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

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Last Argument of Kings (The First Law #3)

4.22 of 5 stars 4.22 · rating details · 19,085 ratings · 911 reviews

The end is coming.

Logen Ninefingers might only have one more fight in him–but it's going to be a big one. Battle rages across the North, the king of the Northmen still stands firm, and there's only one man who can stop him. His oldest friend, and his oldest enemy: it's time for the Bloody-Nine to come home.

With too many masters and too little time, Superior Glokta is fig...more

Paperback, 636 pages

Published March 2008 by Gollancz (first published 2008)

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Jun 18, 2012 mark monday rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantastickal

and so the excellent First Law trilogy concludes. this was a splendid experience and certainly a hearty one as well. many things to consider and many enjoyments to be had. a full meal! and quite a bitter feast at that.

and here is the Last Argument of the title, succinctly delivered by the ferocious sorceror Bayaz:

"Power makes all things right. That is my first law, and my last. That is the only law that I acknowledge."

SPOILERS FOLLOW

this is a really marvelous series. bold in intent, clear in pu...more and so the excellent First Law trilogy concludes. this was a splendid experience and certainly a hearty one as well. many things to consider and many enjoyments to be had. a full meal! and quite a bitter feast at that.

and here is the Last Argument of the title, succinctly delivered by the ferocious sorceror Bayaz:

"Power makes all things right. That is my first law, and my last. That is the only law that I acknowledge."

SPOILERS FOLLOW

this is a really marvelous series. bold in intent, clear in purpose, both a strikingly rigorous critique of the systems of power and a fun, fast-paced adventure that turns expectations around narrative & characterization upside down. it is not perfect; the most egregious fault is a certain shallowness in the dialogue - many lines read as if they are coming from a particularly snarky tv sitcom. i do not like. but that fault, and other minor ones, pales in comparison to all the positives of the trilogy.

the first book basically functions as a a prologue. indeed, in other books, the entirety of the action in that book would probably have been dispensed with in a chapter or two. but The Blade Itself sees the building of character and the constructing of a strong foundation for its overarching narrative as key to its design, and so The Blade Itself sticks in the memory as one of the most in-depth introductions to the action that i've experienced. a bold move; i like. the second book is where all the action is at. but man does Abercrombie fuck with reader expectations in Before They Are Hanged. there are two primary narrative threads in the second book: a Quest for a Band of Adventurers and the Defense of a City Under Siege. for such a contrastingly (to the first book) action-packed novel, the decisions of how to end these two adventures is rooted in the need to illustrate failure - so much so that the novel functions as a sardonic critique and attack on the use of Quests and City Sieges in fantasy. the Quest goes nowhere; nothing is gained and the whole thing is pointless. the Defense of a City fails; good people are slain, a city is taken, and then the 'hero' is rewarded for doing a good job in drawing out the Siege - his actual failure being preordained by his loathsome masters. truly a a kind of rough justice in terms of reader expectations for classic narrative pleasures; i like.

Last Argument is likewise determined to smack the reader upside the head with their own complacent desires. this happens in two distinct ways: (1) showing the true darkness at the heart of its sometimes rather loveable characters and (2) giving the novel's various narrative threads some of the bitterest versions of happy endings that i've experienced.

to the first goal, it is important to point out what Abercrombie did in the second book: he made his characters highly appealing. their courage & loyalty & cleverness are highlighted and they are given amusing character traits to make them charmingly down-to-earth. they grow and they do brave things and the novel shows that they can be better human beings, if given the opportunity. the third book is counting on the reader to remember those positive little bits - all the better to sting that reader when they are reminded of these characters' true natures. the only person who escapes unscathed is the most unloveable character of all - the savage and bloodthirsty Ferro, who is my own favorite character.

