Not sure how this site works, so just copying in my post from DLP. ~EDIT: Just realised how. Delete if you like.
Ok, if you've read any of Joe's work you'll be familiar with his style. He has a gift for cynicism and very dark humour. This is, however, his best work by a country mile.
The Heroes tells the story of 6 different characters at all levels of command in the prelude to, three days of and then the aftermath of a single battle in a northern valley. It's set in the same world - roughly - as his First Law trilogy, but it tells a far neater story and takes various characters from it to a more developed conclusion.
The two main draws here for people who are not already fans are probably going to be; a) his violence, and b) his characters. Both are some of the best I've read in a very long time. Character and violence also compliment each other incredibly well here - it's like a Tarantino ensemble fantasy.
The only let down would perhaps be story - don't be expecting a sweeping fantasy saga. It's a neater setting within a smaller area than many fantasy readers are used to, but this is purely aesthetic. On the surface, it's a short time within a small area, but even without background reading you'll soon be versed in a world that stretches well beyond what you can immediately see. The intrigue and deception in the Northman ranks (You'll know Curnden Craw like you grew up with him by the end, and Black Dow, the thane and one of the First Law trilogy characters, has an incredibly complex relationship with Prince Calder and his brother, who should rightfully hold the crown) contrasts extremely well with the political power struggles and personal demons in the Union Army (Bremer dan Gorst, a shamed warrior acting as Royal correspondent as he tries to win back his old glory, is one of my favourite characters in the genre, and First Law's First of the Magi is back and written in a far more omnipotent, sinister and harsh manner).
You'll see influences from other fantasy writers past and present, but none to the detriment of the author and his story. It's an immensely enjoyable novel - one of the best standalone fantasy books I've read, in fact - and also manages to be one of the most realistic. Well worth a look - and hard enough to put down that it took me one day, literally, to read it.
Ok, if you've read any of Joe's work you'll be familiar with his style. He has a gift for cynicism and very dark humour. This is, however, his best work by a country mile.
The Heroes tells the story of 6 different characters at all levels of command in the prelude to, three days of and then the aftermath of a single battle in a northern valley. It's set in the same world - roughly - as his First Law trilogy, but it tells a far neater story and takes various characters from it to a more developed conclusion.
The two main draws here for people who are not already fans are probably going to be; a) his violence, and b) his characters. Both are some of the best I've read in a very long time. Character and violence also compliment each other incredibly well here - it's like a Tarantino ensemble fantasy.
The only let down would perhaps be story - don't be expecting a sweeping fantasy saga. It's a neater setting within a smaller area than many fantasy readers are used to, but this is purely aesthetic. On the surface, it's a short time within a small area, but even without background reading you'll soon be versed in a world that stretches well beyond what you can immediately see. The intrigue and deception in the Northman ranks (You'll know Curnden Craw like you grew up with him by the end, and Black Dow, the thane and one of the First Law trilogy characters, has an incredibly complex relationship with Prince Calder and his brother, who should rightfully hold the crown) contrasts extremely well with the political power struggles and personal demons in the Union Army (Bremer dan Gorst, a shamed warrior acting as Royal correspondent as he tries to win back his old glory, is one of my favourite characters in the genre, and First Law's First of the Magi is back and written in a far more omnipotent, sinister and harsh manner).
You'll see influences from other fantasy writers past and present, but none to the detriment of the author and his story. It's an immensely enjoyable novel - one of the best standalone fantasy books I've read, in fact - and also manages to be one of the most realistic. Well worth a look - and hard enough to put down that it took me one day, literally, to read it.