Last Argument Of Kings: The First Law: Book Three: Book Three of the First Law (GollanczF.) (Hardcover)

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Review
Abercrombie is headed for superstar status -- Jeff Vandermeer With Last Argument of Kings, Abercrombie has cemented himself at the top of the fantasy genre. He deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as the other titans on top of the ever-increasing pile. 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 -- Speculative Horizons

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 ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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40 Reviews 5 star:  (25) 4 star:  (7) 3 star:  (4) 2 star:  (3) 1 star:  (1)           Average Customer Review 4.3 out of 5 stars (40 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   21 of 22 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 (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! Comment Comments (4) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   11 of 13 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Unconventional genius, 28 Mar 2008 By  Faithful (U. K.) - See all my reviews This review is from: Last Argument Of Kings: The First Law: Book Three: Book Three of the First Law (Gollancz S.F.) (Paperback) First and foremost this is just a great read. Entertaining, witty, suspenseful, exciting, thought-provoking, the list could go on. Abercrombie has definitely risen quickly above the other authors writting in this new sub-genre of fantasy - Erickson, Bakker, even Martin, who really pioneered it. Abercrombie has managed to inject two vital ingredients that most of the other authors from the 'Dark, Gritty, Real' stable block miss. Humour and heart. *Spoiler alert* Stop reading now if you don't want any giveaways. For example, at first glance Glokta is a most unpleasant character, but very soon you find yourself sympathising with him, understanding his choices, caring about him. Also his dry, cynical wit is very endearing (inspired by a certain Edmund Blackadder, surely!). All of the central characters are written equally as cleverly - Jezal dan Luthar, Logen Ninefingers, Collem West. This isn't just an exercise in cold, technically brilliant writting, it is a novel that appeals on a number of levels, with a sense of epic about it, although at the same time very character driven. My only grumble is that the trend in trying to do the unexpected, killing off major characters, unexpected twists in the quest of achieving 'realism' and so on, is in itself becomming a little predictable. Although there was the definite potential for each of the main characters to have a 'happy ending' it was fairly obvious that none of them would have, Glokta being the possible exception. I love fantasy and read it till it's comming out of my ears, but part of my motivation for reading it is that the real world is depressing enough. It is actually nice to immerse yourself in a world where justice has more of a chance of comming out on top. Although the epilogue with Logen had the feel of genius about it, there was still something quite depressing about the whole ending - Jezal didn't get the girl and seemed to retreat into the character that he began the book as (what point was there in his cleverly written character arc?), Collem dying of a hideous disease, Logen ( rightly) abandoned by his closest friends, and not getting the girl either. And it would have been nice to see Bayaz get something of a comeuppance. Still, these are only minor quibbles when you sit back and look at the whole book. Overall it ticks most of the boxes and is without doubt a five star book, I don't think anyone could read this and not find themselves warming to the characters, enjoying the sense of epic, the cleverly written different cultural angles, the nail-bitting and stomach turning battle scenes, the sense of humour that makes it such an unpretentious read (unlike authors like Bakker and Erickson). Quite simply: Brilliant! Comment Comments (6) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   6 of 7 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars You,ll get no argument from me , a fantastic conclusion to this brilliant fantasy trilogy ., 5 Nov 2008 By  russell clarke "stipesdoppleganger" (halifax, west yorks) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)       This review is from: Last Argument Of Kings: The First Law: Book Three: Book Three of the First Law (Gollancz S.F.) (Paperback) With the first two instalments of the First law series s The Blade Itself: Book One Of The First Law (Gollancz S.F.) and Before They Are Hanged: The First Law: Book Two: Book Two of the First Law (Gollancz S.F.) Joe Abercrombie has set himself well on the way to writing a fantasy trilogy to compare with Robin Hobbs Liveship series or her Tawny Man and Assassin trilogy and The Lord of the Rings (3 Book Box set) for that matter. His contemporary sardonically edged take on the genre is refreshing as well with lots of profanity and the fact any character is as likely to get skewered by a verbal barb as by a sword ...well maybe not but it's a close thing. The final book The Last Argument of Kings continues the character developments propagated in the previous two books while at the same time expanding the scale of the plot and drawing the reader inexorably towards to the