Its what I always wanted and never hoped to see.

[James]

I read this and I totally expected it to end two thirds of the way through the book. They beat all the "bad guys" they solved nearly all of the problems brought up in the previous books. By the end my jaw was on the floor. I got so used to reading idealistic fantasy that in the way most of the series was written I was convinced that everyone was either good at heart or going to move into a more possitive attitude by the end.

I loved it. By the end the greatest of the "good guys" become arch villans, friends become foes, main character cower in place of heroic stands. The lack of reunion and feeling of triumph at the end was genius and the forced reexamination of all the characters you thought might have changed or were better than they were turned out false.

This is the ending I always wanted and never actually thought to see.

[Rosanna]

I couldn't agree more. This is by far one of the BEST series I have ever read. No happy endings here and I'm actually glad for that.
If you haven't already read "Best served cold" The forth book stand alone, READ IT! It will blow your mind.

[Themetalmallet]

It's one of those books where you feel kinda rotten by the end of it and yet you don't mind at all.

Definitely an intriguing spin on a fantasy series compared to other fantasy that I've read.

[Bill]

Bayaz is my new favorite wizard. I can't wait for more follow-ups to The First Law trilogy (Best Served Cold and The Heroes came very close to surpassing the originals).

[Will]

I thought Best Served Cold was good, but a big step down from The First Law. The Heroes, however, just might be my favorite of Joe Abercrombie's.

[Themetalmallet]

What I liked about the two stand alone books is that they have a specific style to them. Best Served Cold is your mobster-ish revenge story while The Heroes is your war story.

I think I read somewhere that the next stand alone is supposed to have a Western influence. I may be speaking out my rear end, though.

[Paul]

Themetalmallet wrote: "What I liked about the two stand alone books is that they have a specific style to them. Best Served Cold is your mobster-ish revenge story while The Heroes is your war story.

I think I read some..."

It reminds me of what Richard Morgan did with his Takeshi Kovacs trilogy. The first was a noir mystery, the second a military story and the third a spy thriller. Very interesting to see authors playing this way with genres.

[Themetalmallet]

Paul wrote: "Themetalmallet wrote: "What I liked about the two stand alone books is that they have a specific style to them. Best Served Cold is your mobster-ish revenge story while The Heroes is your war stor..."

Oh man, I loved Altered Carbon! Still need to read the rest of that trilogy. Sounds like they're going to be good.

[Will]

Themetalmallet wrote: "What I liked about the two stand alone books is that they have a specific style to them. Best Served Cold is your mobster-ish revenge story while The Heroes is your war story."

That Chapter in The Heroes featuring first person death after first person death was genius. The writing style was very creative throughout it. Best Served Cold was pretty straightforward storytelling.

[Bill]

Will wrote: "That Chapter in The Heroes featuring first person death after first person death was genius. "

Yes!!! I may come off as a bad person after I admit this, but I laughed like a lunatic through that entire sequence. It was so off-beat and ludicrous, as if Abercrombie was saying "You take this whole war thing seriously?!? "

[Will]

Yes. It's been a long time since I've read something that wow'd me like that chapter.

[Paweł]

I agree with the OP wholeheartedly. I am reading The Heroes now and although I am only about 10% into the book I know already that Joe has done it again. Can't wait for Red Country.

BTW, I also created a group for Joe fans yesterday:

http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/7...

[Bill]

Paweł wrote: "Can't wait for Red Country."

Oh, hell yeah!!! That just made my year right there. It's also hinted that it's the return everyone's favorite realistic Northman.

[Ken]

James wrote: "I read this and I totally expected it to end two thirds of the way through the book. They beat all the "bad guys" they solved nearly all of the problems brought up in the previous books. By the e..."
I agree. The "ending" about two-thirds of the way through is where most other authors would have ended the book. I think it took a bit of courage on Abercrombie's part to extend the book and thereby disappoint some readers with the more somber, yet in my mind superior, finish.

It is one of the few series endings that left me hungering for more. Usually after three books in a particular world, I am ready to move on, but I want to see what Bayaz will do next or the later years of Glotz and Ardee. All of these characters developed so much in the story (sadly a rarity in fantasy) that I only wanted more.

I do wonder, though, about the final few pages. Do you think that Logan died or survived? The title chapter "Beginnings" suggests the latter, that Logan will escape the North as he did at the beginning of the book and seek to become that better man that Jezal saw in him. But the description of the water hitting him, battering his body, seems too violent to allow for his survival. It left me truly anxious to find out if he survived. What do you think?

[Bill]

Ken wrote: "I do wonder, though, about the final few pages. Do you think that Logan died or survived? The title chapter "Beginnings" suggests the latter, that Logan will escape the North as he did at the beginning of the book and seek to become that better man that Jezal saw in him. But the description of the water hitting him, battering his body, seems too violent to allow for his survival. It left me truly anxious to find out if he survived. What do you think? "

I think I'll wait for the next book.

The Heroes explicitly states that Logen's body was never recovered, so the door is wide open.

If you click on the link for Red Country, look at the picture of the proposed cover, and count the fingers on the person there (it was pointed out by a commenter on that page, and now I can't unsee it), it strongly hints that the Bloody-Nine did not die in the fall.

I'm more interested in where Ferro ended up. She was a lot more dangerous in the wrong hands than the rest of the characters combined.

[Simon]

Abercrombie is a staggeringly good writer - question can only be when is the next one coming out :)

[Bill]

Simon wrote: "Abercrombie is a staggeringly good writer - question can only be when is the next one coming out :)"

The Goodreads page says November 20th, 2012. You can almost cut the anticipation with a chainsaw. :-D

[James]

Bill wrote: "Simon wrote: "Abercrombie is a staggeringly good writer - question can only be when is the next one coming out :)"

The Goodreads page says November 20th, 2012. You can almost cut the anticipation ..."

In the spirit of these books I think the anticipation would more likely be hacked into clumsy pieces with a dull blade.

[Simon]

Bill wrote:

The Goodreads page says November 20th, 2012. You can almost cut the anticipation ..."

Ohhhhhh /faints :D

[Spinwallah]

simon, i lolled. cant wait

[Bob]

I hadn't read any fantasy before reading Game of Thrones and afterwords was looking for anything comparable to read which is how I came to Abercrombie and I have to say that I like the First Law trilogy and following books better than ASOIAF as it doesn't have any of those long boring parts you have to try and get through.

[Bill]

Michael wrote: "...I like the First Law trilogy and following books better than ASOIAF as it doesn't have any of those long boring parts you have to try and get through. "

Amen. I can't think of a dull moment in any Abercrombie novel... or a dull character, either.

[Stretch's]

Looking to purchase this trilogy in hardback 1st editions if anyone has any of the 3 books they would be interested in selling email me @ williamsjason288@gmail.com. thanks