Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie

nj1 said:
Here's my take on it -

#####SPOILERS#####




All magic comes from the 'other side' where all demons were exiled to. Glustrod tried to use that raw magic and was unable to contain it therefore destroying Aulcus (I think of the residue of the magic used as radioactive, hence the barren land where nothing can grow and that any ordinary person dies suddenly when in contact with the stone thingy), Bayaz managed to contain that power by use of the work he had carried out prior to the eaters arriving.
Ferro could hear the voices as she had part demon ancestry (hence her eyes) and they wanted her to open the gateway to let them escape thier confines.

I may be wrong, but thats how I saw things.
Click to expand...

So Bayaz was trying to use that magic to destroy the Eaters, what was Glustrod trying to do when he used the magic?

p.s. I know a lot of this is mentioned in BTAH in a talk that Bayaz gave to them all when going to the Other Side of the World, but I dont have the book at hand and cant remember what Bayaz said!
 
Best Served Cold is a standalone, but it's set in the same world as The First Law, and picks up a couple of threads left over. A few minor characters from the trilogy appear in central roles, and there might even be a cameo or two from old friends...
 
Joe Abercrombie said:
Best Served Cold is a standalone, but it's set in the same world as The First Law, and picks up a couple of threads left over. A few minor characters from the trilogy appear in central roles, and there might even be a cameo or two from old friends...
Click to expand...

Thanks for getting back to me Joe. 'Best Served Cold' sounds great, I look forward to reading it. :)
 
nj1 said:
Here's my take on it -

#####SPOILERS#####




All magic comes from the 'other side' where all demons were exiled to. Glustrod tried to use that raw magic and was unable to contain it therefore destroying Aulcus (I think of the residue of the magic used as radioactive, hence the barren land where nothing can grow and that any ordinary person dies suddenly when in contact with the stone thingy), Bayaz managed to contain that power by use of the work he had carried out prior to the eaters arriving.
Ferro could hear the voices as she had part demon ancestry (hence her eyes) and they wanted her to open the gateway to let them escape thier confines.

I may be wrong, but thats how I saw things.
Click to expand...

That's how I saw it, but....

It also made a lot of people in the vicinity sick - radiation sickness?

I think Bayaz contained it somewhat to preserve the city but he wasnt bothered about killing citizens
 
Wasn't Glustrod trying to destroy the followers of Juvens, Glustrod was the only one of the brothers to have no powers and therefore made a deal with the demons to gain power, as this broke one of the laws (first law?) a war broke out between said forces, Glustrod found the stone and used it to destroy Aulcus.

I think...
 
I thought it was an accident that Aulcus was destroyed as Gulstrod couldnt contain the power?

He still dont get what Bayaz wanted to do and achieved?
 
I ended up buying it "used" from amazon.com although it should be new, just from somebody who bought it in UK I guess.

BTW Joe, I am already a devoted fan and will read probably anything you write now and I've only read Blade Itself and Before They Are Hanged. Thanks for the awesome trilogy and cant wait for Best Served Cold. Keep 'em coming! :)
 
I finally got round to reading these and read all 3 back to back.

Excellent fun.

I really got into the characters and the way your feelings about some of the characters evolved over the course of the trilogy.

Esp Bayaz who I was really despising by the end of the series. Arrogant sod needs brought down a peg. I'm hoping that he is the baddie in a future book.
 
Just got Last Argument of Kings in the mail today! Woo! Gonna start it later today.
 
So Bayaz opened the gates and broke the first law in order to send the Eaters back?
 
Well I just finished this series and I have to say it was a damn good read. I enjoyed the different approach. There really was a blur between good and evil which most of us as readers have came to appreciate. One minute you think these guys must truly be evil and the the roles are switched on you. These characters have faults and none are perfect in the slightest. This was one of the better reads I have had in a while not from the likes of Martin or Erikson.
 
Lucien21 said:
I finally got round to reading these and read all 3 back to back.

Excellent fun.

I really got into the characters and the way your feelings about some of the characters evolved over the course of the trilogy.

Esp Bayaz who I was really despising by the end of the series. Arrogant sod needs brought down a peg. I'm hoping that he is the baddie in a future book.
Click to expand...

I had him down as a baddie in this one :)
 
Dang I need to read that, I read the first two a couple months ago. They were both pretty good books but I forgot everything that happened in them. I should get around to buying it some time, the library doesn't have it as far as I know.
 
i almost bought the first book the other day. but the paperback here is HUGE. not as in too many pages, as in the dimensions are oddly and excessively big. i'm so incredibly neurotic/anal retentive.
 
Time to buy some more books I see.... so many rave reviews tend to make me curious.
 
I loved the series, but it screams for another book or three to tie up all the loose ends. I was left feeling extremely frustrated by the ending - all the good guys lose; all the bad guys triumph. Clever perhaps, but not very satisfying.
 
Bump! (only just finished The Last Argument of Kings :D)

Not only
'not very satisfying'
Click to expand...
but downright frustrating! I need closure...!

Leaving it all to our imagination, as to how the various stories are resolved is very annoying. If I had Joe's imagination, I'd be writing the damn books, wouldn't I? That's why I buy the books, so that another person's master storytelling draws me in; excites me; amuses me; enthralls me.

But not one of the storylines is complete, and I find it depressing to be brought on this journey and then dumped by the roadside before we reach the right, true end.

Say it ain't so, Joe... tell us you'll resolve the issues - I'm convinced in your mind, that you know where the characters are all going, but we don't have the foggiest, and we need to know!!:eek: (Another trilogy would be nice...)
 
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