connects in the end.
This book is one part journey to the end of the earth, one part siege defense (which itself has a lot of mystery) and one part cold, northern aggression. It's hard to pick a favorite of these. More...
This book is one part journey to the end of the earth, one part siege defense (which itself has a lot of mystery) and one part cold, northern aggression. It's hard to pick a favorite of these. More...
May 16, 2011
Joe
rated it: 
Joe Abercrombie's second book in the First Law series has finally gathered all of its characters, and finally we're ready for some adventure! After 500 pages of world building now finally we can have some action! Sort of.
Like "The Blade Itself", this is not a stand alone book. It's really the middle part of a 1700 page novel. So if you liked book one, you'll like what you see here. All of the characters get to wiggle their toes a little and start to really fill in more 3 More...
Like "The Blade Itself", this is not a stand alone book. It's really the middle part of a 1700 page novel. So if you liked book one, you'll like what you see here. All of the characters get to wiggle their toes a little and start to really fill in more 3 More...
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Jan 11, 2011
Ithlilian
rated it:
The First Law series is dark, gritty, and gripping. The characters are intense and in your face. The only thing that falls short is the plot. There are three main plots in this book: traveling to the edge of the world, fighting the northmen, and Glotka. Personally, I love Glotka and could read about him doing just about anything, so I'm extremely happy with that third of the book. I'm not as thrilled with the northmen war and I have a hard time stomaching an entire plot based solely on traveling
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Nov 25, 2010
Tanabrus
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Oct 08, 2010
Ryn
rated it:
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Aug 12, 2010
Ubalstecha
rated it:
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 fictio More...
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 fictio More...
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(1 person liked it)
Jun 26, 2010
Eric
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jun 25, 2010
Ethan
rated it:
Decent book, nothing spectacular here. The characters are interesting and fairly compelling, and the dialog is witty. Glokta continues to be the most interesting of the lot; Logen and the Northmen in general are a little too simpleminded for my taste, Ferro too feral, and Jezal has become a bit of a whiner (though arguably he has changed the most of all the characters). Motivation seems murky. I've been reading a fair bit of Matt Stover's work and you can really feel a sense of purpose in hi
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Feb 19, 2010
Steven
rated it:
The second book.
We are in the full throws of war, on two fronts. Bethods men ravage the North while our sort-of-hero West tries to hold it all together with the help of Logens old team [who believe him dead:].
Glokta shows a mean streak that made me grin far too many times in the South, holding a City under siege though he has no idea why.
Bayaz, Logen et al carry out their quest for who-knows-what.
Again, Glokta shines. He is by far the most competently and compelling More...
We are in the full throws of war, on two fronts. Bethods men ravage the North while our sort-of-hero West tries to hold it all together with the help of Logens old team [who believe him dead:].
Glokta shows a mean streak that made me grin far too many times in the South, holding a City under siege though he has no idea why.
Bayaz, Logen et al carry out their quest for who-knows-what.
Again, Glokta shines. He is by far the most competently and compelling More...
Feb 17, 2010
Abraham
rated it:
Sometimes I wonder what the 15 year old me would think of the books I read now. "Pft, fantasy," he would say. "What are you some kind of nerd?" Before going back to read Jurassic Park yet again. But you know what, the 15 year old me didn't know what he was missing out on because, for the most part, I was stupid at 15. (that is not to say i'm not stupid. sometimes i feel almost suicidally stupid at times) I am always amazed when authors manage to conjure up a definite voice fo
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Aug 19, 2009
Andrew
rated it:
As Monty Python once said: "Welcome to da middle of da film."
Abercrombie's second book in "The First Law" series has one of my favorite structures; multiple groups that leapfrog each other from chapter to chapter, allowing the author to layer on cliffhangers, keeping you constantly reading as you try to find out what happened next to the one group, and then reading more to figure out what's going on with the other. If it works, and it does here, it can keep you re More...
Abercrombie's second book in "The First Law" series has one of my favorite structures; multiple groups that leapfrog each other from chapter to chapter, allowing the author to layer on cliffhangers, keeping you constantly reading as you try to find out what happened next to the one group, and then reading more to figure out what's going on with the other. If it works, and it does here, it can keep you re More...
Jul 28, 2009
Michael
rated it:
I continue to very much enjoy Abercrombie's First Law trilogy, though this second entry is even less of a complete story than the first one. Before They Are Hanged is the middle part of a great ride. This book follows four (at least) disparate plotlines, and continues following the characters we were introduced to in the first book. (Thankfully, there are very few new characters introduced.) The exploits of the crippled torturer Glokta in his attempt to defend a city against undefendable od
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Jun 19, 2009
Guy
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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May 13, 2009
Theresa
rated it:
I have become quite a fan of Joe Abercrombie over the last year. After his debut, The Blade Itself, it became clear that Abercrombie was an author with an unusual voice and terrific talent. But I took my time reading this book and deciding what I would put in my review. The reason I did this is because there has been so much glowing admiration for the series that I wanted to make sure that I was looking at the book honestly and not letting my opinions be swayed by what others were saying.
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Jul 24, 2011
Ruth
rated it:
"2nd volume of The First Law - Bayaz and Companions. continue on and eventually complete the first part of their quest, only to find something unexpected at the end of it. In the North and South of the continent, respectively, Superior Glokta and Colonel West continue to hold the enemy at bay. Fantasic book - certainly living up to the first in the series. Humour is still conveyed with a deft touch and, sadly, I get to like Glokta even more! Which makes me a terrible person, I'm sure. Cour
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Jan 15, 2012
Robert
rated it:
The "Odyssey" would have been a better name for this book, though that title might have been taken?
This review is biased a smidgen by the anti-climax that are the ending pages, keep in mind this is the second of a trilogy. Too many points of immediate portent, wheeze into non issues or "slights of hand, hell maybe of body". People die as is normal but one of these deaths fell too close to the end making it much worse. Anachronisms abound also but play second to t More...
This review is biased a smidgen by the anti-climax that are the ending pages, keep in mind this is the second of a trilogy. Too many points of immediate portent, wheeze into non issues or "slights of hand, hell maybe of body". People die as is normal but one of these deaths fell too close to the end making it much worse. Anachronisms abound also but play second to t More...
Apr 14, 2011
Jason
rated it:
Any comparison of this series to George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire can stop now. It's enjoyable enough to read, but there are some annoying pieces to the story that just won't let it rise to the level of a proper epic.
The characters. Glokta may be the most enjoyable POV character to follow, but his actions stop making sense in this story. West falls apart, and by his actions no longer resembles the character we read about in The Blade Itself. All the rest of the characters see More...
The characters. Glokta may be the most enjoyable POV character to follow, but his actions stop making sense in this story. West falls apart, and by his actions no longer resembles the character we read about in The Blade Itself. All the rest of the characters see More...
