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Lord grimdark, ladies and gentlemen. Itβs been a while since I posted a fantasy review, and boy did I decide to come back with a good one.
A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie is the latest book in his First Law series, the beginning of The Age of Madness trilogy. Let me start off by saying, even if I make this book sound as amazing as it is, you have to at least start with the original trilogy, if not all the standalone novels too (which I did skip). But Iβll try to keep this mostly spoiler free.
This book picks up 30 years after the Last Argument of Kings, and weβre seeing the next generation pick up the mantle as they deal with problems both old (war, money, power) and new (industry, class revolt). While society had βprogressedβ with its technology, evil is still evil, the poor will still suffer, and power still corrupts.
But not once in my reading did the suffering and bloodshed seem gratuitous. Thatβs Abercrombieβs skill. Sure, you might disagree about the conclusionβs heβs made about the nature of humanity, but at least heβs consistent. If you have hope, it will be crushed. If a character doesnβt look out for themselves, theyβll be worse for wear.
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Which brings me to the characters β you need a bright light to get you through a story that can at times get bleak. I feel hook line and sinker for these characters, both ones connected to the ones we are familiar with in the original books and those new. Without spoilers, Iβll just say the apples didnβt fall very far from the familial trees with these new kids. And itβs honestly refreshing to say my two favorite characters were the women, Savine and Rikke. Itβs not every fantasy book where you can have female characters each with their own personalities and struggles and motivations that are completely separate from how they relate to the men in their lives. I Stan Savine so much, and canβt wait for more from her in the future books.
And itβs with these great characters (Orso and Clover included, to not neglect the fellas) that Iβm able to push through this grim tale, because itβs the humor they bring to the table to that makes this fantasy (without much magic) such an enjoyable read.
I would say what characterizes my read of Kindred the most is the looming threat. This historical fiction (with fantasy elements) starts with its main character Dana having lost her arm. You donβt know how, other than the fact it happened βthe last time she went home.β But quickly, once the main story gets underway, that looming threat of disfigurement is replaced with the bigger threat: life as a Black woman in the Antebellum South. That looming threat provides a great tension that really pushes you through the rest of the story.
