Say one thing for Joe Abercrombie...

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Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

Count me amongst the few that thought Cosca really died the first time.

# ¿ Sep 20, 2011 08:44

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# ¿ May 12, 2024 10:34

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

HeroOfTheRevolution posted:

(BSC spoilers)

I think it's implied that the 'disagreement' stems from the whole being forced to become an Eater in the first place thing.

I read the books a while ago but when was that discussed?

# ¿ Oct 10, 2011 17:47

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

ConfusedUs posted:

So, The Heroes was really, really good.

Is his first trilogy on par? If so, I'm buying that stuff next payday.

The trilogy introduces you to perhaps my favorite character of all time.

# ¿ Nov 27, 2011 06:25

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

Above Our Own posted:

I kind of want to skip Best Served Cold and go straight into Heroes. Would I be missing anything? (I've already read the trilogy)

Missing anything? Nope. However, I enjoyed it more than Heroes and it sets up a few of the characters.

# ¿ Nov 28, 2011 13:46

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

Grand Prize Winner posted:

I never had that problem until you mentioned it. Dick . Have fun reading about Monza and her brother's past! When the incest is revealed and you get all shocked I'm gonna be laughing on you.

I'm waiting for him to get to "It should have been you."

# ¿ Jan 6, 2012 01:46

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

DarkCrawler posted:

Well, I didn't hate her, but compared to Shivers, Shenkt and Cosca she just wasn't much.

Better then Morveer (?) though, I hated all his chapters.

Another point of different strokes for different folks. I loved Morveer's chapters and felt that Shenkt was the weakest point of the story.

# ¿ Jan 18, 2012 23:17

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

Above Our Own posted:

Shenkt was barely developed at all and came off as just a carbon copy "inscrutable badass" archetype to me. I feel the author left hooks in for further development but we haven't seen it yet. Morveer on the other hand you really get to see the entirety of his character as it's slowly unveiled: he's a sociopath, unaware of his own incompetences, incredibly narcissistic, but ultimately very much an idealist. I couldn't say half as much for Shenkt.

I think I mentioned it long ago in this thread but this is my major problem with Shenkt. He is the ultimate bad rear end and and he never stumbles, which doesn't really fit in Abercrombie's world. Even Bayaz had poo poo go downhill on him multiple times throughout the course of the trilogy.

# ¿ Jan 19, 2012 01:19

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

Above Our Own posted:

It's still a fair chance that Tolomei knows and understands things far better about the House than Bayaz does, and since there's also tons of potent weapons and tools for, you know, creating armies and whatnot, it seems like a really boneheaded decision just to leave her in there in the heart of his precious union capital.

What other choice did he really have at the time?

# ¿ Jan 24, 2012 20:42

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

Mr.48 posted:

Joe posted a brief preview of the next book on his blog:

Cosca is back! And who could have had a bloodier past than Logen? CANNOT loving WAIT!

No way he brings Logan back. You have to be realistic about these things.... Right? :smith:

# ¿ Feb 5, 2012 12:03

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

Trevefresh2 posted:

Could it be West? Was it ever really confirmed he was dead?

If I remember correctly, they talk about him being dead in Heroes.

# ¿ Feb 22, 2012 18:59

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

Fly Molo posted:

That's exactly what I was picturing.

"Who's the fellow owns this shithole?"

"You, Fatman, speak up."

# ¿ Mar 21, 2012 00:26

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

We have publications dates for Red Country!

UK: Thursday, Oct 18th 2012.
US: Tuesday, Nov 20th 2012.

http://www.joeabercrombie.com/news/

# ¿ Apr 4, 2012 01:23

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

Say one thing for Logen Ninefingers, say he's a lover.

# ¿ Apr 16, 2012 14:26

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

Mr. Fowl posted:

Not to my knowledge but which finger is Logen missing? I ask, because the guy on the US cover of the book seems to be short one.

I always thought it was the middle or ring.

