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Best Served Cold

Oddy

By Oddy,
in Literature

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Werthead Council Member

Werthead

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[quote]To the east of Midderland and the Union lies the land of Styria, a feuding patchwork of city-states consumed by the 'Years of Blood'. Duke Orso of Talins has spent years expanding his power across the land, and city after city has fallen into his grasp thanks to his strong right arm, the mercenary army known as the Thousand Swords, led by Monza Murcatto and her brother, Benna. Their victories have made them famous and popular in Talins, perhaps a shade too popular. A brutal and bloody betrayal takes place, but the job is not completed and Monza is left - barely - alive.

A shadow of her former self, Monza is consumed by the need for vengeance but she cannot kill seven of the most powerful men in Styria by herself. She needs allies, and finds them in a prideful poisoner, a thug obsessed with numbers and a barbarian from the North who just wants to do the right thing. Seven men they have to kill in six cities, and murder, mayhem and war lie before them.

Best Served Cold has been billed as the stand-alone follow-up to The First Law Trilogy, but that isn't entirely accurate. Whilst this novel can certainly be read with no foreknowledge of the series, it does pick up on some dangling plot threads from the trilogy and also lays a lot of pipe for future books. In fact, it feels a little bit more akin to reading Steven Erikson's Deadhouse Gates compared to Gardens of the Moon: a new land, a new and mostly self-contained storyline (although referenced in the prior work and setting up some things for later) and some new protagonists whilst at the same time remembering to include some of the characters from the first work (I counted at least five characters from the trilogy as reasonably major characters in the book, with several more cameos and a few mentions of others). The result is a book that satisfies as both its own work and a thread in a much larger tapestry.

Best Served Cold is also one of the most morally ambiguous books I've ever read. Seriously, not a single person in the whole story comes off as in the right or in the wrong. The protagonists (the word 'hero' cannot be applied to a single person in the whole story) are often as dislikable and sometimes far more ruthless than the 'villains' whom they are trying to kill. They have their reasons and motivations which are pretty convincing, but none of them are nice people. The fact that Abercrombie still engages the readers fully with this tale of bloody mayhem and makes them care about what is going on is impressive.

The story is gripping and compulsive, the humour is blacker than midnight, the prose is a notable step up from the already-enjoyable First Law Trilogy (although the gloriously terrible sex scenes remain intact) and the characters massively conflicted. There are more enormous battles and some even bigger, eye-raising twists than those from the end of the prior trilogy (although nicely set up along the way). The only minor niggle I had was with the "Ha! I poisoned you, but no, I'm just kidding...or am I?" plot device, which has now gone way beyond cliche. It is a very minor element, however, that does not spoil overall enjoyment of the book.

Best Served Cold (*****) is not for everyone, but if you like your books gritty, dark, funny and violent, than I can recommend this book without hesitation. Between this and Retribution Falls, it's shaping up to be an amazing year for genre fans.

Best Served Cold will be published on 18 June 2009 in the [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Best-Served-Cold-Joe-Abercrombie/dp/0575082453/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236288656&sr=8-1"]UK[/url] from Gollancz and on 29 July in the [url="http://www.amazon.com/Best-Served-Cold-Joe-Abercrombie/dp/0316044962/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236288661&sr=8-1"]USA[/url] from Orbit US.[/quote]

[url="http://thewertzone.blogspot.com/2009/03/best-served-cold-by-joe-abercrombie.html"]Yeah, he got the five.[/url]
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Darling Freerider

Darling

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[quote name='mashiara' post='1710032' date='Mar 5 2009, 20.29']That review makes the waiting even harder.[/quote]
Seriously! At first I told myself I wasn't going to read it, because I knew it would make that wait seem even more interminable, but I have no self control. Very well done, Werthead, like always.

This is far and away the book I most look forward to this year. It's too bad the US cover is so dreadful, though. I had to order it from the UK, even though the shipping charge practically equals the cost of the book.
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Sheep the Evicted Council Member

Sheep the Evicted

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So far so good.

I was wondering if Abercrombie and his female lead would inspire an Abercrombie and Women thread but he seems to have passed some sort of test. Nice.

So now if someone can be so kind as to post a negative review and help me slay my obscenely high expectations, i'd much appreciate it.
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Slick Mongoose Council Member

Slick Mongoose

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[quote name='MinDonner' post='1714768' date='Mar 10 2009, 14.07'][url="http://sandstormreviews.blogspot.com/"]My review now up[/url]. It's very good. (the book, I mean, not the review, which is about average).[/quote]

Thanks for that review, particularly the "So far, so cheesy" bit. Because the cheese of the sample on Joe's website worried me slightly.
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Edda van Heefmstra Ruston Council Member

Edda van Heefmstra Ruston

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Sheep the Evicted -- I think the main test at the moment is that it's not publically available yet. :P

ETA: By which I mean if there were something the reviewers noted, I'd expect them to put it in with everything else. OTOH, for the "J. Doe" reaction of more readers, AND to deal with the fact that much of the discussion might have to do with spoilers (since so much would be weighted towards the new lead, probably), I wouldn't expect any such thread until after the book's released. (Don't get me wrong, I think if people wanted to, they could discuss the first three books, but I don't think that's what you were asking about.)
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mashiara Council Member

mashiara

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[quote name='MinDonner' post='1714768' date='Mar 10 2009, 16.07'][url="http://sandstormreviews.blogspot.com/"]My review now up[/url]. It's very good. (the book, I mean, not the review, which is about average).[/quote]

Thanks for the review!

[quote]they are all nicely fleshed-out with human motivations and colourful backstories - even if that colour is often a dark, sticky red[/quote]

I just loved this phrase. :thumbsup:

So, if the hardcover comes out this summer, any idea how long it will take for the paperback edition?
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Trinuviel Squire

Trinuviel

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I've just finished [b]Before They Are Hanged[/b] and have converted to this series after being somewhat disappointed with the first book. Of course now I have to reread [b]The Blade Itself[/b] and go out and acquire [b]Last Argument of Kings[/b].

I'm quite happy that I ended up liking this series after all because the covers are absolutely wicked. The look damn good on my shelf!
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Werthead Council Member

Werthead

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[quote name='Samalander' post='1715136' date='Mar 10 2009, 17.50']So.. there is no magic in it at all? That's a bit disappointing.[/quote]

SPOILER: BSC
There's a little bit, with emphasis on the [i]little[/i].
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