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The second novel in the wildly popular First Law Trilogy from New York Times bestseller Joe Abercrombie. Superior Glokta has a problem. How do you defend a city surrounded by enemies and riddled with traitors, when your allies can by no means be trusted, and your predecessor vanished without a trace? It's enough to make a torturer want to run -- if he could even walk without a stick. Northmen have spilled over the border of Angland and are spreading fire and death across the frozen country. show more Crown Prince Ladisla is poised to drive them back and win undying glory. There is only one problem -- he commands the worst-armed, worst-trained, worst-led army in the world. And Bayaz, the First of the Magi, is leading a party of bold adventurers on a perilous mission through the ruins of the past. The most hated woman in the South, the most feared man in the North, and the most selfish boy in the Union make a strange alliance, but a deadly one. They might even stand a chance of saving mankind from the Eaters -- if they didn't hate each other quite so much. Ancient secrets will be uncovered. Bloody battles will be won and lost. Bitter enemies will be forgiven -- but not before they are hanged. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
I want a map. Badly. I wonder if Abercrombie is attempting to make an artistic point by withholding the map, like the way Patrick Rothfuss' books feature the most useless map in literary history. Certainly he enjoys playing with and then utterly dashing all of our expectations. Regardless, I really want to see a map.
The first book, The Blade Itself, lacked in action but made up for it with dynamic, interesting, unusual characters. In this book, the characters really get a chance to bounce off of and interact with each other, and it's lots of fun. There's also more action, but still not as much as it feels there should be. Red Country, a stand-alone novel that Abercrombie published after finishing this series, really gets an excellent show more balance of character and action. In this book, he's still figuring that out, and it shows.
I did like this book. I had to put it down and walk away for a little bit at one point when a character I liked was in the middle of dying, which is unusual for me. But I feel like Abercrombie is working a bit too hard to subvert the genre's tropes. It felt like all the action really built up to nothing. Plenty happened, but there was no real point.Glotka spends most of the book organizing the defenses of Dagoska, and then is ordered to abandon it when the city is on the brink of falling. So why did we spend so much time watching him wrangle Dagoska's council into submission and build up the defenses? Logen, Farro, Jezal, and co. spend the entire book journeying to the End of the World to find the Seed... which isn't actually there. West and Dogman and the crew spend the book fighting Bethod's army, with no real progress made for either side. Perhaps that's the point, but certain tropes are there for a reason. Not everything can be subverted.
Also, while almost all the characters were done very well (and really were the book's selling point), Quai, Bayez' apprentice, has a 180 turn of character from the first book to the second with no warning or indication why.
But it's still an excellent book. show less
The first book, The Blade Itself, lacked in action but made up for it with dynamic, interesting, unusual characters. In this book, the characters really get a chance to bounce off of and interact with each other, and it's lots of fun. There's also more action, but still not as much as it feels there should be. Red Country, a stand-alone novel that Abercrombie published after finishing this series, really gets an excellent show more balance of character and action. In this book, he's still figuring that out, and it shows.
I did like this book. I had to put it down and walk away for a little bit at one point when a character I liked was in the middle of dying, which is unusual for me. But I feel like Abercrombie is working a bit too hard to subvert the genre's tropes. It felt like all the action really built up to nothing. Plenty happened, but there was no real point.
Also, while almost all the characters were done very well (and really were the book's selling point), Quai, Bayez' apprentice, has a 180 turn of character from the first book to the second with no warning or indication why.
But it's still an excellent book. show less
5/5 stars - a gripping adult fantasy tale that expertly juggles conflicts and mysteries on opposite sides of the world while entangling troubled characters in hilarious ways.
I haven't given a book 5 stars in years! It's been so long I can't remember the last time I did! If I broke it down to the individual components, I'd probably give it 4 or 4.5 stars, but in terms of enjoyment, it's 5/5.
