My second favorite, Colonel Collum West, a self-made man with a hellish temper covering a heart of gold, is sent to this war where he gains the respect of the Northmen, old friends of Logan, and becomes a named man. He meets a manipulative Magi, Bayas, and together they travel to The Union where they start a war, set off to find a magical weapon of mass destruction and help Jezal, a young man of mysterious birth, to fight in a fencing competition. My favorite, Logan Ninefingers, is an infamous Northman and the very definition of a Berserker. The 1st trilogy starts with The Blade Itself which introduces the five main characters of The First Law Trilogy, two of which are among my favorite characters in all of fantasy. And the way Joe Abercrombie sets up and knocks down these plots is beyond satisfying. All of which are set in a similar fantasy world which play off and subvert the archetypes of barbarian or noble savage-style heroes and their relationships with a pompous civilization who are generally forced to work together to fight a greater evil. The highlights of these stories are the relationships and respects between the characters from different cultures and how they bridge the gaps to fight a common enemy only to break apart when that threat is out of the way.

To put some perspective to this collection of work there are 9 books in all, 3 trilogies. If I were to use those terms there would be little point in writing an entire review at all. How can one describe their favorite series accurately, let alone the complete works of one of their favorite authors? Although reviews are generally subjective, saying that it’s great, excellent or a masterpiece seems a little too subjective.

Shattered sea book 2