It’s a bit of a shock to realise that it’s nearly fifteen years since I first read Joe Abercrombie’s The Blade Itself, Book One of the First Law series. (Review HERE.) At the time (2005-06) I thought that it was something new, something exciting and revolutionary.
But over time, things change. Since 2006 Joe has expanded his repertoire, and to date written eight other novels, including a Young Adult trilogy, and had a short story collection published. Simultaneously other writers have riffed similar ideas, to the point that ‘Grimdark’ has become a thing in genre fiction.
With all of this in mind, you might think that Joe – the wryly named “Lord Grimdark” – has had enough of the world of the First Law. After all, his job is done and the work finished, with The Last Argument of Kings (published 2008 – reviewed HERE) drawing things to an effective conclusion. And whilst there have been short stories published about the same world and characters (see the short story collection Sharp Ends (2016)) it seemed, despite the fan-clamour, that there was to be no further development of that tale.
But here we have “First Law – the Next Generation”. A Little Hatred is the first in a new trilogy set in the same world of Glokta, Bayaz, Jezal, Black Calder, The Dogman and the like, but we are introduced to new characters as well.
I guess the key word is change. Whilst some of the characters we know are still around, the world of the First Law has become industrialised. If the original trilogy can be seen as medieval-esque Fantasy, then this is that world brought into the time of the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution of England.
Whilst many of the old characters are around – there’s the return of a wheelchair-bound Glokta, who as Arch Lector and Head of His Majesty’s Inquisition, is as scary and as creepy as ever, for example – this is very much a case of passing the baton to new younger antagonists. Glokta’s daughter, Savine dan Glokta, takes centre stage to fulfil this role although in some ways she is different to her dad. A ruthlessly effective businesswoman in this time of upheaval, her life is changed by being caught in the middle of the rioting city of Valbeck.
As ever, things are complicated. It may or may not help that Savine is having a secret affair with Crown Prince Orso, the son of King Jezal the First. Frustrated by being constantly kept out of harm’s way by Queen Terez, his domineering mother, and others, he is torn between rushing into the city to find Savine and doing the diplomatic thing on behalf of his father by negotiating a peace treaty instead with the city’s Breakers and Burners, the mobs who after years of abuse and misrule have finally rebelled.
And talking of rebellion, in the North the battle between the Union and the Protectorate of the North continues. Of the new characters here we meet Rikke, the daughter of the Dogman, who has the power (or curse) of second sight and Leo dan Brock, the young buck known as the “Young Lion” determined to make a name for himself as a young hero and leader of men. Their paths intertwine and then diverge as a solution to the ongoing war is attempted. It seems in this new world the fight is more about class and basic human rights than over land.
So : what to say of Joe’s return to the world of the First Law? Well, first of all, it is clear from the first page that what you’re reading is spoken with Joe’s inimitable voice and tone. You immediately know that it’s an Abercrombie you’re reading. It is as violent as ever – cracked skulls abound, gouts of blood fountain, grue is everywhere. In the hands of a lesser writer this can become repetitive and even mundane, but Joe manages in the main to avoid the clichés. A battle scene at Red Hill is vividly cinematic and in its actions and flowing motion is one of the best I’ve read in a long time.
But it is the other details that work in addition to this to make A Little Hatred a winner. The story is engaging from the off, and keeps your attention. The new characters evolve and all have interesting characteristics. As is often the case with Joe’s stories, characters are not always what you think they are and become something unexpected. I particularly liked Prince Orso, a man with a foppish reputation but who secretly hides self-doubt and behind the façade is a likeable sort of fellow. Rikke (pronounced “like pricker”, she announces at one point) is honest and engagingly innocent in the ways of the court. Savine is bright, intelligent, attractive and resourceful who is deeply changed by her experiences in this novel. Although she maintains the polite rituals of society, it is clear that inside she is hurting, to the point by the end where she seems to be suffering some sort of PTSD. Leo is a character I would describe as “nice but dim” who for some reason made me think of Chris Hemsworth’s characterisation of Thor in the recent Marvel movies, but comes across as well-meaning.
Some of the old guard make an appearance, of course, although this is very much a case of the old making way for the new – with Bayaz watching everything.
The ending has some revelations and is nicely set up for the next book.
Now, regular readers of my reviews may have realised that I’m not a fan of many Grimdark novels recently. It’s not through lack of trying, but many seem to think that swearing and violence seem to do it. These are clearly aspects, true, but there is more to Grimdark than that.
It’s only by reading Joe’s latest that this becomes blindingly obvious to me, even when I can’t actually decide what that elusive thing is. Is it his plotting? His characterisation? The violence? The humour? Whatever ‘it’ is, Joe has it. Whatever was lacking in other Grimdark books that imitate, A Little Hatred does not lack. The characterisation is clever and intelligent, the dialogue witty and gritty, the humour generally appropriate.
I think that part of the issue is knowing when to shock and when not to. Relentless exposure to violence, abuse and sex can eventually reduce its impact, and whilst there are moments that run close to being too much. Joe also knows when to rein it in. If this was one long tale of unremitting sex, violence and cruelty it wouldn’t work. That it does is credit to the author, and a lesson some of the other Grimdark authors I’ve tried to read could do with learning.
I was a little worried that Joe had bowed to pressure and decided to write a sequel series ‘for the fans’. Nothing generally wrong with that, of course, but in my opinion, and as a general rule, sequels tend to underwhelm in many, many series. This does not. Although fans of his earlier books will undoubtedly enjoy it, I was most pleased that he clearly has a new story worth telling, to tell in his inimitable way. Whilst there are links to earlier books you can start here.
Perhaps most tellingly is that at the end, and despite my ongoing recent love-hate relationship with Grimdark, I wanted more. The next book can’t happen soon enough.
In summary, there is no one that writes this stuff like Abercrombie and that may be all you need to know. For others, if I said that this is well up to the standard of the first trilogy, and raises the bar a little, then that should be enough. It’s that good it might even make me try some other Grimdark books, whilst I’m waiting for the next… nothing to hate here, even a little.
Very pleased to say “Recommended”.
A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie
Published by Gollancz, September 2019
ISBN: 978 0 85782 706 7
466 pages
Review by Mark Yon
