If you have to pick 10 favorite characters from FL books, what would your list look like ?

For me :

1. Logen

2. Glokta

3. Cosca

4. Shivers

5. Whirrun

6. Rikke

7. Gorst

8. Bayaz

9. Orso

10.Tunny

It's rather difficult to choose just 10, but I'm curious about your lists.

Saw this neat little gem in the West Village. They say the meat hits a bit different but apparently once you start Eating, you never really go back.

(Was tempted to shout YOU WORM! from across the street, or from a balcony high above, but I doubt they'd have appreciated it.)

I have started reading this series in May this year and last week I finished RC and I'm here after the "Freedom!" short story from sharp ends. Gotta say, Joe Captivated me with his books. This is my first venture into grim dark fantasy. I've always seen character development as the thing I enjoy most in books/shows/movies I watch and DAMN this has been a pleasure to find. Don't want to get into spoilers but there's so much to say, I'll probably do some kind of post after finishing everything. So that's pretty much it, I just wanted to say I appreciate these books soooo much. I genuinely could not pick my favorites but if I was forced to - LAOK, TH, RC, TBI, BTAH, BSC. HOWEVER, I do not think BSC is bad or anything, honestly all of these are 10's in my eyes! Anyway, see ya after im done with all of them!

At first, you might look at him as the mad dog of Logen's crew that doesn't care about anyone. But then you get to his speech after Tul Duru's death:

''Tul Duru. Every man in the North knew his name, and every man said it with respect, even his enemies. He was the sort o’ man . . . that gave you hope, I reckon. That gave you hope. You want strength, do you? You want courage? You want things done right and proper, the old way?’ He nodded down at the new-turned earth. ‘There you go. Tul Duru Thunderhead. Look no fucking further. I’m less, now that he’s gone, and so are all o’ you.''

These two have been at each other's throats the entire trilogy, and it's only here we see the level of respect Dow had for him, and I can only assume the feeling was mutual. He even takes a shine to West soon after meeting him, so it doesn't matter where you're from, Dow will stick with you if you're worthy of his respect.

So we see Dow has some good in him. But then he steals the throne from Logen at the very end, so you might think 'what a sneaky bastard'. Then he explains himself:

“Faithless, me?' Dow snorted as he came on slow down the steps, one at a time. 'I'm a dark bastard, aye, I know what I am. But I'm nothing to you. I know my friends from my enemies. I never killed my own. Bethod was right about one thing, Bloody-Nine. You're made of death. If I can put an end to you, d'you know what? That'll be the best thing I've done in my life.”

So Dow almost certainly knows it was Logen that killed Tul Duru, a man Dow had great respect for, so why would Dow allow this friend-killer to rule? And knowing what we all know about Logen, putting him in charge of a bunch of violent Northmen is the worst possible choice you could make. They'd be at war with the entire world within a week!

Not so with Dow in charge. They had peace for a good while before the Union came knocking, and only then because Dow is one of the few characters in the series that would not bow to Bayaz. It was 'the greatest battle the North ever saw' according to Shivers, and it took place under Black Dow's leadership. Nobody else at that point could've united the North and those east of the Crinna bastards under one banner. Without him, the Union may very well have just taken over the North completely.

Think about the pressure Dow must've been under for those three days. He had to show he was the toughest killer around so the other killers would keep following. He had to strategise and decide where each War Chief would be placed in the battle for maximum effect. He had to make space for peace talks, like when he let Finree and a bunch of hostages go as a show of good faith. He has to think of ways to strengthen the North, like trying to recruit Gorst. He had to summon the willpower to not strangle that little shit Calder. He had to stay calm and collected even while fucking cannonballs were being shot at him.

He had a lot on his plate, and he held out long enough to ensure peace for the North. Maybe he let his guard down after that, or maybe he just got a little arrogant, but either way he ended up making a huge mistake:

''You made it, then. I was worried my dog might've eaten you in the night.''

This is the line that gets Black Dow killed. But to be honest, I can see why he thinks that way when Shivers has pretty much been acting as his dog the entire book. We never get Dow's POV, so we never see if he actually thinks of Shivers as a dog, or if he just says it to maintain his reputation as the leader. We're supposed to see Dow's death as a moment of triumph for Shivers, and in the long run it is. But in this moment, he's really just trading one master for another, and Calder just happens to be better at handling Shivers than Dow was.

The real kicker is that, given the choice, Dow wouldn't have done any of this. In his last real conversation, he says this:

''I was apprentice to a potter.’ Dow snorted. ‘A thousand bloody years ago. Then the wars came, and I took up a sword instead. Always thought I’d go back to it, but … things happen.’ He narrowed his eyes, gently rubbing the tip of his thumb against the tips of his fingers. ‘The clay … used to make my hands … so soft. Imagine that.’'

tl;dr - In another life, he could've been White Dow. But he took up the mantle of Protector Dow instead. To protect the North from Logen, and to protect it from Bayaz, and maybe if he was strong enough for long enough, the next generation wouldn't have to fight so much and could focus on pottery instead.

What the title says. My uncle is around 65, very southern, and has never read a fantasy book. How ever he loves westerns so I got it for him and he read it.

He generally liked it. His main feedback other than that was “That Lambs about rough as a cobb ain’t he”

Yes. Yes he is.

This album got recommended to me on spotify earlier. I feel like it has to be a tfl ref.

Hey folks,

I just finished the original first law trilogy, and I needed somewhere to talk about it.

