Hardcover, 463 pages
English language
Published Sept. 17, 2019 by Orbit.
The chimneys of industry rise over Adua and the world seethes with new opportunities. But old scores run deep as ever.
On the blood-soaked borders of Angland, Leo dan Brock struggles to win fame on the battlefield, and defeat the marauding armies of Stour Nightfall. He hopes for help from the crown. But King Jezal's son, the feckless Prince Orso, is a man who specializes in disappointments.
Savine dan Glokta - socialite, investor, and daughter of the most feared man in the Union - plans to claw her way to the top of the slag-heap of society by any means necessary. But the slums boil over with a rage that all the money in the world cannot control.
The age of the machine dawns, but the age of magic refuses to die. With the help of the mad hillwoman Isern-i-Phail, Rikke struggles to control the blessing, or the curse, of …
The chimneys of industry rise over Adua and the world seethes with new opportunities. But old scores run deep as ever.
On the blood-soaked borders of Angland, Leo dan Brock struggles to win fame on the battlefield, and defeat the marauding armies of Stour Nightfall. He hopes for help from the crown. But King Jezal's son, the feckless Prince Orso, is a man who specializes in disappointments.
Savine dan Glokta - socialite, investor, and daughter of the most feared man in the Union - plans to claw her way to the top of the slag-heap of society by any means necessary. But the slums boil over with a rage that all the money in the world cannot control.
The age of the machine dawns, but the age of magic refuses to die. With the help of the mad hillwoman Isern-i-Phail, Rikke struggles to control the blessing, or the curse, of the Long Eye. Glimpsing the future is one thing, but with the guiding hand of the First of the Magi still pulling the strings, changing it will be quite another.
Joe Abercrombie cannot write a bad character.
Even the shittiest person he can think of is still wildly entertaining and unique. He is truly one of the best fantasy writers.
Because power is a mountain one is always sliding down.
I must be in the minority to give A Little Hatred a very simple it was okay rating. The first half dragged, characters were non distinguishable and I waited for anything to happen. At the midway point the story (or my comprehension) started to slide items in to place and I enjoyed the story more.
I read The First Law trilogy and know that I can appreciate Joe Abercrombie's work so I will push on with the series and look forward too a more rewarding books.
This book, the first of a proposed trilogy, tells the story of a land in upheaval. Wars on the northern border. People unhappy with the ever increasing tide of an "industrial revolution", leaving them behind, homeless and penniless. Palace intrigue amid a crumbling dynasty.
The story is told from a few vantage points. Unfortunately, only one of them is a common man. The others are people in a place of power - heirs to the throne, or daughters of kings. I am hoping in future volumes, he adds more lower class characters.
But that doesn't mean the characters aren't interesting. Savine is a bloodthirsty wheeler and dealer who gets caught up in the revolution in ways she never could understand.The two princes are interesting characters themselves - one blustery but with a good heart and the other surprisingly lacking in confidence. My favorite character is Rikke, the daughter of a …
This book, the first of a proposed trilogy, tells the story of a land in upheaval. Wars on the northern border. People unhappy with the ever increasing tide of an "industrial revolution", leaving them behind, homeless and penniless. Palace intrigue amid a crumbling dynasty.
The story is told from a few vantage points. Unfortunately, only one of them is a common man. The others are people in a place of power - heirs to the throne, or daughters of kings. I am hoping in future volumes, he adds more lower class characters.
But that doesn't mean the characters aren't interesting. Savine is a bloodthirsty wheeler and dealer who gets caught up in the revolution in ways she never could understand.The two princes are interesting characters themselves - one blustery but with a good heart and the other surprisingly lacking in confidence. My favorite character is Rikke, the daughter of a Northland noble, who has to escape from behind enemy lines. She has the "Long Eye", which allows her to see the future, albeit in sporadic and mostly uncontrollable ways.
Lucky for me, that's about it for magic so far. There is a High Priest of Mages who shows up, so I am sure magic will rear its ugly head sooner or later. But so far, it is mostly a sort of early industrial age / medieval setting, with violence and gore abounding.
So yeah, it is a very dark, gritty, brutal book, with graphic scenes of violence, death and sex. It is very nicely leavened with hearty sprinkles of humor, mostly of the gallows type humor. There are some seriously intense fight scenes, including a huge well described battle and a pulse pounding duel in the circle. There were many times I literally couldn't put the book down. I am so looking forward to the next book in the series, [b:The Trouble with Peace|40701777|The Trouble with Peace (The Age of Madness, #2)|Joe Abercrombie|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|63304678]!
Fun! Intriguing setting, memorable characters, entertaining twists. Looking forward to the next one!
