Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Confess!, August 29, 2008
Alright, I'll confess: I loved this trilogy and I enjoyed the third installment every bit as much as the first two. This is an unconvential fantasy epic that stands typical fantasy stereotypes on their heads and I had a blast reading it and would unhesitatingly recommend the entire series. This is fantasy with dirt under the fingernails and pus festering under ragged scabs though. Sure, you have your traditional cast of characters...barbarian warrior, old wizard, handsome young captain, and a fearless warrioress, etc. but Abercrombie takes these archetypal characters and gives them deep character flaws, dodgy pasts, and poor attitudes. They must face hard circumstances in a complicated and morally ambiguous world. His books are complex and extremely well-plotted, the characterization superb, the dialogue excellent, and the writing is involving and keeps you riveted to your seat. Even though this finale ran over 600 pages I managed to bang it out in a day, partially because it is so deliciously readable but equally because I simply couldn't put it down until I finished it.
The Last Argument of Kings is a grand finale too. Abercrombie satisfactorily ties up most all of the major plot points but there is enough ambiguity at the end that additional books would not necessarily be precluded. Personally, I would have preferred a tighter, less ambiguous ending but I wouldn't be surprised if elements of the ending weren't driven by the editor/publisher. I'll forgive Abercrombie for it and, I confess!, I still loved the book and think it is a wonderful five star read.
I'd hazard a guess though that there will be some readers who may not like how this series ended...because it isn't necessarily pretty and it certainly isn't a fairy tale ending. Unlike those tidier fantasy stories, Abercrombie doesn't forget that battlefield corpses don't just magically disappear and besieged cities aren't magically made whole at the end of the day. His is a dirty, gritty world every bit as nasty as medieval Europe and the story and the endings reflect this adherence to realism. As Logen Nine-Fingers often says, you have to be realistic. Abercrombie definitely is realistic and the story reflects it. Wounds come at the price of disfigurement and death, people will do awful things to accomplish their goals, and people aren't charitably motivated. The weak get squashed, soldiers get maimed, the powerful do horrendous evil to hang onto their power and the more things change, the more they stay the same. You have to be realistic about these things dear reader, and that realism is what sets this trilogy apart and makes it such a great read.
The first two novels present enough character development that a reader could hope that the books would end on a high note in a Tolkienesque fashion, but they also provided plenty of clues that there could be a grim ending indeed. I won't give away any of the plot and ruin your enjoyment, but I will say that this book did not disappoint me, was just as compelling a read as the first two, and the story gets the ending that fits it even if it may not be exactly what most readers expect. It is the ending the story deserves though.
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Bleak End to a Great Ride., March 26, 2008
It was with much excitement that I opened the box that months ago I had pre-ordered and had rapid-shipped from the UK.
As with the first two books, Last Argument of Kings has superb cover-art. It's a very dashing trilogy displayed on your bookshelf appropriately.
But to the story:
In the first two installments, in particular the first, action took a back seat to characterization. You can check out my critiques of both those books if you like. Some of the most interesting and original-yet-archetypical characters in fantasy were made flesh and earned high-praise for me for that feat.
In Last Argument of Kings, action definitively steps to the fore. All of the plot-lines that were set up like dominoes in the first two books are tipped, and before you know it you're swept up in a tide of the little black bricks like Mel Brooks' entrance in the computer-animated 'Robots'. From climax to climax, Mr. Abercrombie charges you through exciting conclusions to every plot and sub-plot introduced before-hand.
This is a difficult review to write because, even more than usual, I would be loathe to give away even the slightst hint of what happens, but most of those characters from the first books that you felt needed some comeuppance get it in this book. But Joe Abercrombie isn't sentimental, and by the end of this book it will be plain that some of those that got a comeuppance didn't deserve it as much as others or as much as you might have thought they did, and those that deserved good certainly don't get it, and many of those that you used to want good things for you'll find you no longer do.
The character Sand Dan Glokta has a saying not quite as ubiquitous as Logen's "You have to be Practical", but far more descriptive of Last Argument of Kings: "Nobody gets what they deserve."
In a manner of speaking, no character gets justice in this book. None of the character arcs end in a way that conventional fantasy norms indicate they should but are nevertheless ended with integrity. In a way, this is a masterful feat. I took JK Rowlings unsentimental killing of characters like the owl Hedwig or the house-elf Dobby for ungraceful, gratuitous acts included in the story simply to showcase her unsentimentality. I perceived none of that artless hackery here. The story concludes as it should, consistent with the world Joe Abercrombie established in the first book.
True - not everything is perfectly graceful. Some of the surprises that are inevitable in any tale - characters thought gone turning up in new guises, etc. - seemed a little forced, but these are small concerns. As a work of art, Mr. Abercrombie stayed true to his original vision.
Ironically, this is as much a source of dissatisfaction for me as a reader as a source of admiration for Mr. Abercrombie as a writer. These are great books. This is great writing. These are amazingly whole characters. What a flipping depressing way to end a great tale though - I get enough dissatisfaction about how things turn out by reading the news. It's not that everything ends badly for every character, but I would have loved to end the tale with a swelling of joyous emotion for just one of these perfectly crafted characters receiving a truly wondrous reward for all of the sacrifice they endured through the three books.