other characters do not make it out with their loveability intact. Logan the berserker barbarian's stomach-turning past is actually explored (with an emphasis on his various mindless atrocities) and, most importantly, we are given a scene where we witness Logan's terrifying alter ego do truly horrible things. my God, he cuts a child in half! he becomes distinctly un-loveable after that little bit. and the same goes for the rest: anti-heroes who Abercrombie set up to be surprisingly sympathetic are given their chance... not to shine, but to molder. Glokta tortures innocent people that he knows are innocent, simply because he is following orders. Jezal overindulges his tendency towards frustrating ditheriness. Ardee becomes a self-pitying, self-loathing lush. Black Dow, Frost, and Severard betray those who have given them trust. Quai is shown to be a foul imposter. and most stark at all, Bayaz the Eccentric Magician is shown to have the true colors of a classic megalomaniac, uncaring of who he hurts & kills, primarily interested in maintaining his authority, a liar and a bully and a murderer, contemptuous of all who do not share his goals, and willing to do literally anything to further those goals and gain more power. Bayaz the Eccentric Magician - the only character who seeks to truly protect a kingdom against the powers of darkness - turns out to be the darkest monster of them all. i like.

to the second goal... well, i don't want to do what i did above, and list the viciously ironic happy endings delivered on all the remaining characters. one example will suffice: a Happy Marriage for a king and his new bride. a happy ending where a lesbian is forced to pretend to be deliriously happy to bed her man night after night - or else her lover, a stalwart lady-in-waiting, will be tortured and killed. a happy ending where the naive new king is so pleased with his wife's change of heart that he never questions how that radical change of heart occurred. he finds her crying at the window each night after a session of lovemaking... well, it must be because she is homesick!

the cumulative effect of all of Abercrombie's bleakly sardonic decisions is one that gave me a hollow, depressed feeling. and yet i was thoroughly engaged and challenged by each of his decisions. i felt attacked; i felt like the rug was pulled out from under me; i felt as if all that i held to be important and meaningful were simply false constructs based on lazy thinking and a complacency with what i have automatically considered as "good", as "right". being challenged like that is a rare thing. i like.(less)

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Mar 31, 2009 Kat Hooper rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobook

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

Say one thing for this reviewer, say she's a weak-minded sucker.

She really enjoyed the first two books of Joe Abercrombie's The First Law trilogy. This story was original, had a unique style, fascinating characters, and a darkly cynical style. She liked it. It was fresh. But she was kind of hoping, even daring to expect, that the last book, Last Argument of Kings, might have an ending that was, if not perhaps exactly happy, at least somewhat satisfying.

Unf...more

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Apr 04, 2013 Dan Schwent rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, 2013

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. As the Gurkish march on Adua, Bayaz schemes to defeat them, Jezel discovers his secret parentage, and Glokta tries to learn things no one wants him to know. Meanwhile, the Northmen are holed up in a fortress in the hills with Bethod's army at their gate, waiting for the Union army to arrive. Will they arrive in time? Is even Bayaz enough to defeat the Gurkish?

Apart from my Dark Tower reread of 2011, It's been a long time since I read the final book in a fantasy series. I guess re-reading the Elr...more As the Gurkish march on Adua, Bayaz schemes to defeat them, Jezel discovers his secret parentage, and Glokta tries to learn things no one wants him to know. Meanwhile, the Northmen are holed up in a fortress in the hills with Bethod's army at their gate, waiting for the Union army to arrive. Will they arrive in time? Is even Bayaz enough to defeat the Gurkish?

Apart from my Dark Tower reread of 2011, It's been a long time since I read the final book in a fantasy series. I guess re-reading the Elric books was the last time and probably Amber before that. The Last Argument of Kings, final book in the First Law trilogy, is way up in the series ender hierarchy.

The manure hits the windmill in a serious fashion in this volume. Several pretty important characters die. The rest of them have their lives change in real ways. Who would have Jezel dan Luthar and Logen Ninefingers would wind up kings? Or what would happen after they did?

Glokta and Bayaz were by far the most captivating characters in this volume. Glokta shocked me time and time again and I'm still not sure if Bayaz slew his mentor or not, only that he has his fingers in most of the pies in the bakery. All the revelations toward the end blew my mind.

There are so many things I want to gush about in this volume, like Bayaz using the Seed against the Eaters, Glokta marrying Ardee West, and the fight between The Bloody Nine and the Feared. I knew the confrontation was coming as soon as the Feared was introduced and I was pretty sure of his weakness. I just didn't picture the battle to be so brutal.

The character development over the course of the three books was pretty damn amazing considering where Jezel, Logen, and the rest started. The ending was the icing on the cake.

