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Last Argument Of Kings: The First Law: Book Three: Book Three of the First Law (Gollancz S.F.)
 
 
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Last Argument Of Kings: The First Law: Book Three: Book Three of the First Law (Gollancz S.F.) [Paperback]

Joe Abercrombie
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 544 pages
  • Publisher: Gollancz; paperback / softback edition (20 Mar 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0575077905
  • ISBN-13: 978-0575077904
  • Product Dimensions: 23 x 15.4 x 4.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 82,552 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Review

"Last Argument of Kings signs off the trilogy on a high, interspersing breathless skirmishes with thriller-like moments. You should always end with the best. Wow them in the final act, make the last chorus a belter, build to a climax and them get them on their feet applauding when the curtain falls. Last Argument of Kings is the textbook example of this theory in practice." (Dave Bradley SFX )

"For any writer to produce work of this quality is superb; that this sequence marks a debut is all the more remarkable. The First Law (trilogy) is, I strongly believe, a seminal work of modern fantasy. It is a benchmark sequence that should be regarded as an example of all that is truly great in today's genre fiction. It stands way above the vast majority of the marketplace. It's damn good stuff!" (John Berylne SF REVU )

"Breathtaking moments, great characters and grim laughs makes this a cut about your average fantasy. Joe Abercrombie's First Law series has had tired fantasy readers sitting up in pleasant surprise. And rightly so. Abercrombie is a fantasy writer who can really write. Last Argument of Kings is tightly plotted, has wit and style to spare, and in the Barbarian Logen and the Inquisitor Glotka it has two of the best fantasy creations of recent years." (Gideon Kibbleworth DEATHRAY )

"All in all it has been one of the most incredible, twisted, inventive and above all utterly enjoyable fantasy reading experiences I've had in a very, very long time . . . Say one thing for Joe Abercrombie, say he knows how to tell a bloody good tale." (thegenrefiles.com )

"Last Argument of Kings delivers exactly what this trilogy needed: a no-holds-barred war story in which secrets are exposed, mysteries are explained and the author resolutely refuses to pull any punches. The ending is superb, particularly the tremendously satisfying epilogue and the final scene. Last Argument of Kings is a more than worthy conclusion to this trilogy." (THE WERTZONE )

"The trilogy as a whole has crept gradually away from the standard fantasy template and gained a very unique feel. Having said this, for a book so different to Tolkien's, I'm going to make yet another Tolkien comparison - the aftermath and bittersweet ending has a very similar tone to the end of Lord of the Rings. each book in this trilogy has shown a distinct improvement, and with this fantastic concluding volume, I'd even go as far as to say it's become one of my favourite series." (SANDSTORM REVIEWS )

"He's written something not far short of a masterpiece, something special. Last Argument of Kings has everything you could ask for: huge battles, political intrigue, masterly characterisation and surprises by the bucket-load. This book will by turns shock you, excite you, make you laugh, and above all entertain you." (SPECULATIVE HORIZONS )

"Abercrombie is headed for superstar status" (JEFF VANDERMEER )

"Say one thing for Joe Abercrombie, say he knows how to close a trilogy with panache. The final novel in The First Law trilogy, Last Argument of Kings, is without a doubt the strongest novel in the cycle and, indeed, one of the strongest finishes to a trilogy I've come across in a long time. Joe Abercrombie has cemented himself at the top of the heap as one of the most consistent, fresh and exciting new voices in fantasy." (A DRIBBLE OF INK (website) )

"Last Argument of Kings concludes The First Law the way it began: with cynicism, blackly comic repartee and non-stop, bloody action." (Barbara Davies STARBURST )

"Abercrombie's talent for developing believable characters and changing the tone and voice of each chapter according to the point of view is a joy to read. Although he takes familiar fantasy staples, he manages to avoid coming off as a cheap hack reinventing Tolkien. A solidly written finale, rich with Abercrombie's trademark dark humour and great dialogue, that finishes with a decidedly downbeat ending." (Den Patrick DREAMWATCH )

THE WERTZONE

"Last Argument of Kings delivers exactly what this trilogy needed: a no-holds-barred war story in which secrets are exposed, mysteries are explained and the author resolutely refuses to pull any punches. The ending is superb, particularly the tremendously satisfying epilogue and the final scene. Last Argument of Kings is a more than worthy conclusion to this trilogy."

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Customer Reviews

63 Reviews
5 star:
 (41)
4 star:
 (11)
3 star:
 (6)
2 star:
 (4)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (63 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Say one thing about Joe Abercrombie ..., 4 April 2009
By 
Cartimand (Hampshire, UK.) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   
...say he spins a damn good yarn.

In fact, for my money, Abercrombie has delivered quite simply the most memorable and satisfying fantasy saga since the original Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.

Last Argument of Kings skilfully draws together the diverse threads into a breathtaking finale. We have some sex, some explicit torture, intrigue and stunning revelations aplenty, battles on an epic scale and some incredibly vivid descriptions of how it must feel to become a berserker. We also have more than a few laughs along the way. If you're a fan of the swords and sorcery genre, you may well remark on the absence of any maps at the front of the novel. Abercrombie cheekily engages with the reader by letting one of his characters comment on how she hates books with maps. Nice touch!

