Tag: joe abercrombie

5 Best Fantasy Book Series

February 4, 2019 / Kyle A. Massa

I love fantasy books. I read them, I write them, and on days like today, I blog about them. I think the title of this post says all it needs to, so let’s get into it.

5. The First Law by Joe Abercrombie

Image from Wikipedia

Of all the series on this list, The First Law might be the one you’re least familiar with. A brief synopsis: Logen Ninefingers, a barbarian of the frozen North, teams up with cheery torturer Sand dan Glokta and arrogant nobleman Jazal dan Luthar to serve the great wizard Bayaz. Thing is, Bayaz might not be exactly what any of them are expecting.

This series intentionally subverts about as many common fantasy tropes as possible. Abercrombie especially enjoys drawing murky lines between the good guys and the bad. What results is a series populated with oodles of complex, compelling characters.

Also, this series is actually pretty darn funny (in a Fargo sort of way). For example, in Glokta’s first chapter, he’s constantly interrupted by various parties while trying to torture a dude. He’s even scolded by the head of his department for recklessness, which might remind folks of classic bureaucratic nonsense that accompanies many jobs. This dark humor is a refreshing addition to a genre that can at times take itself too seriously.

4. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

Image from Book Haven

There’s a reason everyone loves this series, and it’s not just because of Alan Rickman. Harry Potter has an astounding cast of interesting characters, sharp plotting, and a satisfying series arc.

One of the series’s greatest strengths is its academic setting. Since many readers are currently or have been enrolled in school themselves, it’s easy to relate to Harry. Sure, maybe you haven’t competed in a life-threatening Triwizard Tournament. But you’ve likely gotten pretty stressed about an upcoming test (even if it wasn’t to become an Auror).

3. The Dark Tower by Stephen King

Image from Amazon

Some might debate whether or not The Dark Tower is fantasy, but this is my list and you can’t stop me. (Full disclosure: I haven’t actually finished this series; I’m currently on book four. But see above note about this being my list and all.)

Set in a desolate desert landscape, The Dark Tower chronicles the adventures of Roland Deschain, the last living gunslinger from an extinct line. He’s the archetypical man with no name who wanders the land in search of the Dark Tower, the point at which all worlds converge.

This multi-world theme is the coolest aspect of the series. From page one, you’ll notice many elements of Roland’s world correspond with our own. For example, a saloon piano player plays a song you might know: “Let It Be.” And yet in Roland’s world, it’s just a folk standard—no one’s ever heard of The Beatles.

Another thing: alternate realities. When a particular character dies (no spoilers) the series timeline splits. This creates a paradox in which two realities exist simultaneously. Which kind of drives people nuts. So cool.

For fans of Stephen King, there’s even more to love. That’s because this series is packed with easter eggs from all his other novels. You’ll notice little references to many of his other famous novels, including ‘Salem’s Lot, The Shining, and It.

2. A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin

Image from winteriscoming.net

Expecting this at number one? Listen, this ranking thing is tough. Don’t be too hard on me!

I’m sure you’ve seen HBO’s wildly popular adaptation, but I’ll give you a synopsis anyway: The kingdom of Westeros is in turmoil. Royal families all vie for control of the Iron Throne. Lots of sex and bad language.

This series is sick. Martin writes some of the all-time most memorable characters in fantasy, and dare I say, even literature itself. The plot is entirely character driven, and each event is propelled forth with excitement and intrigue. Plus, anyone can die at any moment, which gives the series a very real sense of menace.

Martin’s series has redefined modern fantasy. He’s been hugely successful at eschewing the clear morals and idyllic landscapes of The Lord of the Rings in favor of grittiness and brutality. It can be exceedingly grim at times, but it also leads to some really compelling reading. It’s amazing how Martin seeds events in early volumes which don’t come to fruition until two or even three volumes later. There are literally entire message boards composed of fan theories about what’s happening and what’s going to happen. Amazing stuff. And people wonder why it takes him so long to write these things.

1. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Image from Adazing

Yup, it’s still the GOAT. The Lord of the Rings is the foundational text of modern epic fantasy literature.

