A good finish to the trilogy, although in part it doesn't feel like an end, at all. While most questions are answered, there is no closure, just one more step. This is probably as open-ended as it gets.

I'd have preferred some not to die, some brought to heel(or tombstone), and some left off at least better than they, but this being a crapsack world setting( http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php... ), well..
You have to be realistic about these things. ( )

This is the last of a trilogy and I enjoyed it but not to the gushing degree I've found on Amazon. Nevertheless, the characters don't exactly take a fairy-tale story arc. Instead, their arcs seem more realistic. That was interesting to see. Also, there were a couple of characters you just knew were headed to the grave but their route to the hereafter seemed anti-climactic. I suppose my biggest gripe would be that none of the characters really merit rooting for -- or actually, just don't overcome a certain flaw in their character. But without a doubt, the most interesting character was the crippled torturer Glokta. He's heinously twisted, ruthless, miserable, smart, and perhaps a softie at heart. And, for a fantasy epic, this trilogy curiously did NOT come with a map (but then again, it wasn't really necessary either). ( )

http://bactra.org/weblog/algae-2008-1... ( )

This was a fitting end to an excellent series. I loved how Joe Abercrombie was able to roll up most if not all of the lose ends, while maintaining a very interesting world. I can not wait to return to Adua to see what other havoc comes of the place. The characters where very well written, and I loved to see where they would go next. A very good series which i would recommend to anyone interested in reading. ( )

There was much not to like about this final part of the First law trilogy.

Gratuitous and bloody violence. Magic interventions that change events. Characters that are not what we’ve come to expect: Glotka becomes more and more like Blackadder; Bayaz started out like Belgarath, kindly and jovial, but morphed quickly into a manipulative egomaniac with a very mean streak; Jezal turning into a half-way decent king; Logen becoming more and more unpredicatable; and, by the end, the three female protagonists (Ferro, Ardee, Terez) are lazy stereotypes.

Having said that, I couldn’t put this down.

The philosophical musings of Logen Nine Fingers – ‘still alive, still alive’ and ‘you can never have too many knives’ – will stay with me forever. The acerbic wit and self-deprecation of San dan Glotka are engrossing. The ethos of the Northmen could do with elaboration. There are many questions of why, who, what. Where did the Shanka come from? What is Bayaz really up to? What will become of Jezal? How will the relationship between Ardee and Glotka play out, and what of the bastard child? Will the Dogman negotiate an ongoing treaty?

The ending is superb, particularly the tremendously satisfying epilogue and the final scene. Life goes on, and the tale ends where it began. The Bloody Nine falls into oblivion; a battle is won, but clearly the war goes on. Enough loose ends are left that Abercrombie can revisit the storyline in future books or series.

I really hope he does – and soon. ( )