Joe Abercrombie - The First Law #3

Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I keep wanting to write a review for this book now that I've finally finished it, but to be honest I just don't know what to write. I really liked the first book, loved the second one, and the third is... I don't even know. About halfway through I lost interest in the characters, even those I originally liked. (Logen being the exception.)

The finish line of this trilogy seems to be 'There is no good or evil, only ambitions. And the different ways how to fulfill them.' Which in itself is not a bad thing, after reading so many fantasy books the whole good vs. evil thing gets old, so it's refreshing when someone mixes things up. Abercrombie made the mistake to sacrifice his characters for that goal, and I don't even mean that he killed them. Someone else wrote in their review that it seems like Abercrombie already started distancing himself from his characters, knowing how things would turn out - and that's exactly it. If it feels like the author himself isn't invested in his characters anymore, why would the reader be?
This is especially frustrating since most of them were so unique (albeit over the top) and realistic in their flaws and strength, that one almost can't help but like them.

Compared to the first two books of The First Law, this one is a disappointment.

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There are two reasons - well, at least two - to read these books anyway: Logen Ninefingers and Sand dan Glokta. One a Northman who is known for his ruthlessness and violence, the other an Inquisitor who knows exactly how to break people, physically and mentally, to get what he wants.

The Blade Itself starts off with Logen running for his life, and his inner monologue had me laughing almost at once. An outlaw in the North, running from his former friend Bethod, who crowned himself King of the North. A warrior with only one real skill: killing. Have I mentioned yet that he's also a berserker? When Logen Ninefingers turns into the Bloody Nine you better run for your life, no matter if you are friend or foe. The Bloody Nine doesn't care about that, he just wants to kill.
The thing about Logen is, he's not a nice man. But when Jezal said that Logen was the best man he's ever known, that's still true. Logen might never get it right, but after everything he's done he still tries to be a good man, which is more than can be said about almost all other characters in this trilogy. And you want him to win, you want him to succeed, no matter what.

Then there is Glokta. Sand dan Glokta, once a dashing young officer and an incredible sword fighter, now a broken and crippled cynic. Tortured for years in a Gurkish prison, he now has become the torturer himself, since torture is something he knows very intimately. Glokta reminds me of no-one so much as of Tyrion Lannister (A Song of Ice and Fire). Both are physically weak/damaged/unattractive, but their minds more than make up for it. Though Glokta's is a good bit darker than Tyrion's, and a love for pitch black humor helps a lot when reading about him. And despite that, he still has a conscience. After everything is said and done, it is Glokta who at least partly manages to save the day and comes somewhat close to winning.

There are a lot more good reasons to read The First Law, but these two stand out to me. You can read an excerpt of The Blade Itself here.