As with these other series, The Lord of the Rings features a huge cast of endearing characters. Though they’re not as diverse or distinct as those in say, A Song of Ice and Fire, Tolkien’s creations still stand the test of time. Each has interesting dramatic conflict and each plays an important role in the story. Plus, I’d argue that some of Tolkien’s greatest characters, such as Gandalf, Gollum, and Samwise Gamgee, have entered into literature’s all time greatest.

The setting is also magnificent. Middle-Earth is perhaps one of the most well-realized worlds ever put onto paper. Each structure has history; every location has a story; every other page has a song. Okay, I might be exaggerating with that last one, but still. Whether or not you love the pages and pages of wandering through the setting, it’s difficult to deny the depth of imagination here.

And how about the languages? Countless post-Tolkien fantasy authors have created alternate languages, yet it’s obvious that theirs have little basis in linguistics. Remember, Tolkien himself was a professor of language. In fact, some have speculated that he wrote LOTR more or less as an excuse to create his own languages. Therefore, the words in his works have real depth. There’s a functioning system behind these names—not just someone making up words that sound exotic.

No, The Lord of the Rings is not a perfect series. There’s a glaring shortage of female characters. The treatment of ethnicity and race can be troubling at times. We’re not talking about H.P. Lovecraft here, though I do feel that some elements of the book have not aged well into our modern world. No, it isn’t perfect. But I still believe this trilogy is the foundational text for epic fantasy literature. There’s tons to enjoy and tons to love.

Okay, that’s my list. What do you think? What did I get wrong? What did I forget? What would you leave off entirely? Usually I hate ending blog posts with a call to comment, but really. Comment on this one. I want to hear from you!

Kyle A. Massa is a speculative fiction author living somewhere in upstate New York with his wife and their two cats. His stories have appeared in numerous online magazines, including Allegory, Chantwood, and Dark Fire Fiction. His debut novel, Gerald Barkley Rocks, is available now on Amazon Kindle.

“Red Country” Review

December 25, 2012 / Kyle A. Massa

A fantasy-western hybrid. Sounds fun, right? That’s what Joe Abercrombie’s Red Country. Set in the disputed, gold-ridled landscape of the Far Country, Red Country tells the story of Shy South and her step-father Lamb. When their farm is burned down and Shy’s brother and sister are taken, the unlikely pair go on a quest to get them back. But Lamb isn’t who he seems, and the quest becomes more than they bargained for.

I think it only took me two or three days to finish this baby up. I had such high expectations. Some of those expectations were met. Others…not so much.

The thing that bothered me right away was the prose style. I read a few of Abercrombie’s blogs about his inspiration for the book, and most came from old western novels. Red Country has the kind of sentences that you’d expect to see in those books, full of run-ons and poor grammar and shifting tense. It was definitely a good way to establish the tone and the world, but in general I found it distracting. There were a few instances in which I had to go back and re-read a single sentence two or three times before I could understand what the hell it said. I get that he was going for Western-style prose, but at least for me, it was kind of annoying.

I must say that I did enjoy the return of Logen Ninefingers, even though Abercrombie really didn’t answer any of the questions I had about him. Well, at least this volume didn’t raise any new questions; it just left me with the same ones I had before. In any case, it was great to see The Bloody Nine back in action. In my opinion, he’s one of Abercrombie’s top three greatest creations, along with Caul Shivers and my personal favorite, Sand dan Glokta. Nicomo Cosca used to be up there, but not after this book.

The Cosca of Red Country was the ugly cousin of the Cosca from The First Law. I think old, bitter, and psychotic are the three best adjectives to describe Red Country Nicomo Cosca. After finishing the book, I remember thinking: What the hell happened to this guy??? Where was the lovable rogue of The First Law? Red Country Cosca was not nearly so fun. He lacked all of the humor and much of the wit that made him so memorable in earlier volumes. And his moral complexity? Nowhere to be found. It used to be that he tottered on the line between good and evil. In this book, he was so far on the evil side that he was probably having afternoon tea with Hitler and Satan.

But Red Country was not entirely without its charms. It was really fun to see Shivers again, albeit in a cameo. His introduction was about as bad-ass as you can get. And the part with the dragon was pretty intriguing. I’ve heard speculation that Abercrombie might write another trilogy next. Could this dragon make another appearance?

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This one was tough for me, because it was the first Joe Abercrombie book I’ve had mixed feelings about. While the book did have strong characters and a few memorable scenes, the flat story and slow pacing made it far less enjoyable than it could’ve and should’ve been.