# ¿ May 19, 2012 01:44

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

Mr.48 posted:

From what I've read on on his blog it seems like its going to be Logen Ninefingers as Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven. In other words, the best book ever conceived by man.

Who's the fella that owns this shithole?

# ¿ Jun 6, 2012 08:09

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

Beastie posted:

I believe that all the spirits left the world at the end of The Blade Itself.

What gave you that impression?

# ¿ Jun 12, 2012 04:08

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

There is a Red Country extract up! :dance:

http://www.joeabercrombie.com/books/red-country/extract/

You have to be realistic.

# ¿ Sep 4, 2012 21:50

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

Mr.48 posted:

Link seems to be down, could you post the extract in spoilers if you can still access it?

Hmmm, its working for me. Below is the Red Country extract. SPOILERS BEWARE!

quote:

They were laughing when they clattered over the rise and the shallow little valley opened out in front of them. Something Lamb had said. He�d perked up when they left town, as usual. Never at his best in a crowd.

It gave Shy�s spirits a lift besides, coming up that track that was hardly more than two faded lines through the long grass. She�d been through black times in her younger years, midnight black times, when she thought she�d be killed out under the sky and left to rot, or caught and hanged and tossed out unburied for the dogs to rip at. More than once, in the midst of nights sweated through with fear, she�d sworn to be grateful every moment of her life if she ever got to tread this unremarkable path again. Eternal gratitude hadn�t quite come about, but that�s promises for you. She still felt that bit lighter as the wagon rolled home.

Then they saw the farm, and the laughter choked in her throat and they sat silent while the wind fumbled through the grass around them. Shy couldn�t breathe, couldn�t speak, couldn�t think, all her veins flushed with ice-water. Then she was down from the wagon and running.

�Shy!� Lamb roared at her back, but she hardly heard, head full of her own rattling breath, pounding down the slope, land and sky jolting around her. Through the stubble of the field they�d harvested not a week before. Over the trampled-down fence and the chicken feathers crushed into the mud.

She made it to the yard � what had been the yard � and stood helpless. The house was all dead charred timbers and rubbish and nothing left standing but the tottering chimney-stack. No smoke. The rain must�ve put out the fires a day or two before. But everything was burned out. She ran around the side of the blacked wreck of the barn, whimpering a little now with each breath.

Gully was hanged from the big tree out back. They�d hanged him over her mother�s grave and kicked down the headstone. He was shot through with arrows. Might�ve been a dozen, might�ve been more.

Shy felt like she was kicked in the guts and she bent over, arms hugged around herself, and groaned, and the tree groaned with her as the wind shook its leaves and set Gully�s corpse gently swinging. Poor old harmless bastard. He�d called to her as they�d rattled off on the wagon. Said she didn�t need to worry �cause he�d look to the children, and she�d laughed at him and said she didn�t need to worry �cause the children would look to him, and she couldn�t see nothing for the aching in her eyes and the wind stinging at them, and she clamped her arms tighter, feeling suddenly so cold nothing could warm her.

She heard Lamb�s boots thumping up, then slowing, then coming steady until he stood beside her.

�Where are the children?�

They dug the house over, and the barn. Slow, and steady, and numb to begin with. Lamb dragged the scorched timbers clear while Shy scraped through the ashes, sure she�d scrape up Pit and Ro�s bones. But they weren�t in the house. Nor in the barn. Nor in the yard. Wilder now, trying to smother her fear, and more frantic, trying to smother her hope, casting through the grass, and clawing at the rubbish, but the closest Shy came to her brother and sister was a charred toy horse Lamb had whittled for Pit years past and the scorched pages of some of Ro�s books she let blow through her fingers.

The children were vanished.

She stood there, staring into the wind, back of one raw hand against her mouth and her chest going hard. Only one thing she could think of.

�They�re stolen,� she croaked.

Lamb just nodded, his grey hair and his grey beard all streaked with soot.

�Why?�

�I don�t know.�

She wiped her blackened hands on the front of her shirt and made fists of them. �We�ve got to get after.�

�Aye.�

She squatted down over the chewed-up sod around the tree. Wiped her nose and her eyes. Followed the tracks bent over to another battered patch of ground. She found an empty bottle trampled into the mud, tossed it away. They�d made no effort at hiding their sign. Horse-prints all around, circling the shells of the buildings. �I�m guessing at about twenty. Might�ve been forty horses, though. They left the spare mounts over here.�

�To carry the children, maybe?�

�Carry �em where?�

Lamb just shook his head.

She went on, keen to say anything that might fill the space. Keen to set to work at something so she didn�t have to think. �My way of looking at it, they came in from the west and left going south. Left in a hurry.�

�I�ll get the shovels. We�ll bury Gully.�

They did it quick. She shinned up the tree, knowing every foot- and handhold. She used to climb it long ago, before Lamb came, while her mother watched and Gully clapped, and now her mother was buried under it and Gully was hanged from it, and she knew somehow she�d made it happen. You can�t bury a past like hers and think you�ll walk away laughing.

She cut him down, and broke the arrows off, and smoothed his bloody hair while Lamb dug out a hole next to her mother. She closed his popping eyes and put her hand on his cheek and it was cold. He looked so small now, and so thin, she wanted to put a coat on him but there was none to hand. Lamb lowered him in a clumsy hug, and they filled the hole together, and they dragged her mother�s stone up straight again and tramped the thrashing grass around it, ash blowing on the cold wind in specks of black and grey, whipping across the land and off to nowhere.

�Should we say something?� asked Shy.

�I�ve nothing to say.� Lamb swung himself up onto the wagon�s seat. Might still have been an hour of light left.

�We ain�t taking that,� said Shy. �I can run faster�n those bloody oxen.�

�Not longer, though, and not with gear, and we�ll do no good rushing at this. They�ve got what? Two, three days� start on us? And they�ll be riding hard. Twenty men, you said? We have to be realistic, Shy.�

�Realistic?� she whispered at him, hardly able to believe it.

�If we chase after on foot, and don�t starve or get washed away in a storm, and if we catch �em, what then? We�re not armed, even. Not with more�n your knife. No. We�ll follow on fast as Scale and Calder can take us.� Nodding at the oxen, grazing a little while they had the chance. �See if we can pare a couple off the herd. Work out what they�re about.�

�Clear enough what they�re about!� she said, pointing at Gully�s grave. �And what happens to Ro and Pit while we�re loving following on?� She ended up screaming it at him, voice splitting the silence and a couple of hopeful crows taking flight from the tree�s branches.

The corner of Lamb�s mouth twitched but he didn�t look at her. �We�ll follow.� Like it was a fact agreed on. �Might be we can talk this out. Buy �em back.�

�Buy �em? They burn your farm, and they hang your friend, and they steal your children and you want to pay �em for the privilege? You�re such a loving coward!�

Still he didn�t look at her. �Sometimes a coward�s what you need.� His voice was rough. Clicking in his throat. �No shed blood�s going to unburn this farm now, nor unhang Gully neither. That�s done. Best we can do is get back the little ones, any way we can. Get �em back safe.� This time the twitch started at his mouth and scurried all the way up his scarred cheek to the corner of his eye. �Then we�ll see.�

Shy took a last look as they lurched away towards the setting sun. Her home. Her hopes. How a day can change things about. Naught left but a few scorched timbers poking at the pinking sky. You don�t need a big dream. She felt about as low as she ever had in all her life, and she�d been in some bad, dark, low-down places. Hardly had the strength all of a sudden to hold her head up.

�Why�d they have to burn it all?� she whispered.

�Some men just like to burn,� said Lamb.

Shy looked around at him, the outline of his battered frown showing below his battered hat, the dying sun glimmering in one eye, and thought how strange it was, that he could be so calm. A man who hadn�t the guts to argue over prices, thinking death and kidnap through. Being realistic about the end of all they�d worked for.

