The events detailed in the First Law Trilogy form more than just the backdrop for this book, they inform the actions and attitudes of all the players. The author isn’t the only one who has been looking at the past for inspiration, the narrative is steeped in the supposed glory days of what came before. Plots within plots, brutal violence, death and destruction, surprises, and a gold thread of humour to balance the grim. Fear not though, if this all sounds a bit serious, this is pure Abercrombie. Look around, fellow readers, at the world we live in now this isn’t just a book about the past. Revealed here are the dangers of idealised Progress, especially when it’s really just about Profit, and action for and by the People, especially when it’s just about Power. It’s a clear eyed look at who people really are and what they really do, in wealth or poverty, in revolution, in war. This is history in action, bloody and indifferent. And because of that, it’s the very best kind of story telling. It’s nothing less than a deconstruction of humanity.

If nothing else, the author must have done some serious research into the Industrial and French revolutions to so evocatively and effectively depict this kind of terror, these sorts of turbulent times. As a result, the book reads a bit more like historical fiction. It's a sign of the times- even the big hitters are pursing influence though finance and banking instead of sorcery… The First Law world is, for all intents and purposes, our world. Undoubtedly epic, with more than a hint of magic, this is a high fantasy world with a low fantasy feel. ‘War? It’s a fight so big almost no one comes out of it well’įirst of all, this is not fantasy as we know it.

A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie