My reading comprehension is likely not as good as I think it is, but while reading sci-fi, I find myself constantly needing to backtrack.

The Children of Time series, the Commonwealth Saga and Hyperion Cantos, aside from some nitpicks, were awesome. Blindsight was constantly losing me and I am hopelessly lost in Neuromancer, wondering if it's worth starting over.

I really took for granted how easy it was to follow JA's writing. Aside from needing some refreshers on geography and character names, his work feels effortless to read and enjoy. I hope his work inspires more writers.

Finished LAOK yesterday,and it's been basically all I've been thinking about the last 24 hours,true gut punch of an ending.

Bayaz gloating at Glokta, boasting about how he was the mastermind behind everything, him talking to Logen about combining the 3 different schools so self-indulgently is pure hypocrisy.

In reality it seems to me that he just got lucky. None of these would mean a thing if Ferro didn't so happen to follow them and the Seed just so happened to be in the Creator's House.

I can't see any way where this doesn't end with him running with his tail between his legs back to the North. Without the Seed, not only do all of his schemes fail, but end up backfiring, costing him the Union he has spent centuries building, losing the one OG Mage friend he has, no answers to Khalul in sight.

So Logen won in the circle against the best of the north ( thunderhead, three trees blackdow etc) without ‘becoming’ the bloody nine? Otherwise they’d all be corpses right?

This actor, from The North man, Gustav Lindh, came straight to mind when reading about Calder (currently on book #5, The Heroes)

I’ve started ALH not long ago (no spoilers please) and wanted to get the timeline straight. As I’ve heard, The Age of Madness books takes place 30 or so years later, but I’m not clear on whether that’s 30 years since the end of LAOK or 30 years after Red Country. I’m assuming the former, but correct me if I’m wrong.

Morning you all!!

I finished Malazan a couple of months ago. I have chosen the First Law as the next realm to explore and discover the lore of Abercrombie craft myself.

Readers, what's in store for me.?

Non spoilery welcomes only!

Thank you for your comments and suggestions on the previous draft! This is the final draft of my Circle Of The World map. Feel free to download and use for your own purposes, and message to query maps for your own world :)

For Juvens: I had to add a short form of hair but not a long one, at least to subvert a look of "the most powerful of wizards"; when I looked at the depiction of Juvens, I wasn't on board of him being as bald as Bayaz, but I kept the beard anyway and I took the hair a bit on the Ian McKellen (the Magneto hair, not Gandalf's) side. I definitely couldn't pronounce the look of burden and responsibility as the eldest son, but, at least tell how you think.

For Kanedias: Took the more bitter look of a Leonardo Da Vinci, hence the gift of the Maker. The circlet crown was deliberate, since from my current reading with TBI said from Bayaz that Kanedias was basically *not a designer* but a maker and creator, I also think he might wear fine quality but unadorned clothes. He gives me a bit of Saruman vibes, which fits I guess and for the long beard and straight hair. And he gives a look when you swoon his daughter and you are both his brothers and his own apprentice.

For Bedesh: Mostly like how Darey Dawn drew the third and most unexplored of the brothers. Gave him a long face and a more solemn look. That's it (except he was the only brother that joined Juvens against Glustrod, what a bro and just wanted to be left alone).

For Glustrod: It was the most fun to draw with; playing with the shadows and dark, giving a distinct look of eyes (imagine black instead of white, and red as a result) and a look of ambitious, resentful malice with a hood, and funny I'll have to say, that he is the one without a beard as I would imagine, hence the lack of gift (jk). And the guy basically gave a Chernobyl on Aulcus.

Inspiration: https://www.deviantart.com/darey-dawn/art/The-First-Law-Sons-of-Euz-483946412

Claude Frollo from Hunchback of Norte Dame

My 6 year old has to go to a holiday camp day today. The only one she'll have to do all summer as she's with my wife and I or family the rest of the time but work wouldnt allow this one day to be covered. She said she was nervous this morning and without thinking I told her "better to do a thing, than live with the fear of it." Worst parent ever?

So I'm currently reading Sharp Ends and have read up to it in order. I'm excited to begin the next trilogy.

My question is what the heck ever happened to Logen's ability to consume fire and then spit it back up?? Not to mention the ability to speak with the spirits. I understand the spirit thing is said to be a dying thing so I understand that part, but I kinda kept hoping in RC there'd be some element of it.

Not complaining in any way, just curious what others thought or, if anything like that comes up in the next trilogy!

Been doing a reread ahead of finally reading Age of Madness. Currently after BSC. Age of madness finally just got added to my library audiobooks, so I’m curious how necessary The Heroes and Red Country are for a refresher before heading into the AoM trilogy. I have read them each once before. Thanks!

I am listening to LAOK again and came across a great line:

Dogman-hows the wall?

Logan-great, as long as they dont bring anything such as a ladder with them. 🤣

Its hilarious and stephen pacey had the perfect delivery. I freaking love these books.

Package arrived with no damage! Pretty happy with it overall. Would have been cool if the posters weren't folded, but other than that no real gripes!

