Before They Are Hanged (The First Law Trilogy)

The title pretty much says it all. The story itself is an exciting, page-turning adventure. The Kindle edition is quite terrible though. Not unreadably terrible but certainly unforgivably terrible. There are two extra blank lines for each paragraph break and all sorts of random characters pop up throughout the book (things like > ^ : at the end of sentences in the empt whitespace).

After a few chapters I adjusted to the extra line breaks between paragraphs and, while the horrible formatting does detract from the book, the quality of the story overcomes that.

The second book in the series is as gripping as the first and leaves you up at night diving into the third. Joe Abercrombie presents flawed characters in a harsh world were happy endings aren't what you typical expect.

When i try to match pieces of a collection, i am often undone by one or more which don't fit the quality for which i'm searching. No such problems here. The pieces are better than expected. all of them. every time.

i read primarily sci-fi or fantasy - Hobbit, Dune, Asimov, ee knight, jim butcher, etc - Joe Abercrombie is a great author - also have being listening to Audio book version & reading on Kindle - it stays synched - it is great

Joe Abercrombie is an excellent writer. He has very well developed characters in an exciting story and I love the way he writes dialogue. He's become one of my favorite authors along with Bernard Cornwell and George R.R. Martin.

No one takes the romance out of swordplay like Abercrombie. You can feel your skinned knuckles, scraped knees, and twisted ankles. The cold, the filth, and the pain of living in the blood and the mud.

I feel Joe Abercrombie is setting up a deep work with lots of back story, but never seems to get past the first layer, or develop the characters to the point that I actually care about them. I finished the first 2 books of the series and just didnt care enough to go for the third. It is very generic fantasy with plot points that never seem to go anywhere. Glokta is the only character that seems flushed out and original.

- excellent writing and word choice.
- fun and entertaining story.
- I have deducted two stars, because the Kindle file is not whisper sync compatible with the Audible file. I find this incredibly annoying because it is difficult to find my spot in the reading-book after listening to the audio version. (Joe, please fix this for a five star rating).

After I finished the first book, my review was titled "Still Waiting." I felt like I was reading the whole time for something to happen, and it never really did. Then I began book two, and pretty quickly it grabbed my attention. It had good character development, and the plot finally seemed to develop some intrigue. It had me turning pages pretty quickly near the end, raising my excitement for the conclusion and then... it just disappointed me.

I felt like I had wasted my time... again. I almost did not even start the second book, but figured I need to give it a chance a I have heard a lot of good things about the series. Now I definitely need to finish the third book since I have gone this far, but while most books I take my time so as to make them last, this one I cannot wait to be done with. Maybe the final book will blow me away, and it will all be worth it... I am trying not to be too pessimistic.

The one thing that blows my mind, is how people can compare this series to A Song of Ice and Fire, let alone those people who say it is better than that series. No offense to Joe Abercrombie, but in my opinion, the two series are not even in the same league. Yes, The First Law has some interesting characters that he develops well, but with such a weak plot they are almost a waste.

That all being said... I will now start the third book to see how it all concludes, but I have also already started to look around for other fantasy series to read after this one.

I just finished the series. The first book was interesting with good character development. The second book was a big pointless circle, but still interesting. The final book seamed to be going nowhere and actually didn't go anywhere. All that was accomplished within the story of this series was undone. It was a tragedy, literally, and one that left me feeling broken and hollow after allowing myself to be invested in the world. Joe Abercrombie's first series sucks. I hope he can do better, but I won't read it.

I was disappointed with the book. There is a lot of action but to no purpose that I can see. There is some character development but otherwise everything at the end of the book is the same as it was at the beginning.

I really wanted to like this book, but the writing is incredibly bland and the world is filled with just about every fantasy cliche you could think of. Funny at times, but the first book hinted at a really cool direction (the inquisition going after the banks) and this book pauses that for a whole book's worth of boring fantasy quest type stuff. The end of the this book hints at going back into that exciting area of fantasy finance, but I don't trust the author enough to take the plunge after book 2.

Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie is the second book in the First Law trilogy, the first being The Blade Itself (The First Law: Book One). The third, and final book, Last Argument of Kings is scheduled for release in the United States in September, 2008. The First Law Trilogy is not your run of the mill, cliché ridden fantasy series. It is dark, twisted, and unlike most of the `traditional' fantasy books being published.

The plot, or should I say plots, of this book pick up right after The Blade Itself. There are three separate plots, that center on separate characters or a group of characters. There is the plotline of a character trying to hold a city under siege and the measures he undertakes to keep the city from falling. There is a plot revolving around a group of characters seeking an artifact to aid them in a greater task, I won't say anymore about that because of spoilers. Lastly, there is a plot about the pending invasion by the Northmen and how the Union soldiers can combat the attack. These are the three plot lines that essentially tie the book together, however, there are countless subplots woven into the book as well. There is a great deal of political underpinnings in two of the three plot lines as well as betrayal and other manners of one-up man ship between a couple characters.

The characters in this novel are essentially the same characters that were present in the first novel. Some of the returning characters are Glokta, Logen Ninefingers, Bayaz, Ferro, Jezal, and Colonel West among others. They are all complex characters and most, if not all, go through a great deal of character development in this novel. One of my complaints of the previous novel was that a couple characters came across as forced or contrived. That notion never crossed my mind with this novel. Rather, a couple of the characters go through quite an overall transformation due to their ordeals, such as West and Jezal. The characters in this book are top notch, they are gritty, rough, crass and real. If you are looking for light, happy characters that you can laugh with, look at a different book. I was rather impressed by the amount of character development in this book. Granted, some characters do not get a lot of character progression, but they all grow in some way or another. Whether it is a character realizing something about themselves due to an injury the incur or a character growing a backbone, to a character beginning to show a softer side of themselves to a select few people.

In The Blade Itself, it seemed Mr. Abercrombie had a few, shall we say growing pains. However, in this novel, there seems to be an exponential growth in both his writing and his overall story. If this type of growth continues with the next novel (and any future stories after that) I think readers will be more than pleased.

The only criticism I have of this novel is there is one particular character, Glotka, who has a great deal of what can only be described as internal dialogue. This holds true to the first book as well, but when I read the internal dialogue it just doesn't work very well for me. This may be a personal bias of mine, since I do not care for first person books. Some of the internal dialogue is fine, but there are points in the novel where it seems over used.

Where The Blade Itself seemed like a setup for future events, in Before They Are Hanged events occur at almost a frenetic pace leaving the reader little time to stop and catch their breath. Mr. Abercrombie seems to almost dare the reader to try and put down the book. The prose in this novel seems more refined and polished. The flow and pacing seem more natural and, at least to me, seemed easier to grasp and understand. This could very well be due to having the first novel under my belt already.

The First Law trilogy seems to be taking on the mantel of a fine painting. Taken piece by piece each book is solid. However, taken as a whole, as the entire trilogy, the true beauty of this work begins to stand out.

Overall, I think this is a marked improvement over the first novels minor flaws. If you are a fan of the fantasy genre and are seeking a solid adult fantasy novel, then by all means look no further than this trilogy. Although, you really need to start with the first book if you are to understand the events in this book. With Before They Are Hanged, Mr. Abercrombie has established himself as one of the new voices of the fantasy genre that will be around for many years to come. I can easily see myself recommending this trilogy to many people in the future.

I really wanted to like this book, but the writing is incredibly bland and the world is filled with just about every fantasy cliche you could think of. Funny at times, but the first book hinted at a really cool direction (the inquisition going after the banks) and this book pauses that for a whole book's worth of boring fantasy quest type stuff. The end of the this book hints at going back into that exciting area of fantasy finance, but I don't trust the author enough to take the plunge after book 2.

Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie is the second book in the First Law trilogy, the first being The Blade Itself (The First Law: Book One). The third, and final book, Last Argument of Kings is scheduled for release in the United States in September, 2008. The First Law Trilogy is not your run of the mill, cliché ridden fantasy series. It is dark, twisted, and unlike most of the `traditional' fantasy books being published.

The plot, or should I say plots, of this book pick up right after The Blade Itself. There are three separate plots, that center on separate characters or a group of characters. There is the plotline of a character trying to hold a city under siege and the measures he undertakes to keep the city from falling. There is a plot revolving around a group of characters seeking an artifact to aid them in a greater task, I won't say anymore about that because of spoilers. Lastly, there is a plot about the pending invasion by the Northmen and how the Union soldiers can combat the attack. These are the three plot lines that essentially tie the book together, however, there are countless subplots woven into the book as well. There is a great deal of political underpinnings in two of the three plot lines as well as betrayal and other manners of one-up man ship between a couple characters.

The characters in this novel are essentially the same characters that were present in the first novel. Some of the returning characters are Glokta, Logen Ninefingers, Bayaz, Ferro, Jezal, and Colonel West among others. They are all complex characters and most, if not all, go through a great deal of character development in this novel. One of my complaints of the previous novel was that a couple characters came across as forced or contrived. That notion never crossed my mind with this novel. Rather, a couple of the characters go through quite an overall transformation due to their ordeals, such as West and Jezal. The characters in this book are top notch, they are gritty, rough, crass and real. If you are looking for light, happy characters that you can laugh with, look at a different book. I was rather impressed by the amount of character development in this book. Granted, some characters do not get a lot of character progression, but they all grow in some way or another. Whether it is a character realizing something about themselves due to an injury the incur or a character growing a backbone, to a character beginning to show a softer side of themselves to a select few people.

In The Blade Itself, it seemed Mr. Abercrombie had a few, shall we say growing pains. However, in this novel, there seems to be an exponential growth in both his writing and his overall story. If this type of growth continues with the next novel (and any future stories after that) I think readers will be more than pleased.

The only criticism I have of this novel is there is one particular character, Glotka, who has a great deal of what can only be described as internal dialogue. This holds true to the first book as well, but when I read the internal dialogue it just doesn't work very well for me. This may be a personal bias of mine, since I do not care for first person books. Some of the internal dialogue is fine, but there are points in the novel where it seems over used.

Where The Blade Itself seemed like a setup for future events, in Before They Are Hanged events occur at almost a frenetic pace leaving the reader little time to stop and catch their breath. Mr. Abercrombie seems to almost dare the reader to try and put down the book. The prose in this novel seems more refined and polished. The flow and pacing seem more natural and, at least to me, seemed easier to grasp and understand. This could very well be due to having the first novel under my belt already.

The First Law trilogy seems to be taking on the mantel of a fine painting. Taken piece by piece each book is solid. However, taken as a whole, as the entire trilogy, the true beauty of this work begins to stand out.

Overall, I think this is a marked improvement over the first novels minor flaws. If you are a fan of the fantasy genre and are seeking a solid adult fantasy novel, then by all means look no further than this trilogy. Although, you really need to start with the first book if you are to understand the events in this book. With Before They Are Hanged, Mr. Abercrombie has established himself as one of the new voices of the fantasy genre that will be around for many years to come. I can easily see myself recommending this trilogy to many people in the future.

I give it 4 stars.

If you read the first, read the second. If you haven't read either, I would reccomend you look somewhere else for a new series. For as much as reviewers (and the author) claim that this book doesn't fall back on the same tired stereotypes, it toally does!

You have a barbarian. Supposed to be a dumb, blood-thirsty killer, right? Well, this one isn't a total moron, and not all that blood-thirsty... Until he gets in a fight. Then he becomes an unstoppable killing machine that can't tell friend from foe. So he pretty much IS a stereotypical barbarian.

You have a wizard. Supposed to be old, crotchety, wise and magical, right? Well this one is old, crotchety, wise and magical. So... yeah.

You have an warrior-woman - Supposed to be a hot, mean, man-hater, right? Well this one is hot, REALLY mean, and hates everyone. So... yeah.

First thing: My two star rating applies only to the Kindle edition. The novel itself is wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed "Blade Itself", and "Before They Are Hanged" is a satisfying continuation of the First Law Trilogy.

HOWEVER: The quality of the Kindle edition itself is terrible. Produced by Jouve, France, the Kindle edition is rife with layout errors and typos. They didn't even bother to reproduce the cover art. Instead, you get a placeholder cover that is just type on a blue field. This edition should never have made it out the doors. I hope the publishers have ended their relationship with Jouve.

After finishing the first book in this series, The Blade Itself, I thought I had found one of my newest top trilogies of all times. I truly enjoyed the first book and could not wait to start this one. Unfortunately it did not live up to its predecessor. Gratuitous sex and overly abundant and unnecessary language just had me wincing throughout this one. The first book had harsh language, but it always seemed to fit the character and situation. Here there are numerous times where characters just seemed to swear just to be swearing. The worst part about this is that it marked a fundamental character and behavior change for major characters from the first book. It served to make these great characters seem almost like bad hollywood remakes of themselves. There were still some high points, and Iliked the evolution of Sand dan Glotka and Jezal, but those changes had reasons behind them. All in all my opinion of this series has gone from "fantastic" to "very good". I honestly hope the third book redeems some of the WOW factor that I feel was lost between book one and book two.

The second part of the trilogy “Before they are hanged” takes us into the wastelands of the old empire. Glokta gets impossible and a suicide mission to save the city Dagoska from the attack off Gurhul Empire. Meanwhile, Glokta must find out who killed his predecessor and uncover the conspiracy. Meanwhile fueling the war with northerners, Major West went to fight with unprepared units and mutually antagonistic generals. The only hope is supreme commander Burr that keeps them together. One thing is certain, the leader of northerners Bethod is relentless and his enemies can only hope for death. First of the Magi Bayaz led his small group, over the old empire that has all but not hospitable. Who will live and who will die, no one knows. Writer Joe Abercrombie experienced, as well as in the first part takes us through the story where you can expect the unexpected. I honestly could not wait to buy this book because I enjoyed in the first part and I was not wrong, this is really a fantastic book and soon I intended to buy the third book. The book I would gladly recommend to all fans of fantasy because this is now excellent series.