Rating: 6.5/10

Red Country Preview

September 20, 2012 / Kyle A. Massa

If you’re a fantasy fan and you haven’t read any Joe Abercrombie books, go do it now.

Well, actually, read this first. Then go read The Blade Itself. Then try Before They Are Hanged. Then Last Argument of Kings, Best Served Cold, and finally The Heroes.

Oh, and there’s one more. The forthcoming Red Country.

What can we guess about this new fantasy-western? Well, a decent amount. Let’s talk.

For those of you who don’t want spoilers about previous events in Abercrombie’s books, you probably shouldn’t read this. If you’ve never read any of his books, you won’t understand any of this anyway.

So what do we know so far? Well, anyone’s who’s a fan of Abercrombie’s books knows that Red Country marks the return of his most beloved character: Logen Ninefingers, a.k.a. The Bloody Nine. As if the descriptions of a “bloody past” weren’t enough, the Youtube preview for the book showed a pair of bloody handprints, conspicuously short of a finger. Oh, and did anyone read the sample chapter? The names of Lamb’s oxen are Calder and Scale.

So my question is, could Abercrombie have made it anymore obvious? I mean, there’s pretty much zero doubt among fans that Lamb is Logen Ninefingers. In fact, Abercrombie’s made it so very obvious that it makes me wonder. After all, this is a guy who makes his money by introducing a familiar concept, character, or situation, and then turning it on its head. I have no idea how he’d do it without pissing people off, but I think he might have Lamb turn out to be just some other guy, and not really Logen.

That said, I really really really hope that Lamb is indeed The Bloody Nine. He was always one of my favorites from The First Law series, and I’ve been waiting and waiting for his return. I think that if he does appear, we might learn something interesting about his whole split personality thing. I myself think that The Bloody Nine is some kind of possessive spirit, though I’m probably 100% wrong about that.

Moving on, I hope Shy South isn’t a clone of Monza Murcatto. I’m not sure what it is, but something about her having a “violent past” reminds me of The Snake of Talins. It just seems like there’s a lot of hot warrior woman characters running around in fantasy literature, and I feel like it’s a tired character template. For a guy who’s able to create such unique characters, I feel like Abercrombie can do better. And hopefully, he will.

According to an article in Publisher’s Weekly, Shy and Lamb also meet up with some Union soldiers and Northmen. I’m not sure what the Union’s doing in the Old Empire or Starikland or wherever the heck this book’s taking place. I thought they were heading over to Styria to deal with Murcatto. And what are Northmen doing there? It’s hard to say.

Maybe we’ll see an envoy of King Jezal (or even the King himself) on a mission to add The Old Empire or Starikland to the Union. As far as the Northmen, maybe we’ll see the Dogman, weary of war and just looking for peace and quiet somewhere far away. I could also see somebody from The Heroes making a return. For some reason, I want to say an exiled Galma Golden. Abercrombie has a knack for taking supporting players and giving them much more important roles. Could Golden be the next?

I also read that Nicomo Cosca is making a reappearance in this one as well. Awesome addition. I’ve always loved Cosca. If only Sand dan Glokta would return in this one, too, maybe as the envoy of the King. It would be like a First Law family reunion!

The wait will be over in a few short months. Until then, if you haven’t read any Abercrombie, do it now. And if you have…well, just read them all again.

Abercrombie’s “The Heroes” is Bloody Good Fun

June 20, 2012 / Kyle A. Massa

Cynical characters, fast pacing, and a hell of a lot of blood. I think that sums up Joe Abercrombie’s fantasy novel The Heroes pretty well.

Abercrombie is fast becoming one of my favorite modern fantasy authors, due in large part to books like this. Set in the icy wastes of the north, The Heroes focuses on a three day battle between the barbaric Northmen and the international superpower known as the Union. There are plenty of fighters on each side, from veterans to raw recruits, from kings to prospective kings, and they all have a part in the festivities.

(Many a spoiler herein.)

