Last Argument of Kings

The First Law: Book Three

By: Joe Abercrombie

Narrated by: Steven Pacey

Length: 27 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

The end is coming.

Logen Ninefingers might only have one more fight in him, but it’s going to be a big one. Battle rages across the North, the King of the Northmen still stands firm and there’s only one man who can top him. His oldest friend and his oldest enemy. It’s time for the Bloody-Nine to come home.

With too many masters and too little time, Superior Glokta is fighting a different kind of war - a secret struggle in which no-one is safe and no-one can be trusted. His days with a sword are far behind him. It’s a good thing blackmail, threats, and torture still work well enough.

Jezal dan Luthar has decided that winning glory is too painful, and turned his back on soldiering for a life with the woman he loves. But love can be painful too, and glory has a nasty habit of creeping up on someone.

While the King of the Union lies on his death bed, the peasants revolt and the nobles scramble to steal his crown. No-one believes that the shadow of war is falling across the very heart of the Union. The First of the Magi has a plan to save the world. But there are risks. There is no risk more terrible, after all, than to break the First Law.

©2008 Joe Abercrombie (P)2010 Orion Publishing Group Limited

What an ending!

A fantastically written fitting end to an incredible trilogy, performed by the best narrator I had ever heard!

Fantastically entertaining:

A well conceived dark fantasy with well developed characters, griping action and laugh out loud humor read with superb well acted narration.

Ending Leaves a Lot of Questions

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I dunno that I would recommend it to a friend just because of how unsatisfying the ending was, the rest of the book was wonderful, but the final chapters not leading to another book just doesn't feel right

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I would like to see the resolution of how the Union played out, how many of the main characters ended up, but the resolution was very vague and didn't really make me feel satisfied in the end.

Loved this series

I loved this series, and I hope there's more. Weeks later, I'm still wondering about the characters.
Abercrombie has created some deliciously complex characters. Good work!

Great characters.

Refreshing end. Characters stayed true to form, with refreshing twists at the end. well worth the listen, and a wide ranging performance by the narrator.

Very well done gritty fantasy

Where does Last Argument of Kings rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This one will be very hard to beat. The narrator is superb, and Abercrombie is always stellar.

What other book might you compare Last Argument of Kings to and why?

It is in the same vein as Malazan Books of teh Fallen or Game of Thrones. It is fantasy, but no elves or dwarves, and magic is rare and very powerful.

What about Steven Pacey’s performance did you like?

Best. Narrator. Ever. Great job with voices, great inflections, very engaging. Abercrombie often reveals his characters thoughts during dialog by having them thinking what they would really like to say, and the narrator does a fantastic job of keeping that separate from actual dialog. Think about that: that's no mean feat. Well done sir.

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

Would have loved to, but it is no short story.

Any additional comments?

Any Abercrombie book is worth the read/listen for a fantasy fan, but now I will be looking for other books by this narrator as well. That is something I never thought I would do. He sets the bar very high.

Steven Pacey is superb

Fantastic read.
Fantastic twists.
Fantastic narrator.

Pacey is masterful, and brings so much life to the characters. A must buy.

Excellent performance and a great book!

Perfect narration and a great ending for the trilogy! Loved allmost all of the character development and the story made it my favourite fantasy series ever!

The best in a fantastic trilogy!

Where does Last Argument of Kings rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is one of the best audiobooks I've listened to so far. Fantastic pacing and nail biting action throughout!

What did you like best about this story?

This one ties up all the loose ends to the story in a fantastic manner. Everything changes in a calculated manner. No deus ex machina here. Just fantastic plot twists and solutions to these twists that spring up from believable and satisfying sources!

Which scene was your favorite?

There are so many fantastic scenes: The battle between the feared and the bloody nine, The battle for the seed in the tower of the maker, The final, long battle against the invading Gurkish. Just fantastic!

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

This book has some seriously funny parts that make you laugh out loud. There are also some bits that make you cringe, but what would you expect where one of the characters is a torturer.

Any additional comments?

This is a fantastic finale to a fantastic trilogy. I look forward to reading the other Abercrombie stories in this universe!

One of the greatest series of all time.

This entire series is truly one of the best reads,/listens of all time. Anybody giving less than 5 stars, either didn’t listen, or didn’t pay attention to the story, or both. This story continues after this Trilogy. Keep reading, it is a fantastic world, with mesmerizing characters that you will feel you know by the end.