Before They Are Hanged

The First Law: Book Two

By: Joe Abercrombie

Narrated by: Steven Pacey

Length: 22 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

Bitter and merciless war is coming to the frozen north. It's bloody and dangerous, and the Union army, split by politics and hamstrung by incompetence, is unprepared for the slaughter that's coming. Lacking experience, training, and in some cases even weapons, the army is scarcely equipped to repel Bethod's scouts, let alone his elite forces.

In the heat-ravaged south, the Gurkish are massing to assault the city of Dagoska, defended by Inquisitor Glokta. The city is braced for the inevitable defeat and massacre to come... but a plot is festering to hand the city to its besiegers without a fight, and the previous Inquisitor of Dagoska vanished without trace. Threatened from within and without the city, Glokta needs answers, and he needs them soon.

And to the east, a small band of malefactors travel to the edge of the world to reclaim a device from history - a Seed, hidden for generations - with tremendous destructive potential. A device which could put a end to war, to the army of Eaters in the South, to the invasion of Shanka from the North - but only if it can be found, and only if its power can be controlled.

©2007 Joe Abercrombie (P)2010 Orion Publishing Group Limited

The most likable fantasy antiheros

Would you listen to Before They Are Hanged again? Why?

Sure, it's super fun.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Come on, no question really. The Bloody Nine is a legend.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yup

Incredible development!

Even better than the first book! The first book pulled back the bow and this book loosed the arrow! The character development in this book is one of a kind. In book one the protagonists had few virtuous or amicable characteristics. I enjoyed their development into this second novel.

Steven Pacey is by far the best narrator I have ever heard. Incredible performance.

If you're a fantasy buff like me, I can't recommend this enough.

Say one thing about this book, say it is fantastic

One of the very best fantasy series I have ever heard! The characters, the story, the setting and mood is all great, but the characters especially!! Can't wait to get startet on the last one!

Back to the Mud

Much like at the end of the first book in this series, I found myself completely caught by surprise when this book ended. Once again I was entranced by Joe Abercrombie’s characters and the life infused into them by Steven Pacey and it was jarring to abruptly be forced to return to real life. I say abruptly because there is no closure to the story arc with this book. If you decide to come this far then you will need to go further to sate your hunger for an outcome to the many story threads.

Book two follows Bayaz, Logen, Jezal, and Ferro on their quest to the edge of the world for a powerful artifact. Of course this is a volatile mix of personalities and the only time they aren’t close to killing each other is when someone else is trying to do the job for them.

The Union’s war in the North continues and Collem West finds himself entangled within a dysfunctional military leadership group facing a deadly enemy in Bethod and his assembled armies. With two Generals that spend more time opposing each other than the enemy and a useless, spoiled Prince the Union army is primed to destroy itself.

And finally, our old friend Glokta finds himself in the South tasked with preventing the Gurkish from taking the city of Dagoska. As a war starts up on a second, much less defended front, Glokta must fight his own demons from the past as a prisoner of the Gurkish in addition to the Gurkish themselves.

I was pleased with the increased amount of time spent with Logen’s former band of Northmen, which is now led by Threetrees. As with all of the other story threads I was always eager to find out what happened to them next and was always saddened anytime someone was sent back to the mud.

So if you enjoyed book one, I see no reason why you would not enjoy book two. As with book one, I am once again only handing out 4 stars overall because of how I was left hanging at the end. I was shocked when it was over and felt there should have been more to the book and more closure to the story threads before moving on to book 3. That being the case, I did not hesitate to fire up book 3 because I need to spend more time with my new friends, no matter how flawed they are. And I must know what happens...

Great story, excellent narration

Joe Abercrombie is now on my list of writers to watch and Steven Pacey is superb. I've recommended this trilogy to friends, and the audio version is a must. Thanks to audible readers who mentioned Joe Abercrombie in their comments on other books or I would never have stumbled across this great trilogy.

Continues an outstanding series

I am amazed once again by the high quality of this trilogy! Rather than disappoint, like so many sequels, Before They Are Hanged is even better than its predecessor! Joe Abercrombie's writing and characters are so interesting that I really have no 'favorite' parts. No matter which group of characters or storyline the plot is following, I am totally entertained and invested and can't wait to find out what happens next! Abercrombie's battle and fight scenes are particularly well written and evoke strong pictures in the mind- many better known authors would do well to study his style.
And Steven Pacey is a MARVEL. His vocal characterizations and accents are so solid, he brings each character to unique life, easily recognizable just by his voice. If you are looking for a new narrator to follow, look no further than Steven Pacey. I cannot give this book high enough marks for both story and reader!!

Amazing with GREAT narrator

Great, engaging story with a GREAT narrator. SO good I can listen to it on a stairclimber and get through an hour wanting to work out more so I can keep listening. Very gritty story, not for delicate audiences.

Getting Better

I read. I read a lot. That being said, Joe Abercrombie's The First Law series is one I will be re-reading (re-listening). The basic premise is tried and true fantasy, with enough embellishments and depth to make it seem unique. The mythos and history of the series is fresh, and interesting. But what makes this series is the Characters! Well written, individual, witty, funny and entertaining. And props to Steven Pacey for style and talent in presenting this to us!

Cannot wait for the next book!

Abercrombie and Pacey unbeatable.

This series best read of year for me. Narrator completes a great story and excellently built abd believable characters. actual historical metaphors i.e. the Union (GB), inquisition, the Kurdish aka Muslims and Arabs

THIS IS WHAT FANTASY IS ABOUT

What did you love best about Before They Are Hanged?

The story is woven in an impeccable world without fault. There are few problems with believability, the magic is raw & powerful and the characters are fallible people just trying to stay alive.

What did you like best about this story?

I love where the story is going, how the character Glokta grows into him self and how utterly ruthless he can be.

What does Steven Pacey bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Steven has an amazing ability to bring the characters to life. His British accent lends itself to many dialects and he weaves believable pictures which allows me to immerse myself into the story. He has a lovely way of building the tension which had me almost jump into a bush from fright during a particular piece whilst I was running...

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I have to admit that I didn't as I have read the series before so unfortunately I did not have any surprises waiting for me.

Any additional comments?

I can hardly rate this series highly enough. If you are almost spending a credit on this do it now...but only if you can handle hard core action fantasy. If you are into unicorns you should possibly try a different title.