Red Country

By: Joe Abercrombie

Narrated by: Steven Pacey

Length: 19 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

A New York Times best seller!

They burned her home.

They stole her brother and sister.

But vengeance is following.

Shy South hoped to bury her bloody past and ride away smiling, but she'll have to sharpen up some bad old ways to get her family back, and she's not a woman to flinch from what needs doing. She sets off in pursuit with only a pair of oxen and her cowardly old step father Lamb for company. But it turns out Lamb's buried a bloody past of his own. And out in the lawless Far Country the past never stays buried.

Their journey will take them across the barren plains to a frontier town gripped by gold fever, through feud, duel and massacre, high into the unmapped mountains to a reckoning with the Ghosts. Even worse, it will force them into an alliance with Nicomo Cosca, infamous soldier of fortune, and his feckless lawyer Temple, two men no one should ever have to trust....

Red Country takes place in the same world as the First Law trilogy, Best Served Cold, and The Heroes. This novel also represents the return of Logen Ninefingers, one of Abercrombie's most beloved characters.

©2012 Joe Abercrombie (P)2012 Hachette Audio

One name's as good as another...

Another vast array of living, breathing characters including many from the original first law trilogy!

Another perfect example sadistic, comedic action.

Abercrombie is just a master at depressing comedy. I love all of his work. It's not literary genius, but that's not what I want when I pick up an Abercrombie novel. It is a masterful guilty pleasure, though. And for that, I'm happy.

Narration was absolute top notch. As always.

This Book is EXCELLENT

I've listened to all of Joe's First Law books, and this book is easily my favorite. I think the best way to sum it up is to quote the book itself, by the hilarious and fantastic character the fantastic Iosiv Lestek:

"I used to hate happy endings, but as I've grown older I've learned to love them more and more" (not an exact quote, but the sentiment is the same)

This is the first time I've finished one of Joe's books and felt wholesome. So many characters have their story wrapped up, and all of them are so eloquently weaved together to create an exciting tale that it feels seamless. I think the magic of Joe's writing is that he can create events and characters that feel completely real. The actions that people take are all so genuine to who they are, and change is something that's HARD for them to accomplish.

Because of this (spoilers) I think my favorite character was actually Temple. His arc was so genuine, and it felt so real to me. He struggles with the death of his wife and child and becomes a drunk, falls into bad work and believes himself incapable of change. Slowly, with the wild turn of events he's thrown into, you can see him taking steps to change. He struggles a lot with it, and makes a lot of mistakes along the way, even betraying Shy in the moment he could've been there for her. But in the end, he finds his way to true change and gets the happy ending.

I was so enraptured by the storytelling and prose of this book, all narrated by the AMAZING Mr. Pacey. This is a top tier book, in my mind easily one of the best of all time. The culmination of so many old stories and new ones alike, with little nuggets that indicate there's more to be told. I'm sure if you're reading this you've read the book already, but if you haven't, DO IT NOW!!

Great story, Great narration.

I love how Abercrombie keeps taking us to different places in his world. First Law version of the wild west, if it were full of ancient ruins...and magic. I was hoping for a bit more magic but you have to be realistic about these things ;)

Joe is the best.

a wild western set in the first law universe. it's fantastic. Joe is an incredible author.

The First Law World Grows

A western styled gritty revenge tale with well formed characters and interesting locales. highly recommend.

awesome

This is easily my favorite book of Abercrombies yet! Steven Pacey is absolutely the best narrator!

yas

Intriguing new characters with a mix of some old favorites. Includes the good ol dark gory writing with surprising hilarious mood. loved it.

Good story kept a steady pace of action.

This is a full fiction western. It flirts with fantasy but never really touches it. Like a jr high dance, it wants to be fantasy but can really pull through. We are left wondering if it's the future or the past.

good book

after the last two books which I didn't like as well this one was a pleasure to read enjoyed every minute I am glad they went with the original narrator. i hate when a series changes readers in the middle.