Characters:
The first book didn't have a lot for some of our characters to do and some of them were rather isolated. This book brings all our characters clashing together and then builds their dynamic in realistic, infuriating, hilarious, and moving ways. We get the payoff we were waiting for in book 1. The jock becomes less of a jerk, the hardened show more warriors learn to trust and open up about their trauma, we get some romance, and all the fear, anger, and longing along the way. I was even more impressed by how Abercrombie juggled the many POV characters here. We have even more POVs in this book than the first, but he timed their arcs expertly, creating parallels in the battles, mysteries, and quiet moments in a quite enjoyable way. The cross-cultural interactions are also done quite well - all the misunderstandings, prickliness, and humor you'd expect from totally different people crossing paths.
Plot:
I put off starting the second book because I didn't like the sound of the plot. Our characters spending months wandering across a continent looking for a MacGuffin? While the more interesting characters stay on the other side of the world in a city under siege and a counter campaign against an invasion? Sounds like pulling teeth. Sounds like wasting my time with way too much horse riding, making me want to skip the "Frodo and Sam" scenes to get back to the good stuff. I could not have been more mistaken. Abercrombie is an expert at skipping unnecessary content. We skimmed over the 2 week long ship rides. We didn't have to slog through painful descriptions of every hill, town, and city the characters passed. The scenes on horseback became moments of charged dialogue and an exploration of our characters' pasts. We have a classic scar swapping scene around a campfire. The characters' best and worst traits all get mashed up with one another, compounding every time they get in a battle, pick a route, or blackmail a politician. Glokta's arc, though still interesting, was actually less compelling than that of the wanderers. I guess there's only so much self-pitying investigating you can take before you prefer the sparks that fly between characters of vastly different backgrounds. And quite a surprise at the end. A bit of a let down to be honest, but kind of fresh at the same time.
Worldbuilding:
We get to know a lot more about the ancient conflicts that shaped the larger world. As the characters travel through a fallen empire rife with internal conflict, chased by the lackeys of an opposing magical order, we learn many secrets that are much more interesting that the politics back in faux Britain. We do still have to suffer through the faux Muslims, though, cut and paste down to the daily prayer chants and intricate curling shapes in the architecture. You'd think authors could at least make an effort to change tiny details like that rather than just dumping their impression of a culture verbatim into their book. There's a time for familiarity and a time for originality. But then, this story isn't about the world, but about how the characters choose to live in it.
Writing:
Again, Abercrombie's writing was my favorite part of this story. Expertly intertwined arcs, much improved pacing, hilarious and realistic dialogue, highly readable prose, not clunky or bloated. I was taking tips.
Rating: even more R-rated than the first show less
I haven't given a book 5 stars in years! It's been so long I can't remember the last time I did! If I broke it down to the individual components, I'd probably give it 4 or 4.5 stars, but in terms of enjoyment, it's 5/5.
Characters:
The first book didn't have a lot for some of our characters to do and some of them were rather isolated. This book brings all our characters clashing together and then builds their dynamic in realistic, infuriating, hilarious, and moving ways. We get the payoff we were waiting for in book 1. The jock becomes less of a jerk, the hardened show more warriors learn to trust and open up about their trauma, we get some romance, and all the fear, anger, and longing along the way. I was even more impressed by how Abercrombie juggled the many POV characters here. We have even more POVs in this book than the first, but he timed their arcs expertly, creating parallels in the battles, mysteries, and quiet moments in a quite enjoyable way. The cross-cultural interactions are also done quite well - all the misunderstandings, prickliness, and humor you'd expect from totally different people crossing paths.
Plot:
I put off starting the second book because I didn't like the sound of the plot. Our characters spending months wandering across a continent looking for a MacGuffin? While the more interesting characters stay on the other side of the world in a city under siege and a counter campaign against an invasion? Sounds like pulling teeth. Sounds like wasting my time with way too much horse riding, making me want to skip the "Frodo and Sam" scenes to get back to the good stuff. I could not have been more mistaken. Abercrombie is an expert at skipping unnecessary content. We skimmed over the 2 week long ship rides. We didn't have to slog through painful descriptions of every hill, town, and city the characters passed. The scenes on horseback became moments of charged dialogue and an exploration of our characters' pasts. We have a classic scar swapping scene around a campfire. The characters' best and worst traits all get mashed up with one another, compounding every time they get in a battle, pick a route, or blackmail a politician. Glokta's arc, though still interesting, was actually less compelling than that of the wanderers. I guess there's only so much self-pitying investigating you can take before you prefer the sparks that fly between characters of vastly different backgrounds. And quite a surprise at the end. A bit of a let down to be honest, but kind of fresh at the same time.