Binge worthy trilogy.
Superior Glokta is given the impossible task to defend a city sure to fall, realizing he can trust no one. Plots within plots on both sides of this battle, where you can't tell a good guy from a bad guy, and maybe it doesn't matter with the foe that mankind is facing.
Ferro, Nine Fingers and Luthar find themselves on a quest that threatens their lives, not finding out it's purpose till nearly the end. The depth of each character grows along the way though, making it a memorable journey. We do discover the background of each, and why Bayaz has chosen a couple of them to accompany him.
West is given orders to serve under the worthless Prince, keeping him well away from the fighting, or so it was thought, while Three Trees, Dogman and the crew decide to take a different path.
All and all it's a thoroughly enjoyable ride, with lots of battles, conspiracy, intrigue and a laugh or two, as the saga continues.

Better than the first one, but I thought this one also was far too long, and the third one is almost 700 pages, but ok, at last is the last one, and that will bring all the unsolved questions to an end I hope. Strangest thing about these books, is the way the author talks about things that happened before the time this book is set, as there were some sort of prequels, but I haven't found them yet....

Meglio del primo, di poco, ma anche questo veramente troppo lungo, e la cosa peggiora considerato che il terzo arriva a 700 pagine, ma almeno é l'ultimo e spero che concluda tutte le fila rimaste aperte fino ad ora. La cosa piú strana di questi libri comunque, per me sta nel fatto che l'autore cita continuamente cose avvenute nel passato, come se ci fosse una serie di prequel a questa trilogia, ma io non li ho trovati da nessuna parte.....

I cannot stress enough how much I like this book ... so much so that when this one ended, I began the next one right away – something that I rarely do. The second in the trilogy, it’s a rollicking, visceral, action-oriented adventure saga that places itself in three main story lines and alternates those experiences chapter by chapter as each tale’s main character(s) strive to achieve seemingly impossible goals. Though Abercrombie’s setting is “Angland,” (and the writer himself is British), he uses a land much like the American frontier of the late 18th, early 19th century of colonial expansion as cleverly as, say, Steampunk writers often use the turn-of-the-century 1900s).

One interesting and conspicuous absence: guns, and gunpowder in general. It is through their exclusion that confrontations necessarily get closer and more face-to-face. Sure, there are arrows and siege weapons, but these books specialize in hand-to-hand combat, gore, sweat and yes, even tears. One fight sticks in my mind where an opponent is full of bluster until he is horribly wounded, and then he screams out, “Wait!... Wait!... Just WAIT!” It struck me because it’s exactly what a man MIGHT think when he is finds, after a life of bullying, taunts, and using his great size against others that he has finally met his match, and Death with a capital D will not, despite his protests, hold off any longer.

What I really enjoy about Abercrombie falls into several categories. In no particular order, they are:
a) CHARACTERIZATION: the author paints his players with a fine brush, building them scene-by-scene into well-fleshed people who step forth full of both admirable and entirely disreputable traits. While I can’t really think of a single character whom I would take home to meet Mom, I love reading about them.

There’s Logen Ninefingers: a “named” man who has fought so long on the front lines of a barbarian culture that he is both physically and mentally disfigured and his prospects at ever living a “civilized” life are minimal at best; there’s the cripple, San dan Glotka, a former hero so terribly disfigured by enemy torturers he remains in constant pain from his injuries yet is now himself one of his country’s top torturers; Ferro Maljinn, a horrid little woman who is so scarred by her early life as a slave that she is forever fueled by rage and hatred; Jezal dan Luthar, a self-centered man whose narrow existence of self-interest and shameless ambition is about to take a huge hit; and Bayaz, First of the Magi, a man whose prodigious magical gifts will drive him and several others across an uncivilized land to right an earlier wrong – if the trip itself doesn’t kill them.

Regardless, his tale is peopled by folks so realistically drawn I wouldn’t be surprised if they were to step off the page. And toward that end Abercrombie doesn’t populate his tale with glorious people who are there to right society’s wrongs. No, the author paints his characters full of warts and blemishes – just like “Game of Thrones,” if you will, where the most interesting characters are a maligned royal bastard son or a much-loathed dwarf. None of us is perfect, and no one escapes the grave.

b) ACTION: This is a book that doesn’t flinch from stomach-churning scenes, but it is by no means a book that solely concentrates on them either. The author does such a great job continually developing the inner workings of his characters that they seem alive. Yet his unflinching story line continuously terrifies that these guys will be killed off, and it isn’t beyond Abercrombie to do so. Even if he doesn’t kill off these characters, one can be sure they are going to be changed by what they see or what happens to them. War scenes are particularly grisly, with entrails and limbs often flying hither and yon as knives, swords, arrows, rocks, cannonballs and, yes, fingers do their dirty work throughout.

Finally, c) WRITING STYLE: Abercrombie is a man whose words can be read at a sprint, but it’s almost always worthwhile to loiter a bit to savor them. Yes, this is a visceral work, but Abercrombie is a master at setting a scene quickly, often beginning a chapter in the midst of a tale being told and letting us picture the earlier actions. He has a knack of cherry-picking the very best of a scene that others might fill in with lurid details and intensely lavish descriptions and somehow knowing how to be able to better describe a scene through vivid “telegraphed” elements that make a scene really come alive.

A final note: If you like Game of Thrones, Abercrombie will probably appeal to you. And still another series of perhaps lesser-known books that would form a good comparison is authored by Mark Lawrence, and a good start there would be Prince of Thorns, among other of his works.

In the north, Bethod's armies, led by The Fearless and his ice witch besiege the empire's cities and Colonel West must mediate between bickering generals and a crown prince with no experience in war and a thirst for glory to hold the line. In the south, Inquisitor Glockta has been given military command of Dagoska, now surrounded by Ghurkish armies and the Eaters - deathless creatures that have violated the 2nd law - who will show no mercy should the city walls fall. Far to the west, Logan Nine-fingers and Bayez, First of the Magi must get a rag-tag band of followers to cooperate or face death from any number of foes out to capture or kill them. The world is full of problems for the Empire, especially now that even in their capitol, the heir to the thrown has been assassinated but like The Bloody Nine says, you just have to be realistic about these things.

Can I tell you guys a secret? I always fear the middle book in a trilogy. I'm not saying they're always bad. I mean, look at The Empire Strikes Back. Look at The Two Towers by Tolkien. There are some examples of excellent "middle" series stories. But too often, the middle book is just the set-up for the end of the trilogy. You know, the pieces get moved around the map and stuff happens but it's not usually the important stuff that leaves you on the edge of of your seat or staying up until 3:00 AM saying "just one more page." Well, Joe Abercrombie has hit a home run with Before They Are Hanged and managed to avoid the "middle-bookits" that happens all too often plagues trilogies.

Its hard for me to single out what makes the first two books in The First Law trilogy stand out, if only because there's so much that does. The characters are an obvious choice. Not only does Abercrombie write characters that are easy to relate to, he does an incredible job of working and voicing the characters as individuals. Even in their internal monologue, each character sounds and feels different from the rest. These aren't cardboard cutouts meant to drive the plot. They're real people doing important things in a living world and the reader wants them to succeed. In my opinion, this is what has set this trilogy above so many similar quest-driven fantasy novels. Beyond the characters, the story itself is unique. Sure, there are elements that every fantasy fan is going to recognize, but just like the characters, while the story is epic in scale, it feels accessible to everyone. Maybe that's why the characters are so impactful; they're not so far from regular people undertaking hard tasks that the reader can't slip easily into their boots. You could be Logan Nine-fingers. I could be Logan-Ninefingers.

I picked up the first book of The First Law on a whim. It sounded like something I'd like, from an author I hadn't heard of before. Two books in it has become one of my favorite fantasy trilogies and Joe Abercrombie has become a name I look for on bookshelves above most others. Highly recommended book and series.

4/5 Rating: Originally posted at https://mylifemybooksmyescape.wordpress.com/2015/06/02/book-review-before-they-are-hanged-first-law-trilogy-2-by-joe-abercrombie/

I enjoyed this book much more than first; the development that all of our characters went through, and each of their arcs were amazing. The battles this time had ever more blood and gore, were longer, more intense, and had a greater impact on the characters. The plot is still not grabbing me, but it doesn't matter. I had a great time with this!

As in The Blade Itself, we have multiple plots lines going on at once. Superior Glotka is now in Dagoskta to try and prevent the Gurkish from the invading. That alone will be no easy task, and having to deal with the locals and the Ruling Council there, only make matter worse. And of course, there is the little fact that his predecessor mysteriously vanished in the night to never to seen again. Glotka will have to deal the pressures from Lord Sult about handling the Gurkish while trying to figure out who was behind the pervious Inquistor's disappearance before it is too late, and he faces the fate.

Over to the west Bayaz, Logen, Luthar, Ferro, Quai, and Longfoot are all off the edge of the world in search of the Seed. Over this journey our array of different personality will come to clash, resistance will be met, and what exactly Bayaz is up to, will be brought into question.

Finally up in the North, The Union is preparing for a battle with Bethod. To raise Prince Ladisha's resume, it has been decide to give him his own command (out of the way, of course), and it is up to West to babysit the Prince to make sure nothing happens. West does find some help from the group of Named Men looking to attack Bethong themselves. However when it comes times, will West and the Named Men be enough to hold of Bethod?

The development of our main characters, their arcs and their transformations were amazing! I mean ab-so-lutely amazing! Every one of them! Some of the decisions that Glotka made, left me speechless. We get to see what kind of a man Logen is at his heart. Going into the mind of Ferro, and feeling her pain, gaining an understanding, and feeling sympthing and so hopefully for her. But the development of Luthar and the arc of West... just wow! Luther learns some serious life lessons. This as a major coming-of-journey for him. West's character arc was my favorite this time around. I don't know how to go into detail about explaining West without spoiling anything, but the events he faces, the actions he takes, his thoughts and reactions to everything he goes through... his POV chapters alone would make this worth reading. I was proud, mad, confused, and sympathetic for the man throughout his story. I don't even know if I can define him simply as a good or bad guy anymore. Utterly blown away by his character, and are extremely eager to witness what happens next.

Speaking of all these great characters, my favorite part was with our group going on that quest in the west! Not because the quest for the Seed excited me, but because we got to the shifting POVs between them. We were able to see not only how their actions toward each changed, but how their thoughts about each other evolved over time.

(Was anybody hoping that some would just kill Longfoot and shut him up? XD)

Just as great this time, were the fighting scenes. I thought the fights were very good in THe Blade Itself, but nothing particular that really put them ahead of others. This time though, I thought they were some of best fighting scenes I've read. First off, there is a lot more battles this time around, and they all felt longer to me (in a good way). I think maybe because of the connections I felt to characters in them? Because down Dagoska (since Glokta himself, can't sword fight) I wasn't super into them. I still thoughts they were very good - and better than before - but the fights up North, with West and the Named Men, and over to the west with our journeymen - I was glued to the pages. I took in every detail of the action. All the blood and gore (which was a lot greater this time around, and I now see where Lord Grimdark comes from), and the implications each of these had to the characters - all this added to impact theses fights had on me.

I hate to say it, but the subs plot of the story still aren't catching to me. Glotka trying to solve the murder mystery and all the political intrigue should have interested me, but all I cared about was seeing how would talk to other people, and what his inner monologue was saying. Over in the west, I couldn't have cared where they were going. Even sitting around the campfire, listening to Bayaz's history lessons of the Old Empire didn't spark anything. All I cared about there was seeing more fighting, and watching the group dynamic interactions. All of that is identical for the North. I wanted to see how all the Named Men got along, and I wanted to see what West would do next. I just wanted to see the next fight! I didn't even care who they were fighting. I don't have a connection to killing Bethos, getting the Seed, or stopping the Gurkish. It's the character plots - their development, arc, or whatever you want to call it - that drives this fantasy. Not the plot of the story.

At this time, I feel it is safe to say for certain, that the overall story arc has to something to do with Bayaz, Juvens, all the Magi, and the Seed and the Old Empire. Yet again, it doesn't interest me. I do not considered it bad, but it's just that nothing is catching my attention. I am more than confident now to say this is a heavily character-driven fantasy. Maybe if in book 3 when all gets explained I can look back and appreciate things I may have over looked, but as of right now, I'm still wondering why everything has happened, what the point of all this is, and why I should care?

All that being said though, despite my lack of interest in the story and plots, I still thought this was a great book! These characters and fights are among the best I've ever read. I would go off and rant-and-rave about them, but I did that last review, so I don't see the point in repeating myself. If the story could just catch my attention a little bit, these books would easy be a 5, and up there with my favorites of all-time.

I said this before, and I'll say it again, these characters alone (and now the fighting for certain) makes these books worth reading. Honestly, I could care less what the story was about. As long I get these characters, there is now way I wouldn't enjoy these books.

Say one thing for Joe Abercrombie, say he's one hell of character writer!

4/5 Rating

-DJ

‘Before they are hanged’ is the second volume in the First Law Series, by Joe Abercrombie. Directly following ‘The Blade Itself’, the fantastic introduction to the series; it continues with the same hard-boiled, brutal, and realistic characters with the same amounts of brutish violence. Dark fantasy at its best, it succeeds in being amazingly better than the first book.

‘Before they are hanged’ continues with the same characters as its prequel, though with a story that is even bigger and meaner than that of the first book. The book begins with the Union finding itself at war on its northern front against Bethod and his barbarians, with an additional impending war against the Gurkish also threatening the city of Dagoska on the south. Inquisitor Glokta is dispatched to Dagoska to solve the disappearance of the previous Inquisitor, and also must somehow overcome the corrupt and incompetent leadership of the city in order to manage to maintain and defend the city against the Gurkish forces threatening it. Deadly political intrigue ensues, and Glokta must manage to waver through the different forces in order to achieve something that isn’t thought possible. All whilst avoiding the being killed.

Meanwhile, and at the same time, Bayaz has gathered a party composed of Jezal dan Luthar, hateful Ferro, Maljinn, and logen. They have to go to the far south to recover an apocalyptic artifact from the past – the seed – which supposedly contains a destructive force so powerful that it would be able to save the Union from the invasions of both Gurkish and North. The big question through their whole storyline is, however, will they be able to even reach the artifact?

Just like in ‘The Blade Itself’, the writing in this book is absolutely astounding. It is relentless and hard-edged, and brings in all the brutality of the world created by Abercrombie in what is definitely the best way possible. Each of the characters is individualized in a way that highlights their own personality and goals, everything about them. The action is extremely well written, as is the dialogue and the dark humour. The book succeeds in being even better than the last (even though such a thing seemed impossible with how good the first one was, in my opinion), and was a complete joy to read from start to finish.

