Joe Abercrombie – Last Argument of Kings (Thrinidir's Book Review)

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Foremost, this is not a double post. The review below was written by my colleague BlindMan and here you are about to read my thoughts on the book. I'm not trying to oppose him or sway you to agree with my views; all this is, is just an alternative side to the story....

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A prime example of a world full of bitter, cynical, world-weary, Machiavellian...you probably see where I’m going?
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Mr. Abercrombie managed to become the most reviewed and talked about fantasy author on the internet chat rooms, blogs, review sites and other related web-pages since his debut effort “The Blade Itself” merely two years ago. I’ll go about this review in good faith that you are already familiar with his first two book in “The First Law” trilogy or that you’ve at least heard or read about Joe Abercrombie – if not, than you can read Trin’s review of “Before They Are Hanged” (the second book of the trilogy) or my article, which I wrote in anticipation of the upcoming release of “Last Argument of Kings”. That being said let me continue with the review.

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“Last Argument of Kings” is the third and final book of “The First Law” series; and what a majestic conclusion it is! The last third of the book is one of the crispiest, refreshing and mind-blowing endings I’ve been privileged to read…ever. But before the gist of this review, let me recap the story briefly (argumentably without much spoiler material).

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---Logen Ninefingers rejoins his friends in the bloody northern campaign set against Bethod – the self proclaimed King of Northmen, after the failed quest for “The Seed” he partook with Bayaz venturing into the furthest reaches of the World. Dogman, Thunderhead, Black Dow, Grim Harding and the rest of the stoic Northmen have some tough battles ahead of them and even hardest lessons to learn. The Union loses its king just before the impeding Gurkish invasion with Mamun, the first apprentice of Prophet Khalul, and his hundred Eaters at the fore. Jezal dan Luthar finds himself stretched between his affliction for Ardee West and his new acquired position. The misshapen Superior Glokta dan Sand has only his guile to keep his head from rolling of his shoulders while juggling several conflicting loyalties he finds himself trapped into. The good mentor Bayaz, First of the Magi, searches for every available means to stand against Mamun and his Eaters. Ferro’s heart remains set on vengeance and its not due to change soon. Last but not least, Major West finds himself in charge of the Union army in the North after the unfortunate demise of Lord Marshal Burr.

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This novel remains epic fantasy to its core, but what a delightfully twisted core it is. Expect the unexpected and bear this in mind – nobody turns out what he appeared to be in the beginning. There are some surprisingly torturous conversions and new revelations along the way, especially when concerning our main protagonists. Logen and the Northmen shine the brightest for the better part of the book. I have to admit that I found the happening in Adua uninteresting at times and some of the chapters concentrating on Jezal, Ferro, Bayaz and even Glokta surprisingly dull and repetitive. Glokta, my personal favorite, wearied me down with his constant and peevish whimpering which actually lost its humorous dark edge for a while. But this all changes drastically when Abercrombie starts to knot the loose threads together in a grand finale. This occurs when the gist of action moves from the North into Adua, where the final cards are played out. Glokta, I’m delighted to say, has some hidden aces up his crooked sleeve, so my irritation and fears were laid to a serene rest.

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“Last Argument of Kings” is not made of diamonds, but it can have its worth measured out in solid gold. If I had a few reservations about the book well into the second half of its length the ending chapters blew them all to dust. The plot is pretty straightforward and the writing quite brash in its simplicity, but that does not detract from novels worth as it gives Abercrombie ample opportunity to polish his other qualities and he succeeds at that with flying colors. I’ll say this though, if you found “The Blade Itself” or even “Before They Are Hanged” not to your liking then stay away from this one – in essence nothing really changes, it only brings gloss to what went before.

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Mr. Abercrombie…Evil Fruitcake (our mascot) approves heartily.

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(4 out of five or a wand-length short of almost perfect - and we are talking a bout a smallish wand)

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~ ThRiNiDiR ~

Joe Abercrombie - Last Argument of Kings (BlindMan's Book Review)

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---Both princes are dead. Countryside is in flames. Adua in an uproar. The king is on his deathbed and a new king needs to be elected. The high and mighty are trying to muster as many votes as they can using any means necessary. And Superior Glokta is one of those recruiting.

---The expedition is back. Seed or no Seed, Jezal is just as happy to be closer to the woman he was dreaming about on the voyage to the end of the world. Confusing as he finds his reputation of a fop changing into a hero overnight Adree's hands keep him occupied enough not to care. In those confusing instances when it happens in front of his very eyes the possible worries are quickly explained away by his wise mentor, the First Disciple Bayaz.

---Ninefingers is home as well, in cold and bloody Northland where war still rages. Back home and back to his old ways. His surviving companions now lead by Dogman are fighting on the side of the Union, gathering the warriors that dislike the new kingdom Bethod wrought. But it's impossible to say who the carls hate more – the self-proclaimed king, or the almost mythic Bloody-Nine returned. Bethold is fighting on his home ground. He dug in his army in strong defensive positions, and only putting all the eggs in one basket might bring him out to attack. It's also quite possible, that this bold plan will turn into desperate last stand...

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Sorry folks, but I can't write this one without at least some small hints at how the things will turn out, so if you haven't read the book yet, you should consider stopping right here.
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*possible spoilers ahead*

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Joe Abercrombie's third book of The First Law trilogy bears the title: Last Argument of Kings. It's a quaint enough quote from the French cannons of old, but truth be told - it could just as well be entitled Life isn't fair. The sentence itself occurs often enough and I can find no better way to describe the overall ambiance of the book. The characters we had thought developing, growing and transmuting in previous books now show their true, flawed self - a bloodthirsty psychopath, spineless romantic, terrified cynic, vengeful sociopath, coldblooded puppeteer… Abercrombie has also decided to forgo the concepts of (just) reward and redemption that are so often found in fantasy literature and rather insists that the only thing that really counts is might and, perhaps, payment for services rendered.
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Revolutionary as this idea might sound, Abercrombie's delivery is not on the level with his previous standards. Throughout the book I could not shake the feeling of a rushed and unpolished job. Characterization that made sure that the characters would grow on us is either gone or shallow. Behavior changes almost in an instant, as if the reader has (in previous two books) read nothing but self-delusions and lies, and when the push came to shove those just disappeared into thin air. But even then the sudden changes would demand more of an explanation or description, not just a simple flip of the switch that Abercrombie seems to employ.
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Book rushes toward the end, trying to describe all that happens and in consequence oversimplifies the human factor. In my opinion, Abercrombie would be better off changing his plans and deciding to write a quadrilogy. The tales could be told entwined around two great events - one in the Northland and another in the city of Adua. That would give him enough room to explore in detail the growth of characters, their 'relapses' or even possible outside (i.e. magical) intervention that may have been the reason behind them.
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What bothered me even more is that while the tale ends, the book brings no true closure. I've tried to make a short inventory of my expectations when it comes to fantasy while writing this review, trying to decide if I've come to expect 'happily ever after' to find such a feeling. As self-serving as it might sound I've came to the conclusion that that's not really the case (yet). I don't know if Abercrombie plans to write more books set in this universe, or even with the same characters (even after writing all this, I still hope that Ninefingers can hold his breath for a REALLY long time), but that is the only explanation I can think of for such an emotionally unresolved ending.
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Last Argument of Kings is an average conclusion after two promising books. It's still an afternoon well spent, but it will probably take away any intention you had of rereading the trilogy after a year or two.

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The number of Fruitcakes I deem this book worthy of is:

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~ BlindMan ~