Last Argument of Kings (The First Law Trilogy, 3)

I’ve been marathoning my way through the First Law trilogy now for a while, and with each new chapter, falling more and more under Joe Abercrombie’s spell. And yet, I couldn’t have been more wrong in some of my comments that I made about the first and second books in the series. Not in their quality, and not in their strengths – the rich character building, the black sense of humor, the complex plotting. No, what I misjudged – and what punched me in the gut as Last Argument of Kings finished – was its sense of hope. Because while I thought that Abercrombie was presenting deeply flawed characters who were doing their best to be good people, and that those good people might be capable of redemption, it turned out he had a whole secondary game waiting for me in the shadows – one that left me pretty stunned by the end of the series. In most ways, though, Last Argument of Kings continues the threads we’ve seen for the other books. The wars we’ve been setting up on both sides of the Aduan kingdom – that with Bethod to the north and the Gurkish to the south – finally break loose, in all of their horrific violence and cost. And as those wars play out, our various “heroes” (put in quotes because, as anyone who’s read these books knows, calling any of these men pure heroes is a stretch of the imagination) find themselves in positions of surprising power over the events unfolding. Logen Ninefingers – a.k.a., the “Bloody Nine” – reunites with his old group of men, and does his best to turn the tide in the North, while continuing his internal debate of whether he could ever undo the damage he’s done in his old life. Sand dan Glokta – cripple, torturer, cynic – finds himself torn between two very demanding masters, and with the power to quite possibly save the kingdom – or maybe destroy it. And Jezal dan Luthar finally realizes exactly why Bayuz, the First of the Magi, has been following him around for so long. More than anything else, though, this is the book where we finally see Abercrombie’s full design, and just how elegantly he’s been putting all of this together. I’ve commented about the previous books that one of their joys is the sense that we’re not quite sure what the endgame is – just what, exactly, is the common thread of this trilogy? By the time Last Argument of Kings ends, you’ll realize exactly what’s going on, and see that what we’ve been watching play out has been far more controlled, manipulated, and shaped than what we expected. And our assumptions about our characters are going to take some serious blows. What Abercrombie seems to be fascinated by, overall, is the blurred line between good and evil, and that’s something that gives the ending its brutal punch. Characters we like, and even admire, turn out to be something less than heroic. Cowardice turns out to have its benefits. The cruelest, in some ways, show themselves to be capable of the greatest kindnesses. And more than anything, the question of power and survival hang over everything. Exactly how far should we be willing to go in order to survive and succeed? These are thorny questions, and Abercrombie doesn’t give us easy answers. Nor does he make the book an easy read, as he displays a Martin-like willingness to butcher and maim characters, to turn them on their heads, and make us question their motives. It’s a bravura performance by Abercrombie, and while the end can be a painful, heartbreaking read at points – one character’s fate, in particular, is truly awful in ways that I never dreamed of – I’m also floored by what he accomplished here. Each character developed, changed, evolved, and shaped over the course of the series in incredible ways, giving you a complexity and depth that many authors just dream of, and setting up moral shades of gray without ever betraying our assumptions. More than that, by the time you finish Last Argument of Kings, it becomes evident just what a grand scope Abercrombie was working on, and just how intricately structured the entire series has been from the beginning. In short, it’s a fantasy trilogy that I absolutely loved. It’s darkly funny, shockingly violent, richly written, beautifully rendered, thoughtfully constructed, and brilliant. And I’m thrilled that there’s more stand-alone books to come – I don’t plan on waiting long to jump into them. If you like George R.R. Martin and haven’t read these, you’re missing out, plain and simple.

