Rating: 4/5 stars
A grimdark, character-driven adult fantasy tale full of morbid wit and deft turns of phrase, but too many POV characters which make the pacing suffer.
Summary
A war hero turned crippled torturer. A barbarian war leader turned refugee. A fop turned unworthy fencing champion. Three extremely different men face wars past and present, uncover political schemes, and get dragged around by the machinations of an entitled old wizard.
Characters: 4/5 stars
This book follows 3 POV characters for the first half of the book and then eases in 3 more in the second half. Glokta, the Inquisitor, is cynically hilarious and a refreshingly realistic take on the “tortured survivor turned torturer” trope. Logan Ninefingers is your lonesome barbarian, trying to find redemption after a very bloody life. Luthar, a noble fencing fop, is insufferable and I wondered why we had his POV at all.
Of the 3, only Glokta gets a real character arc. The problem with stories with so many POVs is that often the first book can feel like only the first act of every character’s story. That’s mostly what this book felt like.
The modern reader will also likely feel dissatisfied with the lack of female representation. The only female character in the first half is the object of Luthar’s sexual fantasies. A vengeful warrior woman is introduced much later, but that’s 2 total women we follow across 3 continents of characters.
Plot: 3/5 stars
I love a character driven story (which this is), but there really isn’t much plot in this book except in Glokta’s arc. The problem mostly lies in the fact that all the characters are in different parts of the world or are introduced before they really become relevant to the plot.
Logan spends the entire book traveling from over the mountains to the main city (where Glokta and Luthar are), thinking about his past and getting caught up in petty fights on the way. If this book was told only from his POV, everything that happens to him in this book would take up only a third of a standalone book.
Similarly, Luthar is a shallow narcissist who spends the whole book sort of fencing and really drinking. He’s the frat boy we know must eventually mature, but it would have been perfectly fine plot-wise to introduce him an entire book later, so little does his POV do for the story (besides irritate us). Glokta gets to chase mysteries and rediscover a friendship he thought lost, which was genuinely moving.
Worldbuilding: 3/5 stars
Nothing special. All the familiar late-medieval/renaissance era equivalents. Faux Viking barbarians in the north. Faux European castles and trade guilds, full of infighting and politicking. Faux “evil Muslims” in the south. Wizard orders and tales of old world demons and magic.
There are some interesting focal points in the soft magic system – the laws forbidding certain practices (hence the title of the series – The First Law), but I won’t spoil that. 😉
Writing: 5/5 stars
I was the most impressed by Joe Abercrombie’s writing style which is truly masterful! It’s why I kept reading. I usually can’t stand books with over 3 POV characters, but he managed them so deftly that I quite enjoyed it. He is an expert at pacing. That may sound strange since I said the plot was slow, but on a scene-by-scene level, Abercrombie is excellent at starting and ending in just the right places.
Everything that needs to happen in a chapter happens – no more, no less. Each segment feels like a full part of the character’s journey, not just a step to get somewhere else. He uses, but does not abuse cliffhangers. He switches between POVs at natural places in a way that doesn’t make the reader distracted and frustrated waiting to get back to them.
We receive just enough information about the characters’ pasts and mysterious plot points to keep us aching for more, and he then reveals the next piece in quite an enjoyable way. His sentence structure and style itself is quite refreshing, not bloated like that of many modern fantasy authors. Great turns of phrase, humor, purposeful descriptions that don’t take a full page to get through, and a great clip at the sentence level.
I went on to complete the trilogy because of how much I enjoyed Abercrombie’s writing style.
Logen Ninefingers, worn down by years of feuds and bad luck, flees the North with more enemies than allies.
In the civilized Union, Jezal dan Luthar coasts on privilege towards a fencing tournament, while Glokta—once a proud soldier himself, now a crippled torturer—cuts through thickening treason cases.
When old Magus Bayaz pulls all three men into his schemes, their paths collide amid political rot and rising conspiracies which threaten the fate of kingdoms.
CONTENT WARNING: Readers may like to know that the book is very R-rated for graphic violence, swearing, and sexual content, in that order of frequency.
Hi, I’m Caylah Coffeen, a freelance editor and marketer of sci-fi and fantasy books. I love reading and writing and am a follower of Jesus Christ.
I’ve worked for Monster Ivy Publishing and Eschler Editing, and am currently a weekly editor with Havok Publishing. Reach out to chat about books and publishing!
Thanks for stopping by my website! I hope you’ve found some helpful resources about reading, writing, and publishing. If you liked this article, here’s some more free content…
- Explore my review of another famous author’s military fantasy novel
- Send me an email to receive a free sample edit on the first 1000 words of your story
- Subscribe for future posts
