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

Another Riveting Listen

Once again, I was bowled over by the second book in the "First Law" trilogy.

There is a bit more action in this one compared to "The Blade Itself", which was nice because I felt that the first book dragged on a bit in plot. In fact, were it not for Mr. Abercrombie's superb characterization and Mr. Pacey's phenomenal narration, I would have probably stopped listening from lack of plot.

That being said, the excellent characterization and narration is back, plus we get A LOT more action. There are some really great battle scenes and the characters are taken back through the wringer again. Some worse than others.

That being said, I still am not sure what is happening with the plot. There is so much going on at a micro level that I am not seeing the BIG picture. I've yet to see how all the dots connect and I am beginning to think that they may never really connect in a way I am used to in fantasy.

Which I am OKAY with. The novel is so well written and so well narrated that I can stand there to be not much of a plot or for there to be little plot resolution. I would like to see some questions answered in the third novel, but if they are not, I'll live. Joe Abercrombie has a keen understanding of humanity (if a somewhat dark view of it) and I am content to luxuriate in the world he has created even if it means we don't really go anywhere.

amazing, loved it

The narrator is the best I've ever heard. The author is very good. I enjoyed this book immensely.

Wonderful book and series.

Perfect narrator to voice these books. Each character is really it's own individual. Would recommend this book and it's predecessor!

Book 2 of my favorite trilogy.

It's almost like these books were written to my particular tastes. I could go on and on but I would just sound even more like a fanboy so I'll skip my speech on how much I love the first law series and say this... When it comes to the combination of writer and reader this series is in the top 1% all-time on Audible in my opinion. Joe Abercrombie and Steven Pacey's combined efforts make a work of high art that that I've enjoyed annually since I first listened to them in 2013 and I appreciate it more and more each time.

Intelligent dialogue is a high art form here

Time and again, I thought how clever and original, and appropriate a character’s surprising response was. There is nothing superficial about the dialogue or the characters. The conversations are used concisely for character and story development—no filler dialogue here, a pet peeve of mine.

The story switches back & forth between groups of people, yet I didn’t have to break the story’s flow in order to remember who a character was, since thankfully, the author continually reminded me of relationships and events distinguishing the characters. He did it creatively and smoothly each time so it never felt repetitive or redundant.

As far as the story itself goes, I read the first book in a day and couldn’t put this one down either. I am taking a break only to write this review. The third book is purchased and am already wailing that the story has to come to an end.

The reader Steven Pacey is amazing, and a top favorite of mine.

Awesome!

what a great priviledge to listen to Pacey’s masterful narration! Abercrombie’s writing is gut-wrenching and spell-binding

better than the first

This was till a bit slow in the beginning but more action in this volume . Will be listening to the third.

Better Than the First

The scale, depth, and story doubled, and that I am thankful for. The way in which the story is told allows each character plenty of growth, which Abercrombie does splendidly. There's still something lacking in the actual plot, but all in all vast improvement over the first. I went grudgingly into this book, and now I'm diving into the 3rd.

Just a masterpiece

Third time I listen to this book and it's still amazing and engaging from start to finish.
Stellar performance from Stephen Pacey, the absolute best narrator there is.
Man I love this book.

Just do it

If you enjoyed the first book in the trilogy - this sequel won't let you down! Steven Pacey continues his masterful performance as narrator