Profil

My gripe with the second volume in the series was that Baru seems to lose all of her agency, after showing so much of it in the first volume. Here, it all comes together, along with some memorable settings and scenes.

I can't wait for the fourth (and final?) book.

I can't put the finger on what I didn't like in this book, but it felt too long, the characters didn't feel fleshed out, and the main character doesn't get interesting until about 4/5 through.

Apart from that I liked the setting, this big, enormous tower with a kingdom (or "ringdom") on each storey. Too much is kept from our knowing, which is slightly frustrating but makes me want to keep reading the series. The unreliable guidebook gets tired fast, and I don't miss it. I just hope to see more of the tower, and I hope that the end that's been hinted at during the market scene will happen. I need my Chekhov's unfinished tower summit.

@kopischke@bookwyrm.social You're right, my review was influenced by the way I see Abercrombie's work, which is dictated by the first series. I prefer the characters and setting from this second series, it goes way beyond the first (and I can't wait to read the last volume whenever it comes out)

There are some things I didn't quite like in this series. The fight of the book's Breakers (people rising up against industrialisation which mirrors fights from our 19th century, who are breaking factories) is portrayed at best as hopeless and led by idealists without plans, and at worst as utterly corrupted and devoid of principles. Sad. Of course, it's dark fantasy, but the supposed "realism" is nothing more than cynicism. All of the other types of policies are portrayed in the same way, and the end doesn't often justify the means.

It excels at cynicism. And rhythm. And structure. And characters. (the worldbuilding part has been done in the previous trilogy+novel+shorts, so I'll pass) It may not be the best book I've read in the last year, but it's easily in the top 10.

Joe Abercrombie comes back one generation after his “First Law” trilogy. The main characters from the previous age have aged or gone back to the mud, leaving only stories behind them. Now is the time for their sons or daughters to conquer the world, fight each other, and wake up the old fights.

The “First Law” world has been established, so the author can really build on his characters. There's a lot of foreshadowing in this book (I think), a lot of buildup towards a great finale for this book, but also a good setup for what's next in the two following books. A key is given early (look for the one cursed with the long eye), but how will it all play?

@kopischke@bookwyrm.social haha thanks! I don’t remember if I picked up the word somewhere else, but it is the most fitting for that universe

… and if you want know more, you will need to read this breathless paranormal investigation set in a Cairo where Djinns, magic, humans and technology cohabit, mostly, if not always, peacefully. The pace is breakneck, the tone and characters engrossing, the setting perfect not only in its freshness but in its wariness of pure escapist fantasy. If there is one thing P Djèli Clark has not quite mastered yet, then it is the Pratchettian segue from the serious undercurrent to the more ludicrous aspects of the plot – but then, Pratchett himself was a far cry from a perfect Pratchettian in his first novels. Djinnpunk (hat tip to @joachim@lire.boitam.eu for the term) is the infusion of elemental forces the Steampunk genre needed, and I, for one, am eager to see more of it.