Before They Are Hanged

Written by Joe Abercrombie

Narrated by Steven Pacey

The second novel in the wildly popular First Law Trilogy from New York Times best seller 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. 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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hachette UK Audio
• Release date: Jun 3, 2010
• ISBN: 9781409111450

Joe Abercrombie

Joe Abercrombie was born in Lancaster in 1974. His first book, The Blade Itself, was published in 2006. He lives in Bath with his wife Lou and their three children Grace, Eve and Teddy.

Reviews for Before They Are Hanged

[gonzalo8046 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great Book.

[kgodey_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

WARNING: There will be spoilers for The Blade Itself in this review.We catch up with our various protagonists pretty much where we left them at the end of the previous book. The First of the Magi Bayaz is leading his group of misfits (who all hate each other) to the end of the world on a magical quest. Newly promoted Superior Glokta is settling into the city of Dagoska, which is on the brink of an overwhelming invasion which he has been ordered to stop at any cost - while investigating the disappearance of his predecessor. Major West, also newly promoted, is trying to babysit the Crown Prince Ladisla who seems to be trying to ensure that he gets every single man under his command killed.This book suffers from a typical second-book syndrome. Although a lot happens and our protagonists gain some measure of self-confidence and acceptance of their lots, the broader situation remains similar to the end of the first book, but with far less hope - it feels suspiciously like the pawns being moved into place for the final book.The characters that we know and love from The Blade Itself haven't changed all that much, although their incessant swearing and self-absorption started to grate on me. Bayaz and Jezal lose much of their charm now that the questing party is in a situation that is beyond their control. Bayaz no longer seems like the wisest man in the world; he just seems irritable and sanctimonious, and Jezal's lack of self-awareness and prejudices make me want to strangle him (yes, he gets better, but the change is way too slow!) I still love Logen Ninefingers and the rest of the Northmen, though. West is also tolerable, especially as he grows a spine. My favourite character is definitely Superior Glokta - his self awareness and sardonic wit are amazing, and he's even starting to show signs of having a heart.Abercrombie has a great sense of humour (both via his characters and his narration) and manages to balance the incredibly different viewpoints of his characters really well. His political intrigue is cleverly plotted. Sometimes he switches viewpoints a bit too quickly, but that's a very minor issue.I don't mean to imply that I didn't like the book - I did! I think Abercrombie's attempts to make the characters realistic and gritty went too far, and ended up somewhat distracting, but the fact that he was able to provoke such strong frustration in me (as I feverishly turned the pages) proves that he's a great writer. The character building was good, we learned a lot more about the world, the writing and pacing works well, and I'm definitely going to read Last Argument of Kings as soon as possible.

[libgirl69 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read the first book some time ago. Unfortunately book 2 provided no help in picking up the story again. That said, the characters are so well formed, with dialogue both witty and thoughtful, I didn't mind too much. Took a good few chapters though. Love the mix of characters, with the mix of universal truths aboutwar, how experience is gained and that nothing ever works out the way you thought it would. The Dogman rules!

