Product Description

Bitter and merciless war is coming to the frozen north. It's bloody and dangerous and the Union army, split by politics and hamstrung by incompetence, is utterly unprepared for the slaughter that's coming. Lacking experience, training, and in some cases even weapons the army is scarcely equipped to repel Bethod's scouts, let alone the cream of his forces. In the heat-ravaged south the Gurkish are massing to assault the city of Dagoska, defended by Inquisitor Glokta. The city is braced for the inevitable defeat and massacre to come, preparations are made to make the Gurkish pay for every inch of land . . . but a plot is festering to hand the city to its beseigers without a fight, and the previous Inquisitor of Dagoska vanished without trace. Threatened from within and without the city, Glokta needs answers, and he needs them soon. And to the east a small band of malefactors travel to the edge of the world to reclaim a device from history - a Seed, hidden for generations - with tremendous destructive potential. A device which could put a end to war, to the army of Eaters in the South, to the invasion of Shanka from the North - but only if it can be found, and only if its power can be controlled . . .

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #72437 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-15
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

SFF WORLD
"Before They Are Hanged is an excellent sequel from an author writing compelling, character-driven, adult fantasy, for readers who want to be entertained as well as challenged."

Review
"Before They Are Hanged is an excellent sequel from an author writing compelling, character-driven, adult fantasy, for readers who want to be entertained as well as challenged." (SFF WORLD )

"In my opinion, Joe Abercrombie possesses all the qualities that made David Eddings such a powerhouse during the 80s and 90s. Before They Are Hanged is a satisfying sequel which should establish Joe Abercrombie as one of the bright new voices of the genre. " (FANTASY HOT LIST )

"Before They Are Hanged grabs you and drags you along." (SFF SITE )

"Dark, deeply ironic and full of character gems that will appeal to your cynical side, Before They Are Hanged is as brilliant as its predecessor." (John Berlyne SF REVU )

"We're right there in the heads of these dudes, thanks to the author's style of showcasing their thoughts. His knowing turn of phrase means that situations often appear ironic, with peripheral characters verging on the Dickensian. This follow-up is crammed with unexpected betrayals, murders and liaisons, often catching us off guard." (Dave Bradley SFX )

SFF SITE
"Before They Are Hanged grabs you and drags you along."

Customer Reviews

Better and Better
This the senond of the trillogy (?) is an improvement on the first which I found very enjoyable. He has created characters you feel empathy for and although slightly formulaic and repetative he nevertheless continues you on a roller coaster trip. I find it hard to put down- a good sign. He does use one phrase to an irritating extent (back to the mud!)otherwise this is good stuff. Keep it up.

Series gets better.
I loved the first book, The Blade Itself, and Before They Are Hanged was even better! The storylines grow in pace and there are some suprising twists to them which I would never have seen coming at all (readers will probably know which twists I refer to when they come upon them!) and it is the way Abbercrombie handles these twists (much the same way as GRRM) that makes these books so good to read, no run of the mill fantasy that is very often churned out here!

The characters grow in development too which is good especially with the likes of dan Luthar and Ferro, Glokta and West (and his Nothmen allies) remain the best characters of the series however and it is these storylines that interest me the most. Minor characters are also dealt with to their best uses by Abercrombie, such as Cosca and Eider.

Once again I was very impressed by this novel and can't wait to get my hands on the third book.
5/5

Brilliant second book of an exciting contemporary fantasy series
Fantasy is a much maligned genre , yet it has given us a slew of hugely gifted writers. George RR Martin, Robin Hobb, Steven Erikson, Clive Barker, China Mieville to name some of the top of my shiny bonce. There is a new name to add to that list. Joe Abercrombie is a freelance film editor but on the evidence of The Blade Itself, the first of The First law trilogy , of which Before They are Hanged is the second, he has a new career as a writer . Like the first book this is terrific stuff.
There are three threads to the story featuring more of the wonderful array of characters , introduced to us in the first book . Some of these are developed further as you would expect ,but one or two even undergo unexpected character arcs that are importantly wholly believable. Plus there are several new characters introduced and Abercrombie is even confident enough to kill one of these off after developing an enthralling sub -plot around them.
The barbarian Logen Ninefingers, first of the Magi Byaz , his apprentice Quai and navigator Longfoot are joined by the perma-scowling misanthropic Ferro and arrogant aristocrat Jezal Dan Luther pining for the lady he left behind on a long journey to the island on the "Edge of the world" where Byaz is seeking "The Seed"- a magical weapon that could end all the conflict.
Union armies meanwhile are preparing to face the massed hordes of barbarians led by Bethod. Colonel West has reservations about his superiors and with good reason , finding to his surprise that the barbarian troop led by Threetrees are far greater fighters than his Union soldiers and he will need all their guile and ferocity to survive.
Meanwhile Inquisitor Glotka and his Practical's are despatched by Arch Lector Sult to the southern city of Dagoska where his predecessor has disappeared and the Gurkish army is amassing ready to reclaim the city from the Union. He suspects there are traitors within the city council and he's right but who are they and how can he engineer the ragtag band of defenders to repel the massive forces advancing on Dagoska ?
Like The Blade Itself this book this book is a cracking and exciting read. Happily and most entertainingly Abercrombie is the type of writer who can really make dialogue fizz ,He also has a highly modernistic irreverent approach to fantasy with lots of profanity , which no doubt will alienate fans of classic fantasy , and plenty of gory action sequences, including a couple of epic battles.
At the books conclusion it's all set up splendidly for the final instalment and I am salivating at the prospect of finding where that takes us. While The Blade Itself doesn't have the deep political intrigue of works by Robin Hobb or George RR Martin and indeed doesn't conjure up it's world quite as vividly, for which the lack of a map is a surprising oversight, it's still well written and about as compelling as fiction gets...fantasy or otherwise.