A Story Epitomizing
the Union of Joffrey Baratheon and Harley
Quinn
Last Argument of
Kings
In this, the third
installment of “The First Law” series, Joe Abercrombie brings his trilogy to an
end. And I have to say, I thought it was cleverly done.
Logan has business – bloody
business – to attend to in the north. Bethod has had his rampaging way for far
too long, and it looks as if it’s up to the Bloody-Nine to sort things out!
Sand dan Glokta faces an
equally tricky – and just as gory – situation in the capital, where political
intrigue, treasonous jockeying, and assassination attempts by friend, foe, and
demon alike come thick and fast, forcing him to take extreme measures in order
to survive.
The Gurkish Empire, not
content with annexing Dagoska, the Union’s southernmost province, continue
their assault and bring the war to the heart of the Union.
And Jezal dan Luthar, having
made it safely back from the edge of the known world, wants nothing more than a
quiet life. To settle down with the woman he loves to raise a family. But the
king is dying. Added to all the turmoil festering in one place after another,
it’s no wonder the common folk are terrified and start revolting. And guess who
the powers-that-be task to deal with it?
A veritable cauldron of
strife and torment, if ever there was one. To help heat things toward boiling
point, we have all the usual accelerants: Narcissistic wizards; incompetent
rulers; revolting peasants – and lords too, come to that – restless, warriors
itching for a fight; and devious, flesh-eating ghouls, all crowing for the
world’s end.
And the thing is, though Joe
Abercrombie builds the series to a climactic conclusion, he doesn’t just end it
after an epic battle. Oh no. He adds a cunning touch of realism to the mix that
helps us appreciate that, at the end of every epic – when the fabled deeds are
done and our heroes and heroines come to rest from their labors – picking up
the pieces is never easy. Life goes on. But for the survivors, that life might
be so drastically changed, that they’ll never be the same.
Kudos to Joe Abercrombie. He
leaves us with a bittersweet taste of a world where the lovechild of Joffrey
Baratheon and Harley Quinn is allowed to take the reins of a shattered kingdom,
only to steer it in a Pulp Fiction direction.
Ultima Ratio Regum.
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