[johnnypanic13 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Before They Are Hanged by Joe AbercrombieFirst Law Trilogy: Book TwoSweet holy damn this was an awesome book. Far too many times a series has started promising only to disappoint in the second or third book. But Joe Abercrombie has just gotten better. These books are so good that I really really don't don't want to read the last book in the trilogy. I don't want the series to end. If it wasn't for the fact that I know Joe Abercrombie has written other books in this world I don't think I would. I think I'd shelve it and save it. Luckily, there are other books. I'm still going to read something in between just to prolong the joy of this series as long as I can.So the short version of this review - damn good book. If you like fantasy books, read this series. Read it now. If fantasy isn't your favorite genre, read these books anyway. They are just good books period.And now, getting into some details, that will probably include spoilers. So you're warned.Where do I start with the ways that i love this series. Lets start with the characters. If I were to just list them, they would sound like cliches plucked from any other fantasy series. You have the sadistic torturer, the hardened warrior woman, the spoiled nobleman, the fierce northern warrior, the ancient wizard and his faithful apprentice. But you are no novice fantasy reader, you've seen these tropes played upon before. You know that the sadistic torturer will find a chance at redemption, the nobleman will find honor through humility, and the ancient wizard will do wizardly things. But Joe Abercrombie goes further. Not necessarily in a new direction, though you'll find some fun twists on those characters you thought you knew, but instead to go deeper.I'm going to use George RR Martin as a comparison, something I don't really like doing. I don't like the Author vs Author game that seems to get played in fantasy a lot. Read them both, you've got the time.What George RR Martin did was to strip down those stereotypes. Rip away most of them really. And leave you with a gritty no nonsense fantasy book that is only just a slight sidestep away from reality. And he did it well.What Joe Abercrombie did was to deepen those same cliches until enough meat and flesh has been piled on that they aren't really cliches anymore. And he does it well.I love the pace too. I respect world building. Hell I love world building. But sometimes I worry that it comes at the cost of pace. Joe Abercrombie finds a balance that I like. You might not feel like you understand the world you're thrown into the middle of for a while, but the pace of these books clips along so nicely that before you know it you've stayed up far past your usual time just to squeeze another chapter in. And the world fills in around the edges as you go.And here's a minor award - best sex scene in a fantasy book ever. And also the least sexy sex scene in a fantasy book ever. It's too much of a spoiler to go in to, even with the spoiler alert. But if you've read the book, you know which one I'm talking about. Joe Abercrombie managers to make that scene real. Real in it's passion frenzy disappointment, and compassion. I don't think a sex scene has ever turned me on less, and yet resonated emotionally more. Not sure you want to hang that award on your wall, but there it is.I'm not going to dive right in to the last book in the trilogy. I want to savor it a bit. So i'm going to read something in between.

[mattries37315 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The middle chapter of The First Law Trilogy is a fun mixture of epic journeys, brutal battles, political intrigue, and yes even sex (unfortunately). Joe Abercrombie after leading all his flawed and well written characters to Adua in The Blade Itself, he sent them all far away from the middle continent of his world. The epic journey of Bayaz, Logen, Ferro, and Jezal across the Old Empire on their way to the Edge of the World is given all the sense of an epic quest that sees all four change in their views of themselves but to the others as well. Inquisitor, now Superior, Glokta journeys to Dagoska to find out what happened to his predecessor and to defend the city from the Gurkish any way he can while looking over his shoulder for the stab in the back he always expects is coming but is continually surprised when it never happens. Up North, Logen's former crew join up with Collem West and together they attempt to fight off Bethod's invasion of Angland facing challenges none of them expected including dealing with the burden of leadership. Abercrombie surprises fantasy fans, even those use to the twist and turns of GRR Martin, by how he spins the three main story arcs in this book, especially the ending to the 'epic quest' led by Bayaz. However it's the characters that even really makes one not want to set down this book and that's why this book is so good.

[ispeaknerd-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Highly enjoyable. Interestingly complicates common fantasy tropes. No deep art here, just fun entertainment. More refined than the first in the series.

[dgold-2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not as wonderful as that which precedes it, Before They Are Hanged still manages to be a great piece of Fantasy Fiction. This book relies on one of the great tropes of all writing, the old Throw'em together and they'll stick routine. Nevertheless, there's more than enough here to make for a cracking read.

[shanaqui_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book built more on characters than on plot -- and it does it very, very well. I thought I'd never like Jezal, but I'm sort of getting fond of him, and we see a bit more of Ferro that makes her a bit more likeable. I'm getting steadily more wary about Bayaz, and wondering what the heck's up with Malacus Quai.

I thought it maybe could have done with a touch more time for Jezal to start being a decent guy, and maybe a bit more development between Ferro and Logen. Still, the way Ferro and Logen got together was appropriately awkward! And it's good that everything between them doesn't suddenly become unicorns and puppies.

