Joe Abercrombie is at the top of his game and delivers a conclusion that is everything a sequel should be: the sum of the series before it, advancing characters and plot lines to new heights while closing off the necessary ones. The thing is with Joe Abercrombie is that he has a knack for doing this in unexpected ways. I had the same hollowed out feeling that I had at the end of his fantastic Last Argument of Kings where all is awry and deeply messed up, where the good folk don't always win and people change for the worse. We get all of this but delivered with more wit, skill, and much more heart. This builds on the original trilogy wondrously.

Abercrombie also does not waste any of your time. It is breathless the amount of twists and turns we are afforded to an ending that is heavy on the bitter than the sweet. A masterpiece written by one of the masters of the genre.