Worldbuilding:
We get to know a lot more about the ancient conflicts that shaped the larger world. As the characters travel through a fallen empire rife with internal conflict, chased by the lackeys of an opposing magical order, we learn many secrets that are much more interesting that the politics back in faux Britain. We do still have to suffer through the faux Muslims, though, cut and paste down to the daily prayer chants and intricate curling shapes in the architecture. You'd think authors could at least make an effort to change tiny details like that rather than just dumping their impression of a culture verbatim into their book. There's a time for familiarity and a time for originality. But then, this story isn't about the world, but about how the characters choose to live in it.
Writing:
Again, Abercrombie's writing was my favorite part of this story. Expertly intertwined arcs, much improved pacing, hilarious and realistic dialogue, highly readable prose, not clunky or bloated. I was taking tips.
Rating: even more R-rated than the first show less
Tras 'La voz de las espadas', la gran primera novela de Joe Abercrombie, las ganas de leer este segundo libro de la trilogía de La Primera Ley eran tremendas. Y es que el mundo creado por Abercrombie se que queda pegado en la mente durante días, un mundo cruel y crudo y sombrío como pocos, donde el realismo de su trama es uno de sus puntos fuertes, así como sus personajes de carne y hueso, capaces de lo mejor y de lo peor dependiendo del momento, que ves cómo van evolucionando durante la novela de manera magistral. El humor dentro de la historia también es muy importante, un humor inteligente, oscuro, plagado de ironía. Son admirables las descripciones de las diferentes partes de este mundo, y Abercrombie es capaz de hacerte show more sentir el frío del Norte y el calor de Dagoska, en el sur, que padecen los protagonistas como si estuvieses a su lado.
Hay que dejar claro que ’Antes de que los cuelguen’ es la segunda parte de una gran obra dividida en tres, así que para poder disfrutarla plenamente es imprescindible haber leído previamente el primer volumen. Dicho esto, entremos en materia.
La acción se sitúa en tres puntos geográficos diferentes. Por una parte está Sand dan Glokta, quizás el personaje más carismático, maestro torturador que pasó a formar parte de la Inquisición tras haber pasado dos años siendo torturado a manos de los gurkos, habiendo quedado por ello tullido. La misión que se le encomienda es detentar el poder en Dagoska, averiguar quién ha hecho desaparecer al anterior Superior, y defender la ciudad de la inminente invasión por parte del imperio gurko, misión está prácticamente suicida. La corrupción y las conspiraciones no se harán esperar, y Glokta tendrá que hacer uso de su ingenio, y de sus exquisitas cualidades de su oficio para no sucumbir en el intento.
Mientras, en el Norte, el comandante West y el resto de soldados de la Unión se tienen que enfrentar a Bethod y sus temibles norteños, antes de que se haga con el territorio de Angland. Por si esto fuera poco, West tendrá que ver cómo los líderes de su ejército se comportan muchas veces de manera egoísta e incompetente. No podemos olvidarnos del variopinto grupo de supervivientes que formaban el grupo de Logen Nuevededos, es decir, el Sabueso, Tresárboles, Dow el Negro, Tul Duru y Hosco Harding, que también se verán envueltos en la refriega.
Y por último está el grupo de Bayaz, el Primero de los Magos, formado por nuestros viejos conocidos, Logen, Ferro, Jezal, Pielargo y Quai, que en su viaje hacia el lejano Occidente, tendrán que hacer frente a mil y un peligros. La tensión y el buen hacer de Abercrombie para mantener nuestra atención es increíble, sobre todo por los secretos del viejo mago, y vemos cómo este pequeño grupo va adquiriendo volumen y personalidad según avanza hacia su destino.
