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Abercrombie Continued

kayd_mon

Sage
I just finished reading the First Law trilogy, and I enjoyed it a lot. I'm wondering if his other books are as good. I gather that they take place in the same world, but are standalone books? Anyway, just looking to see if those are worth the read. Books 2 and 3 of First Law were nearly impossible to put down. Thanks
 

Steerpike

Felis amatus
Moderator
The others are better, in my view. I liked the First Law trilogy a lot, particularly books 2 and 3, but Best Served Cold and Red Country are now my favorites of his.
 

kayd_mon

Sage
Good to hear. Does Glokta resurface? He grew to be one of my all-time favorite characters.
 
I put the first book down about 25-35% of the way. I couldn't see where anything was going. Glokta's an interesting character, but at that point I was getting tired of his cheerful torture. The two soldiers were also interesting, as was the sister, but neither seemed to have any purpose. Does it get better?
 

kayd_mon

Sage
The first book? No, it's not that great, and no, nothing really happens. All it does is serve as an intro to the characters. Books 2 and 3 are far better, both in terms of story and Abercrombie's craft. I stuck around because of the hype, to see if anything materialized. Books 2 and 3 paid off. By the end of the third book, you'll appreciate the first one more, because of the way it affects the story as a whole.

There are some dark moments for sure. Cheerful torture? I don't think the way Glokta is drawn gels with that, really, but that is a discussion for another thread. Or maybe another rabbit trail that I don't feel like exploring right now.
 
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