The age of wizards had ended, and an age of reason had come. But that reason proved to be tinged with a touch of madness, and now, unfortunately for readers everywhere, that age too comes to a close. The Wisdom of Crowds proved to be a perfect capstone for Joe Abercrombie's latest trilogy. The cauldron that had been heating for two books now comes to a bubbling and messy boil, and we can barely look away as The Great Change sweeps over the Union. A long time coming, but no less terrifying having come. Joe is at his best here: expert character-work, tight, rewarding plotting, brilliant prose, and merciless handling of a cast of characters we've grown to love (or hate), new and old. It's the First Law, and it's one of my favorite series for a reason.
The wisdom of crowds. The savagery of crowds. The carelessness of crowds. Something strikes horrifically true about the type of demeanor that rises up in a populace unhinged. Circles. Reflections. Cycles. Progress... There are patterns of behavior observable throughout the history of humankind. And observing these patterns leaves one unsurprised by things like deep unrest in a populace, civil war, open revolution, mass starvation and violence, seizure of power by an authoritarian force, exploitation of resources in the name of 'progress' and 'the future', and ultimately, that grating question that he so loves to pose... can things change? Joe Abercrombie is simply giving us a front row seat to the trackable patterns of human behavior when left to their own devices; when left to their own vices. It just so happens that it's quite an interesting seat to have.
The ending of this book, and of this trilogy at large, delivered even harder than I expected it to, which is saying something, given the immensely high (and well deserved) expectations I hold him to. Things feel fresh, and subverted, while at they same time feeling so... inevitable. Joe's books have a way of circling back around to take a good look at themselves, and it's all the reader can do not to wince and look away. It's as if there was always only one way it was all going to go, you just couldn't see it until he showed it to you. A strange feeling, but excellent reading. He consistently impresses, Joe Abercrombie, even when you're expecting to be consistently impressed. He's simply one of the best doing it.
If you've yet to read The First Law in any capacity, I suggest you go out, buy a copy of The Blade Itself, and strap in. You've got quite the ride ahead. When you've finished you can join the rest of us little people in clawing for more.
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Top reviews from other countries
Cliente Amazon
Another great tale from Abercrombie
Reviewed in Spain on April 6, 2024
Barry Mulvany
What an end. Brilliant, depressing, and a whole lot of other emotions
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 1, 2023