Like I said in my reviews of the other books, people compare these books to George R.R. Martin but they aren't that similar other than the brutal deaths. The First Law is way more like Pratchett. This particular volume reminds me of Watchmen quite bit when the heroes find out just how thoroughly they've been jerked around.

Five blood drenched stars. That's all I have to say.
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Sep 24, 2012 Hanne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Hanne by: Fantasy Book Club Series

Shelves: fantasy, shelf-a-ton-13

While reading the final hundred pages of this book, there is one quote that came to mind: “All this has happened before, and all this will happen again.” It’s from my favourite tv-series Battlestar Galactica but it could be a tagline on these series as well.

I have to admit after book 1 and 2 I thought that these trilogy was really good, but I didn’t fully understand the utter brilliance it supposedly had. Now after book 3, I get it. This last book is the culmination of so many things and shows...more
While reading the final hundred pages of this book, there is one quote that came to mind: “All this has happened before, and all this will happen again.” It’s from my favourite tv-series Battlestar Galactica but it could be a tagline on these series as well.

I have to admit after book 1 and 2 I thought that these trilogy was really good, but I didn’t fully understand the utter brilliance it supposedly had. Now after book 3, I get it. This last book is the culmination of so many things and shows some utter brilliance indeed.

One of the things that makes this book so brilliant: Abercrombie gives you a few jaw-dropping electroshocks along the way: (view spoiler) which distracts from the real nuclear bomb that has been dropped at the start and is slowly building to general destruction of everything you thought you knew. Of everything that was so carefully constructed in Book 1 when Abercrombie really took his time to build solid foundations for all his characters.

(view spoiler)(less)

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Apr 05, 2010 Architeuthis rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2000s, goodest-reads-2010, fiction-that-speculates

Because, even after the first two volumes, every character will STILL surprise you. Because Glokta is the best fantasy character I've found since Tyrion Lannister. Because Logen is a mushroom-cloud-laying motherfucker. Because you should've seen it coming but you didn't. You really didn't.

Because even "gritty" fantasy writers are usually afraid to go this far against expectations. Because you will laugh. You will get angry. Because you will hate the ending. Because the ending is perfect. Becaus...more

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Jun 28, 2009 Arthur rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: liked, fantasy

Just finished The Last Argument of Kings...

Mixed feelings.
Definitely it is not worth re-reading, otherwise it would be like Logen, pissing into the wind. Real life is depressing enough, why make it worse?
I didn't expect a happy ending, but everything, absolutely everything to be bad? While you have to be realistic is a good motto, the ending is not realistic because life is shit and people do not change is overplayed.

The Blade Itself starts with a chapter 1 - End, and The Last Argument of Kings...more

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Jun 30, 2008 Nikki rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. As another book in the series, I enjoyed this. It was good to see that things approached an end without it being too happy -- I was almost expecting Logen to become king and have everybody love him, all of a sudden, but the book avoided that pitfall. And I was expecting him and Ferro to resolve their issues in the end, but that didn't happen either. Nor did Jezal get everything, or Terez suddenly fall in love, or anything like that. In fact, I read someone somewhere complaining that it was too m...more

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Sep 17, 2008 Terence rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sf-fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. A good but not great series (IMHO), and I'll tell you why.

The plot: The series centers around the travails of a country called the Union and the characters' efforts to save it both from an invasion of Northern barbarians and one from southern crusaders (the Gurkish) led by a coven of cannibalistic sorcerors. The powers behind the scenes are the remnants of a brotherhood of magi. The "good" magus is named Bayaz; and his opposite number is Khalul. As anyone who bothers reading the blurbs on these...more A good but not great series (IMHO), and I'll tell you why.

The plot: The series centers around the travails of a country called the Union and the characters' efforts to save it both from an invasion of Northern barbarians and one from southern crusaders (the Gurkish) led by a coven of cannibalistic sorcerors. The powers behind the scenes are the remnants of a brotherhood of magi. The "good" magus is named Bayaz; and his opposite number is Khalul. As anyone who bothers reading the blurbs on these books will know, this is not your father's Tolkien. There are no good guys and no bad guys (as such), just people trying to cope with an utterly indifferent cosmos.

On the plus side, the characters are well drawn and distinct and their actions are utterly believable. The one who stands out as one of the more memorable anti-heroes of recent fantasy is Superior Glokta. A man captured, tortured and disfigured by the Gurkish who returns to the Union to become one of its inquisitors and master torturers. He struggles to figure out why he continues to live when his life is a living hell -- he lives in constant pain, he struggles to survive the machinations of his superiors, his job is to inflict the agonies he's suffered on others (often innocent of any crime except standing in the way of a superior's ambition), and when he does find an opportunity for mercy, it comes back to "bite" him.

Bayaz, the First of the Magi, is another strong character but by no means a "good" person -- the Gandalf of the trilogy. Rather he is Sauron as he appeared to the elves of Eregion -- Annatar, Lord of Gifts. He comes to the Union, dispensing wisdom and gifts but always working toward his own ends. And, at the end, he reveals his true feelings for the mortals he walks amongst -- they're worms.

Mark Edmundson in Why We Read argues that "great" literature (as opposed to just "good" or worse) should show us what we can be not just what we are, which is where Abercrombie comes up short, I believe. Many of his characters are good or strive to be but they're weak. They're constantly making self-pitying comments about how they can't help but act as they do, and the only character for whom I can hold any shred of respect turned out to be Glokta in the end.

I hope Abercrombie keeps writing in this world (he's left enough hanging threads to justify another novel or two...) because I think he's a good writer and I want to see if he can sustain the cynical hopelessness that he's left his readers with. (Truth be told, I'd also like to see Bayaz brought down a peg or two, or three, or four.)

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

Recommended to Eric by: Max Kotelevets

Shelves: fantasy

I was a little worried for this series after the second book seemed to bite off more than it could chew -- but as I have lamented before, middle books in trilogies are rarely perfect. In this case, the third book made all that pretense and set-up in Before They Are Hanged more than worth it. Every strand was fully explored and adequately resolved, in a believable manner by characters that stayed true to their personalities. While the ending is a bit infuriating at first glance, it fits with the...more

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Feb 04, 2012 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: signed-books

I just can't decide how to rate this book. I enjoyed everything about the Last Argument of Kings except the ending. Although, I'm not as unhappy about it today as I was when I finished the book last night. It has been on my mind so Joe Abercrombie knew what he was doing. If there was another book in the series, I would rate it 4 to 5 stars.

I am going to give it 4 stars because I do recommend this series...unless you are squeamish or require a HEA.

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Mar 02, 2009 Alex added it

Okay, so here's the thing with this book and why I gave it no stars:

1) It's the third and final volume in a trilogy that up to this book was pretty much as good as fantasy gets: good characterizations, egaging plot, nice overall writing style, etc etc etc.

1a) I specifically liked the first two because they were surprisingly nasty, not dark mind you (no brooding emo heroes of the night), nasty.

1b) "Nasty" isn't meant sexually either, incidentally, in case you were flashing to Janet Jackson right...more Okay, so here's the thing with this book and why I gave it no stars:

1) It's the third and final volume in a trilogy that up to this book was pretty much as good as fantasy gets: good characterizations, egaging plot, nice overall writing style, etc etc etc.

1a) I specifically liked the first two because they were surprisingly nasty, not dark mind you (no brooding emo heroes of the night), nasty.

1b) "Nasty" isn't meant sexually either, incidentally, in case you were flashing to Janet Jackson right then.

2) All of that remains true for this book. I think it's important to know that no actions or events in this book are implausible given what's happened before or are unbelievable to the characters as written to this point.

SPOILER-ISH
3) Man, everything goes to shit and everyone dies or is fucking miserable forever is what happens here in book three.

4) And that turns out to be the point of it all, the philosophy the series intends to convey: That everyone is a total shit and you will die and death will be awful and degrading, but that's what life's like anyway so who cares.

4a) I think it's because that's the IT of the series that I found the book so dispiriting and also retroactively ruinous of the first two, which I no longer particularly like knowing what they'd lead to.

4b) Which makes me worry a little that I've turned into Pollyanna No-Unhappy-Endings let's have some cookies and hugs.

4b -i) Or even worse, someone who requires moral edification in entertainment.