Something which made me enjoy even more the book though, was the fact that in this one the there was more interaction between characters; mainly with Jezal, Ferro, Logen, and Bayaz. If the last book felt a bit empty in this regard, the feeling isn’t present at all in this one, as by having them travel with each other it makes their respective characters grow and interact with each other in ways that really completed the novel, and made it an even better read.

All in all, ‘Before they are hanged’ is a fast-paced, gritty, and dark fantasy book that will not let you go. Well-conceived and most enjoyable, it is something any fan of this genre should read and not miss, and probably one of the best books I have had the pleasure to read in quite some time. It is definitely awesometacular, and reading as well as purchasing is heavily recommended.

It's often the case with the traditional trilogy narrative form that its weakest link is the middle volume. In the first volume, all the characters have been introduced and their motivations explained, and the main action has gotten under way. And the eventual resolutions of everything that began in the first volume must obviously wait until the third, concluding volume. So the middle volume generally acts as a "bridge," simply providing more of the same from the first volume and leaving problems unsolved and characters still dangling from cliffs, and it can be a little disappointing. Asimov's "Foundation" trilogy is a good example of this trend, as is "Lord of the Rings." (The multivolume fiction series, by the way, like George R.R. Martin's work, is a different sort of animal, with each book behaving more like a very long chapter in a unified narrative.)

But even in his first published work, Abercrombie seems to have avoided the middle-volume trap. I won't try to summarize all the characters and parallel plot-lines of the first volume, _The Blade Itself_. You simply need to go back and read it because this volume doesn't even pretend to stand alone. But I will say that you will find nothing boring or sluggish in the middle part of this story. It picks up, in fact with Logen Ninefingers, the thoughtful, reflective Northern barbarian setting off on a somewhat mysterious quest across the western continent under the acerbic, slightly pompous leadership of Bayez, First of the Magi. The Bloody Nine may turn out to be the actual leader, which won't really surprise him. ("You have to be realistic, after all.") The group also includes Capt. Luthar, a noted, Contest-winning fencer with zero actual military experience, whose self-image (as well as his physical self) undergoes drastic change, and Ferro Maljinn, cold-blooded killer with a towering grudge against the entire Empire, but who develops an unlikely relationship with the Northerner. Then there's Glokta, talented inquisitor (crippled from his own extended experiences with the knife and the rack), who is the newly-appointed Superior of Dagoska, an isolated city-state under occupation by the Union but now under crushing attack from the Emperor. He's responsible for defending the place and there's no way he can win, and everyone knows it. Finally, There's Major West, a supporting character in the first book with a larger role here, who is part of the Union's army in the far north, trying to stave off an invasion by the barbarians under their first-ever king. And there are also the surviving members of Ninefingers's old war band, who don't know he's still alive (or vice versa), and who have their own bone to pick with the Northern king and therefore offer their services to the Union.

Abercrombie doesn't do heroes. The characters in his rousing, very exciting narrative are of two kinds -- those who survive and those who don't. His style is sort of "sword and sorcery noir" and he does it very well indeed, with ironic dialogue, dryly tongue-in-cheek description, and the certainty that not everyone will get out of the story alive. This is very high-caliber fantasy writing and I can't recommend it too highly. And I haven't even started the third volume yet.

RR Martin's magna cum lauded A Song of Ice and Fire, as I'm reading through Abercrombie's series.

My humble opinion is that Abercrombie's The First Law is a master work superior to Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. Abercrombie is a more controlled writer. His deft touch with detail and character development is equal to Martin's, but his narrative is more enjoyable. He does not give in to the urge, as Martin does, to employ fantasy like deus ex machina to resolve conflict, nor does Abercrombie blunder off on narrative tangents, nor does Abercrombie create uninteresting characters like some of Martin's. I think the reading public would be much better served were it to pay less attention to the over-wrought hype and media attention surrounding Martin and instead to discover the gems Abercrombie has written.

Abercrombie creates as many meaningful characters as are in Song of Ice and Fire, but he doesn't lose control of them. And, they are never boring.

(I listened to Before They Are Hanged on Audible, and the narrator is wonderful.)

I enjoyed the first novel. It was gritty and not your usual upbeat kind of fantasy story with elves and dragons, though I admit that is why I read fantasy, to escape reality for brief stints each day. This series is escapism with fantasy elements, most notably magic, but dark. There are no other races other than "flatheads" which were encountered in the first book but never expanded, leaving me to wonder what exactly they were or looked like.

This second novel I started with the hopes of seeing a deepening of the story, but by the end my expectations were disappointed. Some potential spoilers follow:
Glokta (my favorite character) is sent to Dagoska to sniff out what happened there, and finds himself embroiled in politics and an approaching army. I enjoyed this arc. Glokta, despite his flaws, is the most entertaining and complex character in the series. That leaves the other characters to follow, Logen Ninefingers, Bayaz, Ferro, Jezal, and Colonel West. West's arc isn't so bad, but my disappointment lies in the quest Bayaz, Ferro, Jezal and Logen undertake to find the "stone". I didn't mind the journey so much, but the climax, or anti-climax, was a let down. Maybe this was Abercrombies attempt at a bait and switch, or to do the unexpected, but it seemed like a waste of time to me. Sure there was character development, and some of what happened influences the third book, but to me it seemed like this book was less a bridge between book one and three, and more of just filler to make this series a trilogy.

Still a good series though compared to some of the stuff out there.

Spoiler Alert: Every book in this series was a 5-star winner ... until the end. Abercrombie's characters come through the pages as fully human, with virtues and weaknesses, regrets and joys, and I could fully relate to their struggles and dreams. I could even sympathize with the twisted torturer, despite his horrible actions. This was a great, rollicking ride ... right up until the end of the trilogy. Abercrombie seemed to ask himself the question: "What would be the most totally dissatisfying ending I could write? How can I leave a bunch of dangling storylines and maybe set up a second trilogy?" Once he had the answer to those questions, that's what he did.

With his second book, Joe Abercrombie begins to hit his stride. You know the characters, you understand the plot and on he rushes. This book is constructed and written better than the first. His writing style has improved and the plot thickens. Glotka has a heart of gold and a heart of steel. He chooses which one at his whimsy. How well will he defend the city?

A quest begins with Bayaz - ala Fellowship of the Ring - a disparate group of strangers from different pasts and parts of the world come together on a nearly impossible mission. The war between Anglund and the North intensifies.

Abercrombie does a good job of bringing all these characters together and weaving this story. There is blood, war, intrigue, and all the nasty retribution a book can hold. Definitely a guilty pleasure.

One thing about Abercrombie's writing is that he doesn't really have characters that are 'good' as in the typical good vs evil tale. Everyone has a huge closet full of a bad past and it is all brought forth and laid before the reader in this series.

I enjoyed this book much more than the first and it spurred me on to jump straight to the third. I really wanted to know what happened to the rest of these characters.

Pros:
o good work of plot
o crazy, over-the-top characters
o more action than a Stallone movie

Cons:
o well... I did find myself looking among the characters for somebody to empathize with...

Overall - if you are a fan of fantasy and don't mind getting into the mud a bit, this is a good series to read. Abercrombie brings a fresh approach to the genre.

This book was just as good, if not better, than the first one. Abercrombie definitely lets on more storyline in this book, revealing more of what the ultimate goal of this adventure is. He also adds a new character to the roster of those whose viewpoints the story is told from. As I said in my review of The Blade Itself, Abercrombie is excellent at keeping track of each character's quirks and behavior and putting that into their viewpoints, but he also excels at not giving too many viewpoints. A Song of Fire and Ice by the renowned George R. R. Martin had many viewpoints for his epic story, and that isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it can be difficult to keep track of it all. Abercrombie simplifies it and makes it palatable by keeping the amount of viewpoints low and consistent. The writing is always interesting, whether it be humorous, dark, appalling, or anything in between. There are some genuinely funny parts, and some extremely sad parts. That sounds a bit cliche, but books need both. Growth is shown in all of the characters, whether for better and for worse, and you love (or hate) all of them more for it.
If you've read the first book and loved it, move on to this one. You will not be disappointed.

P.S. The pond scene with Ninefingers and the fish is hilarious. You'll know it when you get to it.

Volume 1 of the first law flushed out the characters. It showed the mystical, the savage, the vain and the brave. This book took them to a completely different level. Everything turns topsy turvy and you end up with "where and how is this series ganna end". Just when you think you got an idea Abercrombie plays "whack a mole" with it. I can only compare this to David Gemmell's Wanderer or Martin's Game of Thrones, book 5 for holding my attention. You are talking almost 550 pages of book where every chapter could be a blind alley or a major step towards the conclusion. The bulk of these characters are likable, the savages, the inquizator, the weird fellowship, even the evil ones. In fact evil and good sometime change sides just to keep you on your toes. If you liked the first few of Jordan's Wheel of Time series you should like this. Just don't get overwhelmed by the number of characters introduced in the first book. The author ensures that every character contibutes to the plot...shu

This the second book in this great series and as good if not better then the first one. the author of this adult story line has done it again with the realism and funny situations the characters get into. the way he masterly puts the story together with the world building is done to detail.you will get your money worth and more I laughed so hard it hurt but I also shed a tear when the weakest died in the first book ,so please don't miss reading this masterful written book you will not regret it .

Before They Are Hanged picks up right where The Blade Itself left off. Bayaz - the First Mage, Quai his apprentice, the Navigator, Logen or Bloody Nine as he's known, Ferro, and Jezel are all on their journey to the edge of the world to get the seed to save everyone. Glokta and his practicals are in the Southern city Dagoskan, to save a doomed city from the Gurkish. Colonel West is up North fighting with, or for, the Prince against the savage Northmen. It all sounds simple where the characters are and what they are doing. But, the journey with these characters always seems to go by quickly for me with the wonderous things, good and bad, that happen.

I enjoyed The Blade Itself, but I think I enjoyed Before They Are Hanged even more. Joe Abercrombie has a wonderful way of telling the story full of action and wonder. I enjoyed reading of all the happenings with these characters in the different ends of the world, to see there is a great deal going on around the world and needing help in fixing.

I don't know which set of characters I enjoy reading about more. They are all have different happenings and characteristics that pull me into their stories. Glokta is always a pleasure to read with his suspicious negative thoughts are always interesting in how he comes to his conclusions of people and happenings. And he is usually right in his suspicions. Bayaz and the crew have the magic with them and the great journey. Magic and wonder always interest me. Colonel West has the Northern Men coming to him and the crazy chaos.

The characters have all gone through great hardships of their own kind. They are all grew greatly by the end of this book. The Blade Itself defined who they where at the start, and now they are changing. I got to learn more about the Eaters in the south and Shanka (or Flatheads) in the north. Also, some history leading up to the reason Khaluh is doing what he is doing.

You start to see the inside workings of the history to why they are where they are and the world as it is. I love how the history ties everyone together. Even why Bayaz picked the crew, and yet wonder the purpose of a few of them.

There was one thing I would have liked to have, a map. BUT I really liked how Joe Abercrombie drew a map of the world with his worlds and I didn't need a physical map to help visualize the world.

Iconoclasm is fun at first, but it's got a shelf life shorter than a Japanese pop band. Once the glitter rubs off, what once seemed glam feels about as hip as Jefferson Airplane.

"Before They are Hanged" doesn't fall quite so far, but the biting satire is beginning to dull. I confess, I had a whale of a time with Joe Abercrombie's first book in the series, "The Blade Itself". Here, Mr Abercrombie cheerfully vivisected some of the ropiest fantasy clichés, from savage barbarians to kindly old wizards. Logen Ninefingers, the barbarian, spent more time screaming in pain than anger. The old wizard proved as kindly as Vlad the Impaler, and the nicest bloke in the whole book turned out to the torturer.

Mr Abercrombie returns to the bonfire of the inanities in the second book, this time stoking the flames with the concept of heroic journeys and quests, heroes who get through battles without a crease in their woolens, traitors and sieges, heroic romance and famous last words. Nothing is sacred. Again.

The action quickly picks up where "The Blade Itself" left off, with the ramshackle kingdom called the Union facing threats on multiple fronts. The armies of the prophet Khalul, led by a coterie of invincible, cannibalistic Eaters are bearing down on the Union city of Dagoska from the south, while those of the barbarian King Bethod threaten the province of Angland to the north.

Inquisitor Glokta arrives in Dagoska to shore up the defenses and unravel the mysterious disappearance of his predecessor. Bayaz, the First of the Magi and former brother-in-arms to Khalul, journeys in search of a weapon that can stop Khalul's unnatural underlings. He is joined by a mismatched band of five would-be heroes: Logen, Bayaz's apprentice, a talkative guide, a dashing swordsman and a feral escaped slave. A third story arc follows another band of misfits with colorful names like Dogman, as they accompany a Union army heading north, under the dubious leadership of the Union's vain and cretinous Crown Prince.

We've already been introduced to this identity parade of characters, which leaves Mr Abercrombie more time to expand and enrich his world. We get a little further under the unwashed, flea-bitten skin of Logen and Dogman in particular, and these fatalistic, straightforward yet blackly humorous heroes are easily Mr Abercrombie's best inventions. The backstory to the adventure also contains intriguing hints that all this has gone before--hints that Mr Abercrombie has something to say other than "high fantasy sucks!"

All the same, there's still plenty of fun to be had in "Before They are Hanged", watching a string of stale genre staples receive a well-deserved comeuppance. Sword fights become interesting again once you realize Mr Abercrombie is unlikely to let his heroes escape unscathed. Their mask of invulnerability gets its face quite messily mashed in, knocking one hero out but waking the reader up to the possibilities inherent in a story that doesn't handle its characters with kid gloves. The sex is almost as messy as the fighting, uncomfortably believable, mildly embarrassing and--because hey, it's not you--sniggeringly funny.

However, all this relentless stereotype-bashing is starting to wear a little thin. There's now something almost predictable about the character's inability to dig themselves into anything except more trouble. Some of the catch lines too, such as "Say one thing for Logen Ninefingers, say...", have outstayed their welcome. Some of Mr Abercrombie's deconstructions have themselves become stereotypes--the hapless Crown Prince being a classic example. If Mr Abercrombie really wanted to surprise, he'd have the foppish Prince suddenly turn out to be a military genius. Surprise--nepotism works!

