"The 1st Law Series, G.R.R. Martin wishes he was this good" Topic

A co-worker introduced me to Joe Ambercombie's The First Law Series of Fantasy novels. I have just finished the second book "Before they are Hanged" and have to say George R.R. Martin could learn a thing or five from Mr. Ambercombie on how to write a complex multi-character saga, oh, and FINISH IT!!!

There is only one more book left in this particular saga (wow a trilogy how quaint in this day and age) but Mr. Ambercombie has also managed to write three other stand along books set in the same world. Mr. Ambercomie's writing is crisp, direct, engaging, and you really get into the heads of the characters. The characters grow, are flawed, gritty, some of them learn not to do stupid things after the surviving the first almost fatal mistake. Again that is refreshing. Now this is not a happy world and there are not really any heroes per se, although the character Logan Nine Fingers comes pretty close so far.

Now the question is what figures to use for the Union forces, which to use for the Northmen and Bethod's Army in particular, what figures the use for the Shanka, and for the other nations?

Cool, I will check these out.

Matthew

Couldn't agree more.

Don't know about figs but you'll want to read "Heroes" after the trilogy.

I know what you mean about finishing it I'm just reading the last Stephen Erikson Book Crippled God (book 10 in the series) and also read the Hugh Cook series years ago which was about 13 books both the 1st book set out the story and the others were how/where the characters were before they appeared in the 1st book and where they went afterwards got a bit confusing from time to time with the time lines, will check out Joe Ambercombie's books.

I love them too. Best Served Cold and Red Country are not as strong as the original trilogy in my opinion, but The Heroes is, as Dentatus says, absolutely fantastic.

His next one comes out in July.

Chris Rance is spot on.

I loved best served cold as well, in fact I read it before the trilogy (saw it in the store and picked it up first). Red country wasn't as good because he was trying to make it a western in his fantasy world and I couldn't get that out of my head while reading it.

It would be fun to game the story. Tre Manor's Red Box Games would make some of the northmen and Logan good. Not sure about the union.

Yea the Northmen based upon descriptions in the book would be your normal variety Vikings or perhaps Normans as they have cavalry troops. The Union appear to be much like the Roman Empire in structure but in terms of dress and look seem more later Middle Ages such as War of the Roses perhaps. Sounds like the "flatbows" are actually crossbows and there does not appear to be any kind of gunpowder tech per se. The uniform description for the Union is what throws me as it seems more Napoleonic in design in my mind's eye.

Brilliant books and a the first book in a new series being published this month.

The stand alone "Heroes" book cries out to be gamed [and one suspects the Author has gamed]