5) I am going to resist those ideas about myself, even as I struggle to figure out why this is so repugnant to me, why I feel so.. almost offended by this book. I guess because this ending seems as trite as one where everyone wins and has cookies and hugs, only looking for some deeper credibility by instead of cookies it's slavery instead of hugs it's sharp pointy sticks being jabbed in various orifices. It ends up not TRYING to say anything more then the easiest black or white thing it could say, and it's even worse when you have this feeling the author COULD HAVE DONE BETTER. (less)

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Aug 27, 2012 Sherwin rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: George R.R. Martin fans, those who like "brutal" fantasy and sword fights!

I don't know why but what I find perplexing about the First Law Trilogy was the fact that I can't seem to root for any of the main characters. They are all so "gray" and morally confusing that I often found myself fascinated by the support characters like Yoru Sulfur, Jalenhorm Crummock-i-Phail, etc. even more keenly than Bayaz or Logen.

That said, I liked Bayaz' character because I think he's the first master wizard that I have read about that broke the typical getup. Pretty clever of Joe Aberc...more

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

Joe Abercrombie‘s writing improved drastically between his debut novel, “The Blade Itself”, a hard-boiled, profane, dark fantasy-noir, and his follow-up novel, “Before They Are Hanged”. Now arrives the final volume in the First Law trilogy, “Last Argument of Kings”, and the question naturally arises, does Abercrombie again improve his writing chops between the two volumes or has he regressed artistically? The answer is emphatic as “Last Argument of Kings” is the best fantasy novel released so fa...more Joe Abercrombie‘s writing improved drastically between his debut novel, “The Blade Itself”, a hard-boiled, profane, dark fantasy-noir, and his follow-up novel, “Before They Are Hanged”. Now arrives the final volume in the First Law trilogy, “Last Argument of Kings”, and the question naturally arises, does Abercrombie again improve his writing chops between the two volumes or has he regressed artistically? The answer is emphatic as “Last Argument of Kings” is the best fantasy novel released so far in 2008.

The First Law trilogy is a bloody, excessively violent, gritty action-packed adventure, filled with unsavory and disgusting characters doing repulsive things. Considering that two of the main characters are a government-employed torturer who gleefully celebrates his grim work and a mentally unstable and bloodthirsty barbarian who brings death and destruction to friend and foe alike, you know you encountered something far from the rosy side of epic fantasy. “Last Argument of Kings” ratchets the hard-edged brutality up even more, making it the most grim and violent of the trilogy. But it also makes the novel the most emotionally satisfying as my investment in the characters has been raised much higher.

Bayaz, Jezal, Logen and Ferro have returned empty-handed from their quest to find the mysterious artifact, the “Seed”, an object of vast destructive power. The Union still wages a bloody war against Bethod, the King of the North, and things have gone poorly for the Union side. Soon, Logen decides to confront his bloody past, heading back to the North, to reunite with his old comrades and join the Union army in its fight against Bethod. To make matters worse, Glokta discovers that his old nemesis, the Gurkish, plan to invade the Union within days.

So when the King suddenly dies and leaves no living heirs, chaos ensues as a successor is sought out by the nobles. When a surprise candidate ascends to the throne, he discovers he must immediately figure out how to fight a battle against the Northerners and the Gurkish simultaneously.

Abercrombie brings the trilogy to a rousing and very satisfying conclusion, peppering the novel with incredible battles, grim humor, and many unforeseen twists. In the previous novels, Abercrombie’s strength has been in his ability to create amazing characterizations like the absolutely unforgettable Inquisitor Glokta and Logen Ninefingers. In “Last Argument of Kings”, his deft plotting attains a similar sublimeness. Additionally, the characters become even more nuanced and complex, fighting hard against the reader’s expectations of them. It is as though a new light has been shined upon them, making for stunning transformations.

Last Word:
“Last Argument of Kings” is one of the best fantasy series endings ever, and makes the First Law trilogy must reading for all fantasy aficionados. Joe Abercrombie has proven himself to be one of the best young talents today.
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Nov 24, 2008 Ricky rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

I really like how this book tied everything together. Far too often in a fantasy setting you see the climax of a book bring us a happy world where the bad guys are beaten, the good guys win out, the world is saved and... that's it.