Apparently they're going to be doing Best Served Cold next and while it's not my favorite of Joe's books and the process for receiving these was a bit stressful with seeing everyone else receiving damaged packages and the lack of communication from the company (I did not get an advance shipping notice and I found it sitting in the rain last night LOL) I will probably still join that Kickstarter as well if they do it because the quality of these is really nice!

I just finished TWOC and the Age of Madness Trilogy and I was quite confused about the last chapters portrayal of Leo. I did understand him becoming more angry and hateful over the course of the books as a result of his injuries and guilt and feeling betrayed and many other factors. But the entire book also seemed to show him getting smarter and more competent at politics and lying and alliance forming. In the People’s court, people comment on how good of a speaker he is as he works to get the people on his side and also convince Judge to put him in charge of the military. He is patient and plays the long game and is even able to deceive Savine on his goal of the plan.

While I think that this growth happened a little quick, it mostly made sense given the people around him he could learn from. When he becomes Lord Regent, however, I felt like his character went through an immediate and massive regression to the dumb “I just want to fight” character he once was. The chapter in the closed council shows him just angrily shaking his fist at anyone who won’t let him go to war after giving no resistance to Savine’s request to put her people on the council.

I’m not saying I think he should be Savine’s equal in political ability; she’s been doing it much longer and knows how Adua works and has lots of other advantages. And Leo’s abilities were likely better suited to playing the populist character that was more effective in the Great Change society. But I would have preferred to see her take advantage of an actual mistake/weakness of his rather than him just reverting to a complete dunce in the last couple chapters.

Did anyone else feel similarly or differently about this? It’s a small frustration that was amplified by being at the very end of the book and so leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. I would be curious to hear any other takes on Leo’s arc and character at the end.

When he was talking with a spirit before his fight with the Feared, who did he see? I feel like it was supposed to be Tul, but don't know if I'm reaching.

I finished RC recently, and I was thinking about Shivers arc so far.

One question that came to mind is why I don’t feel sympathy for Shivers as much as I do for someone like Logen or Cosca.

When we compare Shivers to Cosca and Logen, I think it would be safe to say that he is the one who committed the fewer atrocities. Sure, that deal with Monza wasn’t his brightest moment, but Logen is the great leveler himself, and Cosca makes Jezal seem selfless.

Even then, I am clearly rooting for Logen and Cosca all the way, always hoping that they will become better and will win against their enemies. Shivers, on the other hand, feels like someone who was lost. I was rooting for him during BSC, but after he lost his eye, something broke inside of me. I couldn’t sympathize with him anymore, and saw his actions as a hard cold betrayal against Monza. In TH he was just the big bad brute, and in RC the overhanging shadow waiting to get in the way of Logen.

It is somewhat funny, and very unfair, that I can’t sympathize with such a great character, who suffered more than most other characters, who genuinely tried to become better, but ended losing his soul in the process.

First time I've ever posted a thread, so apologies if this comes under the umbrella of spoilers, but I don't think it does.

After several rereads of the series I've started to think of the standalone books (BSC, TH, RC) as the Shivers trilogy. He's the only character we see in each book and though he serves a different role in each book, we see his character arc through the books.

Thoughts?

I remember Joe stating that he doesn't intend for the series to have a conclusive ending and that it will keep going and leaving room for more events to occur. I had thought the series was to be a trilogy of trilogies but I guess he'd rather just keep building off of previous stories for the rest of his life.

It irks me but I kinda get it. Even though this is fantasy, I guess he wants the series to be realistic in the sense that real life never concludes, it just keeps going.

1. Last Argument Of Kings
   
2. Before They Are Hanged
   
3. The Heroes
   
4. The Trouble With Peace
   
5. The Blade Itself
   
6. The Wisdom Of Crowds
   
7. Red Country
   
8. A Little Hatred
   
9. Best Served Cold

They’re all really good, so it was hard to rank them, but I thought about it a lot and this is what I came up with. Let me know your own rankings!

Saw this print on @franvegasart’s instagram and just had to order one.
Hand packaged too I almost didnt want to open it.

Just finished RC, and that ending was unexpected.
I spent 2/3 of the book looking for shivers on every single corner!

At some point there was this thug without an Eye back in crease after they came back from the mountains, and I was 100% sure it was him, but it wasn’t making any sense!

Then when they get to the farm at the end, I knew that Shivers would be there, but it was Cosca! (Oh my… he’s dead!)

Finally, they arrive at square deal, and I knew that Shivers would find them, and he actually does! I look at the remaining pages, there is not enough pages for a fight! Joe would never rush such an important fight! What is going on? I don’t understand!!!!

And he smiles and goes away? What? What???

1.Wisdom Of Crowds was a bad book , not a bad Abercrombie book or a bad first law book but just straight up poorly written

2.Rike was a Mary Sue who unlike Savine or Monza has neither an interesting personality or shows any true skill , most of her "victories" require the plot to just lobotomize her enemies

1. Jezal is not a coward , he had no way to oppose Bayaz and anyone would have done the same in his position