Grumpy RPG Reviews
Explorer
The First Law books by Abercrombie, or the Lock Lamora books by Lynch. One or other other and not both as I cannot afford both at the present.
Sell me on...
Both these sets of books are among my favourite fantasy. They're both grim and gritty, but the similarities end there.
The Gentleman Bastards books are in a lot of ways like the television series Hustle: slick cons where the reader is left unaware of parts of the plan until the end. Sadly for the protagonists, outside players come in and turn their carefully planned cons into bloody tales of betrayal and desparation. The setting for the first book is a blend of Renaissance Venice and Victorian London and more generic fantasy cities. The settings for the second book range from a similar Renaissance-like city to tropical seas. The writing is very accomplished, the characters are believable in what they can and cannot do and how they respond to each other, and the protagonists particularly are a nicely balanced between likeable and selfish.
The First Law series is much darker: an epic about the fate of the world, the countries in it and several individuals in those countries. The author is not afraid to show how unpleasant adventuring and wars can actually be for the people involved, and how futile much of it is in the grand scheme of things. The protagonists include a vain and selfish noble, a homicidal barbarian and a torturer, and the author succeeds in making them, if not exactly likeable, at least humans with whom the reader can identify. The descriptions of when "the Bloody Nine" emerges are some of the best descriptions of barbarian rage that I've read. Although I enjoyed the original First Law trilogy, I'd have to say that so far my favourite books in the series are Best Served Cold and Red Country.
In short, both sets of books are more of a modern, darker take on traditional fantasy. There are no quick and easy victories, lives are cheap and there's always someone more powerful ready to pull a fast one on the heroes. Think of the Belgariad and the Malorean by David Eddings, and then imagine pretty much the opposite.
The Gentleman Bastards books are in a lot of ways like the television series Hustle: slick cons where the reader is left unaware of parts of the plan until the end. Sadly for the protagonists, outside players come in and turn their carefully planned cons into bloody tales of betrayal and desparation. The setting for the first book is a blend of Renaissance Venice and Victorian London and more generic fantasy cities. The settings for the second book range from a similar Renaissance-like city to tropical seas. The writing is very accomplished, the characters are believable in what they can and cannot do and how they respond to each other, and the protagonists particularly are a nicely balanced between likeable and selfish.
The First Law series is much darker: an epic about the fate of the world, the countries in it and several individuals in those countries. The author is not afraid to show how unpleasant adventuring and wars can actually be for the people involved, and how futile much of it is in the grand scheme of things. The protagonists include a vain and selfish noble, a homicidal barbarian and a torturer, and the author succeeds in making them, if not exactly likeable, at least humans with whom the reader can identify. The descriptions of when "the Bloody Nine" emerges are some of the best descriptions of barbarian rage that I've read. Although I enjoyed the original First Law trilogy, I'd have to say that so far my favourite books in the series are Best Served Cold and Red Country.
In short, both sets of books are more of a modern, darker take on traditional fantasy. There are no quick and easy victories, lives are cheap and there's always someone more powerful ready to pull a fast one on the heroes. Think of the Belgariad and the Malorean by David Eddings, and then imagine pretty much the opposite.
Crothian
First Post
I really like them both. The First Law is more big World Fantasy dealing with a lot of different places. It is better written and more in depth characters. Gentleman Bastards is more entertaining. They are fun if you like cons and knowing in someway they will be successful but things will go horribly wrong as well.
Altamont Ravenard
Explorer
I've only read Abercrombie's books, and they are very well written and the characters are great. There is much (dark) humor in them, the action is very good, Ninefingers is awesome. What I didn't fully like was the story. I don't want to reveal too much, but Abercrombie's endings fall flat on a couple of occasions, IMHO. Basically, you have an initial situation, then a bunch of stuff happens, and at the end a lot of people have died but the situation hasn't changed much.
Maybe I feel this was because my favorite series is the Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erickson, and that guy packs so much stuff in the last 100 pages of his novels that every other story feels kind of bland.
AR
Maybe I feel this was because my favorite series is the Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erickson, and that guy packs so much stuff in the last 100 pages of his novels that every other story feels kind of bland.
AR
Grumpy RPG Reviews
Explorer
Hrmmm.... On second thought, can someone recommend a good stand-alone fantasy novel released in the last decade or so?
Salamandyr
Adventurer
Best Served Cold, by Joe Abercrombie takes place in the same universe as the The First Law trilogy, but is a stand alone novel that doesn't require any prior knowledge to enjoy, and is one of the best things I've ever read.
Lies... is a complete story in and of itself, no reason to read further, unless you want to.
Blood of Ambrose, by James Enge is quite a good story as well.
It's hard to name a stand alone novel that's completely "stand alone" because usually if they're popular, there will be follow up volumes.
Lies... is a complete story in and of itself, no reason to read further, unless you want to.
Blood of Ambrose, by James Enge is quite a good story as well.
It's hard to name a stand alone novel that's completely "stand alone" because usually if they're popular, there will be follow up volumes.
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