unJon Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 *summons author* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Abercrombie Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 *summons author* *tries to stamp out flaming pentagram* Will you stop bloody doing that? I just ordered The Blade Itself from Amazon.co.uk. Bastards haven't released it in the US yet. Coming in September via the wonderful Pyr books. For those of you that can't wait, the Book Depository seems to be the route of choice - free delivery to the US, apparently. Now could someone kindly banish me back to the abyss? I really should be writing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronn Stone Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 BEGONE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pat5150 Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 Americans can also buy Joe's books using amazon.ca... Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortstark Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 Say one thing about Joe Abercrombie, say he can spin a mighty fine yarn. Hugely enjoyable, all in all i cant find anything to complain about if i forced to nit pick it would be the SPOILER: btahglotka showing glimpses of compassion,and letting Eider go it seems a tiny bit uncharacteristic, but not a big point, now the wait till book 3, hurry up joe...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caine Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 Seriously, there needs to be a US release for this and The Blade Itself... I'm interested to check out what the buzz is about, looks to be an enjoyable read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Errant Bard Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 I just finished Before They Are Hanged, and I deeply enjoyed it. I dropped everything else to read it faster. The characterization was excellent, as were the interactions, and the pace made it difficult to put the book down. I liked the attention to detail contributing to the world's consistency, like the fact that not everyone speaks the same language. SPOILER: BTAHI especially liked Ferro's point of view paragraphs, where she says something when it's clear she feels the other way around. West's arc was also truly satisfying, Threetrees' merry band really comes to life, and West is fleshed out a great deal, making him one of the characters I wanted to read about most. Logen and the bloody-nine narrative was a great fun too. MORE, MOOORE!! If I had criticism to offer, though it's minor, it would be over the way the different arcs don't seem connected together enough, where sometimes one of them can almost feel useless. I also feel there is some weakness in the worldbuilding itself in BTAH, we can feel the characters breathing, but the world around seem a bit underdevelopped, and not truly alive. SPOILER: btahAlso, Jezal's turnaround felt a bit too radical in the end, even if it was truly mitigated by his reaction after they got the stone, and was prepared by all his false starts. I would have expected him to keep staying a jerk, or become one again, only with different values, once he healed. Like Logen said: "this feeling lasts only two days, then you'll be complaining again". I am waiting for him to meet his old friends, I'm sure he wouldn't have turned into the paragon of virtue we fear The worst criticism is, in the end, that the third book is not out yet, and that we'll have to wait to see all the plotlines and mysteries solved. Especially with the low-key ending of this book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jora Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 I thoroughly enjoyed this book even though I find the first one a little better. It's going to be a long torture to wait a year for the final book. The series needs to end with either of the following lines: "Say one thing for Logen Ninefingers, say he's..." "You have to be realistic about these things." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unJon Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 Just FYI, I started another thread on this book to mark it as the Spoiler discussion so we don't have to converse in this tread under the annoyance of spoiler tags. It is right here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calibandar Posted March 26, 2007 Share Posted March 26, 2007 I was thinking about the ages of the characters, let me see if I get this about right ( Joe correct me if wrong). Keep in mind I've only read the first one. Bayaz: 60, or described as such by Logen. Major West: 30 Jezal: Younger than West and seemingly very youthful: 25 Ardee: Same age, roughly 25 as well. Logen: A bit older with a lot of history behind him but still in his fighting prime. I'd put him in his late 30's. The Named Men: All of this seem to me to be somewhere between 30 and 40, with the exception of Threetrees who is a bit older, so I guess him at roughly 45. Malacus: Roughly 25 Ferro: Mid thirties. Glokta: 40-45? Severard and Frost: between 25-35 A lot of huge fellows in these books as well. Logen, Fenris, the monstrous Northman who accompanies Superior Goyle, Practical Frost, Lieutenant Jalenhorm and certainly the gigantic Tul Duru Thunderhead. Threetrees also is described as a big man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unJon Posted March 26, 2007 Share Posted March 26, 2007 Bayaz: 60, or described as such by Logen. SPOILER: BayazWhile Bayaz might look that age, he's apparently several hundred years old (maybe more). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calibandar Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 Yes, I should have made that clearer, he looks 60 but is much older, several centuries apparantly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Roses Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 Just finished and thoroughly enjoyed BTAH - a marked improvement on the first. Would agree with previous posts about better characterisation and plot. Really enjoyed West and Threetrees and Glokta is a treasure. Look forward to the finale especially with the Glokta/Bayaz angle - not sure how Glokta fits in and I'm very curious to see what Bayaz is really up to cos he seems damn shifty to me - the Belgarath routine is not convincing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Errant Bard Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 Bayaz isn't shifty, he is very open about what he wants to do namely SPOILER: BTAHto break the first law and destroy his rival. After all, khalul must be annihilated, since he is evil enough to have broken the second law. This is something only evil guys do, breaking magic laws: Glustrod, Kanedias, Khalul, Bayaz, oh wait... Bayaz certainly lacks something to make a correct Gandalf/Belgarath. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berencamlost7 Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 halfway through The Blade Itself. Quality read so far. Dry as a Stick humour. Interesting characters. Decent Plot. Well paced. Have ordered Before They Were Hanged already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beniowa Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 While Bayaz is usually blunt and plain-speaking I couldn't help but noticed one time he sort of glossed over, SPOILER: BTAHWhen Quai confronted Bayaz on his past mistakes and Bayaz fills in much of the history of the Magi and such. When he is talking about the aftermath of Juvens' death when the magi decided to unify to destory Kanedias, Khalul accuses him of causing the master's death and the war. He openly admitted to some because they were open to interpretation, but then he said that Khalul made several terrible accusations and he doesn't bother to explain them calling them "Lies". Maybe he thought it was nothing, but I couldn't help but notice his hesistation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pat5150 Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 Say one thing about Joe Abercrombie, say the guy has set the stage for a great finish in volume 3! I'm curious to see how he'll close the show. Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delete this account pls Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 Cal, I think Glotka is younger than that, around the same age as West, maybe a little bit older. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vercint Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 Glokta is 35, he says so in TFB.... somewhere.... something along the lines of being 35 but not quite in good shape for that age... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaerien Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 Just ordered The Blade Itself and Before They Are Hanged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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