En esta segunda novela la crudeza y el pesimismo tienen un papel ciertamente preponderante, pero esto mismo hace que la historia sea más adictiva, porque te importa lo que te están contando y lo que les suceda a los protagonistas. Abercrombie no se olvida de ninguno de ellos, todos están perfectamente caracterizados y no dejas de sorprendente con sus reacciones. Abercrombie nos mueve entre los distintos escenarios de manera notable, mostrándonos intriga política, trepidantes combates, persecuciones, giros argumentales, violencia, sexo, sin darnos apenas un momento de respiro. show less
Hay que dejar claro que ’Antes de que los cuelguen’ es la segunda parte de una gran obra dividida en tres, así que para poder disfrutarla plenamente es imprescindible haber leído previamente el primer volumen. Dicho esto, entremos en materia.
La acción se sitúa en tres puntos geográficos diferentes. Por una parte está Sand dan Glokta, quizás el personaje más carismático, maestro torturador que pasó a formar parte de la Inquisición tras haber pasado dos años siendo torturado a manos de los gurkos, habiendo quedado por ello tullido. La misión que se le encomienda es detentar el poder en Dagoska, averiguar quién ha hecho desaparecer al anterior Superior, y defender la ciudad de la inminente invasión por parte del imperio gurko, misión está prácticamente suicida. La corrupción y las conspiraciones no se harán esperar, y Glokta tendrá que hacer uso de su ingenio, y de sus exquisitas cualidades de su oficio para no sucumbir en el intento.
Mientras, en el Norte, el comandante West y el resto de soldados de la Unión se tienen que enfrentar a Bethod y sus temibles norteños, antes de que se haga con el territorio de Angland. Por si esto fuera poco, West tendrá que ver cómo los líderes de su ejército se comportan muchas veces de manera egoísta e incompetente. No podemos olvidarnos del variopinto grupo de supervivientes que formaban el grupo de Logen Nuevededos, es decir, el Sabueso, Tresárboles, Dow el Negro, Tul Duru y Hosco Harding, que también se verán envueltos en la refriega.
Y por último está el grupo de Bayaz, el Primero de los Magos, formado por nuestros viejos conocidos, Logen, Ferro, Jezal, Pielargo y Quai, que en su viaje hacia el lejano Occidente, tendrán que hacer frente a mil y un peligros. La tensión y el buen hacer de Abercrombie para mantener nuestra atención es increíble, sobre todo por los secretos del viejo mago, y vemos cómo este pequeño grupo va adquiriendo volumen y personalidad según avanza hacia su destino.
En esta segunda novela la crudeza y el pesimismo tienen un papel ciertamente preponderante, pero esto mismo hace que la historia sea más adictiva, porque te importa lo que te están contando y lo que les suceda a los protagonistas. Abercrombie no se olvida de ninguno de ellos, todos están perfectamente caracterizados y no dejas de sorprendente con sus reacciones. Abercrombie nos mueve entre los distintos escenarios de manera notable, mostrándonos intriga política, trepidantes combates, persecuciones, giros argumentales, violencia, sexo, sin darnos apenas un momento de respiro. show less
"Anyone can face ease and success with confidence. It is the way we face trouble and misfortune that defines us."
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. BTAH continues to follow the troop of reluctant heroes, including Ninefingers, Jezel, Bayaz and Ferro; Inquisitor Glokta, defending a besieged city and hunting for a traitor; and Colonel West working to defend Angland against the Northman, along with a small band of Northmen with grudges of their own. In that sense, it's very much the second book in a trilogy, and I don't think it would stand as well read on its own or out of order. However, there is largely a complete story arc for each of our groups, so while the larger issues of the invasions and political maneuvering continue to grow in show more complexity, I didn't feel as if it was a complete cliffhanger ending.
I can't say enough about how well Abercrombie writes characters. They all feel so real, layered, and different. When plugged into a quest plot, there is a risk of them turning into stereotypes, but that is adroitly avoided by the depth and feeling given to them. It's interesting that we get the inner thoughts of our select few characters, but then leaving some such as Quai or Baya, devoid of any hints except through actions or the interpretations of others. It creates tension during the quest, as Quai almost seems to be baiting the mages and more of Bayaz' role in creating the conflict becomes apparent.
