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A review by thesinginglights
The Trouble with Peace by Joe Abercrombie
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"There's a feeling I get that is unique to my experience of Joe Abercrombie trilogies. A feeling that despite the great chaos and strife of the second book, that the worst is yet to come. That the horrors to come are not the ones you will expect but that is both terrifying and exciting.
This book is leagues above the first of this series and I really, really liked the first book."
So it goes with my pre-review.
The Age of Madness is in full swing. Political discord and disgruntlement is rife in the Circle of the World. The proletariat demand better rights from the lords of the realm. After the excitement of Valbeck tensions have continued to rise and the realm is soon to become a battleground. Who will remain victorious?
Consequences is the keyword for this second book. Consequences both direct (what your actions cause) and indirect (the consequence of one's station or actions) is the recurring theme of this book. More political than its predecessor it does everything a sequel to a series does and more: build on the characterisation and greatly expand them to truly bloody ends. The book is not only surprising, but deeply inevitable with moments of emotion put in together as well.
I don't want to talk too much about the specifics of the book. What I will say is that this is exactly what a second book should be. [b:Before They Are Hanged|902715|Before They Are Hanged (The First Law, #2)|Joe Abercrombie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1179318094l/902715._SY75_.jpg|2116927] was an impressive follow-up to [b:The Blade Itself|944073|The Blade Itself (The First Law, #1)|Joe Abercrombie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1284167912l/944073._SX50_SY75_.jpg|929009] and this one is no exception. What adds a lot of texture to a sequel series is that part of the world's history is actually experienceable and I feel more of a participant in the world. This is the advantage of a sequel series. The disadvantage is that it builds upon a sizeable tapestry of previous books but I think Abercrombie's prose is the saving grace for this. While I wholeheartedly recommend you read at least the first trilogy before jumping into this, he actually quite deftly recaps the world's history. This serves as a reminder to me and likely as useful backstory for new readers.
But yes. Bloody, explosive, and expansive. I loved most of the cast here. Orso and Leo have flipped in my opinion; I really loved Orso's development and grew frustrated with Leo; Savine is always a pleasure to follow; Broad continues to be a weak point, if not an awful character.
There is so much I want to say but that would be wasting my time. You know what you're getting with Abercrombie. You're curious? Pick it up. I EAGERLY await the final book as things are set to only get that much bloodier.
This book is leagues above the first of this series and I really, really liked the first book."
So it goes with my pre-review.
The Age of Madness is in full swing. Political discord and disgruntlement is rife in the Circle of the World. The proletariat demand better rights from the lords of the realm. After the excitement of Valbeck tensions have continued to rise and the realm is soon to become a battleground. Who will remain victorious?
Consequences is the keyword for this second book. Consequences both direct (what your actions cause) and indirect (the consequence of one's station or actions) is the recurring theme of this book. More political than its predecessor it does everything a sequel to a series does and more: build on the characterisation and greatly expand them to truly bloody ends. The book is not only surprising, but deeply inevitable with moments of emotion put in together as well.
I don't want to talk too much about the specifics of the book. What I will say is that this is exactly what a second book should be. [b:Before They Are Hanged|902715|Before They Are Hanged (The First Law, #2)|Joe Abercrombie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1179318094l/902715._SY75_.jpg|2116927] was an impressive follow-up to [b:The Blade Itself|944073|The Blade Itself (The First Law, #1)|Joe Abercrombie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1284167912l/944073._SX50_SY75_.jpg|929009] and this one is no exception. What adds a lot of texture to a sequel series is that part of the world's history is actually experienceable and I feel more of a participant in the world. This is the advantage of a sequel series. The disadvantage is that it builds upon a sizeable tapestry of previous books but I think Abercrombie's prose is the saving grace for this. While I wholeheartedly recommend you read at least the first trilogy before jumping into this, he actually quite deftly recaps the world's history. This serves as a reminder to me and likely as useful backstory for new readers.
But yes. Bloody, explosive, and expansive. I loved most of the cast here. Orso and Leo have flipped in my opinion; I really loved Orso's development and grew frustrated with Leo; Savine is always a pleasure to follow; Broad continues to be a weak point, if not an awful character.
There is so much I want to say but that would be wasting my time. You know what you're getting with Abercrombie. You're curious? Pick it up. I EAGERLY await the final book as things are set to only get that much bloodier.