In Last Argument of Kings, you get this, but a bit more. By the end of the series we start to understand that the good guys aren't always good. The bad guys aren't always bad (they're still bad but at least we understand the "why" of their "evil" in a way). But we do g...more

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Feb 10, 2010 Stephen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 6-star-books, all-time-favorites, award-nominee-david-gemmell-legend, sfsite-reader-s-poll-top-10, multiple-award-nominee, fantasy, kings-of-badassia, hardboiled-and-noir

6.0 stars. On my list of All Time Favorite novels (along with the other two books in "The First Law" trilogy). This series re-wrote the definition of fantasy "noir" (i.e., darker in theme, characters "grey" rather than black and white and more adult in theme). All three books were incredible and the end was terrific (and completely in keeping with the tone of the series). Brilliantly done. I can not wait for the next book by Mr. Abercrombie. HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION!!!

Nominee: David Gemme...more

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May 19, 2008 Matt rated it 3 of 5 stars

The plot and story arc are much better in this book than in book 2. The best thing this series has going for it has been the multidimensional, flawed characters. The problem becomes that by the end of this book every character either becomes so despicable, arrogant, cowardly, blood-thirsty or pathetic that it's hard to like any one of them. Without giving away too much I liked the non-traditional ending. It was not as satisfying as I hoped because it didn’t turn out like I thought it would, but...more

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Apr 26, 2013 Ismael rated it 3 of 5 stars

If you want a happy ending DO NOT READ THIS BOOK, don't get me wrong, it was very good and i liked it but it feels more like a tragedy. There are no good guys, and anything approximating good is betrayed, intimidated, tortured or killed.

Characters that i liked in the first 2 books, i ended up liking less at the end or just hating them. Those i hated in the beginning, i ended liking more but i could not find a single truly good thing happening at the end.

(view spoiler)...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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Mar 19, 2013 TFGamer rated it 2 of 5 stars

I was quite disappointed in this third book. While I really felt like the first set up a rather unique look at the fantasy genre, the third book ended up being so darn predictable.

Nit picky things about this book - teeth or gums get sucked waaaay too much; ending one paragraph with the first sentence of the next paragraph is terribly cheesy.

Things I learned from this book - no one changes; no one gets what they deserve; there is no such thing as happy endings; everyone is lying; there are no g...more

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Mar 11, 2013 Ryan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2016-challenge

I did it! I finished this fantasy series that I almost quit after the second book. I don't know why, but the second book really dragged for me. However, the third and final installment of the First Law Trilogy redeemed itself. The book brought together all of the plot strands into a pretty epic final 100 pages. Many interesting/shocking plot twists take place and the ending, in contrast to what is typical of this genre, is a very mixed-bag and pretty dark. If you really like fantasy books, you w...more

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Feb 25, 2013 Jon Bitter rated it 2 of 5 stars

Huh...

I think this is the first time I really haven't liked a fantasy series that got great reviews. I have even found myself to be a fan of the "dark and gritty" type of fantasy. Regardless, reading this series was kind of like watching someone run around World of Warcraft with a bunch of characters that have already maxed out their leveling. There was a lot of gratuitous adventure and violence (not really a bad thing), a lot of running around to check items off of their missions list, a lot of...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 third 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 no...more

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Jan 22, 2013 Skip rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Joe Abercrombie's First Law series is what George RR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire would be if you strip it down to the bare essentials. Three books, only two major sides competing, a dozen or so major characters. Personally, I prefer Joe's version, if only because you can get through it in a reasonable time.

There's no clear-cut hero or villain in this tale. Everyone does some good, even if only by accident. Everyone is a right bastard at times, which is usually no accident. Those who survive to...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Georganne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: audio-version, fiction, fantasy, action-adventure

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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Jan 07, 2013 Dianna rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have very mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, I think Abercrombie did an excellent job of thoroughly characterizing his characters; they are the main focus of the series rather than the story itself. And the ending of the book and the wrapping up of the various story threads is nothing if not realistic. However, as a reader, you usually hope for at least a somewhat satisfying ending, and on that point Abercrombie did not deliver. Leading up to the ending, I wasn't expecting anything c...more I have very mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, I think Abercrombie did an excellent job of thoroughly characterizing his characters; they are the main focus of the series rather than the story itself. And the ending of the book and the wrapping up of the various story threads is nothing if not realistic. However, as a reader, you usually hope for at least a somewhat satisfying ending, and on that point Abercrombie did not deliver. Leading up to the ending, I wasn't expecting anything close to a happy-ever-after type of conclusion for each of the characters based on the tone of the trilogy so far (and Logen's constant reminder that 'you have to be realistic'), but I thought at least some would be better off than others. It feels like the series ends on the same note that it started with. (view spoiler)