Plotwise, the quest of the troop seemed unremarkable enough in the epic fantasy tradition--the questers entering the dead city flashed on several scenes from Terry Brooks and David Eddings--but it was still well done. Using the guise of telling stories while they journeyed, the questers and the readers are familiarized with the mythical back-story to the quest. It works well, maintaining interest in the background while avoiding the info-dump syndrome. The siege itself is not particularly unusual either, but is gritty, and the process of Glokta shoring defense of the city while rooting out the traitor is interesting and full of tension. Letter updates between Glokta and the Arch Lector are an interesting way of updating the story.
The tale is full of detailed fight scenes. If that's your taste, you'll have all the more reason to love it, but if its not, don't let it put you off, as there is so much more worth reading. One quibble is the author's tendency to use both first and last names of a character, even within the same scene, which leads to unnecessary name confusion. Small complaints, however.
I find this series engrossing, and am glad I have the next book ready to go. show less
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. BTAH continues to follow the troop of reluctant heroes, including Ninefingers, Jezel, Bayaz and Ferro; Inquisitor Glokta, defending a besieged city and hunting for a traitor; and Colonel West working to defend Angland against the Northman, along with a small band of Northmen with grudges of their own. In that sense, it's very much the second book in a trilogy, and I don't think it would stand as well read on its own or out of order. However, there is largely a complete story arc for each of our groups, so while the larger issues of the invasions and political maneuvering continue to grow in show more complexity, I didn't feel as if it was a complete cliffhanger ending.
I can't say enough about how well Abercrombie writes characters. They all feel so real, layered, and different. When plugged into a quest plot, there is a risk of them turning into stereotypes, but that is adroitly avoided by the depth and feeling given to them. It's interesting that we get the inner thoughts of our select few characters, but then leaving some such as Quai or Baya, devoid of any hints except through actions or the interpretations of others. It creates tension during the quest, as Quai almost seems to be baiting the mages and more of Bayaz' role in creating the conflict becomes apparent.
Plotwise, the quest of the troop seemed unremarkable enough in the epic fantasy tradition--the questers entering the dead city flashed on several scenes from Terry Brooks and David Eddings--but it was still well done. Using the guise of telling stories while they journeyed, the questers and the readers are familiarized with the mythical back-story to the quest. It works well, maintaining interest in the background while avoiding the info-dump syndrome. The siege itself is not particularly unusual either, but is gritty, and the process of Glokta shoring defense of the city while rooting out the traitor is interesting and full of tension. Letter updates between Glokta and the Arch Lector are an interesting way of updating the story.
The tale is full of detailed fight scenes. If that's your taste, you'll have all the more reason to love it, but if its not, don't let it put you off, as there is so much more worth reading. One quibble is the author's tendency to use both first and last names of a character, even within the same scene, which leads to unnecessary name confusion. Small complaints, however.
I find this series engrossing, and am glad I have the next book ready to go. show less
Abercrombie is a master.
There are so many things to say about this book but I was so engrossed that I never had time to make any notes or mark specific pieces I particularly liked. I can say that more than a few times I was genuinely so taken by the way a scene unfolded, I was thinking about it long afterwards. The way Joe presents the viewpoints of his characters in a way that is all-consuming for the reader is something very few people can do is such a seamless, subtle manner. His writing always feels right, like there is no way the story could have been told other than the way he tells it, and you wouldn't want there to be.
The character and setting development within this installment of the series by no means whatsoever suffers show more from middle book syndrome. This book is somehow, more so than I could have imagined, leagues better than the first. The characters and various plots develop chapter by chapter with new clarity, insight, and complexity with every conflict and interaction, and I had a renewed sense of endearment and attachment towards characters as their stories unraveled.
