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

Brutally facinating

Lots of blood and fighting and details... excellent book and narration! If you liked the series, you wont be dissapoited with this one! Get it and be glad!

outstanding performance

great story and amazing narration and performance. will look out for more of either author or narrator

GOAT

First law is some of the best fantasy out there no question. 9 Fingers is one of the best characters in any world. Read the books

A great second part

This is at least as good as the first one. Trully an impressive tale.
The characters are again the main reason why the book ia so good, as the main plot barely moves forward. Maybe too much work left to acomplish by the third one, time will tell.
The narrator continues to be amazing, the range of voices is impressive.

If you liked the first one, this is more of the same. Great characters, great performance, not much of a plot really but very enjoyable to follow.

Great Stroy, Fantastic Narrator!

The story was great, but the characters were what gave it it's strength. They came alive and you wanted to go back to find out what happened to them.

The Narrator was was outstanding. Except for the wierd pronounciation of "Gimace", he was suberb. He juggled 20-30 unique voices and accents....Very talented.

Really enjoyable listen

I do not usually write reviews but I have just finished the second book in the series "Before They are Hanged" and I cant wait to get the third and final audio of the series. I have enjoyed the story so far and can not wait to see how it finishes. I especially enjoy the dark humor of the inquisitor. A man who has to deal with the lowest kinds of people both in criminal world and he political one and each day he wonders how long it will be before they find his body floating face down in the sea. The rest of the cast is just as interesting from the battle scared Northman, the former woman slave turned fighter who is out to get revenge on a whole nation, to the great wizard and his apprentice, and the nobleman who finds there is more to life than winning a contest and playing cards. Last but not least the Narrator Steven Pacey does a great job of bring it all to life with his various voices and inflections.

Gripping tale

If you could sum up Before They Are Hanged in three words, what would they be?

Great story indeed

What other book might you compare Before They Are Hanged to and why?

The name of the wind; Wheel of time series
All great fantasy epics, thorough character description, great action

Which scene was your favorite?

The ambush when Jezel gets his scars

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Starring Johnny Depp as N d'cosca

Any additional comments?

Just a great read, the whole trilogy. Vibrant scenes, detailed characters and plenty of action.
In addition, the reading is superb.

Great series

Liked this as much as the first, which was amazing. Can't say enough good things.

Absolutely riveting and entertaining

Joe abercombie has a singular style that begs to be read in one go. The characters are fascinating, the writing is witty and absorbing, and the reading performance is near perfection.

Simply Awesome!

Before They Are Hanged has exceeded my expectations, which were high to begin with following how great the last book was. It includes a great story and a incredibly well written cast of characters that make it hard to stop listening. The narration is done well and the various voices are consistent and engaging. Overall, I would highly recommend this book. I'm going to start listening to the next book right after I post this.