The Heroes

Arguably the best WRITTEN of any of the First Law extended series. 75% of the characters will be (and need to be, for most of it to make any sense) familiar to a fan of the series, and they often are expanded upon from the parts they may have played before (Black Dow most notably and everyone will like seeing Caul Shivers again from Best Served Cold). For sheer ingenious world building, suspense and complete WTF! moments, I guess I'd have to choose LAST ARGUMENT OF KINGS as my "favorite" of the series, but I found myself really appreciating the clever ways The Heros novel unfolds. For now it'll be my second favorite. In THE HEROS what we have are much more subtle story lines (I know that seems hard to believe in a story of almost continuous blood-letting). But what I mean is that when the big surprises happen, they feel much more organic and less forced or for easy excitement. And though his other books also had scoundrels become somewhat redeemed, and quite a few "good guys" that went bad, this book handles the same sorts of character transformations with more nuance and believability. A number of scenes, I have to say, were just about as good as one could hope for by ANY author, and they had a dramatic, almost cinematic weight to them that really stood out. And although I often got a guilty thrill when previous novels in the series would "pull the rabbit out of the hat" a la The First of the Magi, there were a number of times when it all felt like Deux ex Machina on Abercrombie's part (generally after having written himself into a corner). This almost never happens in The Heros and the story is better for it. Best Served Cold probably was the most guilty of using "Super Magic" to change the course of events just when things seemed most dire or stuck, and it often read like not that creative scene knock-off from the Matrix. Another interesting aspect of the novel one will notice here is also the fact that it all takes place over around 4-5 days. Mostly in the middle 3 days actually, but it's all told via the widest panoply of characters possible, often in direct parallel. This can both be a great way of keeping you grounded as to all the action, and as opportunities for a lot of humor (in the "one mans fortune is anothers doom" kind of manner). Bottom Line: Plenty of fun and action, more character and environmental detail to enjoy, improved writing technique, plot twists that are surprising AND believable!

Warriors meet. Arrows fly. Swords slice. Axes chop. People die. That's just how it is. Sign of the times, I reckon. The Heroes is a stand-alone book in Joe Abercrombie's First Law Series. You'll enjoy the book more if you've read the First Law Trilogy, but it is not necessary. (But you should.) Story: This isn't your typical war story with good guys and bad guys. Instead, the story is told from the perspectives of the leaders and footmen on both sides of the battle. Both sides have their flaws as well as their strenghs. Union Soldiers from the south march to the northern border to claim a strategic landmark called The Heroes. The Heroes are a circle of giant stone slabs standing at attention atop a steep hill. Barbaric mercenaries from the north occupy The Heroes and will fight to the death to defend them. The battle lasts three unpleasant days and nobody will ever be the same. World: Joe Abercrombie's world is gritty and realistic. The world is muddy. The weather is terrible. Magic is powerful, but scarce. Leadership is incompetent. Battles are vicious. Men are very, very flawed. This book focuses on the border between the northern highlanders and the southern union. The lands in the north are unforgiving and the men are hardened by the constant struggle to survive. The climate in the south is much more moderate, allowing a civilization with abundant resources to thrive. The Union troops are equipped with superior armor and advanced military tactics, while the Northmen are tough, blood thirsty, and bold. However, both sides are full of incompetents, cowards, traitors, lunatics, and heroes. Characters: There are a lot of characters in this book. Keeping track of them all is a challenge. Luckily, there is a character list with descriptions at the front of the book. You can refer back to this if you ever get confused. The first 90 pages are dedicated to character development. They're all gritty and a bit psychotic, but very human at the same time. These definitely aren't the heroes from fairy tales. Nobody is valiant or honorable. They're just people trying desperately to survive in a bad situation. Writing Style: Joe Abercrombie sets the scene and the mood with short declarative sentences and 'to the point' dialogue. You get a good sense of the character's motivations and you start liking them... all of them are likeable in some way... or dislikeable in other ways. You really start to feel like you know them. The battles are the most gritty, chaotic, and exciting that you'll ever read. If I had to compare them to a film, I'd say, "Remember the first time you saw, `Saving Private Ryan.' Pure Chaos!" You feel every slash of the sword and feel pain for every death. The story structure is interesting, too. There really isn't a long drawn out quest or an Act I, Act II, Act III. There is just character development, a battle, and reflection. It's refreshing! Although, 90 pages of character introductions is a bit overwhelming. Also, the short descriptions help the pacing of the book, but there are quite a few parts that are hard to visualize. I had to re-read a few pages now and then so I could envision the scenes. But there are some character driven scenes in the book that remind me of classic literature or the movie `True Grit.' You'll definitely remember parts of this book months after you've read it. Action: There are battles, duels, assassins, more battles, tactics, and battles. These battles are gritty, gory, and violent. Heads roll, limbs fall, torsos are hacked, and many die horrific deaths in the mud. This book also takes the battles one step further. Most of all, the action is not without consequences. Characters lose their limbs, their lives, and their humanity. At the end of each day in the story, they show a map and where the north and south forces are placed. Black Dow is here, General Jaelenhorn is here, etc... It's a great way to show progression. Maturity: Adult or Late Teen Violence, Gore, Language, Sex... This is not for kids... or anyone who is idealistic about life. Overall: This book is Gritty, Exciting, Entertaining, and Dark. It has memorable yet sinister characters and visceral battles. What it lacks in pacing and description, it makes up for in style and action. If you love fantasy battles, then this book is for you. Buy it if you love violence. Buy it if you love shady characters. Buy it if you enjoyed the First Law Trilogy. Buy it if this 'story structure' sounds appealing. Buy it if you like stories told from different perspectives. Avoid it if you like your heroes to be virtuous. Avoid it if you like verbose descriptions. Avoid it if you don't like the idea of a 400 page battle. Avoid it if you need to follow one main character through a story. Avoid it if your fantasy needs to have elves and dragons. This book has more in common with Braveheart than Lord of the Rings. If you enjoyed this book, check out the Blackhearts Omnibus set in the Warhammer Universe, The Black Company by Glen Cook, or Legend, Winter Warriors, The Lion of Macedon, and Waylander by David Gemmell. They all feature real men in violent battles.

Enligt beskrivning

I was looking forward to this book. Although you could have met some previously known characters, I think this was the weakest from the First Law world (I have not read yet Red Country). It is worth reading if you are fan of Abercombie or the First Law world but the trilogy was uncomparably better than this book. I marked that I liked it because I did as it was a good read but less to what I am used to from this author.

Super Snack für Zwischendurch! Ein blutiges Wiedersehen mit vielen altbekannten Charakteren in typisch düsterer, zynisch-humorvoller Abercrombie Manier. Die wahren Helden sucht man vergebens, jeder hat "Dreck am Stecken", wie man so schön österreichisch sagt. Bin bisher noch von keinem seiner Bücher irgendwie enttäuscht worden.

Iconic cast. Incredible action. Joe at his best.

Este libro fue para mi la entrada al circulo del mundo, este universo creado por Joe Abercrombie. Si bien, hay referencias al pasado creo se puede leer bien de manera independiente a los otros 5. The Heroes, es sin duda mi libro favorito de Abercrombie. ¡Saludos!