Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie - Book Review

Finally, some action! No, correct that. Plenty of action!

Before They Are Hanged, book two of The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie is filled with plenty of wars and battles, more than making up for what the first book lacked. I imagine the wait would have been truly worth it, but I already had a copy on hand and was able to continue with the story immediately. I usually don't read book series in succession, but I don't regret making an exception for The First Law trilogy, so far.    

Book two begins where book one left off, with the Union preparing for war on two fronts: attacking Bethod and his legions in the north and defending against the Gurkhish Empire and their Eaters in the south. Colonel West is assistant commander of the northern army, while Inquisitor Sand dan Glokta is given the impossible task of defending Dagoska, the Union's only remaining land in the south. 

Meanwhile, a party of unlikely companions embark on a journey to find a secret stone of powerful magic, which will be used to defeat the man-eating Eaters of the Gurkish Empire. Among these adventurers is First of the Magi Bayaz, Captain Jezal dan Luthar, feared barbarian of the north Logen Ninefingers, and deadliest woman of the south Ferro Maljinn. 

What I liked:

The numerous excellent action scenes in Before They Are Hanged raised the book series to a whole other level. There was the Union defending against the siege in the south. There was the Union waging war against the Bethod's army in the north. And there was Logen Ninefingers and his companions facing numerous challenges, including several epic battles, in their search for the magical stone. 

The novel is a breeze to read, despite having so many characters, settings, stories, and other information. I was able to finish reading it much quicker than I initially thought I would. 

Inquisitor Glokta continues to impress, but I'm interested in the drastic changes happening to these two characters: Captain Jezal, whose face got mauled by a mace; and Colonel West (a.k.a. Furious) who pushed Crown Prince Ladisla off a cliff. These were among the most epic scenes in the novel too. I expected neither of them to happen. 

What I didn't like:

Again, Captain Jezal's reminiscing about Ardee seems superfluous to the story, for me. I still think Logen Ninefingers is too strong, despite his mysterious barbarian rage mode being revealed in the second book. 

Among the three main set pieces of the novel (war in the north, siege in the south, and the search for the stone), it is the 'main' story line I find most uninteresting. And I was thoroughly disappointed when the stone ended up being a piece of ordinary rock. 

I'm assuming this story line will play a major role in the third and final book.Though how Joe Abercrombie can wrap everything up in one novel is still a mystery to me. 

My Rating: