Jurjen
When I first read The Heroes, I thought it was the best book Abercrombie had written. Although the Age of Madness shook that up, I still think The Heroes ranks very high on the list. Not just a list of Abercrombie books, but rather of the modern fantasy genre.
What is probably most impressive is how strong and balanced the ensemble cast is. There are about 6 main POVs, and they all feel equally strong. There was never a moment where I was upset that I left Gorst for Tunny, or Tunny for Calder. All POV characters add something different to the narrative, adding up to something even greater than its excellent parts.
As expected of any Abercrombie book, the dialogue, character dynamics and humour is as sharp as ever, maybe even the best in the series. I'm not huge on action scenes, but the action scenes and the larger scale warfare sequences are just so well done. The “Casualties” chapter is so highly regarded for good reasons. The 6 days of conflict is incredibly immersive, getting to see it from all sides imaginable.
The heart of the story is one character in particular, and he might be the best character Abercrombie has written. Not Logen, not Glokta, not Orso, but Curnden Craw. Abercrombie was able to give this man so much life in just a score or so POV chapters. One of the few ‘straight edge’ men left in the North. Because those are the times. But has it ever been any different?
When I first read The Heroes, I thought it was the best book Abercrombie had written. Although the Age of Madness shook that up, I still think The Heroes ranks very high on the list. Not just a list of Abercrombie books, but rather of the modern fantasy genre.
What is probably most impressive is how strong and balanced the ensemble cast is. There are about 6 main POVs, and they all feel equally strong. There was never a moment where I was upset that I left Gorst for Tunny, or Tunny for Calder. All POV characters add something different to the narrative, adding up to something even greater than its excellent parts.
As expected of any Abercrombie book, the dialogue, character dynamics and humour is as sharp as ever, maybe even the best in the series. I'm not huge on action scenes, but the action scenes and the larger scale warfare sequences are just so well done. The “Casualties” chapter is so highly regarded for good reasons. The 6 days of conflict is incredibly immersive, getting to see it from all sides imaginable.
The heart of the story is one character in particular, and he might be the best character Abercrombie has written. Not Logen, not Glokta, not Orso, but Curnden Craw. Abercrombie was able to give this man so much life in just a score or so POV chapters. One of the few ‘straight edge’ men left in the North. Because those are the times. But has it ever been any different?
