4 out of 5 stars
***100 Days of Summer 2023***
Reading prompt: Book that starts with a letter in the word BEACH
Virtual 12 sided dice roll: 7
Finished just under the wire! The book was due today and I finally got those last few pages read. Joe Abercrombie writes a compelling dark fantasy. There are three plot lines running through the book, and all of the relevant characters are facing significant challenges. The First Magus and his company are in search of a potential weapon and have a harrowing road to follow. The Northmen have decided to switch sides in the war in Angland, which may have been a mistake. But they adopt Colonel West, who gets his warrior name, Furious. Last but not least, Sand van Glokta gets sent to run the defenses of a doomed city, besieged by the Ghurkish. Has he been set up to fail? Is this how the High Lector rids himself of a damaged member of the Inquisition?
I was very engaged in all three story lines. I want to know what happens to all of them (and I'll definitely be reading Last Argument of Kings). Although there is plenty of blood, gore, and general warfare, there are interesting political currents that underpin these details, making the battles more intriguing than mere military manoeuvres. I was only a little disappointed in Glokta's inner monologue, which I didn't find quite as amusing as in Book One. Perhaps because I knew to expect it?
Does the First Magus regroup and make a new plan? Do the Northmen head for home and rejoin their former leader, Bethod? Can they go back? Will Glokta continue to please the High Lector or will he be returned to the torture chamber? I can hardly wait to find out!
Book number 498 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project
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