The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie

The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie, Fantasy, 541 pages.

Abercrombie's latest takes place in the same world he created for his First Law trilogy, and continued in his previous stand-alone book, Best Served Cold. Many of the main characters in this book were in the First Law series. Some were major characters there, like Bayaz, Dog-Man, and Black Dow, and some were merely mentioned. Heroes takes place several years later and alliances have shifted. The Union is back to fighting the Northmen, though Monza Mercatto, the wonderful character from Best Served Cold, lurks in the background, far to the south, worrying the Union generals and the Council. This book, unlike Abercrombie's others doesn't venture far afield. The book takes place over a short period of time, and almost never wanders from the battlefield in and around one small fortified town, as three Union armies clash with Dow's Northmen. Abercrombie's characters make stupid decisions, falter when it is their turn to shine, and even when situations turn out in the best possible way, feel the very real disappointment of those who have seen their dreams collide with harsh realities. From the Lord Marshal of the King's army, to Black Dow, the Protector of the North, to Beck, a young man joining the fray in hopes of becoming a named man like his father, everyone who lives comes away knowing that heroes are mostly dead guys, and that nothing turns out quite like you thought it would. Bayaz is, again, the only one who learned this lesson a long time ago, and learned to profit from that knowledge. The characters, with all their quirks, and notions, and dashed hopes make this another great book by Abercrombie. Anyone waiting around for George R. R. Martin's next should be reading all of Joe Abercrombie's stuff while waiting.