SFF Chronicles News
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22nd September 2013 12:02 PM
Tim James
I’m sure, in fact I know that this is a book that has received a lot of positive attention for all the right reasons, and I am equally aware that it is one that has been for quite along time. Just an indication of how long it takes me to get around to read some things.
There is so much positive that I could write about it, that it is hard to actually choose where to start or what to concentrate on, so I’ll just say, for me at least, this was about the characters.
It seems that most of the epic fantasy novels seem to be about world shaping events, an ancient threat coming again, and although there is a hint of that here it seems to be a little more grounded, a real feeling of medieval style kingdoms vying against one another for power, but even that takes an almost back seat to the characters that drive the story.
As far as the novel goes there are three main characters, the scarred northern barbarian Logen Ninefingers; the physically twisted, grotesque Inquisitor Glokta; and the noble swordsman Jezal dan Luther. There are of course other characters that we meet along away, although most of them are seen in relation to the three main characters there are a few others who do get their own chapters, but they seem to me more part of the bigger picture than the driving force of this particular novel.
And of course each of these characters comes into contact with other characters all of which seem to have strong personalities, even down to the most minor of supporting cast.
But the trio at the core of the story are the heart and soul of a brilliant tale and even though they start in very different places there is always that feeling that they are going to come together in the end.
It is also the way that Abercrombie plays with your perceptions and allows the character to surprise you that really makes to book work. In the case of all three of the characters the way you initially see them is changed by the end of the book.
Perhaps most notably is Glokta, a physically twisted figure, that by the very nature of his profession must be as twisted in mind, but it is only as his personal tale is told that the reader begins to learn there is so much more to him, leading to a sympathetic character who is likeable and lost.
It is the same for the other two, in the latter few chapters we get to see more of them, something that either twists your perceptions or confirms something that you have been told throughout but do not really see.
Jezal is presented as a young officer from a good family who seems to have an intense weight placed upon him, and seems to struggle under the pressure. It is hard not to feel sympathy for him, trying to live up to everyone else’s and his own expectations. His confusion at the love he feels for a woman from another part of society, one where nothing can happen but he loves her anyway is touching and only deepens the feelings you have for him, until the last few pages where he is shown in his true light, a selfish, spoiled man, more worthy of contempt than Glokta.
And then there is Logen. Someone who we are told throughout is one of the most terrible and fearsome fighters in the North, whose looks back this up, but the reader never really sees it. He comes across as someone scared of losing his life, surprised when he does not get killed, who would run rather than fight, who is more of a thinker than his scarred looks would convey… until we get to the end and we see the legendary Ninefingers released and everything is turned on its head.
The same could be said for the supporting cast, from the Bayaz, the First of the Magi through to the bullish Bremer dan Gorst who faces Jezal in The Contest, who is revealed in just a few words to have the most noble of souls.
In all the book is engaging, well written, with a great story and more than good enough to draw this reader in for future novels. (Whenever I get to them!)
Tim James
I’m sure, in fact I know that this is a book that has received a lot of positive attention for all the right reasons, and I am equally aware that it is one that has been for quite along time. Just an indication of how long it takes me to get around to read some things.There is so much positive that I could write about it, that it is hard to actually choose where to start or what to concentrate on, so I’ll just say, for me at least, this was about the characters.
It seems that most of the epic fantasy novels seem to be about world shaping events, an ancient threat coming again, and although there is a hint of that here it seems to be a little more grounded, a real feeling of medieval style kingdoms vying against one another for power, but even that takes an almost back seat to the characters that drive the story.
As far as the novel goes there are three main characters, the scarred northern barbarian Logen Ninefingers; the physically twisted, grotesque Inquisitor Glokta; and the noble swordsman Jezal dan Luther. There are of course other characters that we meet along away, although most of them are seen in relation to the three main characters there are a few others who do get their own chapters, but they seem to me more part of the bigger picture than the driving force of this particular novel.
And of course each of these characters comes into contact with other characters all of which seem to have strong personalities, even down to the most minor of supporting cast.
But the trio at the core of the story are the heart and soul of a brilliant tale and even though they start in very different places there is always that feeling that they are going to come together in the end.
It is also the way that Abercrombie plays with your perceptions and allows the character to surprise you that really makes to book work. In the case of all three of the characters the way you initially see them is changed by the end of the book.
Perhaps most notably is Glokta, a physically twisted figure, that by the very nature of his profession must be as twisted in mind, but it is only as his personal tale is told that the reader begins to learn there is so much more to him, leading to a sympathetic character who is likeable and lost.
It is the same for the other two, in the latter few chapters we get to see more of them, something that either twists your perceptions or confirms something that you have been told throughout but do not really see.
Jezal is presented as a young officer from a good family who seems to have an intense weight placed upon him, and seems to struggle under the pressure. It is hard not to feel sympathy for him, trying to live up to everyone else’s and his own expectations. His confusion at the love he feels for a woman from another part of society, one where nothing can happen but he loves her anyway is touching and only deepens the feelings you have for him, until the last few pages where he is shown in his true light, a selfish, spoiled man, more worthy of contempt than Glokta.
And then there is Logen. Someone who we are told throughout is one of the most terrible and fearsome fighters in the North, whose looks back this up, but the reader never really sees it. He comes across as someone scared of losing his life, surprised when he does not get killed, who would run rather than fight, who is more of a thinker than his scarred looks would convey… until we get to the end and we see the legendary Ninefingers released and everything is turned on its head.
The same could be said for the supporting cast, from the Bayaz, the First of the Magi through to the bullish Bremer dan Gorst who faces Jezal in The Contest, who is revealed in just a few words to have the most noble of souls.
In all the book is engaging, well written, with a great story and more than good enough to draw this reader in for future novels. (Whenever I get to them!)
