The Trouble with Peace
Ratings163
Average rating4.6
Part five (or nine, depending on how many spin-offs you’ve read) of “Same old, same old Abercrombie”
It’s hard to describe all features of Abercrombie’s writing especially when it’s the second book in the second trilogy and you probably already know what’s going on. And unfortunately I haven't read any spin offs yet because I was very tempted by A Little Hatred’s rating and reviews, so I'm getting more and more spoilers for those here.
The book starts a little slow to remind where the previous one has ended and spends a lot of time to build up the stage for something very big and epic, but to me it somehow—I rarely like long setups, especially when it’s the second part—still feels very interesting, probably because of the writing. And I think because of the pacing and some hints from the first book you sometimes have a feeling that you know where some storylines are going like “she will do this and it will be so epic”.
Also I really like the chapters where main characters get together in one place and we get different points of view in one chapter. For example, there’s one where two characters arrive at an “entertainment” house at the same time but they’re the worst enemies and everyone there is wearing a mask, it’s awesome. Overall I find a couple of characters not very likeable, though it’s still interesting to follow their path and see how they change. To me Leo is the most boring and has almost no development, when in A Little Hatred he seems very similar to Jezal from the first trilogy.
Although there’s almost no action until the last 100 pages, it’s fine because we get a big, mad, impersonal, pointless battle which is shown from many very different points of view—pikeman, crossbowman, canon guy, messenger—that are chained together, which is a great way to show this kind of action scene.
The ending has three plot twists, one of which is shocking and devastating where a character is crushed completely. But for some characters it feels like a long awaited redemption. Also the endings in the first and the second books in both trilogies are filled with so many gripping events that you want to grab the next book.
So I really can’t wait to read The Wisdom of Crowds!
No one writes battle sequences like Abercrombie and I'm the millionth one to say it.
But this book oh god it's oh so more than just that.
Exquisite!
Politics, betrayals, scheming, melodrama, more politics, more scheming, and even love (if y0u can believe it).
I can't say I had fun reading this, but it sure evoked a lot of emotions and sitting on the edge of my seat.
This book demonstrated perfectly how, when it comes to politics, the nicer one is, the more hated he ends up being by everyone.
I loved all the twists and turns and the reveal we got at the end, though I still think there's more to that story than what we got.
Can't wait to read the last book in the series!
I've been fighting this for the past 7 Abercrombie books but after his 8th book I'm now saying that the First Law series is better than ASOIAF. His characters and action scenes are just too good and his endings are just perfection.
Rikke took a back seat in this one which was a little of a disappointment however Leo and Orso are even more fleshed out so now idk who I enjoy more.
One thing Abercrombie does with action scenes that I love is that he will show the thoughts of a soldier until he gets killed and then will pan to the person who killed him and continue until the fight is over. Idk why most fantasy doesn't follow that trend because it's dope.
10/10
It just keeps getting better. Abercrombies attention to detail is simply amazing.
The repeated quotes by some characters make them all feel unique and memorable. The way characters years later start quoting each other is just perfect. Even the chapter names make me want to keep on reading every time.
Just like in the rest of the First Law World, my favorite chapters are the ones where we see the same event from multiple points of view. This time we get to see chaos and war from the eyes of the man on the ground, while the rest of the story follows the people on the top of the food chain. These chapters were absolutely perfect. It goes to show that this is a story about the characters, to the level that a character I have never heard of before and will never see again can have a serious impact on the chapter through a single paragraph.
Finally, Steven Pacey, the narrator for the audiobooks, is at the pinnacle of narration with this series.
‘You three are quite the jesters, ain't you?' ‘Have a smile at breakfast,' droned Shivers, stony-faced, ‘you'll be shitting joy by lunch.'
I LOVED this book! GREAT characters, highlights for me being Orso, Rikke and Clover absolutely amazing whenever they were on the page! Side note, Leo is such an idiot! Great continuation from book 1 and I am so excited to get to book 3 very soon
‘The Dogman's daughter has the Long Eye,' said Stour, and a few of his warriors muttered and grumbled unhappily. ‘I have to fight fire with fire.' ‘That'll win you naught but ashes,' said Calder.
