Marek reviewed Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie (The first law. Book 2)
Like it's predecessor, a solid third of a story
4 stars
With perhaps a little more understanding of how things will go, I found this book perhaps a bit better than the first volume (bookwyrm.social/book/402337/review#reviews).
What I didn't fully understand about the first book, and which took me a surprisingly long time to realise reading this one, is that the lack of awareness or knowledge of the "big picture" in this epic tale is the whole point. The point of view characters each has their arc, all of them dealing with difficulties and unpleasantness that is much greater than they can ken or manage. The result is that the grand sweep of history is unfolding, but there's no way for the characters or reader to fully grasp it.
Both because we've got to know them better, and because of development, the characters themselves are more appealing. They are rounded, often messy, and so the more compelling for it, though …
With perhaps a little more understanding of how things will go, I found this book perhaps a bit better than the first volume (bookwyrm.social/book/402337/review#reviews).
What I didn't fully understand about the first book, and which took me a surprisingly long time to realise reading this one, is that the lack of awareness or knowledge of the "big picture" in this epic tale is the whole point. The point of view characters each has their arc, all of them dealing with difficulties and unpleasantness that is much greater than they can ken or manage. The result is that the grand sweep of history is unfolding, but there's no way for the characters or reader to fully grasp it.
Both because we've got to know them better, and because of development, the characters themselves are more appealing. They are rounded, often messy, and so the more compelling for it, though flaws certainly shine through.
The book also has flaws typical of the genre - it doesn't pass the low bar of the Bechtal Test, for instance, and the treatment of women is also noted in other reviews on here and worth looking at. The world building remains generally decent, though the mythology feels strangely restricted - with a couple of continents and several countries, everything religious or mythological seems to come down to the same few men. Still, there are some nice twists and serious messing with the tropes too.
