Joe Abercrombie: You Say you want a revolution [SPOILERS including the new sample chapter]

[Darzin]

The first chapter of the Wisdom of Crowds is available on Joe's website a long with a summary blurb. The first chapter opens up with  the armies vanguard returning to a riotous Adua and we get Orso's Leo's and Savine's POVs. Judging from the chapter where half the union seems to be in revolt including Adua which seems half in revolt and a "people's army" ominously set to arrive on the doorstep of Adua, as well as the blurb which mentions of Citizen Brock and Citizen Savine. It seems like the union government is poised to fall pretty early in the book and most of the book will be dealing with the post revolutionary government and society. I'm pretty excited for this and can't wait to see what Joe does with it. My only regret is  I wish we had more than one book to explore it. 

Predictions:

I don' think Bayaz is behind the revolution. One of the Burners key goals is to burn the banks, and we see both the Breakers and the Burners kill multiple agents of Valint and Balk no way Bayaz tolerates his power being assaulted like that. If he was behind the Breakers and the Burners his agents would be among them rather than being strung up by them. I think the whole revolution is going to blindside Bayaz he's used to intimidating nobles not mass popular revolts. 

I think the new parliament of whatever sort of regime replaces the Monarchy will imprison and eventually execute Orso. A group of owls is called a parliament and given that Joe read a lot of books on the French and Russian revoltions I think the outlook is grim for Orso. Plus he hates hangings and Joe Abercrombie loves irony. My fanfic is that Orso runs away to the North and becomes Rikke's kept prince/househusband but you have to be realistic about these things.

I think Rikke will unite the North and annex Angland, but at some personal cost. How much I don't know she could be a shell of herself or have a chance to let a sliver of light into her stone heart.

Edited September 4, 2023 by Darzin
spelling

[Relic]

40 minutes ago, Darzin said:

Predictions:

 

Grim. 

[Valandil]

Dark.

[Rhom]

7 hours ago, Valandil said:

Dark.

Beat me to it.

[SeanF]

On 9/1/2021 at 9:35 AM, Darzin said:

The first chapter of the Wisdom of Crowds is available on Joe's website a long with a summary blurb. The first chapter opens up with  the armies vanguard returning to a riotous Adua and we get Orso's Leo's and Savine's POVs. Judging from the chapter where half the union seems to be in revolt including Adua which seems half in revolt and a "people's army" ominously set to arrive on the doorstep of Adua, as well as the blurb which mentions of Citizen Brock and Citizen Savine. It seems like the union government is poised to fall pretty early in the book and most of the book will be dealing with the post revolutionary government and society. I'm pretty excited for this and can't wait to see what Joe does with it. My only regret is  I wish we had more than one book to explore it. 

Predictions:

I don' think Bayaz is behind the revolution. One of the Burners key goals is to burn the banks, and we see both the Breakers and the Burners kill multiple agents of Valint and Balk no way Bayaz tolerates his power being assaulted like that. If he was behind the Breakers and the Burners his agents would be among them rather than being strung up by them. I think the whole revolution is going to blindside Bayaz he's used to intimidating nobles not mass popular revolts. 

I think the new parliament of whatever sort of regime replaces the Monarchy will imprison and eventually execute Orso. A group of owls is called a parliament and given that Joe read a lot of books on the French and Russian revoltions I think the outlook is grim for Orso. Plus he hates hangings and Joe Abercrombie loves irony. My fanfic is that Orso runs away to the North and becomes Rikke's kept prince/househusband but you have to be realistic about these things.

I think Rikke will unite the North and annex Angland, but at some personal cost. How much I don't know she could be a shell of herself or have a chance to let a sliver of light into her stone heart.

I think Orso is far more shrewd than either Louis XVI or Nicholas II.  I wouldn’t be surprised if the twist were for him to come back as First Consul/President.

[The hairy bear]

The first three chapters are available as a preview at Amazon.

I'm very surprised at how fast thinks are moving in those first chapters. It seems this final bock will be action packed and will leave us no time to catch air.

I'm beyond eager for this book. I wonder if it'll manage to culminate the trilogy on as high a point as the Last Argument of Kings did with the first one.

As for my own predictions:

• Glokta has not retired and is playing the puppetmaster.
• The real weaver is Khalul
• Both have conspired to free the Union from Bayaz's grasp, and will succeed.
• Orso will be executed, but the monarchy won't be abolished. Savine's infant son will be crowned king.
• Rikke will defeat Black Calder and unite the North under her rule.

Edited September 2, 2021 by The hairy bear

[BigFatCoward]

3 hours ago, The hairy bear said:

The first three chapters are available as a preview at Amazon.

I'm very surprised at how fast thinks are moving in those first chapters. It seems this final bock will be action packed and will leave us no time to catch air.

I'm beyond eager for this book. I wonder if it'll manage to culminate the trilogy on as high a point as the Last Argument of Kings did with the first one.