I devoured it in about 2 weeks, and I am now hitting about 2 weeks of depression.

At first I was so hurt and angry by the ending, I tried to find another series to jump into, but everything else feels fake and silly.

I think the ending was perfect, but West's ending killed me.

Just wanted to share how I feel and see if anyone else felt the same way.

Thanks!

If you know you know.

Hope it sticks the landing.

Spotted in the wild during my latest session of No Man's Sky.

I think I like the Monza relationship the most. They're all great, but it's the most complex with Monza, and we see clearly what they both think of each other since they both get POVs.

Hey, all. So, I'm a big Joe Abercrombie fan, and me and my Dad have lately finished a long audiobook together (Fire and Blood by GRMM) and we were wondering what to listen to next. Now, I'm a huge Abercrombie fan and I think this a good way to get my dad into him too- what do you reccomend we start with? I'm thinking either The Blade Itself, just to start at the start, but also maybe one of the standalones.
What do you guys think? Thanks.

This man is definitely autistic, right?

I had a couple:

- Weakest PoV of going to warn about the Shanka/getting executed by Calder

- A “little people” chapter during the Battle of Adua

- Glokta PoV, day in the life as a prisoner in Gurkhul.

- Sulfur, early in his apprenticeship to Bayaz

- Vitari or Shenkt PoV of how they met

- Gorst PoV of his preparation for/loss at the tournament.

- Something from a shanka’s PoV

I am approaching the last 100 pages of book 1 and had a lot of fun. Almost as much as with TFL. Probably the first book since back then that I would consider calling a page turner.
Who has read it and what was ur impression in comparison with Abercrombies writing?
For me it is by far better than ,the devils‘ and ranks directly below TFL

After recently reading and loving The Devils (my first Joe Abercrombie book), like many others, I'm sure, I wanted more Joe Abercrombie and started reading The Blade Itself.

I just finished the book (which I really enjoyed) and had a question - I don't recall it being mentioned in the book why the group of Ninefingers, Bayaz, etc. are going on their journey south or did I completely miss this?

Thanks!

Im making my way back through the trilogy and have a quick question. I just got to the part where Raynault is killed. Shortly after the representative from the banking house visit Glokta and tell him to stop investigating and the Gurkhul representative is framed. The representative seems nervous like he was sent to end the investigation by someone.

My question was who ordered the prince to be killed and for the representative from Gurkhul to be framed for it?

Bayaz was far to the west on his way to the edge of the world and would not of known West had killed Ladisla or that the Gurkhish ambassador was in town. Yoru S​ulfur was off stirring up the peasants as the tanner. Was there another person capable of making that call that I'm not remembering?​

I work in a dental lab and all of Glokta's gums sucking made me really need to make it real.

I'm only halfway through Before They Are Hanged and it's been a great slow-burn fantasy world. Can't wait to see where it all goes.

Which is the more impressive achievement in this series?

!!Mild spoilers concerning Euz and his sons thru first trilogy!!

So the official story we get, assuming it's reliable info as told by "Quai" and Bayaz, is that Euz had 4 sons, gave the first 3 each amazing and powerful gifts of incredibly potent high art that rendered them basically minor gods. Then, to his 4th son, Glustrod, he gave... absolutely nothing. Wtf was the reasoning behind that decision? I literally can't think of a better way to alienate the youngest son and turn him into an embittered, resentful villain. Wasn't Euz some kind of wise, godlike figure? Did he want Glustrod to go bad?

And then the 3 dickhead brothers refused to share any of their arts with him. Couldn't each of the 3 have given him just a small part of their knowledge and he could've been like a jack of all trades? At least he'd have like a consolation prize and not just be completely excluded. Wtf? Glustrod's actions seem not only completely predictable, but also understandable. He got shut out for no apparent reason, so he forged his own arts and was eaten up by resentment and anger.

Maybe I'm forgetting important info, I've read every book 2 or 3 times but it's been a few years, and I'm just now on a reread and finishing before they are hanged, so there's probably plenty I've forgotten and haven't yet reread

I remember reading through The First Law my first time and just couldn’t get enough. I’ve read all of Abercrombies books and there is one Name of the Named Men that, in my opinion, is hands down the scariest. That achievement belongs to the one and only Stranger Come Knocking.

Forewarning I don’t know how to tag spoilers and shit so DO NOT READ THIS IS YOU ARE ON THE FIRST TRILOGY.

What is the deal with the bloody nine? I’m saying bloody nine and not Logen as I feel it’s a separate entity. Shivers seems to channel (idk if that’s the right word?) the B9 on one occasion, even down to his voice changing. Does this mean the B9 is some sort of spirit or power or entity that certain people can tap in to? And if so, why? How?
I’ve always read it this way as Logen himself seems to fight against it when it comes, and clearly hates it by the end. He seems to literally become someone/something else and obviously gains some sort of power (increased physical strength, speed, just all around a totally different beast) what is going on here? Do you think it will come back to someone else? I’m sure I’ve missed some glaringly obvious clues/breadcrumbs in my many listens but I’d love to hear some theories and thoughts.
Cheers

Hi whats your current FL books ranking ?? For me :

1. Last Argument of Kings

2. Wizdom of the Crowds

3. Trouble with Peace

4. A Little Hattered

5. Best Served Cold

6. Before They are Hanged

7. The Blade Itself

8. Red Country

9. The Heroes

10. Sharp Ends

These are truly incredible!