Unlike the other standalone books in 'World of the First Law' which stretch too little across too many pages, this book has the opposite problem. Some great new settings and characters that we don't spend enough time with. It shows, for example, in the evolution of certain children characters whose motivations change faster than the time line makes probable. ( )

I know a lot of people will argue the point with me but for my money Joe Abercrombie is writing the best fantasy out there right now. His books are always gripping. His pace is fast and furious. He is able to make you genuinely care about people in a world of horror. I love that every book is set in the same world but he now makes each novel a complete little nugget on its own.

I won't go into major plot points because I don't want to spoil anything but several old familiar characters appear. Some have their stories end while others spin off in a new direction. I know he will be leaving this world for a little while and I am okay with that but the ending leaves me with great expectations when he decides to return. ( )

Excellent. Nice change of scale for this series - this story doesn't concern itself with empire-shattering battles and politics. No less a good read for it; it's a western, a revenge story crossed with a road trip. It's about love, failure and redemption, large disasters and small victories. Old characters are reinvented, new ones are introduced.

Highly recommended. ( )

Entertaining Western-fantasy. I've thought some about why you would want to write a Western this way. In some sense it is just a re-naming of things, the Indians are called something else, a large blonde man is said to be from somewhere or other, but he would be Scandinavian in a non-fantasy world - maybe it gives the author more flexibility. He could, for example, say that all of his Indians are left-handed or something. It has all the stock Western story elements: fording the river, the storm on the prairie, the coward who shows his worth, the mild-mannered gunfighter, etc. [No guns though, just swords, spears and arrows as in most fantasy worlds]. ( )

Very good. A little sadder than previous books. ( )