The darkness and cynicism is nice. I'd hate to see it become a gimmick of Abercrombie's, should he write more: I'd get very bored of stuff written in exactly this style. It fits this world, but... I guess we'll have to see.

On, swiftly, to the third book!

[pstotts_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"Before They Are Hanged" is the second volume in the First Law Series by promising young British writer Joe Abercrombie. The first novel, the wonderful "The Blade Itself" was a fantastic introduction to a series featuring brutal, hard-boiled characters, excessive profane language and copious amounts of violence. It was dark fantasy at its best--nasty and brutish. Well I am here to say that "Before They Are Hanged" is an even bigger, meaner and better story as things get kicked up here to another gear.Inquistor Glokta and the barbarian, Logen "The Bloody Nine" Ninefingers are anti-heroes for the ages. Abercrombie turns all of his characters, who are filled with violence, maliciousness and machinations, into guilty pleasures. You know you should feel shocked and offended at some of the things the characters say or do, but it is just too damn hard not to enjoy it. While it may be good to be the King, it is also good to be bad. As the novel begins, the Union finds itself at war on its Northern front against Bethod and his massive horde of battle-tested barbarians. Impending war with the Gurkish also threatens the southern city of Dagoska. Inquistor Glokta has been dispatched to Dagoska to solve the mysterious disappearance of the previous Inquisitor of Dagoska. He finds he must overcome the corrupt and incompetent leadership of the city in order to achieve his objective, and defend the city from the impendingGurkish attack. Deadly backroom political intrigue ensues as forces within and without battle for their own agendas, causing Glokta to use his wits in order to keep control. Meanwhile operating under his own agenda, the wizard, Bayaz, has gathered a party of his own, the mindless and arrogant Union officer, Jezal dan Luthar, the mysterious hate-filled Ferro Maljinn, and Logen. They have set out to recover an apocalyptic artifact from the past which Bayaz covets, the Seed. This device supposedly contains a destructive force so powerful and otherworldly that it will be able to save the Union from the invasions of both theGurkish and the North. But will Bayaz' group be able to recover the Seed and harness its power in time to save the Union? Like "The Blade Itself", Abercrombie's writing here is hard-edged and relentless. Like a nail-chewing, steroid-popping beast of a fantasy novel, the story's pace flies at breakneck speeds, flexing its considerable muscles during well-conceived battle sequences. The action pounds, the dialogue cracks, and the humor oozes through, combining into one of the most enjoyable reading experiences of the year. I find that I cannot wait for the conclusion.Last Word:Better than the first novel, "Before They Are Hanged" is a fast-paced, gritty bit of brutality and fantasy that grabs you and doesn't let go. Dark, well-conceived and enjoyable, this is one not to be missed.

[markcwallace_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In the second book of Joe Abercrombie's trilogy, the characters continue to be both compelling and surprising. There is more of the poignant wit and more descriptions that are sharply pointed enough to use for surgery. Unfortunately the plot continue to advance glacially; what Abercrombie reveals about the forces which are driving the action is fascinating. There is also just too much description of scenery that may be awesome, inspiring and many other things, but isn't very interesting. This trilogy is ambitious. Each of the characters is undergoing personal conflicts and transformations at the same time that the world is undergoing potentially cataclysmic changes. This book reveals the strategy of several of the major players, and hints at the existence of other players - who may or may not be aligned with those we know. Some of the transformations are disappointing - I hope that Jezal the swordsman has a role to play in the climax, because his progress in this book is quite ordinary. Some are more satisfying - both West (the military officer) and Ferro (The sociopathically vengeance obsessed archer) grow in ways that are surprising and yet satisfying. Mr. Abercrombie's challenge in the final book is to wrap up the loose ends decisively, without breaking my trust. I want to believe that the details he hasn't yet revealed are obscured for a reason - not just out of a self-absorbed delight in sleight of hand. Even if he fails he's recommended for all fans of Georgette Heyer; if he should succeed in drawing all the threads together in a satisfying way, then George Martin should be worried.

