"Last Argument of Kings" (The First Law Series, Book 3) by Joe Abercrombie

 

Author : Joe Abercrombie

Description : Joe Abercrombie's concluding volume in his "First Law" trilogy does not disappoint. His motley cast of genre-breaking characters each have their part to play, many of those parts surprising and unexpected. And there are few, if any, happy endings. As the cripple and torturer, Glotka notes repeatedly, nobody gets what the deserve.

The Union, sandwiched between wars is the north with barbarians and in the south with the evil, magic-wielding Gurkish, is thrown into chaos by the death of its king. True, he has been a powerless figurehead for a while, with true power in the Union's Closed Council, but still. And the First Magi Bayaz's quest to find the missing Seed, for the forbidden magic it might provide the Union, has failed.

Through it all are Logen Ninefingers, Bloody Nine, northern barbarian and berserker, his own worst enemy, particularly when the rages take him. The crippled, bitter and merciless torturer, Glotka, who finds himself accountable to too many masters, with betrayal all around him. The First of the Magi, Bayaz, who has his own agenda and motives, and may be willing to violate the First Law itself to serve his purposes. And the vain, foolish Jezal, who always dreamed of power, without the least understanding of what it is and what it might mean. It's a tribute to Abercrombie's writing and power of characterization that we can find this cast of misfits, sycophants, sadists and murderers even faintly sympathetic. But we do. At times, they are even compelling.

With this dark a cast, you can't and shouldn't expect any happy endings. And to the extent that there is triumph, Abercrombie later undercuts the triumph with plot twists you won't see coming.

Bloody Nine frequently reminds himself, "You have to be realistic." Abercrombie is nothing if not utterly realistic.

This is fantasy noir, if you will; more grounded in reality than in the happy endings of fairy tales. It's different, it's dark, and while it may not be for everyone, it is a very compelling read.

Strongly recommended.

Download :  
 
http://www.ziddu.com/download/8632026/JoeAbercrombie-TheFirstLaw03-LastArgumentOfKings.pdf.html