Abercrombie tries hard in the second book to make his characters be more than what they are. And the reader really starts to believe in those glimpses of those characters at their best. Despite his brutal history of violence, Logen is at peace and no longer desires to fight and make wars. He and Ferro become friends (of sorts) and lovers. Jezal matures and no longer is the arrogant yet ignorant nobleman's son. Bayaz is a kindly father figure who cares for the Union and will do everything in his power to save it. I started the third book with all this in mind, and boy did Abercrombie do a good job in stripping these thoughts from me by the end of the story. Each character's true nature is revealed, and for most part, you find out the character is equally or worse off than how they're introduced in the first book.

Last Argument of Kings is an engrossing read, and I enjoyed most of the book and all the twists and turns that came with it, don't get me wrong, but I don't know if I can bring myself to reread it anytime soon as it is incredibly and realistically bleak.

Joe Abercrombie has caught my attention with this series and I will be on the watch out for any future fantasy books from him.(less)

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Dec 25, 2012 Mikko Karvonen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-scifi

"Delightfully twisted, and evil." The excerpt from The Guardian tells everything you need to know about Joe Abercrombie. He writes twisted fantasy where the characters are as wicked and dark as the plot twists and morale is not a relevant consideration for any decision. And he writes it well. In short time he has become one of the leading names of the genre, mainly thanks to the First Law trilogy that concludes in the Last Argument of the Kings.

And after finally completing the trilogy, I can't h...more "Delightfully twisted, and evil." The excerpt from The Guardian tells everything you need to know about Joe Abercrombie. He writes twisted fantasy where the characters are as wicked and dark as the plot twists and morale is not a relevant consideration for any decision. And he writes it well. In short time he has become one of the leading names of the genre, mainly thanks to the First Law trilogy that concludes in the Last Argument of the Kings.

And after finally completing the trilogy, I can't help but coming to the conclusion that Abercrombie has nothing to offer to me.

I freely admit that he writes very varied characters, who have believable flaws and internal struggles. His dialogue is great and each character has a distinct voice of his or her own. However, by the third book in the trilogy, the obsession of making everyone dark, troubled, twisted, and gritty starts to work against the story. The transition from one character to another no longer offers an interesting contrast, and the plot twists start to become very predictable. This is not shades of grey, this is just the black of a black-and-white world. And as a result, none of the characters really develop anywhere during the story, even though they all had enough inner demons to really do so.

I was also very disappointed to see that my biggest worry after reading the first two books was very much realized: Abercrombie is all about his characters, and in the end he does not have a very interesting story to tell. Or that he does not tell it in a very interesting way. When I finally got to the bit where a handful of pages were dedicated to revealing what was actually going on behind the scenes, I very much wanted to groan.

Telling everything in the end may work in the detective novels, but it does not work in fantasy, especially not after the big conflict has already been resolved. I want to understand what the conflict is all about to actually care about it and the characters caught into it. The great revelation in itself was also somewhat of a let-down. The setup was promising, but it was used more as an excuse, than as a great, unifying theme. Not to mention that all of it didn't even make that much sense. So in the end, Last Argument of Kings was let down by a combination of far-too-predictable twist and a weak background story that was delivered in an uninspiring way.

Joe Abercrombie is clearly a talented writer. Unfortunately, based on the First Law trilogy, it seems that he is not a very interesting storyteller. To me, a truly memorable fantasy author should be both.(less)

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Oct 21, 2012 Matthew rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People who really enjoyed The Song of Fire & Ice and want more similar books.

Shelves: epic-fantasy

I finally finished this book 6 days late for my book club. It took me almost two weeks to read. Very unusual for me. It just dragged for me.

Yes, it is a clone of A Game of Thrones. It just doesn't achieve the same level of dramatic tension of the original books.

