Before They Are Hanged: The First Law: Book Two

Abercrombie plays hardball. The moment you think you are getting ahead of the plot; as soon as it becomes obvious who is going to survive and who is not; an instant after you sigh with understanding and a knowing nod of the head, a new window opens, perspective changes, and everything in the room makes a new and different kind of sense. Finally you just quit trying to suss it all out, accept the fact that you are in the hands of a master, and listen--rapt. I have finished the first two books now and have no idea where this is going. I just know that I will be fascinated and satisfied when we arrive.
Steven Pacey is flawless. Exactly the narrator Abercrombie deserves. And all for less than ten dollars a book. This is heaven!!
Two caveats: under no circumstances should you read these books out of order, and if you have problems reading descriptions of brutality or tolerating common, sexually descriptive language, just don't bother starting.

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.

Just finished The Blade Itself - the first book in this series.

Beware: The audiobook for Blade Itself does not include the entire book and is missing the last 3 chapters. Audible has removed, I'm assuming to fix the issue. If you have not read the first book I would wait until they fix the audiobook before starting this one.

With that said, I just started this book and am really liking the continuation of the story. The narration is fantastic (as in the first book) though read a little choppy during battle sequences. The narrator does a great job with the dialogue and infusing different character into each of the voices, especially Glokta. The writing style and dialogue is top notch. Anything Abercrombie has written to date is a treat. Note: not for the faint hearted.

My overall review of this book pretty much mirrors The Blade Itself - which is the first in the series. Mr. Pacey continues his outstanding narration work only solidifying my opinion that he is indeed one of the best in the business. The way he portrays Inquisitor Glokta makes this character come alive and one of the most interesting in the story and there are many. Abercrombie breathes life into so many characters regardless of how long they are part of the story or their significance to the main plot. If you've read the first book you need to continue on. If you have not...you should stop and go back to the beginning. It will be worth every credit you spend.

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!!

Finest author in the genre. This is not a novel for children, or for fans of unicorns and pixies. As fantasy books go, Mr Abercrombie writes his novels with an amazingly realistic portrayal of his many flawed but entertaining characters. Dark, gritty full of black humor, these books actually get better as the series progresses. Fantastic narration.

Haven't read the book, but Steven Pacey is an awesome narrator!

I still like Glokta. And Logan. And West. Okay, most of these characters are my favorite because they are basically trying to do the best they can given their circumstances and the world they live in. Both would reject any pity directed their way. In this novel there are no soft characters- they wouldn't survive long in the world that Abercrombie has created.

Steven gives all characters their own voices. He even does a great job of narrating Glokta's inner dialogue. That is hard to do- often you listen to a book and it takes you awhile to figure out that the narration are the thoughts of the character. Not so here. Glikta's mental musings are done fantastically! Pacey narrates all the characters with full emotional effect, and I was captivated the whole time,

This book moved me. I was spellbound. I couldn't wait to hear what happened next throughout the book. It isn't a happy book- there are no fairy tales here- but it is a compelling book.

Be warned, this book is more gruesomely graphic than the first. It's still a captivating book, and I couldn't put it down, but I wasn't quite ready for some of the gruesomeness. That's the only reason that it doesn't get a full 5 stars in every category.

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.

The first law series is an instant classic. GRR Martin fans are going to love it. The Performance is also top notch. The best of lists for the sff genre will put this series near the top. I am enjoying another Joe Abercrombie novel "Red Country".

I don't know where we're headed, but I'm LOVING how we're getting there! Joe Abercrombie does it again with the sequel to The Blade Itself. Another darker, grittier epic fantasy where the usual tropes and memes are turned on their heads, giving the same old chills and thrills we love of our usual epic fantasy, but with a more ominous and surprising edge. There are no pristine archetypes here, but rather a collection of flawed and fallible men and women struggling to do their . . . best . . . ? . . . worst? . . . well, definitely struggling, anyway. And as the story progresses you learn, organically and without chapters' worth of clumsy exposition, that some, if not all, of these characters aren't quite what they appear to be . . .

Can't wait to finish The Last Argument of Kings, which I downloaded directly the MINUTE I finished this book.