The Last Argument of Kings is the third and final volume in Joe Abercrombie's First Law trilogy. The series follows a small but varied array of characters as they navigate treacherous wars on several fronts in a world resembling medieval Europe. It's a fairly standard fantasy plot: the dark, mysterious empire to the south holds a grudge against the "civilized" good guys who are also dealing with the barbarian hordes to the north. In fact, a lot of the series is pretty standard, but the First Law trilogy excels anyway, and the Last Argument of Kings is a fine conclusion. There is no one aspect of the novel that is particularly fantastic. Although two of the characters, Glokta the crippled Inquisitor and Logen the reluctant warrior-barbarian, are fascinating (particularly Glokta), the rest of the characters fit into pretty basic character tropes: the mysterious wizard, the cocky swordsman, the bumbling apprentice, the murderous barbarians, etc. The more prototypical characters, however, are developed pretty well and fit into the story nicely. Characters like Jezal (the swordsman) and Bayaz (the magician) likely won't stick with the reader years later, but they're passable. Abercrombie's writing is pretty solid. Each character's point of view chapter is written uniquely. That is, chapters from Logen the barbarian's point of view are written more gruffly, with slang words, short sentences, etc., while chapters from Jezal the noble's perspective are written more fluidly, with more proper wording and sentence structure. It's a neat little touch that adds some realism to an already realistic bit of writing. For the most part, Abercrombie doesn't write deep, thorough descriptive narrative, preferring, instead, to leave the reader to imagine what most of the characters and scenery look like. It's an effective strategy for Abercrombie as flowery narrative would surely undermine the gritty feel he intended. The strongest part of the writing, however, is the dialogue, which is snappy and realistic. Abercrombie manages to give each character a unique mode of speech without relying on cheesy accents or catchphrases. As a final point on the writing style, Abercrombie writes some very good, very realistic action scenes. A lot of fantasy authors are a little high minded with their fight scenes, portraying them as little more than glorified fencing sessions, but Abercrombie's fights are brutal, dirty and painful - truly a pleasure to read. Although they all share a lot of the same strengths and weaknesses, the Last Argument of Kings is probably the best book in the series. As much as I enjoyed the Blade Itself, it was basically one long, extended introduction. The plot barely advanced at all. Things really started to move in Before They Are Hanged, but the novel served primarily to get the characters into position for the conclusion. Outside of the fact that you wouldn't understand the characters or the plot, you could probably read the Last Argument of Kings on its own and not miss a whole lot (aside from an enjoyable reading experience). The First Law Trilogy is by no means perfect. As I said, the plot is nothing special. In fact, it's fairly predictable at times. I don't recall a single moment of real surprise in any of the three books, even the conclusion. The book is a quick read with a decent plot, great action scenes and some really interesting characters. If you didn't like the Blade Itself, you likely won't like Before They Are Hanged. But if you did enjoy the Blade Itself and Before They Are Hanged, or you are looking for an entertaining, exciting fantasy read, pick up the Last Argument of Kings and the First Law trilogy. As a final note, there are two side novels currently that build on the plot and characters of the First Law trilogy, which means that there is a lot more to read. And the best thing I can say about the series is that, even after three volumes, I am still eager to read more about Abercrombie's world and characters. The First Law trilogy is well worth your time.

A stupendous ending to the epic First Law Trilogy, although if you've been following closely, you know that there's at least two more trilogies in Abercrombie's First Law World. If fantasy to you means swordmasters, axe-wielders, and magicians whose powers come from the dark side, this is the ticket for you. If you want to be drawn into a world where life is nasty, bitter, fatalistic, where having all your dreams come true isn't all you thought it would be, read this. Forget Tinkerbell and happy bappy munchkins, and dancing oompa-loompas. They ain't here. This is fantasy for grown ups who know that there isn't always a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and who you end up being isn't necessarily who you thought you were. It's grim, folks, rather grim. In this volume (and they are all around 640 pages so plan to take breaks before your eyes get too strained), we pick up where we left off at the end of the previous book. All our characters are coming home from their grand adventures and home isn't always quite what they expect. Logen Bloody Ninefingers surprises the world in the North, all of which was content to think him dead and gone. Logen wants to turn over a new leaf, but he's made do many damn enemies in the course of being the bloodiest and deadliest man alive. That, and he doesn't know much of anything but killing. Good thing they need his bloodthirsty spirit to take out Bethod and the dread forms Bethod has made alliance with. Nevertheless, in the North, civilized behavior is only temporary and no one easily accepts new leadership. Luthar returns to Adua and to his surprise is welcomed as a conquering hero. He still has it bad for Ardee, but knows marrying her is out of the question. Luthar has a lot of growth as he rises to the occasion only to wonder whether having all his childhood dreams come true is ever going to make him happy. Colonel West too has to rise the occasion of leadership. It is to him that falls the ugly task of facing Bethod and surviving the complexities of modern army hierarchy. He may long to return to wandering with a handful of barbaric Northmen, but that's not where he's needed. Glotka, the cripple, continues to be among the most fascinating of creatures in literature. Bitter, self-pitying, but with an odd knack for survival, Glotka figures out what it takes with palace politics and who to trust - no one. Last Argument of Kings is epic in every possible way from the hand to hand battles to the Union on the brink of survival nearly engulfed by overwhelming forces. What makes it work do well is that every one of these characters is fully human, burdened by their past mistakes, thrust into roles they don't feel right for, and swirling in the mists of fate and strategy, often struggling not to be puppeted by more powerful forces.

