Ratings79
Average rating3.9
I will preface this with I'm not a huge short stories guy. I find that it often doesn't allow the type of plot or character development unfold that I tend to enjoy. I also tend to like anthologies even less, but as Joe Abercrombie is one of my favourite character writer's in darker fantasy, I figured I'd give it a try.
Overall you get the same action, dialogue, and character writing that I've praised the series so heavily for. In particular Javre and Shev were a great addition to the cast of characters. They have some genuinely amusing moments between them and luckily enough they are the center of attention for a good amount of the short stories. Those stories tend to be the more interesting.
Then you have the stories featuring existing characters and/or characters that are telling an event from a different point of view. Some of these are good, but for the most part they range from the uninteresting to the tolerable. Some highs in there for sure, but not quite enough to overcome the lows this time. Short enough though that still worth a read if a fan of The First Law series.