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Aug 12, 2010Ubalstecha rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
How do you describe this book? Gritty fantasy? Check. Multi-layered? Check. Funny? Check Awesome? Hell yes! Author Joe Abercrombie continues to spin out his tale at a breakneck speed. Told through a limited There are three plots that the reader jumps back and forth from. The first of these is a ragtag group that Bayaz has gather to travel across the continent to retrieve a sacred object. Bayaz is an interesting take on the "wise old wizard" trope of fantasy fiction. Think Belgarath on steroids. We also spend some time with Colonel West, who is fighting in Angland. A good man, he is forced to fight a bad war when he is put in charge of keeping the Crown Prince, and the battalions he commands, safe. West also hooks up with the Named Men, a group of Northmen we followed in the first novel, The Blade Itself. Finally, we also spend time with Superior Glotka, a torture victim turned torturer. A member of the Inquisition, he has been tasked to find the murderer of the Inquisitor in Dagoska and conspiracy plot while the army of the Ghurkish Empire is knocking at the gates. And this is the part of the book where Abercrombie shines. Glotka is broken man who has conitnued his life as best he could. He is well aware that any moment could bring his death. He also somehow manages to remain human and do the good thing once and awhile. I could read an entire story just about him. Well worth the purchase price. Abercrombie is fast becoming one of the most important voices in fantasy today