�How can you sit so level?� she whispered at him. �Like . . . like you knew it was coming.�

Still he didn�t look at her. �It�s always coming.�

# ¿ Sep 5, 2012 00:08

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

The US release has been pushed back to at least November 13th. :suicide:

# ¿ Sep 13, 2012 22:47

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

Stubb Dogg posted:

Just finished Red Country. Say one thing for this book, say it was definitely influenced by Deadwood and spaghetti westerns.

Anything else you can tell us about it that's non-spoiler? Where would you rank it compared to his other books?

# ¿ Oct 7, 2012 21:32

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

So jealous of those across the pond that have access to Red Country. Is there any option for those in the states to an electronic version before November 13th? I don't mind paying a little extra.

# ¿ Oct 18, 2012 15:17

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

ulmont posted:

Yes, on Kindle. I just tried this out:

1) Go to "Manage Your Kindle."
2) Choose "Country Settings."
3) Click "Change Country."
4) Enter a UK address. I used this address (which, IIRC, is the University of London's address from their "contact me" page):
Malet Street
London
WC1E 7HU
United Kingdom
+44 (0)20 7862 8000
5) Accept the oh-so-scary "transfer all my stuff to the UK site" option.
6) Go to https://www.amazon.co.uk (if you aren't automatically redirected, I can't remember).
7) Search for Red Country, and buy it.
8) Sync the Kindle to download Red Country.
9) Switch back to the US, using steps 1-4 (but your US address, obviously).
10) Cancel your US preorder of Red Country.

Seems fine for me so far.

You are amazing! Worked like a charm.

# ¿ Oct 18, 2012 22:37

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

I always pictured Logen to be in his early to mid-30s in the trilogy, and Red Country is 10 years after that.

# ¿ Oct 22, 2012 14:29

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

Wangsbig posted:

I'm pretty sure shrugs still beat out frowns as Joe's favorite emote.

Or gawps.

# ¿ Jan 21, 2013 21:52

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

The Rat posted:

Kinda confused why Shivers let Logen go at the end though. Unless if it was just some kind of reversion to his previous attempt to change/be a good man, albeit briefly.

He didn't want to go back to the mud.

# ¿ Feb 2, 2013 05:29

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

onefish posted:

Hey, did Abercrombie ever "reveal" how Logen lost the finger? Per Abercrombie style, I imagine it would be something really small and insignificant, but it's interesting that it's not revealed and nobody asks (if that is, in fact, the case).

The only time I think its been address is in Before They Are Hanged, when they are sitting around the campfire telling stories. If I recall, Logen talks about how he was trying to tear Carleon down with his bare hands and when he woke up, his finger was gone.

# ¿ Jun 19, 2013 23:00

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

Yes, outside of the trilogy, I enjoyed Best Served Cold the most. Castor Morveer was probably my favorite character. I loved the contrast between his own narrative, and other's views of him.

# ¿ Jan 19, 2014 06:33

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

Rabbit Hill posted:

Who are you referring to as the not Sauron character? If you mean Bayaz as not-Gandalf, well...right. He's not like Gandalf -- they're both wizards, but Bayaz has a different personality entirely and is hardy and down-to-earth (I pictured him like a bald Liam Cunningham).

Since someone mentioned it earlier in the thread, I've been imagining Bayaz as Jeff Bridges in Iron Man.

# ¿ Jun 19, 2014 14:37

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

hemale in pain posted:

I had no idea there was a new book out! Just got a signed copy on a shelf from waterstones which was a pleasant surprise.

Though, I'm having to peel off a bunch of dumb stickers from the cover.

I like the small little figures trudging alongside some mountains but the cover is a bit of a letdown.

A short thought on the book below:

I found the book itself to be a bit of a letdown. I felt it was completely average. Maybe I have too high expectations from his earlier stuff. Or, maybe I'm getting too old and jaded for the young-adult genre. :smith:

I'm still a huge fan and he is my favorite current author but I feel that his books have become progressively weaker. Outside of the Bloody Nine and Cosca, I found Red Country to be largely forgettable.