As others have said, yes, this book has some (if not, many) very bleak moments, but I can't help but keep reading. It’s funny, honest, and the pinnacle of what storytelling should be. Thank you, I want more. show less
There are so many things to say about this book but I was so engrossed that I never had time to make any notes or mark specific pieces I particularly liked. I can say that more than a few times I was genuinely so taken by the way a scene unfolded, I was thinking about it long afterwards. The way Joe presents the viewpoints of his characters in a way that is all-consuming for the reader is something very few people can do is such a seamless, subtle manner. His writing always feels right, like there is no way the story could have been told other than the way he tells it, and you wouldn't want there to be.
The character and setting development within this installment of the series by no means whatsoever suffers show more from middle book syndrome. This book is somehow, more so than I could have imagined, leagues better than the first. The characters and various plots develop chapter by chapter with new clarity, insight, and complexity with every conflict and interaction, and I had a renewed sense of endearment and attachment towards characters as their stories unraveled.
As others have said, yes, this book has some (if not, many) very bleak moments, but I can't help but keep reading. It’s funny, honest, and the pinnacle of what storytelling should be. Thank you, I want more. show less
Since the characterization was so well done in the first novel, this one needed little effort to keep them all fleshing out. The most stark difference was one that I was counting on and was very pleased to see: I was expecting battle, and by god I got a ton of it. It wasn't all simple repetition, either, it was gloriously different on every front, and for that I was very grateful. Never a boring part.
The place where the book really shined, at least for me, was the joke near the very end. Perhaps some readers might not appreciate it, but I did. I see great things on the horizon as a reader, safe in his omniscient seat. I did laugh with the results, oh yes.
I'm really looking forward to the third book now, expecting still greater changes show more for everyone. Some, much, much more than others. I'm thinking of a boy with a crooked jaw, for one.
Great stories, every one! (The whole novels are very much intact as one, but when I think of them from afar, they all appear very distinct and enjoyable in themselves, like tales that could have stood on their own without the intersections we've seen, and yet, everything is still quite enriched.)
It takes a deft hand, and I'm pleased to keep up with it. show less
The place where the book really shined, at least for me, was the joke near the very end. Perhaps some readers might not appreciate it, but I did. I see great things on the horizon as a reader, safe in his omniscient seat. I did laugh with the results, oh yes.
I'm really looking forward to the third book now, expecting still greater changes show more for everyone. Some, much, much more than others. I'm thinking of a boy with a crooked jaw, for one.
Great stories, every one! (The whole novels are very much intact as one, but when I think of them from afar, they all appear very distinct and enjoyable in themselves, like tales that could have stood on their own without the intersections we've seen, and yet, everything is still quite enriched.)
It takes a deft hand, and I'm pleased to keep up with it. show less
THE BLADE ITSELF was my favorite books of ’07, so when I found out the next book was going to be coming out in the States in just a few days, I was ecstatic. I picked BEFORE THEY ARE HANGED from Borders the day it was released, and two words were stuck in my mind as I rode home: sophomore slump. Luckily, there wasn’t one.
BEFORE THEY ARE HANGED picks up right were THE BLADE ITSELF left off, and is much better. Abercrombie’s writing seems more professional, the plot more controlled, and the payoff much more rewarding.
With this volume we’re introduced to new locations, expertly conveyed to us, and new people. Each twist is there for something besides shock value, and every even seems logical. All of the main characters have much show more more realistic arcs than they did in the first book, with several characters making major transformations. Some stay the same, thankfully, so we still get to hang out with the same old Glokta and Bayaz.
One minor problem with this book is that the comparisons to A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE are a bit more obvious, but Abercrombie manages to put enough freshness into other things, as well as write the familiar stuff well enough, that it’s easy to look past it.
I wouldn’t recommend reading anything but Book 1 to start off, but when you get to this book, you’ll be rewarded. Better than Book 1, an absolute joy to read. When’s Book 3 hitting shelves? show less
BEFORE THEY ARE HANGED picks up right were THE BLADE ITSELF left off, and is much better. Abercrombie’s writing seems more professional, the plot more controlled, and the payoff much more rewarding.
With this volume we’re introduced to new locations, expertly conveyed to us, and new people. Each twist is there for something besides shock value, and every even seems logical. All of the main characters have much show more more realistic arcs than they did in the first book, with several characters making major transformations. Some stay the same, thankfully, so we still get to hang out with the same old Glokta and Bayaz.
