Review: Before They Are Hanged (The First Law: Book Two)
“We should forgive our enemies, but not before they are hanged.” Heinrich Heine’s choice words on revenge and war are the first to greet the reader when beginning the journey into Joe Abercrombie’s excellent second book in the First Law trilogy, Before They Are Hanged. If you’ve read his first novel, The Blade Itself, then you already know that Abercrombie has set a high bar for himself from the very start of the trilogy. Good news: he both meets and exceeds himself, easily. Before They Are Hanged is even more action-packed and exciting than its predecessor.
While the first novel spent a great amount of time gathering the protagonists and pushing them out the door together, this novel is free to focus on several divergent plot lines that meet infrequently, if it all. In the first, my still-favorite anti-hero Sand dan Glokta and his Practicals have been assigned to defend at any cost the southern city of Dagoska, bordering the extremely hostile country of Gurkha. The embattled city is all but certain to fall into the hands of an immense army, complete with siege engines, artillery, and cannibalistic wizards, and it is made clear that Sand will be treated less than kindly–let’s not forget, he works for the Inquisition–if he fails to complete this impossible task. As if the invading host at the city gates wasn’t enough to contend with, the city’s leaders are at each others’ throats and hiding somewhere is a traitor to contend with, as well. Sand dan Glokta may not be physically strong enough to even lift a dagger, his razor-honed wit and even sharper shrewdness are on fine display.
Another storyline follows a second war, between the Union and the northern barbarians, the homeland of the exiled Logen Ninefingers. The war with the North is told from two viewpoints. The first follows a lone band of Named Men, the former battle companions of Logen (with fantastic names like Dogman, Thunderhead, Grim, and Black Dow, you’ll immediately feel the trust and kinship these fighting men have found with each other), who have decided they must take a stand against the tyrannical leadership of the barbarian, Bethod. Also caught up in the war is the dedicated and honorable Colonel West, trying to fight off a well-organized army of long-time combat veterans, all while dealing with egotistical, feuding generals and an inept prince who insists on achieving glory before receiving the crown from his failing father.
The final thread follows the gathered protagonists from the first novel, Bayaz, Ferro, Logen, Jezal, Bayaz’s apprentice, Quai, and their navigator, Longfoot. This rag-tag band of travelers attempts to track down the legendary “Seed.” For this novel, at least, the “Seed” mostly acts as MacGuffin, giving the characters an opportunity to travel literally to the end of the world, through forgotten kingdoms and abandoned cities; their quest serves as both a Bildungsroman for the cowardly noble/swordsman Jezal, and also begins to reveal the back story of the legendary mage, Bayaz. It’s fascinating to watch the growing relationships between the members of this disparate group, and to see hints of a history that is never quite what it seems.
The dialogue in Before They Are Hanged is as sharp as ever, and the action, of which there is plenty, is fast-paced, visceral, and never dull. The plots are more complex, the cast of characters is even larger (but never so large as to be confusing), and the threat of danger has never been closer. Especially strong in this novel are the bonds forged between characters, both in the band of Named Men traveling in the North and in the newly-assembled assortment of travelers that accompanies Bayaz to the end of the world. My only complaint would be the denouement of this novel seems less focused than the last, and it isn’t clear exactly where the story is headed for the concluding book. But Abercrombie has succeeded wildly in following up on the promise delivered by his first novel, and I recommend this book wholeheartedly for anyone who wants a rollicking good time while also being challenged and surprised by the sometimes-tired genre of sword-and-sorcery.
Plot: 8.5
Characters: 9.5
Action: 10
Writing: 9
Overall (not an average): 9/10
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