First off, the battle scenes are good, and I mean really good. So good that I’d be willing to call them Abercrombie’s best; certainly some of the best I’ve ever read. The deaths are visceral, the descriptions grisly. For example, one of my favorite chapters employs a technique I like to call “Point-of-View Relay” (I’ve already copyrighted the term––anyone else who uses it from now on owes me money). We start the chapter from the point of view of a supporting character. That character runs around a little, does some fighting, and eventually gets killed. Then we switch to the perspective of the guy who killed him, and we follow him for a while as he does some fighting of his own. Eventually he’s killed, and then we follow his killer, and so on. It’s inventive, and a great way to put the reader right into the action.

As far as characters, there are a lot to like. The scheming Prince Calder is one of my favorites, as is the scheming Finree dan Brock. (In case you didn’t notice, I really like the schemers, and Abercrombie offers plenty). I’ve always been a big fan of Black Dow, and Bayaz is a welcome return as an excellent villain. If you read my blog on Best Served Cold, then you already know about my soft spot for Caul Shivers. I like Curnden Craw, too, though I can’t help but feel that he’s too nice to have the same moral complexity of Abercrombie’s other characters. A likable character, certainly––but not very intriguing. And I’m not a fan of Ishri, either. Ever since she said something like “I’ve still got it” in Best Served Cold, I’ve never been able to take her seriously.

Other problems I have with the book…well, not many. Could’ve used a bit more tactics, I thought. Most of it was just who goes where, followed by fifty pages of slaughter. Fun, but I thought that could’ve been a little better.

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All in all, a very enjoyable read, with a huge cast of characters and plenty of gory fun. Some of those characters lack the snap of previous books, however, and I found the tactics to be a bit less prominent than advertised. Still, it’s an undeniable good time.

Rating: 8/10

A Book Review

June 5, 2012 / Kyle A. Massa

Just finished Joe Abercrombie’s Best Served Cold, and it’s easily my favorite entry from an excellent fantasy writer.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Abercrombie, he’s known for a gritty, character-driven style of fantasy in the vein of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire. He published his first novel in 2007, entitled The Blade Itself. Since then, Abercrombie has written a novel a year, most recently The Heroes in 2011. Another entry is due out sometime this year, tentatively titled A Red Country.

The thing I love about Abercrombie’s books are his characters. Those who read his First Law trilogy are probably already familiar with a few, but there are plenty of newcomers in Best Served Cold as well.

Beware. Here there be spoilers.

My favorite of the new characters is definitely Caul Shivers. Not completely new, as he is introduced in Before They Are Hanged, if I’m not mistaken. But he’s certainly expanded upon throughout this new entry. I found his character arc quite compelling, going from a man seeking a better life to a bitter warrior with nothing left to lose or gain.

I noticed a few reviewers were concerned with Shivers’ striking similarity to Logen Ninefingers, a fan favorite of First Law fame, and I can’t deny that they are indeed very similar. However, I found that the similarities work well, lending a sense of stinging irony to the book. Shivers proclaims his hatred for Ninefingers numerous times, (after all, Logen did kill his brother) and yet he mirrors his most hated enemy’s character arc, almost to a tee.

That said, I found the main character of Best Served Cold, Monza Murcatto, a bit underwhelming. She reminded me more than a little of Ferro Maljin, yet another character from The First Law, but not in a particularly good way. While Shivers and Ninefingers are tragic mirrors of one another, Murcatto is more like a retread of Maljin. Even their love stories seemed recycled. (In The First Law, Ferro falls in love with Ninefingers, then they end up hating each other by the end. In Best Served Cold, Monza and Shivers fall for each other, and by the end, they hate each other too.) I liked Monza a little more than Ferro, but they were still a bit too similar for my tastes.

As for the other characters, I found Nicomo Cosca to be a wonderful return. His odd combination of cowardice and wit entertained me throughout. The institutionalized convict Friendly was another of my favorites. Such a strange fellow, and his duel with Shivers toward the end was epic. Castor Morveer was another welcome addition. He was funny and interesting, with a hint of tragedy, just enough so that you felt bad when he died. Well, I don’t know about you, but I did.

As far as the story, I found it engaging, though perhaps a bit on the long side. The murder of Prince Ario in the brothel was by far my favorite of the seven assassinations, and I felt that none of the others afterward approached that level of excitement.

…

Best Served Cold is an excellent addition to any fantasy collection. Well drawn characters, a well realized world, and plenty of gory action all combine to make one hell of an adventure.

Rating: 9/10