This is a great series, although I can't say I'm entirely thrilled with how the author "ended" everything. Still, if you like gritty, interesting, three-dimensional characters who behave like real people, an interesting world, lots of action and surprises, and some (but not too much) magic, I highly recommend this series and this writer. I just hope that, although I realize this was a trilogy and is considered "finished," at some point his future books set in this world re-visit some of these plot lines and characters. My main criticism is that, although much is revealed in the third and final book in the series, very little is really resolved. While I don't expect every loose end to be tied up, I do expect some resolution of the major plot points. Here, the reader is not told how things ultimately turned out, either for the world itself or many of the main characters. For example, the story ends with two main characters in peril, and you don't know whether they lived or died. Other plots and characters' fates are also similarly left open-ended. It's kind of like if George R.R. Martin ended A Song Of Ice And Fire after book two; while you'd have been treated to a great ride and would know much more than when you started, it would be frustrating because you don't know how things ultimately turned out.

There was so much action in this book, I'm surprised it didn't leave bloodstains on my bookshelf! Last Argument of Kings is the finale of the First Law Trilogy. In order to understand what's going on in this book, you really need to read "The Blade Itself" and "...Before They Are Hanged." Imagine an epic fantasy trilogy like Lord of the Rings populated with the characters from Sin City. (Marv, Kevin, Dwight...) This is a truly gritty fantasy world exclusively inhabited by crazed misfits and sociopaths. The plot is complex, the action is savage, and the dialogue is entertainingly grim. Story: It picks up right where "Before They Are Hanged" left off with the kingdom in serious trouble from Bethod in the North, the Ghurkish Empire in the South, and traitors within. The survivors from the first two books are all back and they're in more trouble than ever. The character driven story arcs weave in and out of each other to create a page turning experience. This is a true finale and you'll get satisfying conclusions to almost all of the story arcs. Characters: Any of the "Good Guys" in this book could easily be villains in any other fantasy novel. They're flawed, violent, warped, and severely lacking any morals whatsoever. If that doesn't bother you, you might find them refreshingly dark and entertaining. Half of the fun of this book is reading about what these psychopaths are going to do next. The dialogue will have you laughing out loud, then feeling a bit dirty for laughing. Writing Style: The story is told through well written scenes with very interesting characters and good dialogue. This book is filled with gory battles. There's dark humor, action, interesting plot twists, and resolutions. The descriptions of just about everything are gritty: Clothes are stained, warriors stink of sweat, faces are scarred... It's quite a change of pace from most fantasy novels where everything is black and white. The World: It's a dark medieval fantasy world where there is ancient magic, humanoid races, and conflict. There are no dragons, elves, dwarves, hobbits, butterflies, or unicorns. If a unicorn actually appeared in this book, it would probably eat fairies, impale children with its horn, and cuss like a drunken sailor. Action: The Last Argument of Kings features about 400 pages of the most intense battle scenes that you'll ever read. It's a bone crunching blend of Zach Snyder's 300 and those Bloody Asphalt Movies they use to scare kids in school when they get their driver's learning permits. There are epic battles, duels, supernatural beings, magic, sieges, massacres, and carnage. The body count is well over 100,000. And there's none of that, "Character gets stabbed, quietly falls to the ground, and magically disappears from the battlefield." In this book, characters get stabbed through a lung, gurgle as blood pours out of their mouth and the gaping hole in their chest as they crawl along the ground grasping futily while their companions trample them into the mud. Maturity Level: This book is dark, has foul language, torture, sex, violence, and gore. You should probably only read it if you've been to prison or you have a strong stomach. Otherwise, it may be too shocking for you. Overall: The series is very fun to read if you like grim humor, dark characters, and violent action. But it is missing humanity. There are no virtuous characters to offset the misfits. If the whole world is rotten to the core, then why struggle? In the end, it falls a bit short from becoming a classic and settles for being ruthlessly entertaining. There's nothing wrong with that. Pick it up if you're tired of noble heroes, perfect princesses, and convenient endings. If you enjoyed the first two books, this is a satisfying conclusion. If you're a fan of George RR Martin, this is an excellent read while you wait... and wait... and wait... for him to finish his series. Avoid it if you are squeamish about bloody entrails laying in the mud, dirty fingernails, gaping wounds, greasy hair, or bloody spittle. You might not have the stomach for this adventure. If you need noble heroes with perfect teeth and a white horse, you should probably skip the series as well.