As for my own predictions:

• Glokta has not retired and is playing the puppetmaster.
• The real weaver is Khalul
• Both have conspired to free the Union from Bayaz's grasp, and will succeed.
• Orso will be executed, but the monarchy won't be abolished. Savine's infant son will be crowned king.
• Rikke will defeat Black Calder and unite the North under her rule.

There was a scene in book 2 where Rikke saw gurkish soldiers flooding into a street in Adua and he assumption was it was a flash back. I wonder if it was a flash forward. 

[Zorral]

How weird -- I didn't even connect JA's title to this still influential book from 1841 

Quote

Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds is an early study of crowd psychology by Scottish journalist Charles Mackay, first published in 1841 under the title Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions.

which is continues to be quoted in one way and another into the present day:

https://www.amazon.com/Madness-Crowds-Gender-Race-Identity/dp/1635579988

https://www.amazon.com/Madness-Crowds-Novel-Inspector-Gamache-ebook/dp/B08R2JZJM6

The eras out of which the 1841 Madness of Crowds emerges, is roughly analogous to the milieu of JA's series. The Manchester Peterloo Massacre took place in 1819. (BTW, Peterloo (2018) the film is very good.)

Duh.  I am slow. 

Edited September 3, 2021 by Zorral

[Quijote Light]

On 9/2/2021 at 10:18 AM, The hairy bear said:

The first three chapters are available as a preview at Amazon.

I'm very surprised at how fast thinks are moving in those first chapters. It seems this final bock will be action packed and will leave us no time to catch air.

I'm beyond eager for this book. I wonder if it'll manage to culminate the trilogy on as high a point as the Last Argument of Kings did with the first one.

As for my own predictions:

• Glokta has not retired and is playing the puppetmaster.
• The real weaver is Khalul
• Both have conspired to free the Union from Bayaz's grasp, and will succeed.
• Orso will be executed, but the monarchy won't be abolished. Savine's infant son will be crowned king.
• Rikke will defeat Black Calder and unite the North under her rule.

How do you access these? I click the link and get directed to the page, but s don’t see the chapters. 

[Mick of House Guinness]

5 hours ago, Quijote Light said:

How do you access these? I click the link and get directed to the page, but s don’t see the chapters. 

Took me a while to find it too. Seems only to be available on US Amazon so scroll down to very bottom of page to change location, reopen Wisdom of Crowds page and click on Look Inside link above image of book cover.

Edited September 4, 2021 by Mick of House Guinness
Tiredness

[Quijote Light]

4 hours ago, Mick of House Guinness said:

Took me a while to find it too. Seems only to be available on US Amazon so scroll down to very bottom of page to change location, reopen Wisdom of Crowds page and click on Look Inside link above image of book cover.

Thank you. 

[Caligula_K3]

My copy just came in the mail! I'm in the middle of another book, but I have a feeling that once I start this one it'll get finished very quickly. 

[Veltigar]

Sad, mine hasn't even shipped yet. That's the downside of buying these signed editions.

[Caligula_K3]

All right, finished my other book and now I'm 50 pages into this. It starts with a bang. Though I realize that I may have forgotten a few things from the ending of The Trouble With Peace, so I might re-read its ending before I go any further.

[A True Kaniggit]

Blah. I’m gonna wait until the 14th and buy it in stores. Just a couple days away. 

Edited September 12, 2021 by A True Kaniggit

[BigFatCoward]

Fucking ebooks never ship early. 

[SeanF]

3 hours ago, BigFatCoward said:

Fucking ebooks never ship early. 

In my experience, though, you should get it a few seconds past midnight.

[BigFatCoward]

19 minutes ago, SeanF said:

In my experience, though, you should get it a few seconds past midnight.

Lovely, when my inevitable 0330 insomnia kicks in I'm good to go. 

[Caligula_K3]

155 pages in so far (at the end of Part I, which is called Part VII. It's been good.

Spoiler

It's very fast paced - maybe even a little too much, even for me. I've always been a fan of Abercrombie's economy compared to other epic fantasy authors, but here we go from the establishment of the regime to the downfall of Risinau in about 100 pages. It would have been nice to have a little more setup and hope before we get to complete cynicism and Robespierre mode. I think it would have also been helpful to have some more space for Leo's character development; his turn from idiot warrior to able politician seems very sudden.

Otherwise, great book. Just about all the main characters are great  - especially Orso, as usual, but even Broad is working for me more than he has in the past books. My favourite chapter so far has been Clover's meeting with Calder's men - the continual involvement of Downside's axe any time a feud seemed possible was hilarious.

At this point in the book, I'd say it's very, very likely that Glokta and Pike are in on this together, using the revolution to destroy Bayaz's power (aka the banks). I have a feeling Khalul will be involved somehow too.

 

Edited September 14, 2021 by Caligula_K3

[Corvinus85]

Damn it, somehow I misremembered the launch date, thinking it was the 16th, and I haven't finished my re-read of TTwP. Close though. The ebook for TWotC just got delivered.