Red Country

By: Joe Abercrombie

Narrated by: Steven Pacey

A New York Times bestseller!
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, andThe Heroes. This novel also represents the return of Logen Ninefingers, one of Abercrombie's most beloved characters.

Great!

Yes, it was annoying that Audible messed up the release. But, I think people should rate this book according to its merits, and not a technical glitch that had nothing to do with the book.

That said, I love this book. I've enjoyed all Joe Abercrombie's books, but the first three were my favorites. The next two changed narrators and the feel of the books weren't the same either. I like Michael Page, but Steven Pacey is so much better in these books. Listening to 'Red Country' read by Steven Pacey is like running into an old friend and catching up with what's changed in their life since the last time you saw each other. It has really been a great couple days with this book to guide me on my daily drive.

Another great one from Abercrombie!

What did you love best about Red Country?

As in his other books, Abercrombie gives you a story that really draws you in. It's great to see strong female characters that knows how to hold their own .

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly...with swords

I'm a newcomer to the world of The First Law trilogy , but I've been reading Sci-Fi & Fantasy all my life. From Asimov to Zelazny ; Moorcock to Martin. Abercrombie is in a league of his own. I've had authors make me root for villains before,(looking at you George R.R. Martin), but I'm not sure I've seen a collection of scoundrels and villains imbued with such fascinating and flawed humanity until now. Maybe in Donaldson's Gap Cycle.
The biggest twist in The First Law trilogy, for me(SPOILER SPOILER if you haven't read it, stop now!!) was the revelation that Logen Ninefingers, the most likeable character, was...shall we say remembering his own history a lot more charitably than he deserved. And isn't that what real people do? And doesn't even a monster like "The Bloody Nine" deserve a shot at redemption, if the desire for change is real? That resonated with me, even as I've cringed at the things he's capable of. It's a question very reminiscent of Is Bruce Banner really responsible for what the Hulk does? Because it very much seems to be a dissociative identity disorder situation.
Which brings me to this book: Incredible. I've never seen the genre of Westerns so well translated into Fantasy before. Spaghetti Westerns, spliced with True Grit and a dash of Shane, that is. I could damn near hear that famous whistling theme song in places. The return of Nicomo Cosca was also a welcome, if bittersweet turn. And if you've enjoyed the narration on the previous books,(I have), it's unchanged. This one's a winner.

Best one yet!!

I personally loved this book!! I feel like it was a great way to say goodbye to “Lamb” and had a gripping g plot!

Another Great Read

Joe Abercrombie is a master of the genre. And, I've thoroughly enjoyed this whole series. Steven Pacey is, as usual, superb. This work and series,, in my view, is fantasy writing at its very best. I've praised other books in this series as well as the writer and the reader. This book is just as well written and read as the others. I think it would probably benefit the reader who has never read Joe Abercrombie, before,to begin with "The Blade, Itself".
I would love to see this series go on for a long while.