# ¿ Jul 11, 2014 21:43

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

savinhill posted:

He's with us in spirit in BSC through Shiver's attempts at putting all his catchphrases into action.

Yeah, that kind of put a sour taste in my both for Shivers. There is only one Bloody Nine. :mad:

# ¿ Sep 26, 2014 17:18

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

Rhymenoserous posted:

I've posted this before, and I'll post it again. I want a book filled with nothing but Whirrun of Bligh being gloriously mad, wandering the land and inventing cheese traps. Why did he have to die

Shoglig was talking poo poo.

# ¿ Dec 17, 2014 18:00

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

Castor Morveer is the best.

# ¿ Feb 10, 2015 01:39

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

Suxpool posted:

joe getting back to the first law world is pretty much the best thing that could happen to fantasy

he lists the short stories included here: http://www.joeabercrombie.com/2015/08/24/sharp-ends/

quote:

Made a Monster: After years of bloodshed, the idealistic chieftain Bethod is desperate to bring peace to the North. There�s only one obstacle left � his own lunatic champion.

Can't wait.
:getin:

# ¿ Sep 8, 2015 01:07

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

spandexcajun posted:

Eh, I'm working through Half a war now and 13 year old me would have eaten these books up. Much better then the Dragonlance / Forgotten realms garbage I had in the early 90s.

Bite your tongue! Dragonlance was the poo poo back in the day. The Dragonlance Chronicles still rank in my top 5 favorite series of all time (could be because I read it in 5th grade).

Like some others here, I could not get into Abercrombie's YA venture. I'm eagerly awaiting his next adult series though.

# ¿ Jan 28, 2016 00:46

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

Mr Underhill posted:

Am I the only one who always saw Cosca as

?

I picture Cosca as an older Batiatus.

Words fall from your mouth like poo poo from rear end.

# ¿ Feb 15, 2016 20:32

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

Recently reread Red Country, and today I saw a candidate for Nine-fingers if they ever turn it into a movie:

Hughmoris fucked around with this message at 04:19 on Oct 20, 2016

# ¿ Oct 20, 2016 03:56

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

Tree Dude posted:

Hopefully this upcoming multi-media Kingkiller onslaught doesn't sour everyone's taste for Fantasy shows.

As an aside, I'm thinking GRRM will finish his series before Rothfuss releases the third book.

# ¿ Dec 16, 2016 00:20

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

Geisladisk posted:

I'm reading Red Country right now. There was a really neat callback to the original trilogy that I enjoyed.

Just before the Ghosts attack the caravan, Shy notices that Lamb has somehow collected a huge number of knives and is calmly inspecting them one at a time.

You can never have too many knives, my father used to say.

Unless you fall in a river and drown for all that iron.

# ¿ Mar 9, 2018 16:28

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

His Divine Shadow posted:

I guess Logen is pretty near death or been dead a while already by the time of this book, I imagined him to be in his late 30s or 40s in the first trilogy.

Logen is still alive. :mad:

# ¿ Sep 13, 2020 06:14

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# ¿ May 12, 2024 10:34

Hughmoris: Apr 21, 2007; Let's go to the abyss!

Ccs posted:

Zuri is a constant companion to Savine, there�s no way someone like that wouldn�t have noticed if she was unable to eat most foods (Eaters have to keep specific diets) plus I don�t think that�s the direction Abercrombie is going with the character. As another poster said, possible Zuri and her brothers are Eaters. Possible they�re agents for Khalul. It does seem like something is being planned for Zuri, but I hope that�s not it.

There�s a hint Tolomei is back in play too if you paid attention to what the red haired woman jokes about Bayaz.

Yeah, I caught that and filed it away. I can't remember the context of the conversation but it stood out a tad.

# ¿ Sep 19, 2020 05:28

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > The Book Barn > Say one thing for Joe Abercrombie...

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