Before They Are Hanged should not only be on the list of top novels from 2007, it surely has to find a place among the best titled novels of all time. Though nothing so dramatic as a mass-hanging occurs in this second instalment of the First Law trilogy -- it may be one of the few torments Mr. Abercrombie forgot to include --, it is evocative, certainly, of the mood of our adventurers who, after being bound together by the schemes of a possibly mad wizard, set out to possibly, maybe, set the world aright by means of fetching a long-lost mystical treasure which will redress the imbalance of power between, well, the dark side and the not so dark side. For, delightfully, there is no light side in Mr. Abercrombie's novels.
Circumspection is necessary as to not spoil this novel, but I will say this one thing more about the plot of Before They Are Hanged. Incredibly refreshing! Epic fantasy is drowning in good versus evil, bloated by legendary quests to save the world. Mr. Abercrombie does not succumb to these tropes. He'd prefer to mock them and show them up for what they are, the sad efforts of uninspired Tolkienists, failing to follow in the footsteps of their master. Here we have a different path. And though the blood and the darkness will turn many away, and will probably deny Mr. Abercrombie well-deserved awards for his work, the main plot of this novel, and what results from it, will be admired by this author for many years to come. (4/5 Stars)
No comments:
Post a Comment