I just finished The First Law, Book 3: Last Argument of Kings and I can't remember the last time I read a series this exciting, if ever. My biggest complaint of modern epic fantasy is that too many series consist of tombstone-sized doorstoppers by authors who don't have the discipline to complete books in a timely manner or the gahonas to even finish the story. Finally, a trilogy comes along during which I don't grow older waiting for the next installment and is truly only three books long.... Then, I only find myself not wanting it to end. The Blade Itself and Before They are Hanged consistently build the momentum of The First Law trilogy with the determined speed of a freight-train unknowingly headed for a washed-out bridge. The story does conclude in Last Argument of Kings but only after several jaw-dropping twists that you'll never, ever, see coming. But, like every great legend, it leaves just a few things unfinished, so this story does end, but you can always hope for more. I found the characters to be so unique, interesting, and brutally believable, that I could not do them justice by describing my favorites briefly enough to keep this review at an appropriate length. The action is both savagely violent and undeniably realistic. It's scary to think that the intrigue and ruthlessness of the story's ruling powers may be all too close to reality. I loved everything about The First Law. From the clever writing, the beautifully done covers, and even the real quotes used at each part's title page -- they all combine to enhance the experience of a truly original and thrilling fantasy epic. My only criticism is that I would've liked just a tad more visual descriptions, but Mr. Abercrombie's genius for dialog and character narrations easily makes up for that, and then some. I can't wait to see what Joe Abercrombie does next.

Joe has a way of warming the heart. Great ending for all of the characters and an overall great wrap of this story.

So, I guess this is gritty fantasy. I had picked up The Blade Itself about a million times in various bookstores and read the first chapter or so and ultimately put it back on the shelf for another day. After finishing this last book in the series, I kind of wish that I had listened to my original instinct and left this series on the shelf for someone else. To be fair, I didn't end up not liking this series for the reasons I thought I would, but I still wouldn't enthusiastically recommend this series to anyone who doesn't love torture-porn. There is graphic violence! Sociopaths abound! People are horrible to one another! And, most of all, no one gets a happy ending! Also, the most likeable character at the end of the trilogy is a sadistic torturer. Except for Dogman, I guess. He's still pretty okay, but that only sets him up for a future soul-crushing death. The most disappointing arc in the whole book is undoubtedly Logen's, so if you come out of the first two with any type of positive feeling for his character, just don't read this one. Imagine an ending for yourself and never, ever read this book. Maybe imagine an ending where someone invents psychiatry and everyone has a few long talks about their feelings and maybe they get some medication and then decide that they want to go on Phish tour and bliss out for a while. I’m imaging it right now and it’s not so bad. Or maybe just imagine that Logen got killed by that Shanka that dragged him over the cliff back in book one and you didn’t have to waste over a thousand pages of your time getting a little bit attached to him just to have him turn out to be an object lesson. After all, ‘Do you know what’s worse than a villain? A villain who thinks he’s a hero.’ I get that we’re going for “realistic”, but realistic is not nihilistic. Surely, somewhere, someone in the world of The First Law is actually kind of decent? I guess High Justice Morovia was probably alright? But you know what? He was probably a child molester or something, because that’s how The First Law rolls. Oh, this character is mildly likeable? Well, guess what, he beats his sister! Oh, here he’s getting a few scraps of redemption, and being good at his job? Well guess what, he’s got horrible injuries! Oh, so he’s recovering from his injuries and making up with his sister and maybe has an outside chance at a happy life? Well guess what, he is now stricken with horrible radiation-poisoning-cancer-death! LOL. ‘No one gets what they deserve’! And don’t get me started on what happens to Yulwei. There were some things I liked, and I generally enjoy when authors play with the classic tropes of fantasy, and that was done pretty well in this series. Bayaz is a highlight as an evil, machinating Gandalf on steroids, and is well foreshadowed in the other two books, so it feels natural when he drops any pretense of having even a couple of morals rattling around in him. Of course, it sucks that he’s the only one out of everyone who seems to get a happy (for him) ending, but I can accept that in the name of “realism”. Glokta is also a highlight, and I am left feeling curious about how the dynamic between him and Jezal might play out in the future. In the end, though, I don’t really need fantasy literature to tell me how miserable and terrible the human race is. I can just turn on the nightly news and see evidence of it. But, even in an institution as sensationalistic and heartless as the American media, they usually show one fluff piece at the end, just so people don’t totally give up hope in humanity. Maybe, as The First Law seems to argue, we shouldn’t hold onto hope or love, nor should we expect people to get what they deserve, nor should we even try to look for a hero, because heroes are so often disappointing. But maybe there is wisdom in showing that fluff piece. Because sometimes, just sometimes, people do get what they deserve, they don’t just cling to whatever scraps of power they are offered at all costs, and every once in a while someone really is a decent person. It’s frustrating when, even in something that is actually labeled FANTASY in big block letters on the spine, you don’t see any of that in evidence. Granted, most fantasy swings too far in the direction of good or at least neutral people doing things that are mostly good, and getting things that are usually pretty okay at the end of the day, but for me, The First Law swung the pendulum too far in the other direction for it to be enjoyable. Still, definitely not the worst thing I’ve ever read, nor something I am likely to forget soon.

