The Blurb –
Chaos. Fury. Destruction.
The Great Change is upon us . . .
Some say that to change the world you must first burn it down. Now that belief will be tested in the crucible of revolution: the Breakers and Burners have seized the levers of power, the smoke of riots has replaced the smog of industry, and all must submit to the wisdom of crowds.
With nothing left to lose, Citizen Brock is determined to become a new hero for the new age, while Citizeness Savine must turn her talents from profit to survival before she can claw her way to redemption. Orso will find that when the world is turned upside down, no one is lower than a monarch. And in the bloody North, Rikke and her fragile Protectorate are running out of allies . . . while Black Calder gathers his forces and plots his vengeance.
The banks have fallen, the sun of the Union has been torn down, and in the darkness behind the scenes, the threads of the Weaver’s ruthless plan are slowly being drawn together . .
My Review
Wow!
This was an emotional, exhausting read. From the first pages to the ending, this is a huge roller coaster of a book. I have loved Joe Abercrombie ever since picking up The Blade Itself off the library shelf years ago and he has grown so much as an author. This final part of the Age of Madness trilogy shows how intricately planned and worked out the series is. There are shocks and surprises and things that you could never have expected and yet all of them make perfect sense in this grim world that Abercrombie has created.
The main characters, Savine, Orso, Leo and Rikke to mention just a few, all have amazing and believable story lines and they are supported by a whole host of minor characters who are all brilliantly written. The laundry woman at the gates of Adua is typical of a character who has just a tiny part to play but is so memorable. Savine and Orso are still my favourite characters. I love how Savine grows in this book and Orso remains a shining light in a very dark world. And we do eventually find out the real identity of the Weaver and the reasons behind the bringing of the Age of Madness.
I loved this book even though at times it was almost painful to read. The ending leaves me certain that we haven’t finished with the world of First Law yet and I look forward to the next chapters in its history. A huge thank you to Net Galley and Orbit Publishing group for allowing me to read an advance copy
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