It's always easier to destroy than make something new, and I hope that before the end Mr Abercrombie builds something on the smoking rubble of fantasy conventions he's created. In any event, after two books in the series I wonder if he's run out of targets to obliterate. I kind of hope so, otherwise he might be heading back to the remainder bin with all the other glitter boys.

Before They Are Hanged is the second book in The First Law Trilogy and the sequel to The Blade Itself. In this middle volume of the sequence, Before They Are Hanged picks up the storylines left dangling from the first novel and develops them further. As with the first book, this volume often feels like a 'standard' fantasy novel with lots of standard tropes in use, but Abercrombie successfully continues to put a subversive spin on events which keeps things fresh and interesting.

There are three main plot threads in the book. In the Northlands, the Union Army prepares to face the forces under Beothed. They have enlisted the aid of Threetrees and his band of cutthroats and warriors, but Marshal Burr and Colonel West find their hands full with just keeping their feuding generals from each others throats and babysitting the preening, useless Prince Ladisla.

Meanwhile, in the South, the city of Dagoska falls under siege from the army of the Gurkhal Empire. Inquisitor Glokta, in the city to investigate the disappearance of his predecessor, finds himself orchestrating the defence of the city against a vast and powerful foe, but finds himself making alliances with suspect forces in order to ensure the city's survival.

In the West, Bayaz and his band of unlikely companions continue their journey to the edge of the Circle of the World, to recover a weapon of tremendous power. Their journey will take them through the fallen remnants of the Old Empire, an ancient city and a towering mountain range before their goal can be achieved.

Abercrombie's story rattles along at a fair old pace. With the characters introduced, there is no more need for scene-setting and the plot explodes with vigour. More happens in this 450-page novel than some writers struggle to squeeze into an 800-page tome, and it's all invigorating, page-turning stuff. There's a lightness of touch and plenty of humour in the writing which makes reading the book all the more pleasurable. The characters become more interesting, with Glokta particularly becoming a morally ambiguous person whom the author gives real character to, his decisive ruthlessness coming as quite a shock in some parts of the book. Meanwhile, in other parts of the story other characters undertake unexpected transformations. Meeting other people who know Bayaz forces from earlier in the world's history force the reader to reconsider their opinion of him, whilst another character undergoes a startling personality transformation which is kept quietly in the background, hinting at some darker force moving in the storyline which will be explored further in the final book of the series.

The only criticism that comes to mind is, once again, the lack of a map. This is even more of a problem in the second novel as much vaster areas of territory are covered. One of the problems of not having a map in the book is revealed by the fact that, until an offhand comment made in this volume, I was unaware that Midderland (the Union homeland and location of its capital, Adua) was an island. A second, even more minor problem is that a skirmish in an ancient, ruined city threatens to feel like the use of one standard fantasy idea too many. Luckily, Abercrombie's writing is strong enough to avoid this problem, especially as it provides some of the most memorable imagery in the novel.

Before They Are Hanged (****) is published by Gollancz in the UK and Pyr in the USA.

We should forgive our enemies, but not before they are hanged.

(This review is written with the assumption you have read Blade Itself (First Law 1). If you haven't... well, you probably shouldn't be reading a review for the second book in a trilogy, should you?)

We last left our protagonists on the cusp of some very interesting (and unplanned for) developments. Jezal dan Luthar has been offloaded from the ship he thought would take him to war in Angland, and instead sent on a mysterious mission with Bayaz, the First of the Magi. Accompanying him - much to his chagrin - are Logen Ninefingers, Brother Longfoot, Malacus Quai and, perhaps worst of all, Ferro Maljinn. Together, they will journey to the Edge of the World to seek something Bayaz claims will prove to be the difference in the war with the Gurkish.

The long and arduous journey sees the group passing through the forgotten lands of the Old Empire. Along the way, we learn more of the history of the land, and of the conflict between Juvens and his brothers that sowed the seeds for the wars of today. The journey threatens to change our opinions about some of the characters by raising some intriguing questions: why do so many of Bayaz's Brotherhood seem to hold him in such contempt? Is being forced away from his cocoon of luxury making a better man of Jezal? And what is going on Quai and his brooding silences?

Over in Angland, Colonel Collem West has teamed up with Logen's former band of cutthroats and warriors, led by Rudd Threetrees, in the war against Bethod's forces. After all, who would know more about killing ruthless, cold-blooded Northmen than a group of ruthless, cold-blooded Northmen? But can he focus on the bloody battle ahead while having to keep an eye on Prince Ladisla, who gives useless a bad name?

Meanwhile, Superior Glokta's unenviable promotion in the Inquisition comes with perks like being shipped off to Dagoska just as an overwhelming force of the Gurkish Emperor is making its way over to conquer and enslave. Glokta knows what it means to be captured by the Gurkish, and he has no intention of taking the invasion lying down (painful as that is). But in a country where half the people hate each other, and everyone hates him, is there anybody he can trust?

With just his second book, Abercrombie already shows growth as a writer. The pacing in the novel is top notch; with the characters and their motivations already established, Abercrombie gets right to telling the story. Where The Blade Itself was set almost entirely in the confines of a city, Bayaz and companions' journey through the Old Empire gives us a true feeling of the epic, letting us know that there is a lot more to the story than Adua, or even the war. The book, though, belongs to Glokta. While he was already an interesting character, here he truly shines, even if it is frequently in the dark. Rarely does any character do such a spectacular job of vacillating between compassion and ruthlessness while staying true to himself. It is with this book that most fans will have cemented Glokta as among the most memorable characters in Fantasy.

Before They Are Hanged is an excellent book, and accomplishes a fairly rare feat - the middle book of a trilogy that does a hell of a lot more than provide a stop gap between the beginning and the end. A rousing 4½ / 5.

If you like your worlds dark, your characters grim, your battles bloody, and your humor black, then you owe it to yourself to read this series. This could be the grittiest fantasy novel of all time.

"Before They Are Hanged" is book two of Joe Abercrombie's First Law Trilogy. In order to get anything out of this book, you really need to read Book 1 entitled "The Blade Itself."

Story:
This book is a true continuation of Book 1. It picks up right where "The Blade Itself" left off with the same cast of shady characters. There are three story arcs that are woven together to create a page turning experience. One party is on a quest for a powerful magic artifact, another must battle savages in the north, and another must defend a besieged city in the south. All three plotlines are exciting and fun to read. This isn't an easy book to put down.

Characters:
A guy with stained teeth filed to points, a mutilated inquisitor who excels at torture, an evil looking menace who's deadly with a blade, a guy named Furious who killed a man by biting him to death, a sociopath with demonic blood and yellow eyes, and a very practical rampaging berserker. These are some of the GOOD GUYS in this book! The characters are as dark as can be and very well written. You won't be able to relate to most of them (I hope) but it sure is fun reading about them.

Writing Style:
The story is told through well written scenes with very interesting characters and good dialogue. This book has the strong story structure that the first book was missing. There's dark humor, action, interesting plot twists, and memorable characters. The descriptions of just about everything are gritty: The weather is never good, fingernails are dirty, weapons are bloody... It's quite a change of pace from most fantasy novels.

The World:
It's a medieval fantasy world where there is little magic, and purely human races. There are no dragons, elves, dwarves, hobbits... There are barbarians and raiders in the north, desert people from the south, and civilized kingdom right in the middle. Book 2 has a bit more action and magic than Book 1 and that's a good thing!

Action:
The battles in this book rock fantasy fiction the same way the opening of Saving Private Ryan shocked movie goers. They're exciting, visceral, and tactical. They draw you right into the center of the action. There are battles, sieges, bloody skirmishes, ambushes, torture, and some magic.

Maturity Level:
This book is dark, has foul language, torture, sex, and gore. It epitomizes the phrase, "NOT FOR KIDS!"

Overall:
This is a great book for adult fans of fantasy. It's dark, exciting, fun, interesting, entertaining, disturbing, morbid, and humorous at the same time.

Pick it up if you want violent action, dark characters, politics, and grim humor.

Avoid it if you are squeamish about bloody entrails laying in the mud, dirty fingernails, gaping wounds, greasy hair, snot-cicles, or you need to have elves and dragons in your fantasy books. You might not have the stomach for this adventure.

Before They Are Hanged is the second book in The First Law Trilogy and the sequel to The Blade Itself. In this middle volume of the sequence, Before They Are Hanged picks up the storylines left dangling from the first novel and develops them further. As with the first book, this volume often feels like a 'standard' fantasy novel with lots of standard tropes in use, but Abercrombie successfully continues to put a subversive spin on events which keeps things fresh and interesting.

There are three main plot threads in the book. In the Northlands, the Union Army prepares to face the forces under Beothed. They have enlisted the aid of Threetrees and his band of cutthroats and warriors, but Marshal Burr and Colonel West find their hands full with just keeping their feuding generals from each others throats and babysitting the preening, useless Prince Ladisla.

Meanwhile, in the South, the city of Dagoska falls under siege from the army of the Gurkhal Empire. Inquisitor Glokta, in the city to investigate the disappearance of his predecessor, finds himself orchestrating the defence of the city against a vast and powerful foe, but finds himself making alliances with suspect forces in order to ensure the city's survival.

In the West, Bayaz and his band of unlikely companions continue their journey to the edge of the Circle of the World, to recover a weapon of tremendous power. Their journey will take them through the fallen remnants of the Old Empire, an ancient city and a towering mountain range before their goal can be achieved.

Abercrombie's story rattles along at a fair old pace. With the characters introduced, there is no more need for scene-setting and the plot explodes with vigour. More happens in this 450-page novel than some writers struggle to squeeze into an 800-page tome, and it's all invigorating, page-turning stuff. There's a lightness of touch and plenty of humour in the writing which makes reading the book all the more pleasurable. The characters become more interesting, with Glokta particularly becoming a morally ambiguous person whom the author gives real character to, his decisive ruthlessness coming as quite a shock in some parts of the book. Meanwhile, in other parts of the story other characters undertake unexpected transformations. Meeting other people who know Bayaz forces from earlier in the world's history force the reader to reconsider their opinion of him, whilst another character undergoes a startling personality transformation which is kept quietly in the background, hinting at some darker force moving in the storyline which will be explored further in the final book of the series.

The only criticism that comes to mind is, once again, the lack of a map. This is even more of a problem in the second novel as much vaster areas of territory are covered. One of the problems of not having a map in the book is revealed by the fact that, until an offhand comment made in this volume, I was unaware that Midderland (the Union homeland and location of its capital, Adua) was an island. A second, even more minor problem is that a skirmish in an ancient, ruined city threatens to feel like the use of one standard fantasy idea too many. Luckily, Abercrombie's writing is strong enough to avoid this problem, especially as it provides some of the most memorable imagery in the novel.

Before They Are Hanged (****) is published by Gollancz in the UK and Pyr in the USA.

#2 First Law fantasy trilogy. This second book furthers the stories of the motley mix of characters introduced in book one, some of whom think others among them are dead. Scattered to the corners of the globe, traveling in groups on very different missions, our friends experience the travails of war--both open war and impending war. Bayaz (the First of the Magi) travels with Loren Ninefingers, Jezal dan Luthar and others in search of an ancient magical relic on the other side of the world. Threetrees, Black Dow, Dogman and their crew join Colonel West, who is trying to protect Crown Prince Ladisla and his entourage, who are off to war and totally ill-equipped for it, having led lives at court as spoiled royalty and never been in battle. Sand dan Glokta and his Practicals are off to Durgosta where he is to become Superior Inquisitor of the city and investigate what happened to his predecessor, who seems to have vanished off the face of the earth.

A very interesting, widely differing group of characters in a stark, unforgiving, war-torn world. Not your usual unicorns and faeries type fantasy, I would call this series more of a dark fantasy, and definitely not for the prim, proper or faint of heart. I really enjoy this series and look forward to the third one, which should tie all these threads together nicely. There was a little bit of the 'middle book' curse to it, in that the book couldn't really end and have a story that was self-inclusive, but it did do a wonderful job of progressing the various storylines along.

I quite enjoyed the characters, actions scenes, and plot of the first book of the trilogy. The second book is generally an improvement, especially in Abercrombie's prose, which was a little awkward at times in "The Blade Itself."
I continue to love the characters, and their development. Abercrombie has a flair for breaking out of stereotype and giving his characters arcs, without straining believability too much. Jezal becomes a slightly better man in this book, but he is not completely converted into a selfless hero. Logen strives for peace and love, but he is still a violent, callous bastard when needed. The characters want to change, but struggle too, and this leads to some great storytelling.
If I had to complain about one thing, it would be that there are perhaps too many narrators involved in the same events. In the first book it made sense to have Logen, Jezal, and Ferro telling their stories: they each were in very different parts of the world, or at least involved in different events for the most part once they all reached Adua.
But here, for the majority of the book they are stuck together. I love the characterization, so I didn't mind reading repeatedly about Jezal's reactions to events, and then having them contrasted against Logen's. But it slowed down the pacing tremendously. Abercrombie sometimes showed the same event through three eyes, when I just wanted him to get on to the next event.
As a brief note, I quite appreciated the strong female characters in "The Blade Itself," but they are not on display much in this second book. Ardee is mostly absent, and Ferro seems to have fallen a bit too much into an always grumbling, always irritable rut.
Apart from this, the book is a bit too long for the number of things that happen, but the characters are still great, the sieges and fights thrilling, and the end of quest is a welcome surprise.

The sequel to "The Blade itself" delivers on all the promises that were made in the first book:
Plot. The story is split into three separate stories: the war in the North, with Major West as a narrator; the journey of Bayaz's company to the end of the World; and the story of inquisitor Glokta defending south city Dagoska from Gurkish. All the bullet points of the plot, jotted in the first book, have been developed into thrilling and exciting stories; some of them with a lot of unexpected twists (Bayaz' voyage), the others with interesting new characters.

The characters, like real people in the real life, continue to develop and to change. The most interesting things are happening to Glokta - I just could not help but like him more and more with every page. Major West's development, although interesting, is more predictable. And, even though it was predictable, Luthar becomes an almost decent man by the end of the book, so it's much easier to guess what fate is prepared to him by the First of Magi.

