Last Argument of Kings - Book Three of the First Law Series

What a great trilogy. I guess that sums it up. For those that like fantasy, but oriented for a more mature audience; which I suppose is an ever growing group thanks to Game of Thrones and George RR Martin.

The third book in the trilogy performs even better than the two previous ones. Here is where all the plot arcs come to an end. And it's not a Hollywood style end at that, its as dark and grim as the rest of the books.

The plot moves along taking us to the climax of the book, to then tie up all the lose ends in the last quarter. Joe Abercrombie does a good job at this, too. He forgets no one, and makes sure that the reader knows what the fate of all the important characters is.

Abrupt ends are sometimes cool, and serve a purpose (namely, leave the reader with a certain emotion); but when you find a lot of characters as unforgettable as these, you really want to know what happens with them once the climax ends and everything returns to "normal".

I really enjoyed reading The First Law trilogy and, in fact, I am looking forward to reading the other standalone novels Abercrombie has written in the same universe.

Before they are hanged - Book two of the First Law Series

The second book in this trilogy is even better than the first. Now that the characters were introduced in the previous book, in this book we get to know them better and love/despise them. We also can see how they start growing, their decisions influenced by these changes. In the first book there was one character who I didn't like too much, I saw it as a bit boring and not well connected with the rest of the plot. But in the second book I changed my opinion and looked forward for reading a chapter that featured this character, as the connection was well done -with the main plot- and I got to appreciate it.

Joe Abercrombie's mastery of dialog and action scenes is amazing. However his characterizations are his best asset. In each chapter we follow a character, and hear his thoughts and feel his emotions. He manages to do this in a seamless and beautiful way.

Several of the characters take on a long trip to the edge of the world, others set out to fight a war in the north. But I don't want to spoil the fun for those who might pick the book up and read it.

All in all, when I finished reading, I could not wait to get the third and last book of the trilogy and find out how it ends, and mostly, what is the doom of those imaginary friends I've gotten to love and hate so much: Logen, Glockta, Jazele, Bayaz, Coronel West, etc.

The Blade Itself - The First Law Book One

At first I was a bit lost (as in most fantasy books you can find). Tolkien didn't write it so there are no endless description of the lands and the people (I love Tolkien, mind you). Joe Abercrombie jumps right into the action.
Soon I got used to the new setting and dove into the story with my eyes closed.
This is the first book of a trilogy, so it does not end. Some might not like this, but I rather enjoy trilogies and series. If the characters hook me, I'm always eager to read more about them.
The characters are great, in fact, it's the best part of the trilogy. They are so different, odd, and non-stereotyped. There is no good or bad characters; each has its good parts and its bad parts. In that sense its much more realistic than many fantasy books around.
Another thing that I really enjoyed was the fact that it's for adults. Most of the fantasy written now (or in the past) is for young adults. This trilogy aint.
So if you like fantasy but prefer a more adult tone on the books you read, this is the trilogy for you.
In this first book we are introduced into the main characters: Glockta, a cynical crippled that tortures people; Logen, a warrior trying to change his life, haunted by his past; Jazele, a self-centered, vehement, stuckup, rich-boy, aristocrat; and several others just as peculiar as these.
There are several plot threads (another thing I love about a book), that cross in several occasions. But it's not a complicated plot, so regardless of how many threads the story follows, you won't get lost. As I said before, the best thing about these books are the characters, and how they confront the situations that come upon them.

A great read, really recomendable.

The First Law Series

I'm about to finish the second book in the First Law series written by Joe Abercrombie. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes adult fantasy.
The story is good and interesting but the best thing about the novels are the characters. They are not your typical paladins and sorcerers. All have a good side and a bad side; some mostly try to do the right thing, others not so much.
The interactions between the main characters are great, and being so different give way to interesting -and sometimes outright comical- situations.
Adding to the above, Abercrombie's mastery of English is delightful.

The Blade Itself - The First Law: Book One