If you are hoping it will keep you safe from all life's axes, you will be disappointed. But then it is the fate of hope to end in disappointment, as it is the fate of light to end in darkness and life in death. They are still worth something while they last.'
Oh man, what a ride! I could not put this book down and I really don't know if I'll be able to resist immediately picking up the next entry in the series!
I'm so completely invested in every single character in these books (some more than others), and I could not stop reading towards the end (you'll know why). I find myself cheering for both sides of every conflict even though some of them are honestly terrible people.
My only real complaints are fairly minor. It was heavily focused on a smaller subset of the overall cast and I was looking forward to exploring some storylines outside of the inner Union politics. It was also occasionally difficult to follow the plot due to the barrage of family names, but, meh.
All in all I'm recommending this series to everyone I talk to. It's so. Damn. Good! Perfect? No. But I don't know what else I'd give 5 stars to, so yeah, 5 stars!
An excellent second dose in the trilogy. Worth the five stars just for the whirling point of views in the final battle scene but JA continues in refining his writing style. He is rapidly becoming my go-to “comfort food” of fantasy where you get excellent dialog, moral turpitude, complex but unfussed characters. Can't wait for the third one.
Executive Summary: I struggled with this one at times, but ultimately found it as enjoyable as I probably could in the year 2020.Audiobook: Steven Pacey does his usual excellent job. Not all of the American Abercrombie books have had him as a narrator, but I was happy to see him used for this series. He does some voices and generally just reads in a way that gives the audio that extra something for me.Full ReviewI've largely been avoiding darker stories this year because there is enough darkness going on. So I didn't jump on this one right away given Mr. Abercrombie's tendency towards dark fantasy.There were parts of the book I found a bit slow. In particular, he used a literary style or technique in this book (not sure of the correct way to describe it) that I first encountered in [b:The Heroes 9300768 The Heroes (First Law World, #5) Joe Abercrombie https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1375671200l/9300768.SY75.jpg 12879765]. I'm not sure if the novelty of it wore off, or if I generally cared less this time around but I found it kind of dragged a little by comparison.Much like his other books it can be difficult to have anyone to root for, since most of the characters tend to be pretty self-serving. If anything I'm rooting for Rikke, and I found her part of the story pretty enjoyable.Overall this was a solid entry in this series, and I'm looking forward to reading the next one. Hopefully the world is a lot less dark by the time it comes out.
Joe Abercrombie books are my happy place. They are pure comfort reading for me, albeit with a somewhat grim and dark theme. I think it is the character work he does. Every single one of his characters has there morals and manipulations going on - a seething web of different objectives and purposes tangled into delightful tale of pointless and bloody rebellion.
The Trouble with Peace takes up pretty close to where A Little Hatred left us. Savine is trying to reestablish herself in society, Orso is confused as hell but oddly likeable as a King. The Northerners are plotting and squabbling (like much of the rest of the union). It all comes to head in a glorious battle of rebellion against the crown. Very bloody and ultimately very pointless (like most war). It also sets up for an intriguing finale with plenty of foreshadowing of things to come (where are the Burners and the Breakers?).
Ultimately it is the array of tragi-heroic characters and their interactions that make this book, and there are few better in the business than Abercrombie at painting vivid characters. Beneath the blood and guts is a warmth of wit and wry cynicism that brings the characters he is gradually murdering off to life.
This is a tale of rebellion, full of scheming, deceit, trickery and bad faith, capped off with an epic and harrowing battle. It's not just the characters being manipulated - your sympathies will slide all over the place as you find yourself urging on someone who stands against the character you were rooting for just one chapter ago. No one is really good, no one is pure evil. They're all a cocktail of motives and emotions, expertly sketched by Abercrombie in a tale told with his trademark sharp dialogue and mordant observation.
Middle volumes can often feel a bit padded and ineffectual, as the big drama gets saved for the climax. Not the case here, as the last quarter builds to one of the grittiest, most widescreen, battles in recent fiction. The final sting in the tail leaves us poised on the edge of all kinds of upset...so frustrating to know the third and final book is already written, but we have to wait a year to read it. Bring it on!