[kendosam · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wicked fun, even better than the first one! I tore through it at warp speed and now i have to order the third from the UK because I am too impatient to wait for the US relese date.

[king_bonez_xx · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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 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?

[seaofsorrow-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of thebest character driven stories I've read! This book had more action in it that the first and has is not your typical adventure story, there are hidden secrets, dark histories, and grit to the story. Logen, Ferro, and Glokta are still my favorite characters, West and the rest of the Northemen are right up there. You probably could read this by itself but you would miss out on a really good book. I suggest reading the first...i will be continuing on the the "Last Arguement of Kings," then to the off shoot books....

[jeremypreacher · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The characters introduced in the first book follow their obvious arcs to their conclusion in this one. The crippled torturer deals again with the foe that almost destroyed him. The dashing swordsman learns humility, the batshit insane assassin humanity, the uptight soldier perspective. And throughout are the hints that nothing is quite what it seems...

[edgeworth_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The second novel in Joe Abercrombie’s First Law trilogy, but I’m afraid this one was a bit of a step down. The Blade Itself had its flaws, but I was willing to overlook them because it seemed like it was going somewhere interesting. It ended with several of the main characters united into a single group, about to set off on a quest – a vague and unspecified quest, but a quest nevertheless.Before They Are Hanged follows them across hundreds and hundreds of pages of windswept grassland with not much happening. In another story thread, Superior Glokta is sent to an Arabic-flavoured city to defend it against the incursions of a rival empire; in another, Major West struggles through the Union’s war in the North. Both of these threads were more interesting than the main quest, but neither seemed particularly relevant to the series’ outcome either. I’m not entirely sure where Abercrombie is going with it all.The thing that mostly bothered me about Before They Are Hanged is the same thing that bugged me about the first book. (Not the Tom Swifties – he’s eased up on those.) It’s hard to articulate, but it’s just a general lack of lustre. It never drew me in. His writing isn’t bad, but neither is it particularly good. He spends less time on things that might be interesting – the world, the quest, the stakes – and more on amateurish arcs of telegraphed character development, and hammering home the same few points over and over again. Take, for example, Abercrombie’s apparent revelation that battles are brutal and bloody and that the life of an adventurer is not all it’s cracked up to be. This observation might have held more weight if he’d written these books in the 1970s or 1980s; I know George R.R. Martin covered it in the 1990s and since I’m not well-acquainted with the fantasy genre I’d be surprised if he was the first. And there’s nothing wrong with this, per se, except that Abercrombie bangs on and on and on about it. Sometimes I feel like the entire series is an excuse for him to have grizzled old veterans lecture young, inexperienced dandies about the realities of combat. This is particularly egregious in the war in the North, where Logen’s war-hardened old comrades, who drift through the book with a sort of resigned stoicism, are exasperated at every turn by the Union’s incompetent and underequipped armies, led by a foolish Crown Prince who thinks of battle as nothing more than a path to glory. It makes no sense whatsoever that an empire which controls a significant size of this fantasy world is hopeless at war. There are too many straw men in this book. (Ask yourself how many stupid leaders there are in A Song of Ice and Fire, and the answer, of course, is none – there are leaders who are arrogant or reckless or cruel or stubborn, but never stupid.)I’m continuing to read this series largely because I don’t like to leave things unfinished, and because my girlfriend already owns all the books. The third and final volume is Last Argument of Kings, and if Abercrombie can pull something interesting out of the hat and actually wrap this series up in an unexpected or entertaining way, then I’ll forgive the glacial pace and clumsy development of the first two books.

[suzemo · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I still really like this epic/high/dark fantasy. Great adventure and interesting as hell. I love how gritty it is and how the characters think and interact with each other.

Can't wait to get to the last. I think this is going to be one of my favorite series ever.

