A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie

The New York Times bestselling first book in Joe Abercrombie's The Age of Madness Trilogy where the age of the machine dawns, but the age of magic refuses to die. The chimneys of industry rise over Adua and the world seethes with new opportunities. But old scores run deep as ever. On the blood-soaked borders of Angland, Leo dan Brock struggles to win fame on the battlefield, and defeat the marauding armies of Stour Nightfall. He hopes for help from the crown. But King Jezal's son, the feckless Prince Orso, is a man who specializes in disappointments. Savine dan Glokta -- socialite, investor, and daughter of the most feared man in the Union -- plans to claw her way to the top of the slag-heap of society by any means necessary. But the slums boil over with a rage that all the money in the world cannot control. The age of the machine dawns, but the age of magic refuses to die. With the help of the mad hillwoman Isern-i-Phail, Rikke struggles to control the blessing, or the curse, of the Long Eye. Glimpsing the future is one thing, but with the guiding hand of the First of the Magi still pulling the strings, changing it will be quite another . . . For more from Joe Abercrombie, check out: The First Law SeriesThe Blade ItselfBefore They Are HangedLast Argument of KingsBest Served ColdThe HeroesRed Country The Shattered Sea TrilogyHalf a KingHalf a WorldHalf a War

This book is exactly what you would expect it to be for a book of it's kind, and I'm afraid that this kind of book just isn't really for me.

There are things that it does that are interesting in theory, but I didn't actually enjoy that much in practice. For instance, every single character in this book is a shitty person. Not most characters, every. single. character. Maybe it looks like one character is on a redemption arc? No, they just re-enforced earlier held beliefs now. Maybe this other character will stick to their convictions about not being selfish like the other people of their caste? No, they will be just as terrible when pressed. Again, it was kind of interesting to have the book not fall into established heroic tropes, but at the same time I just kind of found it to be not fun and I didn't really care for any of the characters.

I didn't hate the book. The writing itself is pretty good and often feels cinematic, particularly in a chaotic scene in the middle that feels like a camera sweeping along to follow a new character every few minutes. Early on I struggled to keep the characters straight, especially when I started via audiobook, but when I switched to reading the ebook I was able to slow down a bit and sort things out better.

I could see this series going to interesting places as it continues, but I don't think I will be reading more to find out.

Maybe the best fantasy book I've read in a long time? I don't even know where to start!

This book really has everying! Suspense, action, humor, mystery, romance, witty dialog, deep and complex characters, a gripping plot about war and politics... I could go on!

The closest book I can compare this to is Game of Thrones but it's very much it's own thing. It doesn't always take itself too seriously and I care way more about the characters than I ever did when reading A Song of Ice and Fire.

I don't really know if there's anything about this book I didn't like? I couldn't put it down and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series!

Not what I would call a fantasy book, so don't be put off if you're not into the genre. Excellent social commentary, insight into human nature, and full of action, wit and interesting characters. Great fun.

Executive Summary: A little slow at times, but by the end I was hooked and eagerly awaiting the next book to come out.Audiobook: Steven Pacey does his usual excellent job. I think he's narrated most of the First Law books, and he really make them a must listen for me. He does a variety of voices and has good pacing and inflection.Full ReviewI've enjoyed most of the First Law books, but since reading [b:Red Country 13521459 Red Country (First Law World, #6) Joe Abercrombie https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1333663008l/13521459.SY75.jpg 19082135] 4 years ago, I have mostly rolled off of darker fantasy. I didn't find this one quite as dark as some of the previous entries, but it's not exactly sunshine and rainbows either.My favorite book of the series to this point was [b:The Heroes 9300768 The Heroes (First Law World, #5) Joe Abercrombie https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1375671200l/9300768.SY75.jpg 12879765], and that hasn't changed. However I probably like this about as much as the original trilogy, and more than [b:Best Served Cold 2315892 Best Served Cold Joe Abercrombie https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347732723l/2315892.SY75.jpg 2322406]. I'm not sure but I probably like [b:Red Country 13521459 Red Country (First Law World, #6) Joe Abercrombie https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1333663008l/13521459.SY75.jpg 19082135] better as well. So what that boils down to is this book is somewhere in the middle of the pack for me. I never liked the original trilogy quite as much as some of my friends seemed to.My biggest issue with this book was just how long it's been since I've read most of those books, especially the original trilogy. This book could really have done with some recap. I guess it doesn't have one since you could probably read this book without having read any of the previous books, but I'm not sure why you'd really want to.I'm still not quite sure why but Glotka remains one of my favorite characters. He's a terrible person, but he's almost always the smartest one in the room, so I enjoy him outsmarting others I guess. It was good to see him again, even if he's only a minor character and the focus is on his daughter Savine and others of her generation. She's not the only new character from the original books that is the offspring on a notable character. However most of them come as a bit of a surprise, so I'll just leave them for you to discover if you decide to read this. I thought most of the new characters were interesting in their own rights, and not remarkable for simply being someone's child. In addition to aging up most of the characters you know to have adult children, technology has advanced too. This setting has a very much industrial revolution feel, with all the benefits and issues that came along with it.Once I got back into the swing of things I found myself swept up in the story and all the new characters. I still don't have much of an interest in reading darker fantasy, but I do have an interest in seeing how the rest of this series turns out. I'll definitely be picking up the next one when it comes out.