Yes, they will, but not in the way you’re thinking, you sarcastic bastards. Publisher’s Weekly, organ of the US book trade, has spoken on the subject of Last Argument of Kings. Or will speak, come September:
“The sword & sorcery trilogy that began with The Blade Itself (2007) and Before They Are Hanged (2008) comes to a violent, sardonic and brilliant conclusion. The shaky Union, menaced simultaneously by rampaging Northmen and by Gurkish invaders from the south, now must contend with intrigue and treachery in its capital, Adua. Summoned to play parts in a devastating confrontation between magical forces, conscience-ridden berserker Logen Ninefingers and honest, weary Union commander Colonel West come down from the north to meet painfully self-aware torturer Glokta, revenge-obsessed female warrior Ferro, pliable young adventurer Jezal and scheming, unscrupulous mage Bayaz. All these people are believable, especially as they dabble in grimly convincing magic and struggle to hear their consciences through the roar of carnage and betrayal. Abercrombie is a fresh new talent, presenting a dark view of life with wit and zest, and readers will mourn the end of this vivid story arc.”
Dab away your tears, though, friends. There’s more darkness, wit and zest where that came from…
4 comments so far
Hullo Joe,
I’m not sure if you’ve had the pleasure, but I just came across this great review of The Blade Itself, and thought you should know (in case your Muse needs a snack):
http://www.ferretbrain.com/articles/article-252.html
The reviewer has said everything that I’ve wanted to tell you for a while (translate: the reviewer has gushed about your greatness at length). I think that you are the best fantasy author around, and that your characters are the greatest ever — especially Glokta, because they are multi-facetted, painted in the finest shades of grey, and so very real.
Anyway, that’s my two cents. Now I’m off to read the other two reviews …
Anon,
Thanks for that, and cheers for the link, that one had somehow passed me by. Great review of book 1, book 2 she didn’t seem to like at all, book 3 left her befuddled. Probably I’ll talk about them in more detail later…
“… book 3 left her befuddled.”
I really like the circular ending — it’s a little bit like an orobourous.