This book finally resolved most of the loose strings left by the first two books. But the resolutions did not completely make sense. They were not very satisfactory or consistent with previous writing. And it was obvious that the author w...more

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

Rarely do I enjoy a series so much that it compels me to set aside other books in the line-up to carry on with it, this one did it. "Last Argument of Kings" was smashing good ending to the trilogy. The character development is very well done throughout the series and this one capped those elements nicely... in a way that makes the reader ask themselves, what are the qualities of a hero? And what of these traits are shared by villains? Joe blurs the line. The arch mage in this is certainly no goo...more

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Oct 02, 2012 Paul rated it 3 of 5 stars

I felt like this series was just trying a little too hard to be as pervasively and inescapably dark as possible to the point of outright nihilism, and suffered for it. It seems like the plot was bent at great lengths to make sure that everyone got the worst possible endings except those who deserved it least, all at the whim of something/someone they could not comprehend, or even begin to challenge. Every last event in this book was as the minute and inconsequential movements of pawns in a large...more

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Sep 07, 2012 David Rajfer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Fitting end to a wonderful series that gave me a very different take on the fantasy genre, which I have only a cursory knowledge of. With the third book Abercrombie's writing style began to drag a bit, losing some of the visceral quality the first and second books seemed to deliver in spades. This was more likely due to the fact that at the turtle-like pace I read, I had been consuming his writing for the better part of a year when I finally wrapped this up. To that point, the ending of this boo...more Fitting end to a wonderful series that gave me a very different take on the fantasy genre, which I have only a cursory knowledge of. With the third book Abercrombie's writing style began to drag a bit, losing some of the visceral quality the first and second books seemed to deliver in spades. This was more likely due to the fact that at the turtle-like pace I read, I had been consuming his writing for the better part of a year when I finally wrapped this up. To that point, the ending of this book may have been somewhat predictable (though there were unexpected twists throughout). Regardless, much like the other two titles I was far less concerned with finding out how the story would end and far more interested with experiencing each subsequent encounter Logan and his party would undoubtedly be faced with. Abercrombie's talent for giving readers a deep insight into how these, often brutally violent scenes, weighted on the psyche of his characters. Each one so well realized that it was hard not to predict how each one would react to any situation. Despite what one might think, this didn't hamper my enjoyment at all. Rather, it helped to nurture a sense of familiarity with the characters and heighten the feeling that you were right along side them, fearing for their well-being as you would a good friend, or begging for their demise the way you would your own personal real-life nemesis.
This book did offer a lot of payoff for those who stuck it out through the previous two installments by re-introducing some characters that we've known of since "The Blade Itself", but who'd remained more of an enigma up until this book (though I'd always suspected, no, hoped, we'd catch up with them sooner or later as they were particularly compelling for reasons I will not disclose - I've probably said too much already. I can happily say that Abercromie delivers on this promise, giving a satisfying glimpse into each one of these characters, crafting each one with the same depth as many of the main characters, something I know I had been clamoring for ever since they first were introduced months before. You couldn't help but get the sense he had been writing them in the back of his mind all along, always knowing they'd be revealed in this final act.
I highly recommend this series, particularly to those who see themselves as the type of occasional "fantasy" reader that enjoys a darker, more visceral tale than some of the other well-loved luminaries of the genre. (less)

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The fate of the Bloody Nine	19	260	May 16, 2013 10:34am
Its what I always wanted and never hoped to see.	23	133	Feb 03, 2013 08:43pm
Fantasy Book Club...: * Last Argument of Kings IV-Sacrifices thru The Beginning	23	47	Oct 21, 2012 08:43am
Fantasy Book Club...: * Last Argument of Kings III- Leaves on the Water thru Day of Judgment	16	54	Oct 13, 2012 02:50pm
Fantasy Book Club...: * Last Argument of Kings II-The Kingmaker thru The Number of the Dead	17	27	Oct 08, 2012 07:29pm
Fantasy Book Club...: * Last Argument of Kings-The Poison Trade thru Fortunes of War	11	57	Oct 04, 2012 09:57am

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

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“I have learned all kinds of things from my many mistakes. The one thing I never learn is to stop making them.” — 207 people liked it

“Rules are for children. This is war, and in war the only crime is to lose.” — 122 people liked it

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Last Argument of Kings (The First Law #3)

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