It's definitely one of those series that's a "one book divided into three pieces" things. Everything ends abruptly expecting the reader to go right into the next book. Normally it pisses me off, but this one just makes me want to keep reading more.

[ssimon2000-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ok, where to start with this review for the second book in the First Law trilogy...

It has already been mentioned in other reviews that it picks up immediately after the first book, with Glokta heading south to Degoska (spelling names in this review is a challenge, since I'm listening to the books instead of reading them) to prevent the city from being overrun by the Gurkish army, Collum West heading north to prevent Adua from being overrun by Bethod, and Bayaz, Logen, Jazel, Quay, Longfoot, and Ferro heading to the edge of the world for... something.

At this point, the characters are well-known, and I wasn't expecting much in their development, but boy, was I surprised! I especially liked how Glokta's character developed over the course of this volume. I was also surprised at how much I dislike Bayaz, who has turned into something of a conniving manipulator, failing to give the "whole truth" or worse, only giving enough information to get his team into some deep, life-threatening trouble.

As several reviewers already mentioned, this book overcame the "second-book-in-a-series" curse very well, and the tension is ratcheted up significantly towards the end of the book, with several characters being killed (a couple shocked me), intense palace intrigue, shady dealings, and double-crosses happening in spades throughout. Of course, it ends on a series of cliff-hangers, too.

The narrative is outstanding, and Stephen Pacey has got to be one of the best at this. His ability to differentiate the dozens of characters is simply amazing!

On to the next book!

[never_sam · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Before They are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie is the second in The First Law trilogy. The first novel I bought on a whim at a bookstore in Oxford while I studied there. I knew some of my favorite authors recommended it (and a good friend) and I thought the cover was pretty (it was shiny!) and I wanted a British fantasy author to buy before I went back to America. The first book was entertaining enough so I needed to read the rest.
As I started reading the book my thoughts were: interesting characters, interesting development, very dark, but nothing extremely innovative or creative to me. I noted the repeated use of certain descriptors and I thought that this was indicative of lazy writing, but the more I thought about it the more I realized that this was a clever tactic to get us into the heads of the characters. Glokta’s italicized thoughts to himself show us his isolation, his conflict, the only person he can talk to is himself. Dogman’s use of dialect and vernacular shows us his difference between the Union citizens, how he stands apart form them. Jezal’s prose is the most “traditional” because he is a nobleman raised in the way we would expect someone to write. But when we read Ferro’s story we find her very style of speaking to be abrasive, enforcing the idea of her own abrasiveness.
Abercrombie offers us a chance to have a conversation about voice, style, and form. There is something much deeper to the characterization in these books than just another fantasy novel. Abercrombie’s strength rests in his ability to create deeply character driven novels. The language of the narrative itself informs and shapes the characters. It is an amazing gift and talent. For me, nothing makes a novel more compelling than good characterization. The way Abercrombie can use the exact voice of his characters as the narrator is absolutely brilliant. Other writers try to do this, but so few actually succeed so well. My reading experience was one of submersion into the minds of these characters and each experience was realized fully.
His books are a beautiful thing, although very dark. The darkness in some ways was only able to be communicated by being so deep in the character’s minds that things that were truly able to as devastating as they were. Yes, the actions were not nice, especially involving Glokta, but the things that were so horrible and dark were made all the more traumatic because the reader is so deeply embedded into the character’s mind, every single hurt because the character and you morph together. It is a beautiful and truly authentic reading experience.