More so with this novel than its predecessors, I got a distinct feel that the warring factions hint at historical conflicts between Islam and the West. The 'Gurkish' certainly have vaguely arab-sounding names, aim to force the Union to worship god in their manner and the word 'Crusade' is even used on one occasion. Whether this was Abercrombie's intention or not I don't know, but it adds a further element to the saga. Indeed, somewhat like the Crusades, the labels of right and wrong frequently get blurred. It is in this splendid ambiguity that the power of Abercrombie's story-telling lies. The nearest thing we have to a conventional hero is Jezal - but he remains a coward at heart. We dally a long time with the witty Glokta - and yet he is a ruthless torturer. Logan, Dogman, Bayaz, Ardee, West, even previous bit-players like Pike all have their splendidly rounded characters develop yet further in this superb novel.

Don't expect a feel-good ending. What I can promise you though, is a spectacular, memorable and realistic ending to this deliciously cynical and ironic, but above all, very human, saga.

Great stuff!
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31 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars LOTR meets Guy Ritchie, 14 May 2008
By 
Mr. A. I. Harrison "The Book troll" - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Last Argument Of Kings: The First Law: Book Three: Book Three of the First Law (Gollancz S.F.) (Paperback)
If you buy this trilogy expecting pages of epic landscapes alive with giants, goblins, dragons and bestrode by shining heroes in silver armour sat on magnificent horses wielding magic swords dealing out death and destruction to an evil meglamaniac and his hordes of minions, you will be sadly dissappointed. Also if you like your books full of song lyrics, poems, family trees and elvish alphabets you will be equally dissappointed. Our author even declines to prefix the action with the usual obligatory badly drawn map!

No, Abercrombie's world is a world made of men. Their actions, emotions desires, words, triumphs, failings, smells and innards. The author takes you through the story from the various points of view of the main charactors, and what a collection of charactors they are, beautifully fleshed out, 3D and brought to life so that I almost expected to meet them whilst out walking the dog in the woods. The major benefit of this style is that you never tire of one charactor and you ride along behind their eyes so you know and understand their motives and grow to love and sympathise with them even though they are cabable of the dreadful.

Don't get me wrong, there is much here the hackneyed fantasy reader will recognise. A grizzled campaigner, a young handsome swordsman, an ancient arch magi, a torturer, a beautiful girl and a host of barbarian tribesman. However all given a refreshing twist. The swordsman is a cowardly, self obsessed snob. The grizzled campaigner is oft possessed by a 'beserker' alter ego who is as likey to kill his best friend as his worst enemy and the beautiful girl is a slightly tarty 'low-born' with an inclination to hit the bottle.

Potential buyers of a sensitive nature be warned the writing style is more Guy Ritchie than Tolkien. Expect profanities, sex, gore and plenty of black humour.

The joys of this book are the authors ability to create 'real' people, he has a gift for dialogue and moves the action along at a satisfying pace and puts you in the heart of it. The story avoids being cliched and predictable for the most part. The charactors are all shades of grey rather than being definatively evil or good and their actions stay true to their personalities as set out in volume one.

If I was hyper critical I may say that the plot though neatly pulled together at the end, for much of the trilogy can feel like a series of random events. Also the female charactors don't feel quite as authentic and fleshed out as the male ones. But I am splitting hairs here, this is a rollicking good adventure that has made me remember why I first picked up a copy of LOTR all those years ago.

I'm going to really miss the personalities in this book, Logan Ninefingers is truly one of the great fantasy charactors ever created as is the deliciously bitter and twisted Glotka. That said I hope 'Joe' does not do the predictable sequel or prequel but conjures us up another cast list of equally entertaining heroes & villains to ride with in his next book, and if your reading this Joe don't keep me waiting too long!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A solid and surprising conclusion, 22 May 2009
By 
Christopher Meadows (York, UK) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
The final part of Joe Abercrombie's trilogy is as dark, as bloody, as fascinating and as funny as the first two in the series.

The same themes that marked the first two books in the series recur here.The world remains a dark and negative one, where the practise of realpolitik is likely to triumph over noble intentions. The world itself is rendered in broad strokes, with the more detailed information being accessible from the thoughts and feelings of the characters, rather than exposition from the author.

Each of the core characters is lovingly detailed, their thoughts and feelings expertly displayed by their inner monologues. Not many of those core characters are especially pleasant people, and if you're a reader of 'Heroic' fantasy, that is something you may want to be aware of. This book, as with others in the series, does not shy away from graphic depictions of violence, and the darker side of the human soul - from straightforward torture to the death of emotional love. To the author's credit, the book does not shy away from portraying the consequences of these actions on the characters - their suffering, and negative expectations (things can only get worse!) seem to drive the novel forward.

Perhaps the best aspect of this text is the ability to totally subvert 'standard' fantasy tropes. While some of the developments in this final book are within the usual fantasy metric (an epic battle, for example, which may seem to go on too long for some), others are entirely unique, and blow through the reader's expectations of the genre. The gritty refusal to simply promise happiness to any character is a very positive choice, and one which many readers will enjoy - though I would caution that it may alienate others, for whom the constant dragging of characters through the muck may begin to wear.

To sum up, this is an excellent final novel in a trilogy, which nicely curtails the stories of the main characters, whilst leaving sufficient ambiguity for future sequels - or simply because life is ambiguous. It is likely that readers of this final volume are aware of what they are in for as regards the violence and dystopian social view, and if you are, then this novel will not disappoint. If you are a new reader, be aware that this is fantasy with the 'gloves off', and perhaps begin with the first book of the series, so that you know what you are in for...
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