Welcome to the Escape Velocity Collection!
We are an opinionated group of friends reviewing all sorts of fantasy and science fiction media. Don’t forget to get to know the curators and visit our curated Collection, where we discuss the stories that never cease to transport us to another world.
Will you escape with us?
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- Book written by Joe Abercrombie
- Published 15 March 2007
- Part two in the First Law Trilogy
Bayaz, first of the magi, gathers a party of misfits around him for a quest to the end of the world. Among them are Logen, the barbarian looking for a better version of himself, Ferro mal Jin, the woman looking for revenge on an empire, and Jezal dan Luthar, the nobleman not looking for anything at all. In the meantime, Inquisitor Glokta is sent to an outlying Union colony to solve the murder of his predecessor, and Colonel Collem West is sent to the North, Logen’s homeland, to defend the civilised world from the unholy alliance of northmen, sorcery and Shanka that threatens to engulf the northern reaches of the Union. How they’re all connected remains to be seen…
Listened to the audiobook with Steven Pacey (whom I liked a lot).
I really felt like the first part of the trilogy was a prelude, so I am glad the story took off in the second instalment. The prose remains great and scene for scene, the book is a page turner, but as with the previous part, the plot progresses slowly once you take a step back.
I liked that Abercrombie had us spend a lot of time with Logen’s former crew in the North, which I think are some of the best characters from the series. I am also glad that Abercrombie manages to make the distant-past worldbuilding that will be necessary to understand where the overarching plot is going enjoyable, though I do have to admit that the worldbuilding itself is not mind-blowing.
Overall, a good read which sets up a lot of pegs for the final installment to knock down. You can read my review of The Last Argument of Kings to see whether I thought the conclusion to the plot was as satisfying as Abercrombie’s prose was in the first two parts.
Tagged:
- Book written by Joe Abercrombie
- Published 20 March 2008
- Part one in the First Law Trilogy
A cast of diverse characters, each broken and twisted in his or her own way, struggle to find meaning in a world where everything seems bigger than they can handle. Follow the stories of, among others, Logen Ninefingers, a grizzled champion from the barbarian north, Inquisitor Sand dan Glokta, a former war hero and current torturer, and captain Jezal dan Luthar, a fencing duelist with more skill than sense – all the while Bayaz, the First of the Magi, a quick-to-anger wizard, seems to have an agenda of his own…
Listened to the audiobook with Steven Pacey (whom I liked a lot).
An interesting read that features a lot of really dark characters that will, depending on your likes and dislikes, straddle the divide between too-edgy for their own good and refreshingly grim, but realistic. Personally, I found the characters well-written though I could not bring myself to like them, despite Abercrombie clearly trying.
The book has some of the most enjoyable prose I’ve encountered in a long time in a fantasy book, and it has an absolutely terrific balance between humour and serious storytelling.
Somewhat disappointingly, however, you cannot read this as a standalone book – this is the first book in a trilogy, and it shows. If you want to read this, plan on having to read the entire story for any of the story lines and character arcs to progress out of their initial stages. This book is a set up – and does well in that role – but requires further storytelling to bring home the rewards.
Initially I was a bit frustrated with Abercrombie for leaving so many endings open, and it took me a while before I caved and listened to the other two instalments; having now finished the trilogy, I can say that it is well worth the read.
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Welcome to the Escape Velocity Collection!
We are an opinionated group of friends reviewing all sorts of fantasy and science fiction media. Don’t forget to get to know the curators and visit our curated Collection, where we discuss the stories that never cease to transport us to another world.
Will you escape with us?
Review: Howl’s Moving Castle – Diana Wynne Jones
On a normal day selling hats in the shop, hatmaker Sophie has the bad luck to be cursed by a witch to look and feel like an old crone. Previously having resigned herself to her dull fate, she now promptly leaves the shop and knocks on the door of the wizard and notorious womanizer Howl to get her curse lifted. She comes to an agreement with the fire demon living in Howl’s hearth instead.
Review: Dune: Part Two – Denis Villeneuve
Having joined a band of Fremen guerillas, Paul Atreides, now Duke of Arrakis, needs to find a way to avenge the death of his father and friends. But how can he strike back at the Harkonnens, or even the Emperor, from the depth of the desert? His mother believes the key to lie with the Bene Gesserit prophesy of the Lisan al-Gaib, the off-world prophet foretold to lead the Fremen to paradise. But along that path lie many dangers, and Paul is reluctant to follow it.
Review: Magic Kingdom for Sale: Sold! – Terry Brooks
Ben Holiday, a depressed lawyer whom has lost his joy in life after losing his wife and unborn child in a car accident, gets the unique offer to buy a magical kingdom called Landover. Though Ben thinks this offer is too good to be true, he knows one thing for sure: he’s got nothing left to lose. He might as well seek out what this so-called kingdom entails, no?
Review: The Sins on Their Bones – Laura R. Samotin
Dimitri used to be the Tzar of Novo-Svitsevo – until he was usurped by his husband Alexey, who turned out not to just be abusive, but also a dark sorcerer. Having lost his husband as well as a civil war, Dimitri has fallen into depression and is now in exile, holed up in a foreign city with a handful of his most loyal followers, trying to think of a way to kill an immortal man and put Dimitri back on the throne of his empire. Perhaps the most important of those followers is Vasily, Dimitri’s former spymaster, who must find a way to infiltrate Alexey’s court – while also navigating complex feeling towards Dimitri. Alexey, meanwhile, is trying to forget Dimitri – and to focus on his plans for world domination.
Review: Fourth Wing – Rebecca Yarros
Violet Sorrengail has spent her entire life training to be a scribe like her father, but when conscription day comes around, her mother forces her to join the Rider’s Quadrant. Because she’s so small and weak, Violet has to use all her wit to survive and one day become a dragon rider like her mother and sister. Meanwhile, she finds herself impossibly attracted to the son of her mother’s worst enemy.
Review: Poor Things – Yorgos Lanthimos
In this thought-provoking twist on Frankenstein, the drowned body of a young woman is brought back to life with the brain of her unborn infant. The result of this scientific experiment is Bella Baxter (portrayed by Emma Stone). Unbound by the societal norms of her era, Bella becomes resolute in her mission to advocate for equality and freedom.