[kiddboyblue · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This second installment had a slow start. A very slow start, and I was beginning to worry that it would be very dull compared to the amazing start the series had in "The Blade Itself."However, once it finally picked up in the last third, it was relentless and didn't let down. Bloody battle after bloody battle, and great character development. Edge of your seat narrative that had me turning page after page, not wanting to put it down.This is a dark series, that at times feels extremely hopeless. I love and I hate equally that, the hopelessness never seems to shift to hope. It's a very unique quality in a fantasy series, so I love it. However, its so bleak I find myself depressed for these characters have thinking this series will not have a happy bow tied around it at the end. There is something to be said for Abercrombie's writing however, that he has written such deplorable and flawed, and ugly characters, and yet, has made me so invested in them. I actually care about many of these characters and that's some fine writing, as these characters are not all that likable. I really enjoyed Ferro's development throughout the novel. It seemed as her character grew and developed, Bayaz's diminished and darkened. There was a nice contrast to their arches in the story, that I found quite riveting.What I love best about Abercrombie's writing is that at their core these are character driven narratives. He has taken fantasy character tropes and turned them on their head. Yet he still gets us inside the characters minds, and drives the story forward by driving his characters forward in development and growth. He is by and far one of the best character writers out there in this genre. Each character is fully realized and wholly their own in his narratives. Overall, the series is definitely worth a read, if not just to read something totally unique and different to your typical fantasy series. Strong writing, dark, and bloody.

[randulf-3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A worthy continuation of one of the best fantasy series' out there. Even manages to parody LOTR and get away with it perfectly!

[misterjjones · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In competently written sequel to The Blade Itself, Abercrombie does a pretty good job of adding just enough to the standard fantasy tropes to deliver something that’s refreshingly new, but still comfortably familiar.On the surface, we have a pretty normal Middle Book of a Fat Epic Fantasy Trilogy. (Actually, there seems to be no indication of how long the series will be. I suspect Gollancz are hedging their bets against another Robert “just one more book then I’ll start winding it up” Jordan.) Our protagonists have split up and so we follow multiple storylines: Bayaz (the Wise But Enigmatic Guide) leads a Motley Band of Heroes on an Epic Trek across a Desolate Wasteland in the West, while Major West and the group of Fierce but Deep-Down-Nice-Guy barbarians - who seemed somewhat extraneous to the first book but are more active this time - fight a War Against Desperate Odds in the North, while Abercrombie’s most promising character, Sand dan Glokta the tortured-cum-torturer, finds himself in the City Under Siege in the South. So archetypal are these situations, that even the characters are comparing themselves to the stories. But this is surely deliberate, as this gives Abercrombie’s sardonic and world weary characters room to shine.And shine they all do, but Glokta steels the show.‘Oy.’ A rough hand shook Glokta from his sleep. He rolled his head gingerly from the side he had been sleeping on, clenching his eeth at the pain as his neck clicked. Does death come early in the morning, today? He opened his eyes a crack. Ah. Not quite yet, it seems. Perhaps at lunch time.Without such sharp cynicism, Before they are hanged would be little more than another tired Fat Fantasy. With it, this is an entertaining, fast-paced, and clever episode in what is shaping up to be a fine addition the genre’s top series. The last volume was largely set up for this one, and the overall direction of the series is not clear yet. I’m already waiting for the next volume to find out where Abercrombie will be taking us next.

[andrlik · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is an excellent continuation to the series, picking up where book one left off. Abercrombie delves deep into his characters and moves the plot forward, the latter being a welcome addition after the slower moving character work that made up the majority of the last volume. I loved the first book, but Before They Are Hanged entranced me and I was unable to put it down. In particular, I loved Logen's tale in this book, and really enjoyed Glotka's adventures in the south. There is still some of the same issue I described from the first book, where a chapter may not start with a clear indication of which character's perspective is informing the narrative, but otherwise this is a fabulous story, and the rest of the writing more than made up for it.

I'll keep this review brief and write something longer when I finish the third and final book in the series.

[nhlsecord · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

These books have good, wry humour, and great imagination and characters, but the war and the politics make for a long slog.

[tyllwin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In this second book of The First Law the scope rapidly expands beyond the decadent empire of the Union and out onto three tracks: The war in the north, the troubles in the south and a quest to the edge of the world. It's actually, I think, a better story than The Blade Itself because he can focus more on the story and less on introductions.