L'Union est en guerre avec le Royaume du Nord. La menace de l'Empire du Sud se fait plus précise chaque jour... Le dernier volet de la trilogie comporte son lot de batailles, d'action et de violence. Mais plus que les scènes de combats, ce sont les parcours des différents personnages qui passionnent. L'auteur leur réserve - ainsi qu'au lecteur - nombre de surprises. J'ai beaucoup apprécié toute la trilogie, notamment pour ses personnages (chacun avec son lot de défauts et de qualités), et les différents niveaux d'intrigues. L'histoire ne connait pas de temps mort et l'on en suit avec intérêt les différents fils. Pour ma part, j'aurais préféré un peu plus de magie et un peu moins de combats, mais cela n'enlève rien au plaisir que j'ai eu à lire l'ensemble.

Good

We start off relatively soon after the events of the second book. West and Dogman are still in the North but they have Bethod on the run. Bayaz, Jezal, Ferro and Logan have newly arrived back to Adua while Glokta is threatening and bribing people as the ailing King is now heirless. At the same time whispers of a Gurkish invasion are starting to occur. I still don't really know how the author does it. All the characters are pretty horrible people, OK Dogman is still cool, and Jezal has grown on me immensely but still. Saying this I absolutely love them all and want them to succeed no matter how bad and deep they descent. You feel Logan's weariness but in this book especially you realize how much he has been lying to himself and that everybody was right about him. Ferro feels a few tinges of regret but still doubles down on her vengeance. Glokta just keeps hobbling along doing Glokta things. Jezal has grown but at heart is still a coward and caves at the slightest pressure. Dogman and West are definitely doing the right thing but are getting nowhere. And Bayaz, well let's just say he's absolutely perfect for this book and series. The action ramps up in this book but it is never sacrificed to plot and character development. Things get dark, and we do find out about a lot of stuff, particularly in relation to Bayaz and the distant past, but as usual most of the main characters don't really care. They continue to be involved in their petty, and sometimes not so petty, concerns. I also loved that there were quite a few chapters wrapping things up. I notice in a lot of books now, even big series, can just end quite abruptly. Here we follow up with all our characters, most get a superficially happy end, but none actually do really and there are still a lot of things in the air and unknown but it was still a very satisfying end to the series. Now the dilemma is whether to re-read the standalones again or move on to the sequel series which I had originally planned. Not a bad problem though :)

What a great finish to this trilogy. I really hope we'll hear more of the Bloody Nine. Say one thing for Logen Ninefingers, say he's still kicking! I feel like this'd be a great end to the series, or a great start for another trilogy. Either way I've thoroughly enjoyed the 1st 3books, & also Sharp Ends was an awesome read of short stories, providing some cool back stories of some of my favorite characters in the series. I'm about to start Best Served Cold now, & I suspect it'll be just as fun a read as these others from the world of the 1st Law. I certainly don't know about Abercrombie being the "king of grimdark", but I do know that I've really enjoyed what I've read so far, & have no doubt that he'll provide us more great fantasy in the future. He's definitely one of my favorite authors now👍

I bought two books as a gift, expecting new condition. Unfortunately they arrived with clearly visible wear: damaged and rounded corners, scuffed cover edges, and marked page edges. This does not look like shipping damage but prior handling. Because of the condition, the books are not suitable to be given as a gift. If items are not new, this should be clearly stated.