The language. Here is where I have problems. While some extent of profanity is almost expected in the dark fantasy, I personally would prefer heroes to be less direct in their language. I doubt that Joe Abercrombie's English vocabulary does not allow him to find another means to convey the same message. The love scene , as strange, as the heroes themselves, simply comes from the stone age . I understand the idea, but I definitely think that the author "overdid" it.

4 stars. Hopefully, book three will come out really soon - the reader is left in the middle of everything .

Fighting a war on two fronts is hard enough. Putting a foolhardy prince in charge of soldiers was in itself, foolish. A great soldier with North-men to assist were not enough. Their assistance was needed elsewhere to help defeat the main army of the North.

A city in danger of falling to the army from the South. Putting your top torturer in change of the defense while he is searching out a conspiracy may seem like a bad idea. As he was a former soldier, he is able to hold out for over a month, much longer than expected.

A young man who was spoiled and thinking he deserves the best learns the fragility of life. He grows up and learns the meaning of friendship.

Review of the whole trilogy.
SPOILERS ALERT.
And the TURD IN A CANDY WRAP AWARD goes to... well, the entire trilogy. Well written, great characterizations, rotten-to-the-core piece of waste finale: all misery, all woe. The worst of the worst, the traitorous Bayaz, wins everything he wanted. Everybody else either dies or must serve him. Humans are insects. Get used to it, cockroaches! After reading this trilogy, I feel I need to shower. No good deed goes unpunished. No bad deed goes unpunished, either. It's that kind of a world. The bloated blurbs at the back of the third book (Last Argument of Kings) promising a great ending for a great series are just lies, or the opinions of people who chuckle at torture-porn. If you think the situation in Syria today is great; or if you believe that Sudan is just a dandy place, well, in that case this is the trilogy for you. If nothing but the suffering and miseries of others bring you joy and satisfaction and you don't get your fill with the news, then this is the trilogy for you. One hundred pages short of the ending I realized the author couldn't possibly wrap up everything satisfactorily. I was half wrong: he could wrap it all up, but very unsatisfactorily, at least for me. This fact leads me to sense that Abercrombie is the kind of person that, instead of feeling compassion for suffering and anger at injustice, smiles and enjoys the moment. Repulsive.

Say one thing for Joe Abercrombie, say he writes good fiction. Joe Abercrombie's second novel in the First Law trilogy Before They Are Hanged continues the black humor and sardonic wit of his debut novel The Blade Itself.

In this second novel, the reader continues the stories of Glokta, Logen, Luthar, Ferro, West and Bayaz. Glokta has been sent to the far edges of empire to try and save a remote but important colony from being overrun by the Gurkish, a competing empire. Logen, Luthar, Bayaz, Ferro and several others are searching for the mythical Seed, a portion of the spirit world made real and solid in their own. West has been sent to the front lines in Angland to try and prevent its conquest by Bethod's barbarian tribes.

Although I know that Abercrombie continues to seek that all elusive ten of ten from reviewers, I have a couple of reasons not to give it to him for this novel. The first and most obvious is that I don't use such a rating system for my reviews, so to do so know would really have little meaning. Secondly, Before They Are Hanged is a middle book by a debut author, and for this reviewer, if a writer cannot conclude his trilogy or series well, all that comes before might be fun to read, but will be forgotten by the reader. It is the epic conclusion that makes a series, and it will take a reading of Last Argument of Kings before such a determination can truly be made.

If you enjoyed Abercrombie's first novel, then you will want to read this one.

I'll start by saying that this trilogy is not for kids...it's brutal, dark, vulgar and has no shame in pulling out the very most painful weaknesses a human could have, only to put it on the forefront. No reading between the lines here.
I'll be brief with my reviews of the individual books.

SOME SPOILERS

The Blade itself:
It was amazing...for a first novel. I could only wish that my first book was as well written and put together as this one. Joe has a way of describing settings, characters and events that demands respect. On that note, I have something to say about his character development, but I'll mention that in a minute.
I'll have to say that I felt some of the events were a bit choppy at first. Some of the main characters were not physically described until later in the story, and by then I already had a different idea of what they looked like. Or, something will be mentioned half way through the book, and you assume that either you missed something earlier about that, or that he just wasn't clear...either way, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.
What did blow me away was how he distinguished characters by the style of writing. Each time he follows the point of view of one of his characters, he changes the style of writing so it'll match that characters personal traits, cultural background and way of thinking. When he makes the switch, you are in that persons head - completely. I've read other novels, that have done this, but not to the extent or quality that Joe has brought it here.

Before They Are Hanged
Alright, I don't know about this one. Some of my favorite things came out of it...but some of my least favorite as well. I have to mention the character development though. Absolutely amazing. What I though was a complete flaw in the first book ended up being an incredible set up for the second. By the end of the Blade Itself, none of the characters have made any development at all. The jerk is still the jerk. The killer, still the killer and the sarcastic, bitter and impatient grump is still just that. You go from beginning to end expecting more, but never get it. What a let down, right? Well, that's what I believed until I got into this second volume. This is where the development really begins. And here's were the brilliance shines through. By this time in the story, you know the characters so well (remember I mentioned his skill at description) that when events unfold, you as the observer think you already know what they are going to do about it...but then they don't. And that's when Joe takes you for a real ride around his block. The chance for changes have passed! How dare he start to unravel the characters at the point we thought we knew them? Holy cow, it...is...so...well put together at this point. I'll leave it at that.
What I must say disappointed me was the story development. Mostly because it leaves you hanging. But not in a way that says 'Okay, yeah! Let's go for the next one!' but more something to the effect of 'Okay...so...what was the point? I guess I'll read the next one to find out what's next, then.' I can't explain without spoiling, but really, if you get to the end of the second book, you just are asking yourself what the heck is going on. Not necessarily in the best way.

Last Argument of Kings
The best one, or just the climax? Mmmm, probably a bit of both. An issue I do have though, is the fact that by the end of this book, he still hasn't answered my question from book two, which was 'What is the point of half of what just happened.' I assume that ignorance was the answer. Ignorance on behalf of the characters, but really...if that was it, than whatever. Not impressed. But a few highlights here are the other answers and the ending. Both go together really. By the time you get to the end of the of the series, you realize that he gave everybody either what they wanted or what they deserved. But never what made them happy! He makes the reader realize that those who ended up as kings, those who got vengeance, those who made the changes they believed they needed to make, or even those who were just fighting for what they felt was right, never really got what they thought they would. Or hoped they would.
This would seem like a slap in the face if you took it literally. But in the end, this set of characters where such a wreck in the first place that there was no way they could have ended up happy anyway, even though you really hoped they could have. And perhaps they might have had that chance, but they never chose correctly and that was the problem
As a matter of fact, that was another thing about the novels. He is extremely good at showing the reader human weakness, and that - yes, it sucks, but - we all have more of them than we would like. But maybe he takes it too far. Looking back, I can only count maybe 2 or three characters in the entire trilogy - side characters included - who were genuinely decent people. Everybody else wore their weakness on their sleeves and that got old at some points...but that was he wanted to point out.

The First Law was a great trilogy, despite my issues I've mentioned. He took a genre and turned it completely around, never giving you the knight in shining armor or the good humored protagonist who was always at the right place at the right time to save the day. No damsels, no true heroes...only your average guys who do what they do cause they're all the world has got.
He left some loose ends open...guess I'll be reading his new novel, Best Served Cold, to see what's coming next.
4/5 stars Overall

[...]
Thank you :)

I love this series!!!! I usually get annoyed at multiple view points, because some characters aren't as well written as the rest. All of the characters in this book are great! Joe Abercrombie writes humbly and humorously. I wouldn't say his writing is beautiful or poetic, but his characters are honestly written and richly layered. Say anything about Joe Abercrombie, say he writes honest.

This books also great because there's a whole heap of grizzly battle sequences, which is one of the reasons I read the genre. I love Abecrombie's respect for fear and chaos and pain. No one fights like a ballerina of death in his books. all his characters are subject to the trials and suffering of humanity.... Unless of course they aren't human.

I've been walking around thinking about some of Logen 9 Fingers' philosophies and observations for days now. I'm thoroughly pleased with a book when its characters rub of on you and change you like a genuine life experience.

If you had any problem with a series like this, I'd guess it would be the lacking of epicness in the story. I feel like the story is just an excuse to develope some really great characters. TO me thats actually really inspirational. Likes not like a start to finish novel. It wonders on over a sequence of experiences that make you who you are.

Thank you Joe, ya legend!

I really enjoyed the first book of this series and have felt incomplete having not bought books 2 and 3 for such a long interval. But then Borders came through with 40% off coupons to use. I splurged on this.

It wasn't a mistake. But while reading Abercrombie's second effort I wondered if I had done right. First it took weeks to get through. And I have time on my hand. So why was I not engaged and read this in one sitting?

There are several main viewpoints that we have chapter after chapter. Who is our hero? Is our hero the torn up torturer of the Inquisition? Is there a trend in fantasy to identify with humans who have suffered horror?

Not that I completely remember book 1, but until half way through I think this series is all human based. Then all of sudden we have some fantastical beings. I am not sure that we needed them. Human enemies for our heroes might have been more than enough.

But that is what holds this back from a great read, and possibly a repeat. It is dark, it is disjointed with too many major plot lines to follow all wanting to be center stage. And anything good seems to disappear into its own gloom of twilight. Somewhere, sometime, the heroes need to have something good going on.

There are so many fantsy books about it is hard to identify ones that rise to the top of the pile and really not only deliver, but stay with you. This is one such book.

This is a strong fantsy novel that contains all the things that make fantasy novels great, plot, pacing, action, and characters. But what makes this really stand out is the characters and their development - Glokta, Logen Ninefingers, Bayaz, Ferro and Jezal are just fabulous characters, especially the crippled and sarcastic Glokta who is given some fantastic lines to deliver.
The three that are central to this story (and indeed the whole series) are Glokta, Logan and Jezal although the others play important parts and some of them come to the fore in the final installment that we have already had over here in the UK (and you will be stunned how the author brings it all together in the final volume) - but in this middle book the tension is notched up and things are hotting up.
This is a fantasic read although I would caution against readers that are on the young side - lots of swearing and Abercrombie does not write 'happy ever after' stories so expect lots of blood and gore.

The best British fantasy author since the late, great, David Gemmell

I received a paperback copy as a gift from a friend. Dark, gritty and intense - loved every minute of it; dare I say, better than the first book. The writing is not only incredible, the characters are enthralling and true to form, human and cold, wanting love but pushing it away, desiring adventure than shaking when it arrives. Amazing piece of storytelling! Highly recommended for anyone who loves great fantasy!

This guy can write-- and he's funny, too! Not only can he hold a reader's interest, but he is also very good at writing a stimulating ending.

I have pre-ordered his next book (something I've never done before) and can't wait until it gets here.

Abercrombie makes you really care about his characters. He is very good about manipulating good/evil stereotypes and things are not quite what they seem.

He tells his story from several character perspectives, which often made me laugh out loud. It reminded me of the X-Files episode where both Scully and Mulder tell their side of the story about their respective meetings with a camp of vampires.

Abercrombie is irreverent without being shallow. He is true to his characters, and they speak with their own voices. Yes, he has a barbarian warrior, a curmudgeonly wizard, & a bumbling apprentice-- but they are not just cardboard cutouts of standard fantasy characters.

Do yourself a favour-- buy this book. If you love GRRM and his Tyrion character, read Abercrombie, you'll love him. The story doesn't have the sweeping scope of GRRM's books, but it equals him with humor and interesting characters.

"Before They Are Hanged: The First Law - Book Two" blends four separate adventures into an exciting yet gruesome novel. Bayaz, First of the Magi, and his party travel across dangerous lands to a place he has predetermined. Sand dan Glotka, Superior of Dagoska, attempts to protect the city he was entrusted with by his King while he seeks out what happened to his predecessor. Major West and separately Dogman and the other Northmen struggle to survive through the war.

A couple scenes involving Glotka (torture) and the Northmen are brutal in addition to a couple sexual encounters, which can be a minor surprise given the prior novel. However the combat action provides awesome entertainment, I'm anxious to learn of the outcome for the characters.

A detailed map of the significant terrains and a comprehensive appendix would have been useful.

I highly recommend the series to any fan of the fantasy genre.

Thank you.

By now you probably know a bit of what you are getting into. The story was setup nicely in the first book and off we go to have adventures in 3 different story arcs. The northmen story was probably my favorite of the 3, then Bayaz and his group and finally the city holding out vs. invaders.

All three stories are well told, have a fair amount of action and plot movement. There are some surprises and reveals and more setups for the final book. It's a very good middle portion of a trilogy. It ends on a bit of a downer (reminds me of Empire Strikes back in that regard) and probably would have been my favorite if the third book hadn't wrapped up so well.

There is a lot to like about this book and series if you enjoy very gritty fantasy books where the hero and villain are hard to tell apart.

I have to say that I am a 38 year old woman. These books don't have any romance in them (or maybe only a whiff of romance when you are more than half way through), it is 99% battles and that isn't a problem. You get hooked up and you absolutely enjoy the moments you spend reading (which is not something that can be said about all books). The characters are great and believable and the story is original. When I read the first book in the series I had to go and buy the remaining 2 plus the 3 other books by Joe Abercrombie, and so far I don't regret it. This book is maybe more predictable that the first, but still a great ride. I don't give it 5 stars because I prefer The Wheel of Time. Fire&Ice or The Way of Kings, among others, but I greatly recommed it. In fact I have convinced my husband to also read them.

THE BLADE ITSELF was excellent (readers should start there, with the first book, not here), and though it was basically the set-up of the plot, it established the characters wonderfully. Here, the plot moves into high-gear as the Union Armies move to Angland, where Major West attempts to keep the spoiled and useless Crown Price from leading his troops to disaster. West meets up with the hardened Northmen warriors, the renegade Named Men: Threetrees, Dogman, Black Dow and Grim, who have been battling the inhuman Shanka as well as King Bethod's well-trained, magically aided army.

Instead of facing the cold and death and incompetence in the North, pampered nobleman, Captain Jezal, finds himself instead on the far side of the world with the First of the Magi, Bayaz, the legendary Northman, Logen Ninefingers and Ferro, the tireless former-slave who only desires revenge. They are on a quest in the Old Empire, replete with grand ruins of an ancient civilization, to recover a magical artifact that may change the balance of power among the Magi and the warring Empires and many hazards stand in their way.

And in the South, Superior Glockta of the Inquisition is charged with holding a city, an outpost of the Union, against an overwhelming force, the vast armies of the Gurkish Empire who are besieging it. He must also find out who is responsible for the disappearance of his predecessor and who may be plotting treason against the Union. And in a city that is virtually doomed to fall to the enemy, almost anyone could turn traitor.

If you liked the first book, you should like this as much or better. The characterization continues to deepen and grow in a satisfying way that makes the book worthy all on its own. The action is fast and furious with battles in the North and in the South and smaller but no less dire actions in the Old Empire. The blood and gore and torture and treachery continue as much as ever--or even more so as whole armies are slaughtered and the fates of Empires are at stake. As before, this is only a part of a continuing tale so not much is tied up at the end, although some story arcs are completed. Still, it remains an amazing read.

Before They Are Hanged is truly a great read--an engaging yarn from start to finish. The writing is of a much higher quality than The Blade Itself, in which Abercrombie exhibited some unfortunate habits. The characters are almost all very interesting and complex, if a bit broadly drawn in places. Even Jezal becomes a tolerable presence after huffing and pouting his way through the entire first novel.

My one complaint is similar to one I've seen expressed elsewhere. The plotting is generally well done, but what is the plot exactly? What are the stakes? They never seem particularly high and they are never at all clear. Apparently there are dark forces at work, evil orcs, I mean "flatheads" on the prowl. But these forces are never more than at the periphery of the action. What we have instead is a) a fairly bad barbarian warlord/king trying to conquer some northern territories, b) a cruel emperor trying to conquer a southern city, and c) a group engaged in a quest for something (we don't even learn what or why until at least half way through the book). Some better sense of why we should care about these disparate plots and disparate characters would be helpful. That somehow we care anyway is a testament to . . . well something, I'm not sure what.

I reviewed the UK import edition previously, and think it's odd that the store doesn't simply transfer reviews. However, here is my opinion:

Before they are hanged keeps everything good about "The Blade Itself" and then builds on even more. The depth of characterization is still an industry pace-setter, and the sheer individuality of the characters is as well.

We continue to see more of Logan, Jezal, & Glokta, all of whom continue to develop along their own arcs, growing and changing as people. Still too, we see familiar faces in Ferro, Major West, Dogman and others. Mr. Abercrombie has done an exceptional job in not only making the backgrounds of his characters unique, but so too their voices, personalities, and motivations.

We follow three separate plotlines in `Before They Are Hanged'. One for Glokta, one for the journey of Bayaz's retinue - which includes Ferro, Jezal, and Ninefingers, and one for the war in the North which is narrated from the perspective of Major West and the Dogman.

Of the three, I found Glokta's to be the most intriguing. However, where the storyline and the character development line begin and intersect is impossible to tell, so it's difficult to say if the story makes Glokta or if Glokta makes the story. Regardless, I am certain that Glokta remains one of the most original and best-written characters in the genre.

The plot surrounding the war in the north was also enjoyable. While the ineptitude of certain generals and nobility is entirely predictable (if Mr. Abercrombie wanted to be truly groundbreaking he could write a pompous, inexperienced, arrogant noble general that turns out to be a brilliant warrior), it is at the tactical level we get our enjoyment. Major West, in this storyline, and more than any character in the book, changes the most. To echo the sentiment of his acquaintance Black Dow, I think I'm starting to like this character. The other characters the Major associates with during their frozen adventures are all as well-fleshed out and real-seeming as has come to be expected of Mr. Abercrombie.

The slowest of the three storylines follows Bayaz and his team of misfits. They are, of course, on an epic quest which takes the duration of the book. As such, though they are faced with the myriad sort of obstacles you would expect to see on a fantasy epic quest, all the development - the movement forward, if you will - is constrained to the characters themselves. Ferro finally begins to gain some dimension to her character. We learn more of Ninefingers - always enjoyable. Jezal finally makes the transition from total slime to partial slime to almost a decent human being. Even Bayaz is brought down to earth a little bit.

Also of note is the author's penchant for chasing geese. We saw it, to a degree, in the Contest plot of the first book, and we see it in a big way in this installment. Mr. Abercrombie is certainly courageous in his approach to telling a tale. Without giving too much away, Mr. Abercrombie literally sacrificed advancing the plot for the sake of character development and will have to make up some interesting ground in the final installment.

`Before They Are Hanged' meets every expectation of the first book, at once embracing nearly every cliché in the genre and destroying them.

I expect Mr. Abercrombie to one day write a book full of elves, ogres, trolls and dragons just so he can execute the same strategy and claim to have slain _all_ fantasy clichés.

If I can issue only one note of caution before buying this book, it would be to prepare yourself for the most mono-syllabic and awkward love-scene ever written. Once again Mr. Abercrombie takes the well-traveled path and masterfully contorts it into something unique, and just a little (pleasingly) bizarre.

The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie is a set of three novels adhered together to create a single, epic tale. Just like every other fantasy trilogy, I hear you shout from the sidelines. No, it is not just like every other fantasy trilogy. The novels act as progression points in developing a violent, sophisticated and politicalised world - yes, politics!

The Blade Itself is the first novel, followed by Before They Are Hanged and Last Argument of Kings. Don't be deceived: you cannot judge these books by their covers. I quickly discovered the titles have nothing to do with the story. Though if you look carefully, you'll be able to discover the roots of these quotes and garner an appreciation of just how well-constructed these novels are. Each novel is broken into three parts, each with a quote attached as an introduction. I found that I was looking forward to the next section of the novel for both a new quote and the next stage of the tale.

In my own opinion, the First Law Trilogy is the most well-rounded and satisfying series of novels I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Each character is interesting and believable, likeable and dislikable. The political world is intertwined with murder, violence and torture: themes that have come to define Joe Abercrombie as a serious, fantasy author. The story is not particularly exciting and jam-packed with action, but it pans out as an interesting tale that draws you in with each page turn.

I cannot relate Joe Abercrombie to any other author I have read, or rather any other author that pulls off unjustifiable violence so well. The First Law Trilogy is a series that surprised me more often than not. I finished Last Argument of Kings with a deep sigh of satisfaction. Not surprisingly, Joe Abercrombie went on to write two more novels, Best Served Cold and The Heroes, both of which surpassed all my expectations. Abercrombie has also been commissioned to write another stand-alone novel and trilogy, set in the same world.

The story follows three main characters and three semi-main characters. Abercrombie does well in always keeping your attention and not dawdling on one character for too long. You come to care about each character's ambitions and fears, a rare experience in a literary world competing for their reader's attention. Fantasy sells from a fan-base and Abercrombie does well in generating one.

If you're in for a good tale of intrigue, betrayal and violence, Abercrombie is a sure bet. Happy reading!

((For more fantasy news and reviews, visit my blog attached to my profile.))

A good second book if this trilogy, worth reading but not a great book. Huge gaps in the epic journey across the world, like an over edited film. Some great character development and some real thin stuff. Thought this series was going to be a lot better than it is.

Before They are Hanged begins just where The Blade Itself left off and continues the stories of Logen, West, Jezal, Ferro, Bayaz, Glokta, and company. Expect more of the same in this novel: brutal fighting, sickening torture, nasty politics, ruthless characters, and barbarian grammar.

This recipe mostly works -- the plot is interesting, the pace is fast, there's a bit of humor, and the characters are well-developed and continue to grow. I certainly enjoyed the story. There were a few things, however, that keep me from giving this novel (and the series) "favorite" status.

First, the writing needs a bit more polish. I find it jarring to read sentences which are missing antecedents or punctuation:

* "He glanced sideways and caught Luthar's eye, licking his lips nervously in the gloom, wet hair plastered to his face." (I don't know whose lips are being licked here.)

* "Jezal half expected a string of drool to escape from his toothless mouth it was hanging open so wide."

* "Now it came to the test there was an invisible wall between them."

Second, much of the language was vulgar and uncouth (e.g., use of "tits" instead of "breasts" in both dialogue and narration) and the sex scenes, which involved mostly grunting and cussing, seemed more like animal than human couplings. I realize that this was the tone that Mr. Abercrombie was going for, but some of it was unpalatable.

Third, some of the secondary characters' bad personalities were over-the-top. I felt like this was a technique used to give the main characters, who have few benevolent qualities of their own, a nobility boost. I am having trouble truly liking any of the main characters (except Logen -- I like him), but I do sense that they are being slowly developed and I hope I'll like them better in Last Argument of Kings.

Last, I've said it before: I NEED A MAP! Why can't I have a map?

Gee, I've complained more than praised, but I did enjoy Before They are Hanged for all the reasons I enjoyed The Blade Itself. I'm just explaining why I can't give The First Law the five stars that so many other reviewers (here and elsewhere) have. Tomorrow I will purchase Last Argument of Kings. Perhaps that is praise enough.

I've read a lot of fantasy novels and tend to gravitate towards either very thorough large worlds (George RR Martin, Steven Erikson) or less large worlds, but shot through with humor and strong characterization (Feist). Abercrombie is more towards the latter but with strong writing skills that really draw you in. He tends towards a very active pace and doesn't have a huge amount of patience for lots of exposition or world building. No maps either which drives me crazy as I can't quite figure out his world layout. But no matter, he has built strong multi faceted characters that do things in human and unexpected ways and he has a very good and strong sense of satire and humor that undercurrents everything in a winning way.
Not recommended for the squeamish - one of the main characters is around torture a lot and there are many scenes of torture and physical abuse in the book.

If you were like me and loved the first book then you will continue to be impressed with this second installment. What's awesome about these books is that they were churned out so quickly, written and released. The book enriches a few more characters in this one but gives it's base characters ample shine. This is one of the better fantasy series that I have read in a while. It has a classic approach but it does not bore, because the draw of this series is the characters themselves. They are well developed and involved in very compelling intertwining stories. My only beef with this series is the magic itself, the "demon" aspect. It's the one area where I wish Abercrombie has been, well a little more 'classic', or 'ambiguous' with. It's still a five star series all the way through, and this, the second may even better then the first.

Having finished the first two books now I am torn. On one hand I really enjoy the characters. On the other hand, I still don't know what the point of the books are. I wish I knew where this boat was headed and I'm not sure what the title is referring to. Overall, it wasn't a bad read but I'm not sure how much further I want to invest without knowing the plot.

Seriously, this is great stuff! I have been reading quite a bit of fantasy between non-fiction stuff and read this trilogy and was pretty much blown away from the start. Abercrombie is a fantastic writer and has created an amazing group of characters. As I said in my review of the first book in the series, Abercrombie's writing is crisp and snappy, his characters fully three-dimensional, no fluff, no filler! The story and the characters will pull you along and it's a difficult series to put down. I'm just glad I had all three books to rip through without waiting.

The First Law series is dark, gritty, and gripping. The characters are intense and in your face. The only thing that falls short is the plot. There are three main plots in this book: traveling to the edge of the world, fighting the northmen, and Glotka. Personally, I love Glotka and could read about him doing just about anything, so I'm extremely happy with that third of the book. I'm not as thrilled with the northmen war and I have a hard time stomaching an entire plot based solely on traveling. I think the third installment of this series will be more promising. The Blade Itself felt like an introduction, and Before They Are Hanged felt like more of an introduction. Sure, events were occurring, but I didn't get a feel for their importance and urgency. People were dying, cities were falling, and all I could think was when are they going to get the magic stone and blow a bunch of stuff up. I have to say though, the characters are great. The characters that annoyed you in the first book will surprise you in this book, and the characters that you loved in the first book may annoy you in this book. Overall, this series is very unique and I would highly recommend it. I eagerly await the third installment.

I could not wait to get started on book two of this trilogy and with only 100 pages left I find myself in the same boat again, waiting to get book 3. This has been the best trilogy I have ever read and I usually do not read them because the authors will take a long time to write the next installment. Case in point...The Call of the Wind. Next book coming out in April 2009 and I read the first one a year and 1/2 ago when it first came out.

What I find interesting about this author is that at the end of each chapter he leaves you with questions and you can not wait until you get to the chapter where he picks up with those characters. In the mean time you are reading about others and he does the same thing at the end of that chapter. Before you know it you have read for an hour and hate to put it down.

This series is not for the happy ending type of reader. It is very gross in a lot of areas. One sex scene so far and it was not very detailed but fun. I see this author selling alot of books. He is in my top 5 that is for sure. Top 3 actually now that I think about it.

I loved this whoe series start to finish. Character driven fantasy with liberal amounts of dark humor, and intense action. It has an excellent pace but is definitely not rushed. This series while not perfect is finely crafted and written with care. This book, as well as the other two installments had me hooked all the way through. Personally, although much different stylistically, I put this series on par with ASOIAF and Name of The Wind for originality, style and quality. This series, like life, is rated R and as an adult I found it completely refreshing. There are no cliche good or bad characters. Everyone in this series, like in real life, has good and bad qualities. Loved this series. loved it, loved it, loved it. Highest recomendations.

This is a review coming off of my second read through. I've finished all of Joe's books up to red country and wanted to travel back to the beginning and look for all the connections. It amazes me how well he's tied everything together. The characters are all so very human, regardless of their special attributes or qualities and seem easily relatable. This specific book really paints a picture of how everything got started and provides a great deal of background to go along with some excellent action. A few new characters are introduced that make a lot of noise in later books, and the ones that are already here develop nicely the ought this book. A great read and one of my favorite series. Do yourself a favor and pick it up.

Most fantasy Trilogies/Series/Sagas take a book or two to set the scene, build the world and get going. With 'Before They are hanged' (The Second book in the Trilogy) Abercrombie just keeps getting better! The story continues on but Abercrobie's style of writing just seems to get sharper, more polished, more vivid!

So why after finishing Joe Abercombie's 1st Law Trilogy am I impelled to write this review?
Well because it was just SO Damn Enjoyable!

Don't get me wrong, I sway with vast majority of the fantasy loving public when they cry, 'George RR Martin's 'A Song of Ice and Fire' is the best fantasy work to date', it is!...But then this, well this is the most Enjoyable!

Sure it doesn't have the epicness (if that is a word) and grandeur of Martin's work, or the two page details of the smell of the docks or the taste of a lemon pie... But it was never meant to.