No such luck. Joe's broader message is really that all the struggles we endure, as the struggles of characters like Dogman, Colonel West, Sand Dan Glokta, or Jezal dan Luthar, mean essentially nothing at the end of the day, at the end of the struggle, at the end of their lives. We endure the futile struggle and are not rewarded.
Joe chose to not be kind to his characters. As the god that divines their fate, he implies our own fates are as forsaken. So depressing. I could hope he'd write a spinoff of one of the surviving characters that ends in showers of good fortune, but by then that would seem a cheap device. The moment has passed to lift the reader's heart with inspiration, or to at least lift one of these characters out of the mud and gore of a miserable world.
I think this series is a work of literary art - all too rare in my favorite genre. But like watching a great but basically bleak cinematic drama, I only watch it once. Or like driving through South Dakota in the wintertime - I recognize the majesty of all that flat land, but am eager to be done with it. My ultimate position is that I think Mr. Abercrombie got carried away with his own cynicism and left on the table what might have been a great opportunity to inspire and uplift - and ultimately what might have been an unforgettable tale is instead one merely superbly crafted.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic conclusion to the trilogy, September 9, 2008
Last Arguments of Kings by Joe Abercrombie is the third, and final, novel in the First Law trilogy. The first book in the trilogy is titled The Blade Itself (The First Law: Book One) and the second book is titled Before They Are Hanged (The First Law: Book Two). Mr. Abercrombie is quickly making a name for himself with this trilogy. While there are traditional fantasy elements in this trilogy, it does not follow the normal, and usually ever present, clichés many other fantasy series do. If you like your fantasy filled with fluff and feel good storied, do not read this book. However, if you like your fantasy novels to have dark, gritty, nasty characters; then by all means take a look at this series.
The plot of this novel picks up right where the second book ended. The Union is doubly threatened. First by the Northmen, led by Bethod, and also from the south by the Gurkish. A simple army plot is not enough for this novel, or trilogy. So for added effect Mr. Abercrombie crams in several sub plots. Things such as a mysterious bank that seems to have its funds strategically invested in several different areas for optimal, shall we say blackmail. There is the process of who will be elected the new ruler if the king dies because he has left no heir. Additionally, there is the fallout of the mysterious magic item a select group of people were seeking in the second novel. Lastly, the plans of the First of the Magi, Bayaz, are laid to bare. There are even things I didn't talk about be cause of spoiler potential. If that seems like a lot of material to put into one book, well it is. But, it works. The plot never bogged down, nor did it ever feel like the section I was reading was irrelevant to the story. For 636 pages, this was a fast paced plot that really ties up all the loose ends from the previous two books, although, be warned. How Mr. Abercrombie ties up those loose ends may very well not be the way you want, nor expect, them to end.
The characters in this novel are largely the same cast of characters as were present in the first two books; Glokta, Logen Ninefingers, Bayaz, Ferro, Jezal, and West. However, one very interesting thing about this book is that the characters who I thought would dominate the story did not always do so. All the characters in this trilogy are complex. They all have flaws and doubts, they do things wrong and they are not always the most honorable people. It is rather refreshing to read about characters that do not always have the noble cause in the forefront. To add to that the character development in this book, and for that matter the entire trilogy is simply fantastic. The characters are gritty, hardened, and sometimes downright crooked. Yet, each and every one has something about them that most people will be able to identify with. They all seem so very real that it is easy to root, or hate, them. That is the true magic of the characters.
A couple minor criticisms about this novel.
1 - As with the first two books, the internal dialogue of the character Glotka. I will say it is a consistent thing between all three books, but for me it just doesn't work. This could very well be my admitted personal bias against all things first person. While it does not detract from the overall story, I can see others, like myself, who may be annoyed by it.
2 - There are a few scenes where I would have liked a little more description of the surroundings. I realize it is a fine line between too much description and not enough. For the most part, Mr. Abercrombie provides a sufficient amount of description, but there are a few scenes where I was left wanting just a little more.
Some things I really enjoyed about this novel.
1 - The between character dialogue. Simply, perfect. The banter, the flow, the pacing was all perfect. Each character has their own unique voice. Some fantasy books I have read the dialogue seems stiff and unnatural. That is not the case with this book.
2 - The characters. I really enjoyed the fact that the characters are not the typical fantasy clichés. The nastiness and cut-throat nature of the characters is a joy to read.
3 - The multi-layered plot. I like a book who's plot makes me think and try to get one step ahead (which incidentally rarely worked, I always seemed one step behind). Following the multiple plots to their ending was a joy. I was always curious what would happen next.
In my review of the second novel in this trilogy I said this:
"The First Law trilogy seems to be taking on the mantel of a fine painting. Taken piece by piece each book is solid. However, taken as a whole, as the entire trilogy, the true beauty of this work begins to stand out."
It is safe to say that the paining has been completed and it looks fantastic. This trilogy truly stands up against the `big' names in the fantasy genre. It is a refreshing take on a genre that can, at times, get bogged down within itself. What you see is not always what you get. With the First Law trilogy Mr. Abercrombie has staked his claim to his little corner of the genre. However, that little corner will most likely grow as he continues to write solid, engaging tales. This is a trilogy that I whole-heartedly recommend for those fans looking for something a little different.
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