not altogether satisfying conclusion. As the barbarian Bethod continues to assault the Empire from the north the Gurkish amass to the south ready to attack Adua. Logen Ninefingers joins up with his old mates Threetree,s The Dogman ,Black Dow etc to fight against Bethod while the Empire army is riven by internal disputes with the commoner Colonel West looking on with exasperation. Jezal dan Luthar isn't the arrogant arse of before and is drawn back into the arms of West's sister Ardee but is still unsure of where he stands in the scheme of things .First Of The Magi - the imperious Byaz seems to have a handle on events that alludes to some decidedly dodgy subterfuge while Ferro scowls and longs for Gurkish blood pretty much as she did in the first two novels except there are some residual stirrings from her relationship with Logen. Inquisitor Glotka meanwhile continues to expect to die any given minute while at the same time wheedling his way in and around the political chicanery and duplicitous power struggles . No one knows what is going to happen , except Byaz perhaps ,but there is one thing for sure no one can expect what is coming. Some will be invested with more power and responsibility then they are entirely comfortable with and will have to make sacrifices accordingly while others will be cut adrift or even worse become casualties. There is crackling magic , an epic battle and siege , duels , blood, guts and lashings of charcoal black humour . The narrative threads are tied up nicely and if they are not quite what the reader would expect or even want for some of these characters than as Logen would say " you have to be realistic about these things ". It's also hard to escape the conclusion that although many of the characters have developed into better people as a consequences of the events in these books the world it is set in is arguably worse off. How like real life is that ? Which brings me to possibly the strongest thing about this trilogy - how it cleverly alludes to aspects of modern society without being heavy handedly allegorical . How it lashes out at the power of institutions and enigmatic cabals and individuals and the failures of capitalism ( how apt given recent events) . It does this while being uproariously entertaining and sometimes quite profound especially in aspects to relationships. Joe Abercrombie has said that The First Law should be treated as one novel in three sections and having read the whole trilogy it's not hard to see why. Here we have a work from a much maligned genre that pretty much rules over anything else I have read in a long time ...apart from the aforementioned works which are also fantasy .A novel that leads us like The Dogman... stood ...wondering on how things used to be better. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 40 customer reviews...		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 4.0 out of 5 stars You have to be realistic... Mixed feelings. Definitely it is not worth re-reading, otherwise it would be like Logen, pissing into the wind. Real life is depressing enough, why make it worse? Read more Published 10 days ago by _astra_ 5.0 out of 5 stars Challenging the concepts of Fantasy The Last Argument of Kings is the final book in the `Fist Law' trilogy. And I must say, for a first series of books by a new author it is very, very good. Read more Published 23 days ago by Rosslock 4.0 out of 5 stars Great series Having become disillusioned with the fantasy genre over the years I was hoping that this would change my mind as it is lauded as "fantasy for grown-ups". Read more Published 25 days ago by iisdaripper 4.0 out of 5 stars A solid and surprising conclusion 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. Read more Published 1 month ago by Christopher Meadows 3.0 out of 5 stars Not the best finish.... Like other reviewers I thought the final book lacked the quality of certainly the first one. I think the author had enough material to justify the final book but somehow the... Read more Published 1 month ago by Francis Rottenburg 5.0 out of 5 stars Last Argument of Kings, No Arguments not to buy it Same characters, good looking guy, a drukern lady with a high sex drive, ugly barbarian and an old wizard and erm politicians. Sounds familiar??? Read more Published 2 months ago by Mr. Scott Gilbert 5.0 out of 5 stars great ending to a great trilogy this trilogy has been a breath of fresh air. clever storyline with invloving characters. though based on a relatively familiar theme this has been the first trilogy in a long time... Read more Published 2 months ago by Peter Johnston 5.0 out of 5 stars Say one thing about Joe Abercrombie ... ...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... Read more Published 3 months ago by Cartimand 5.0 out of 5 stars Nothing short of perfection Well after reading all the reviews on all the Books i decided to buy the Fist Law books a while back, but i carelessly forgot to write a review. Read more Published 4 months ago by L. A. Griffiths 3.0 out of 5 stars One pair of shades, coming up.. I loved The Blade Itself's humor- the caricature characters, the irony and sarcasm. Just what Brits do best, and just the kind of humour I like the most. Read more Published 5 months ago by D. Persson Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 40 customer reviews...

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