This is a real character driven fantasy unlike anything I've ever read before (and I've read my fair share of the genre). The characters are real R Rated individuals, much like people really are...There is no sugar coating of fairy or elven dust here, they're grey, gritty, flawed individuals (once again much like the real world) with slight sarcastic but cynical undertones...Saying all that, Abercombie somehow (and this will sound contradictory to what I just described) has created the most colorful and satisfying characters and really has you fall in love with them by the end of the Trilogy...even the crippled, resigned torture!

The other major thing of note with this Book/Trilogy is that it is a page turner... but unlike any other page turner I have ever read. Normally with a page turner, some climatic action scene takes place and the author will build up the suspense and then build it up some more...then, leave out the one final piece to give the scene resolution and normally wont reveal what that was, until 4 chapters later!
This is a page-turner of a different nature. It is a page-turner because every page is just so damn enjoyable to read. From Abercrombie's plot twisting, to his intelligent character banter, to his beautifully detailed battle scene, which I believe are the strongest, most vivid, fight scenes out of any author I've read.
I think you get my point but there real was not one weak chapter in this whole Trilogy. Not no chapter you had to trudge heavily through, no character you didn't want to read more about.
As I finished one chapter I wanted to keep reading purely for the pleasure of continuing to read...not because I had to find our how the good guy finally overcame all odds to beat the bad guy!

It's not ASOIAF and to be honest I was glad it wasn't...Martin has enough of his own pages, chapters, books and TV show to keep us satisfied (if he'll ever finish it!)...

Abercrombie really has given us a refreshing new type of Fantasy Series. One that really deserves your attention! Read it!

Read it.

Why you ask?

For once a book tells a story where you think "OK I know what's going to happen next" and it doesn't. The characters are good, the action is great, the fight sequences are written with great detail, and it almost seem at times that Joe is mean to his characters.

It's nice to read a new story while waiting for some writers to get off their @#$, get back from functions and conventions, stop promoting random BS stuff on their website! Sorry venting about another writer that writes at the speed of a snail, and is a greedy son of..........sorry did it again.

The last reason to read it is; the series is already finished, no waiting for the next book to come out.

Abercrombie's first installment of The First Law series was very good -- a wry, sardonic take on the adventure and quest format that permeates fantasy fiction. Book Two is just as good.

As I noted in reviewing The Blade Itself, his main characters are both archetypal, and not. There are six primary ones: Collem West, the low-born, capable, hardworking warrior who now has to overcome the arrant stupidity of the princes leading the armies of the empire known as The Union against their northern rivals while concurrently struggling against the unearned sense of superiority that the noble-born generals he serves demonstrate while they pompously lead their armies to ruin; Ferro Maljinn, a warrior woman from the south who has seen war, death, and an existential threat to all mankind but knows only hate begins to soften; Jezal Luthar the gifted swordsman who typifies the courtier-set must come to terms with a personal tragedy that affects his overblown narcissism; the Dogman, an honorable Norse-type warrior from the North who fights with a perpetually feuding band of brothers grows into a reluctant leader; Logen Ninefingers, a barbarian warrior who has far more human frailties than Conan, demonstrates more humanity than the wise and great wizard Bayaz (this is part of Abercrombie's irony); and Sand dan Glokta, the Inquisitor, is sent to perform an impossible task but uncovers the deep corruption of the Union.

Glokta is Abercrombie's best character -- a hero of the Union, champion swordsman, he was captured during a previous war and physically shattered such that as a 35-year old man, his appearance and motor skills are closer to someone three times his age. But his mind works well -- he is sharp, biting, cruel, courteous, and bitter by turns. In this book, he rises to the status of one of the best anti-heroes of modern fantasy fiction.

This volume has more action, fine battle set-pieces, excellent portrayals of a lost civilization living out its final days in decadence and decrepitude, and a fine number of twists as Bayaz, Logen, Ferro, and Jezel reach a turning point in their quest. Abercrombie's writing maintains its direct, coarse, dark and frequently funny tone.

Unlike so many other series in the genre, Abercrombie's is relatively small -- three books, that's it. I'm looking forward to the third.

4 and 1/2 stars
Another powerful book, which is needed to understand events in the following installment.
This second installment is all about the characters. The journeys many of them undertake are not about the destination, but the events along the way which change and mold the personalities within its pages.
Truth is a commodity sparsely found and even harder to enjoy. This second book reveals secrets about the past and the world which will be trampled under the heels of murderers from both side of the line. Be attentive, there is a large amount of subtle evil within these words, which is hard to spot, and harder to figure out as malignant.

I'm an avid reader - in fiction, specializing in science fiction and fantasy. However, while I tend to try to find the more cerebral, cutting-edge or challenging SF, I've often treated fantasy as a guilty pleasure.

Not so with Before They Are Hanged or its predecessor, The Blade Itself. There is no escapism here, no dialog that would be found only at the Elizabethan court. This is rough-and-tumble fantasy, only earning the label because there are swords and sorcery.

And this sequel is not fluff or a fond return. Abercrombie, if anything, has fit 1000 pages of story into one-half of that, as the architect of an amazing tale that builds on the solid foundation of the first novel. The story is tight, exceedingly well-written, and has one of the most realistic and believable (if dark) worlds I've ever seen created. The same goes for the characters.

There are no knights-in-shining armor. If you prefer flawless heroes and damsels in distress, this book is not for you. However, if you want a well-written story full of insights into human nature, the world at large, and the art of storytelling, I can think of few other books that deliver like this one has.

These books have the capacity to redefine and revolutionize the fantasy genre. Abercrombie, while young, is an amazing and innovative writer that I look forward to reading more of in the future.

This review is for the entire First Law trilogy. While George RR Martin has been slumping with the last two books of the Song of Ice and Fire series and playing footsie with HBO, Joe Abercrombie is writing fantasy the way it should be written. Unapologetic, edgy, filled with intrigue and amazing battle scenes. I can't express just how good these books were, you'll just have to read them for yourselves. Frankly, i'm jealous that you are going to get to experience them for the first time. Joe Abercrombie has quickly vaulted to my #1 author position. I look forward to reading his stand-alone novels Best Served Cold, The Heroes, and Red Country. If they are even half as good as this series, I will be a very happy reader. Buy these books without hesitation. Nobody is writing better right now than Joe Abercrombie.

Much of my review of "The Blade Itself" stands true for "Before They Are Hanged." This book features great characters and it one of the most entertaining fantasies I've ever read. As the plot unravels, there is more suspense and more interesting developments than the first book of the trilogy. The book is very fast passed and the fight scenes are a blast. Abercrombie writes with very little fluff or filler. I you like vast descriptions and pages of imagery, you might want to try someone else. But that's not my cup of tea, so it was one reason I really enjoyed these books. Keep reading fantasy fans!

"Before They Are Hanged" picks up immediately after "The Blade Itself" ends and we rejoin all of our characters and find that things are going from bad to worse. War is coming to the Union from two sides and it isn't going well. Glokta the Inquisitor is a mark of insight and competence but is thrown to defend fuitile, hopless battles. Colonel West is fortunate enough to be in a large army with a defensible encampment but the Union politics have promoted incompetent leaders that are in danger of squandering any advantage and kill many people. Logen is finding that his leader, the magi Bayaez, is not the golden, good character painted by others and the quest is looking far more dangerous than they supposed.

Clashes come fast and furious. The tension throughout the book keeps getting ratched up higher, steadily. With every minor success, even more darkness and sadness is revealed. Without building up to any one huge battle, I found the book getting more and more engrosing till I was fit to burst. In addition to the great character development and complexity, I was struck by the stories of life and battle. We see characters that are seeking fame and glory in war but the reality is any thing but. It's confusion, fear, gore and randomness. The good and the evil are killed, their blood and guts all mix and in the end they all join the mud. Even skill just weights the odds in their favour but in the end, it's luck and chance which lets one person live and an other die. He gives one of the best, most sobering depiction of violence in any fantasy and because of this, readers get to almost fear it just like the characters in the book.

If anything, "Before They are Hanged" surpases "The Blade Itself", as a gripping adventure novel but also with the depth of the subjects and the character developments. The life that is breathed into the characters makes their quests even more captivating and the future even more uncertain, as life really is.

Probably one of the best comparisons would be to George RR Martin's "Song of Fire And Ice" series (the books the Game Of Thrones tv series is based on), but for my money Abercrombie clearly surpasses Martin. The characters have more life, their struggles are more real and the story is paced far, far better. There's no wasted space in any of these books and readers are swept along throughout.

Strongly recommended for any adult fantasy reader.

I'm an avid reader - in fiction, specializing in science fiction and fantasy. However, while I tend to try to find the more cerebral, cutting-edge or challenging SF, I've often treated fantasy as a guilty pleasure.

Not so with Before They Are Hanged or its predecessor, The Blade Itself. There is no escapism here, no dialog that would be found only at the Elizabethan court. This is rough-and-tumble fantasy, only earning the label because there are swords and sorcery.

And this sequel is not fluff or a fond return. Abercrombie, if anything, has fit 1000 pages of story into one-half of that, as the architect of an amazing tale that builds on the solid foundation of the first novel. The story is tight, exceedingly well-written, and has one of the most realistic and believable (if dark) worlds I've ever seen created. The same goes for the characters.

There are no knights-in-shining armor. If you prefer flawless heroes and damsels in distress, this book is not for you. However, if you want a well-written story full of insights into human nature, the world at large, and the art of storytelling, I can think of few other books that deliver like this one has.

These books have the capacity to redefine and revolutionize the fantasy genre. Abercrombie, while young, is an amazing and innovative writer that I look forward to reading more of in the future.

There’s not much to say that I didn’t say about book one of the series, “The Blade Itself.” The action and characters are great. Lots of politics and conspiracies. I particularly like the way Abercrombie develops the characters of Glokta and Luthar. I strongly recommend this book.

If you like your fantasy to be light on the fantasy and dark then look no further. Before They Are Hanged is well written for the most part and there are fascinating elements of the story but it oscillated for me between interesting and hard too read. Joe definitely adds a real world element. You really feel the weight of the things happening in the world.

The plot is interesting, albeit slow at times, and the character interactions are pretty great the first half. Once the second half hits though, its almost like a different book. Things slow down, you get some sex scenes and the mood generally gets darker.

My problems are not in his writing technique or in his story. I get tired of all these low fantasy books that have a cast of characters that aren't very likable. The world building isn't very good and I hate when fantasy books use real world expletives. The whole group uses F$%K quite a bit, along with others. Not only does it take me out of any fantasy setting but its just stupid and poor writing in my opinion to use real world slang as obscenities in a fantasy book. Why don't they start saying things like: "that sucks" or calling things "cool" and start calling each other "dudes"? I feel like I"m watching A Knights Tale. Medieval setting, Queen's We Are the Champions playing in the scene. Swearing is a childish and lazy way to make something seem dark, grittier or more adult.

The book is heavy with the violence. It, again, gives the book a weight and makes it more realistic but at times it gets a little too extreme in book 2. Reading about someone tearing off a chunk of flesh with their teeth and having their mouth fill up with blood is too much for me.

Where the book looses realism is every character in this book with exception of maybe 9 fingers is either a complete....jerk, to put it nicely, or a caricature, a bumbling idiot. I get tired of reading modern fantasy that seems to think making everything gray instead of having black and white is somehow more real or innovative. Its become just as cliche.

It's been a while, but Joe Abercrombie's First Law Trilogy is without a doubt, the most original and fresh fantasy series since Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion series or Donaldson's Thomas Covenant sequence. Having grown up on The Lord of the Rings and Shannara books (for me, as a kid these represented the epitome of "classic" epic questlike fantasy), i usually approach most fantasy with trepidation as the majority of these books are just retreads of the same ideas and add nothing new to the genre. Lets face it, the majority of it sucks. Walk into any bookstore and the shelves are filled with countless author's giving another "fresh" take on elves, wizards, epic quests and sacred swords. On the other hand, you also may have a decent author who cant express their ideas within the span of 2 or 3 books and makes their readers wait about 10 years for an ending.

Joe Abercrombie is none of these things. He joins the list of unorthodox fantasy writers like Moorcock and Donaldson in that he breaks the rules. Looking for elves, worldly wizards and the ultimate fight between good and evil?..You wont find it in this series. On the other hand, if your looking for realism, characters with many shades of gray, graphic violence, sex, bust-a-gut witty dialogue and originality, then the First Law is a 3 book undertaking you will not forget. (SPOILER) I mean..how many author's have the balls to have a quest as the focal point of your 2nd volume and proceed to have the characters not find what they were looking for and double back to their point of origin? This may piss off most fantasy readers, but i laughed my ass off at the sheer audacity of this author. Brilliant.

So, take the plunge if you dare. You will love it or hate it, but i guarantee you will appreciate the originality of this fine author. I look forward to future releases.

It's the middle part of a trilogy. But it is very well written. Some of the characters are great, and all of them are good. Overall, very much a typical sword and sorcery book. "We must journey to the far side of the world to get a forbidden weapon to defeat our enemies." If you like that kind of book, you'll like this one.

That you could sympathize with a torturer? That a fantasy would have 3 dimensional characters? That I would actually be writing a review? I liked the whole trilogy and heartily recommend them to anyone who will listen to me, so I might as well do it here too. What I liked about the book is that the characters lie or misrepresent the worst of their pasts and it is only slowly that we see what really happened (or seemed to happen, there are many layers of deceit here). And like real life, they work hard at preserving their self-serving facades. Oh yes, and there are sieges, and battles and chances lost that will never be regained. There are betrayals that would make Machiavelli proud. There are mysterious forces at work and the characters and the readers are not sure who or what they represent (at least in this book). I also enjoyed the title, once I had read the entire quotation from Heine.

An impressively solid follow-up to the First Law. Everything about the characters flows smooth and clean....hell, the reader is even rendered to feel empathy for a torturer! This may only be a trilogy, but do not despair--he has written other books centered in the First Law World.

Follow along with Abercrombie's flawed anti-heroes as the strive on two fronts to hold the Union together and quest far abroad. This follow up to "The Blade Itself" was very enjoyable, as the characters and all the dark humor in their actions and thoughts is taken to a new level where you positively cheer for the heartless, the mean-spirited, and the amorally "realistic". Characters that were mere side-shows in the first of this series come to greater prominence and offer fresh perspectives on the same ol' unfair world.