[cherrymischievous · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Before They Are Hanged is Book 2 of The First Law Trilogy, this book continues where the cliffhanger in Book 1 left off and also ended in a cliffhanger. So my advice is the same with what I said in Book 1: don’t start reading this trilogy until you have all three books in your possession so that you can continue reading on the story as soon as you hit the cliffhanger. I therefore do not advise anybody to read this book on its own because this book is just a middle chapter of three. It will get you confused. There is no beginning and no end. The beginning is in Book 1 and I presume that the end will be in Book 3.Having experienced the multiple-thread writing style of the first book, I flagged this book’s chapters with a color-coded sticky index cards so that I can follow a single thread of the story and easily jump chapters until that thread in the story intersects another. Still slow going but a bit quicker than Book 1. I would give the pace a rating of 3 out of 5. This being Book 2, the world building and character development has been shaped in Book 1 already, therefore I’m not going to rate those in this review anymore.This author also has the propensity of killing off beloved characters which breaks my heart! However, because of the author's fantastic “voice”, it's what keeps me reading on with this trilogy. Despite the slow pace. And even though I find the multiple-thread writing style annoying.Final Say:This book is just a middle chapter of a bigger book. Starts at the middle of the story and ends with a cliffhanger.

[isamoor_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Dec10:This second book just couldn't stay with the first one. Pretty much worse in every way for me. Even the action wasn't really as fun. Meh.

[crazybatcow · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Took a bit to get into the story - lots of characters, and three different groups on "missions"... but once I got these threads organized in my head, the story moved along nicely and I tried to read a bit faster to find out how each thread was going to be concluded...or if it was going to be concluded.The book is nicely paced, the characters are consistent and the world is interesting. It does sort of just stop at the end though... I know the main "missions" were technically completed, but not particularly satisfactorily and none of the main characters were resolved.Of course, there's another book in the trilogy so I have hopes that it will wrap it all up nicely.

[ladycato · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a well-written tense grimdark novel, though it feels like middle book in a trilogy. Major issues are left unresolved, and one of the largest subplots in particular ended in a failure that felt rather... deflating at the end of the book. That said, I admire that Abercrombie write the book in that way. These novels haven't been quite as much of a blood bath as GRRM's Song of Ice and Fire, but he is still ruthless in his own way: his characters fail in profound manners, and deal with those repercussions. Along those lines, I remain most intrigued my Glokta, the war hero turned cripple torturer who is despicable and yet complex and relatable.

[jkdavies · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The cast of characters meet each other, sometimes on the same side, sometimes opposite sides and still, things are not clear cut; you find yourself rooting for one or other of them and then they come into conflict. Glokta at the siege of Dagoska shows his honourable side, but in such a way as to leave you wondering just what all this obedience to some set of ideals is all about. Pairing up, or at least, coupling goes on, but the book ends without hope that there is anything lasting... And the quest itself seems hopeless to and I wait with bated breath for the last book :) Again!

[ellemir-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Part two of The First Law trilogy. Our anti-heroes of The blade itself find themselves in really unpleasant situations - warfare in the north against threatening barbarians having more than one surprise ready for their enemies, a quest towards the end of the world with a lot of nasty encounters and the order to hold a town under siege, which proves to be an impossible job at best. The tone of this book is darker, more gritty, but the author still adds a good deal of humour (especially in the plotline about Glokta, the cynical inquisitor). The mixture works for me.

There is quite a lot of character development in this book - unpleasant circumstances make you grow or fail. Luckily most of the characters grow. The pace is much faster than in the first volume, the author moves back and forth between three plotlines. The fighting scenes are well written, although dirty and bloody (but that's how it is - as Logen, the barbarian, would say - one has to be realistic about this).

One last remark: A map would have been a nice addition - I did not miss it that much in the last volume of the trilogy, but it would have helped to keep track of the characters and opposing forces in this book.