One minor problem with this book is that the comparisons to A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE are a bit more obvious, but Abercrombie manages to put enough freshness into other things, as well as write the familiar stuff well enough, that it’s easy to look past it.
I wouldn’t recommend reading anything but Book 1 to start off, but when you get to this book, you’ll be rewarded. Better than Book 1, an absolute joy to read. When’s Book 3 hitting shelves? show less
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Author Information
Joe Abercrombie is a freelance film editor, working mostly on documentaries and live music events. He lives and works in London. The First Law is his debut series. He won a Locus Award 2015 for science-fiction in the Young Adult Book Category with his title Half a King. (Bowker Author Biography)
Some Editions
Awards and Honors
Distinctions
Notable Lists
Series
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Is contained in
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Before They Are Hanged
- Original title
- Before They Are Hanged
- Original publication date
- 2007-03-15
- People/Characters
- Ferro Maljinn; Sand dan Glokta; Bayaz, First of the Magi; Collem West; Jezal dan Luthar; Logen Ninefingers (show all 12); Brother Longfoot; Tul Duru Thunderhead; The Dogman; Rudd Threetrees; Black Dow; Harding Grim
- Important places
- Adua; Dagoska; Angland
- Epigraph
- "We should forgive our enemies, but not before they are hanged." - Heinrich Heine
- Dedication
- For the Four Readers
You know who you are - First words
- Damn mist. It gets in your eyes, so you can’t see no more than a few strides ahead. It gets in your ears, so you can’t hear nothing, and when you do you can’t tell where it’s coming from. It gets up your nose, so you ... (show all)can’t smell naught but wet and damp. Damn mist. It’s a curse on a scout.
- Quotations*
- Aber wenn man, sagen wir mal, auf einer weiten, großen Ebene mitten im großen Nichts in einen Kampf gerät, der sich nicht vermeiden lässt, dann versuche ich, drei Regeln zu folgen. Erstens: Tut Euer Bestes, wie ein Feigli... (show all)ng, ein Schwächling und ein Narr zu wirken. Schweigen ist die beste Rüstung eines Kriegers, heißt es. Ein hartes Äußeres und schlagkräftige Worte haben noch nie eine Schlacht gewonnen, aber einige verloren. [...] Zweitens: Betrachtet niemanden als einen leichten Gegner, ganz gleich, wie ungeschlacht er wirken mag. Behandelt jeden Mann, als sei er zweimal so klug, so stark und so schnell wie Ihr, und dann werdet möglicherweiseangenehm überrascht. Respekt kostet nichts, und nichts bringt einen Mann schneller um als Selbstbewusstsein." [...] Drittens: Beobachtet Euren Gegner so genau, wie Ihr könnt, und hört auf die Meinung anderer, aber wenn Ihr einmal einen Plan gefasst habt, dann haltet an ihm fest und lasst Euch durch nichts davon abbringen. Wenn die Zeit kommt, um zuzuschlagen, dann solltet Ihr das tun, ohne zurückzublicken. Verzögerung ist aller Katastrophen Anfang, pflegte mein Vater immer zu sagen, und glaubt mir, ich habe ein paar Katastrophen miterlebt.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)And he stood up, and he wiped his hand on his shirt, and he walked away, back to the living, and left the two of them behind in the earth.
- Publisher's editor
- Anders, Lou (Pyr)
- Blurbers
- VanderMeer, Jeff
- Original language
- English
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 823.087661
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
- Genres
- Fantasy, Fiction and Literature
- DDC/MDS
- 823.087661 — Literature & rhetoric English & Old English literatures English fiction By type Genre fiction Adventure fiction Speculative fiction Fantasy fiction High fantasy
- LCC
- PR6101 .B49 .B45 — Language and Literature English English Literature 2001-
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 5,883
- Popularity
- 2,211
- Reviews
- 156
- Rating
- (4.17)
- Languages
- 17 — Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Croatian, Spanish, Swedish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 56
- ASINs
- 25