Beautifully written prose, hilarious humor, and complex characters and relationships make this book well worth the read. I definitely felt more of a sense of story progression than in the first book, but still didn't really feel like the ending was as climactic or exciting as it should've been.

A good book, not one that I think will change fantasy as we know of. It's no Name of the Wind, The Hobbit, or The Game of Thrown. Yet it's a clearly better book then book #1 in The First Law series, The Blade Itself. Over all it was fun to read. I enjoyed the book and it's characters. Yes so were whining. Some were unlikeable, but I think that was the intent of the writer and there for I liked it. I would recommend it to fantasy fans.

In the South Inquisitor torturer Glokta serves as the Superior of the city of Dagoska. He has two missions to accomplish if he is to survive his new position unlike his recently assassinated predecessor. He must root out the traitors before they murder him; and he must keep the city safe while it is under siege from superior enemy forces with no hope for outside supplies..

In the North the powerful well trained and equipped Northmen military have invaded neighboring Angland. Crown Prince Ladisla demands leadership of his Union army as he plans gloriously to repel the enemy back beyond his frozen border. However, as Major West escorts the bodacious royal fool he knows his side lacks proper arms, training, leadership and courage while the other side will swamp the battlefield with its superiority.

In the center the First of the Magi Bayaz leads a party of pariahs (incompetent apprentice Malacus Quai, warrior Logen, Ferro the Navigator, Brother Longfoot and Jezal) seeking the Seed. Each person distrusts the rest of the participants, but it is this band that must defeat the Eaters that threaten humanity. Bayaz understands this so he tells the tale of creation to encourage them

As with the First Law Book One: THE BLADE ITSELF, the second tale contains three well written major plots; there is also somewhat of a fourth segue re the Named Men remaining undecided. The best of the trio is Glotka's saga as the audience sees deep into his unsympathetic "soul" while he tortures (graphically) anyone using the rationale he seeks to save the people by rooting out enemy plotters; his detachment from his victims is classic. The West subplot is fun to follow too as he knows what his Prince is leading them into, but can do little to prevent their charge into the valley of death (think of The Charge of the Light Brigade). Finally, the Bayaz clip tells a lot about the history of the world in vivid descriptions, but his teammates fail to listen. This is a complex well written quest fantasy that will have the audience clamoring for the next law book.

Harriet Klausner

I've read all the popular fantasy series -- from the critically praised (Martin, Keyes, Lynch, etc.) to the often panned (Goodkind). While I have enjoyed most of them, this series truly belongs to the top tier.

Characters that you understand & care about, great battle scenes/description, magic that isn't overused and has some unique features, etc.

I would consider Abercrombie's series a MUST READ for the fantasy fan.

The first book, in my opinion has a much lighter (almost comical-cartoonish) mood. This one is much darker. The characters seem to mature, their trouble grow and they tacklem them head on. Overall this book is better than the first by a slight margin, maybe more action-packed. But both are good. I would have graded it 4.5 stars but you can't. A 5 star grade then because time flew by and I took a lot of pleasure reading it even though this book isn't the best piece of fantasy I read. It still deserves a very good grade.

If the store allowed it, I would have given "Before They Are Hanged" 4.5 stars. The book is exciting, dark, and violent, and is fantasy noir at it's best. This second in the trilogy is better than "The Blade Itself." You can almost see Abercrombie's ability and confidence grow with each chapter. I look forward to "The Last Argument of Kings."

I recommend this book to anyone looking for something truly realistic and gritty. Its not often that stories like this come along, or authors for that matter. I'm sick and tired of all those other foolish, predictable and unrealistic fantasies out there that are simply made to be read by young fragile minds. so if ur looking for a amazing adult themed fantasy that makes u feel for the characters and will keep suprising u then this is one u should pick up. Cant wait to start book 2 in the series!
P.S ....... Compare this to Goerge R.R. Martin's well crafted "A song of Ice and Fire " series.

Best fantasy trilogy ever and I'm not just saying that because there's no stupid songs... Everyone I have ever recommended this to has loved it and if you don't like it, you probably have no sense of humor and should probably just switch to reading pre-teen novels stolen from a famous Japanese book.

I was going to post a review for the stunning 3rd book, Last Argument of Kings, but that is not possible yet on the store.com. In any case, this second volume is pretty much as good as the first book, so draw your conclusions from that. Glokta, Logen and West remain the most interesting major characters for me but the Northmen steel the show as much as they did in book 1, Dogman, Tul Duru, Black Dow, Harding Grim and their leader, Rudd Threetrees. Some great sequences in this book.

This book excels as a character-driven action fantasy novel. The first book took too long getting anywhere. The third book was all action and no story, with a weak and unimaginative cop-out of an ending. This middle book, however, was pretty good. Easily the best of the trilogy...too bad that one must read the first book for context. I recommend skipping the last book entirely, as your own imagined continuation of the story from this second book is probably better than what was penned into the last book.

I've read a ridiculous amount of fantasy over the last 50 years, and so it is with great satisfaction when I come across a new author as accomplished as Joe Abercrombie. Characters with so much depth you can chew on them for hours. And a writer who, unlike the great George Martin, has the ability to get the sequels on the shelf in a reasonable time. If you like Martin, or Scott Bakker, then this is a must read.

You will not regret reading this series of books. Outstanding new author! Read "The Blade Itself" first, as it is the first in the series. Graphic, dark and surprisingly funny. Blissfully free of elves and dwarves, this is an excellent trilogy that holds great promise as a longer, complex series as Abercrombie moves into the Second Law books.

This book is clearly the middle book and it's main purpose is to keep the story from book one moving. But it does more than just move the story, it continues developing characters, and throws some interesting twists along the way. I have have been very happy with this series so far.

The first book was a great piece of fantasy and wit, and this one is even more so. The chapters are very enjoyably tied together, with much more character development than the first book.

A fantastic read, I thoroughly recommend.

After reading the first of this series, when I saw number 2 I was a little concerned, how could it maintain the same level of characterization and pure, gripping prose? I couldn't say no, so I read it. Logen Ninefingers is further developed as the infamous barbarian killer with a heart, Glokta is shown to be a complex and caring bastard, and the challenges to normal fantasy stereotypes continue from there. Reading this series will show you how a second installment in a series can not be an anticlimax. By getting better.

Rarely does fantasy literature manage to portray the gritty, muddy face of battle and medieval, low tech life with even a hint of realism. Abercrombie does. His is a unique mix of historically inspired ingredients and a down to earth narrative that makes the mundane heroic and the rare magical element truly wondrous... And scary.

Joe,
You are a trip - write great stories with characters one likes following and background figures and scenery that broaden the story. I`ve read six of your books so far and just saw that there are more - lucky for me. I live in Sweden and couldn`t get along without the store. Have other friends that also like fantasy - so they get passed on.
Keep it up, regards Richard

I can't say this enough. Buy this series. I said the first book was one of the best fantasy novels I have EVER read (and I have read a few) but this one is even better. It prompted me to A) write a review, which is a rarity for me and B) write the author, which is unheard of for me.

Joe writes fantasy "reality." The stories have an internal logic consistency but treat combat, warfare and violence with a much more realistic approach than most fantasy authors. The novels are also quite graphic in many ways (violence, sex) and could be considered dark. A good read with those selectors in mind.

Best fantasy book I've ever read. I don't usually read fantasy but picked it up on a whim. I had to turn around and then get book one. You can't beat the characters for their personalities in this trilogy. I'll be tracking this author.

Well sadly I think it's all downhill from here. I love the writing and the characters are great, but I think the plot kind of sucks. There are a couple places that scream for a climax or action or an event of some magnitude and then nothing happens. It's like the Simpson's episode that is a satire of Lord of the Flies where the episode is ended with the narrator saying "And then they were all saved by... let's say, Moe". The book is full of great characters that don't reach their potential because of the story they are in.

Also, the author has lifted scenes from movies like Excalibur and plopped them right down into the book. The parts with Logen are littered with dialogue out of Unforgiven. I am irritated now that I spent $40 on a trio of books (friggin tradepaperback format) where the author can't even come up with his own ideas.

Spoiler Alert: Every book in this series was a 5-star winner ... until the end. Abercrombie's characters come through the pages as fully human, with virtues and weaknesses, regrets and joys, and I could fully relate to their struggles and dreams. I could even sympathize with the twisted torturer, despite his horrible actions. This was a great, rollicking ride ... right up until the end of the trilogy. Abercrombie seemed to ask himself the question: "What would be the most totally dissatisfying ending I could write? How can I leave a bunch of dangling storylines and maybe set up a second trilogy?" Once he had the answer to those questions, that's what he did.

Before They Are hanged (lower case "h" mistake on cover) continues the story of 6 rag tag individuals traveling to the end of the world. Great fight scenes continue, Joe Abercrombie describing the landscape like a Cormac McCarthy novel and the same humor we've come to expect. No substantial new characters. What this trilogy really needs is a map.
"A good cook was almost as good as a fighter. Not Here. Bayaz could just about get his tea boiled, Quai could get a biscuit out of a box on a good day. Logen doubted Jezal would have known which way the pot went up and he reckoned Ferro was used to eating her food raw. Perhaps while it was still alive".
The reason Bayaz assembled this group is explained somewhat during their journey (all except one) and the fight scenes in Aulcus are like a scene in the video game Gears of War.
West is still frustrated about the group he's with and protecting the clueless Prince. Lord Marshall Burr and whole whole indigestion thing does get as tiring as Grim always saying nothing more than, "Uh".
Quai is Bayaz' apprentice, but has less lines than the Navigator.
Logen asks if anyone knows any stories while they're all together around the campfire and Quai tells a brutally depressing tale about feuding brothers and sommoning magic from the other side which is forbidden and ultimately destroys an entire civilization then asking Logen if he liked the story. "I'd been hoping for something with a few more laughs, but I'll take what's offered". Not much of the first book is *re-explained* so reading the first book is a must and for those who liked The Blade Itself, you won't be diappointed.

Like all Joe Abercrombie's books this is a mixture of raw gut wrenching violence combined with an unique, detailed view of the human condition. I really can't praise his work enough , particularly to those readers who think fantasy is a soft hobbity thing
Thanks

A very exciting read, it keep my attention like the previous one, The Blade Itself, and I couldn't put the book down until it was finished, the characters, especially Superior Glokta, are round, in depth and varied. The book's realist characters, imaginative world and situations they are put in makes this book excellent, these books are becoming some of my favorites. I can't wait until I recieve the third!

Mature, fantasy readers must read this. If you haven't read The First Law trilogy, go buy it. Now. Abercrombie has an amazing style, characters and plot development, and more importantly...the entire series doesn't have a single character or word more than it needs. Absolutely the best I've read, in any genre, for a long time.

Like all Joe Abercrombie's books this is a mixture of raw gut wrenching violence combined with an unique, detailed view of the human condition. I really can't praise his work enough , particularly to those readers who think fantasy is a soft hobbity thing
Thanks

A very exciting read, it keep my attention like the previous one, The Blade Itself, and I couldn't put the book down until it was finished, the characters, especially Superior Glokta, are round, in depth and varied. The book's realist characters, imaginative world and situations they are put in makes this book excellent, these books are becoming some of my favorites. I can't wait until I recieve the third!

Mature, fantasy readers must read this. If you haven't read The First Law trilogy, go buy it. Now. Abercrombie has an amazing style, characters and plot development, and more importantly...the entire series doesn't have a single character or word more than it needs. Absolutely the best I've read, in any genre, for a long time.

AS with the first book in the series, we've got an interesting world which seems fairly simple on the surface...and perhaps is. What keeps you going here is the writing style and the characters who are generally quite distinctive and humorous. Very enjoyable (though the violence factor is quite high if that's not your cut of tea).

It sure doesn't pull any punches. Things don't work out the way everyone reading thinks they might, harsh reality brings light to terrible war, but still filled with heroes, heroics and fearsome enemies.

i had thought that after reading George R R Martin the genre was going to dwindle. But with authors like Abercrombie ( and Scott Lynch) we seem to be getting gritty, realistic fantasy that is no longer mired in archetypes. Bravo Mr. Abercrombie.

This book was actually very well written--the best of the three in the trilogy; I enjoyed the inlay of humor even during serious scenes. The character development is flavorful in its variety--several good characters well developed and completely different than the next and these characters are brought to new places where you can see their personalities effected by their circumstances. I must admit the profanity got me down, I'm such a prude, and that's why I originally knocked it from a 5-star to a 4 1/2, but it got shanked down to a 2 because the last book of the trilogy was awful, simply awful.

What do I mean awful? Five main plots/subplots and only one of them turned out worth the ink used on the paper, and that one was just okay, not great. Personally, I just hate it when a good story gets a lousy ending...ruins the whole thing for me...makes me sorry I bothered with the first two books even though they are pretty darn good. It was so bad, that it inspired me to write this review, and I don't usually write reviews. I'd go into details, but I hate spoilers worse than I hate horrible, HORRIBLE endings.

But if you can get over a LAME ending to the trilogy, don't mind an f-word thrown here and there, a very explicit sex scene thrown in the mix (although I don't mind that, I know some do) then read this book, because by itself, it is good stuff, leaves you wanting more, so you'll buy book three and it will SERIOUSLY crap on your book reading experience just like it did mine.

The second part of the trilogy “Before they are hanged” takes us into the wastelands of the old empire. Glokta gets impossible and a suicide mission to save the city Dagoska from the attack off Gurhul Empire. Meanwhile, Glokta must find out who killed his predecessor and uncover the conspiracy. Meanwhile fueling the war with northerners, Major West went to fight with unprepared units and mutually antagonistic generals. The only hope is supreme commander Burr that keeps them together. One thing is certain, the leader of northerners Bethod is relentless and his enemies can only hope for death. First of the Magi Bayaz led his small group, over the old empire that has all but not hospitable. Who will live and who will die, no one knows. Writer Joe Abercrombie experienced, as well as in the first part takes us through the story where you can expect the unexpected. I honestly could not wait to buy this book because I enjoyed in the first part and I was not wrong, this is really a fantastic book and soon I intended to buy the third book. The book I would gladly recommend to all fans of fantasy because this is now excellent series.