In the heart of the North, two great armies are converging on a small valley to hit one another with bits of sharpened metal. The war chiefs and carls under Black Dow prepare to face the might of the Union under Marshal Kroy, tens of thousands of men (and a few women too) ready to kill for, well, for reasons that seemed good at the time but now escape them.
In this war, heroes are needed. Unfortunately, the only heroes around are a bunch of old weathered stones at the top of a hill. Over the course of three blood-drenched days these stones will form the centre of the battle, and the centre of a storm of machinations, conspiracies and hopes for generals, soldiers, murderers and even a crotchety old wizard who has a new invention to test...
The Heroes is the fifth novel by British fantasist Joe Abercrombie, following on from the epic First Law Trilogy and the stand-alone Best Served Cold. The Heroes is another stand-alone, but certainly those who have read the previous books will get a lot more out of it, with minor, almost disposable moments from those earlier books assuming much greater importance here (especially through the successful device of a major POV and a very minor character in Best Served Cold swapping places in The Heroes). Abercrombie seems to be using these stand-alones to set up a new, bigger story further down the road and it will be intriguing to see if this indeed the case.
Back to the present, The Heroes is the first major fantasy release of 2011, and it looks like the new year is already off to a cracking start. The Heroes chronicles a huge battle, one of the largest in history, between the Northmen and the Union, and unfolds in a tight timeline of less than a week (the three days of the battle, plus a few before and a few after). The titular 'Heroes' are a bunch of stones atop a hill in the centre of the battlefield, but there is a lot of wordplay and some interesting commentary on what it means to be a hero, especially given many of the characters' cynicism. Abercrombie has no truck with 'sides' here, and in fact the exact reasons for the war are never entirely spelled out, aside from some hints it might be about territory and others that it might be part of the ongoing cold war between Bayaz and his Gurkish enemies and their respective allies. On both sides there are 'good' (or at least not-as-bad-as-the-rest) guys and bad guys, and the good guys are shown to sometimes do bad things and vice versa (even Black Dow gets a couple of semi-sympathetic moments).
There are several central POV characters. Prince Calder, son of King Bethod whom Black Dow deposed (via Ninefingers) in the trilogy, is a military coward but a born conspirator and strategist (at least in his own mind) who is keen to get his father's throne back. Curnden Craw is a trusted War Chief, a 'straight edge' known for his honesty and his honour, neither of which is doing him much good on the battlefield. Beck is a fresh recruit, the son of a famous Named Man, eager to make his own name on the battlefield. Corporal Tunny is a Union soldier who is the last into the breach and the first into the loot, who has completely perfected the art of making a rout look like a tactical withdrawal. Finree dan Brock, the daughter of Marshal Kroy, is eager to regain her husband's honour and fortune after his father betrayed the Union in war. Finally, Bremer dan Gorst, the former bodyguard of the King disgraced after failing to protect the royal personage during an incident in Styria, is keen for revenge and redemption.
These stories entwine around one another, with other characters popping into the story (Bayaz, First of the Magi, is bemusingly interested in the battle, whilst Caul Shivers and the Dogman have their parts to play) as it unfolds. This is a book less about the over-arching plot, which is somewhat vague and will possibly become clearer in future books, than it is about the characters and the changes they go through as a result of the battle and the politics surrounding it.
So this is a character-focused epic war story, if that isn't a contradiction in terms. The battle and mayhem are depicted with all the blood, swearing, cynicism and involuntary bowel movements we have come to expect from Abercrombie. Despite the author's scepticism over maps, we get a nice series of illustrations depicting the battlefield as it changes from day to day, which helps visualise the various locations and their relationships to one another. The worldbuilding also steps up a notch, with a sense of time passing (it's nearly a decade since the start of the trilogy at this point) and even some technological (and culinary) evolution and innovation. There's also the continued sense of a stormcloud over the horizon as Bayaz and his enemies continue to skirmish with one another, using proxies to fight on their behalf until some future conflagration is unleashed in full force.
Criticisms? Well, Abercrombie is evolving as a writer, developing a more varied prose style with some nice descriptive touches (even if they are being applied to a soldier's first encounter with the horror of field latrines), but he isn't exactly turning into China Mieville here. If you didn't like the previous four books, there's nothing in The Heroes that will change your mind. However, the improvements and the tighter focus may sway those more on the fence about the earlier books. Fans of the earlier books keen for more information about certain characters from earlier volumes may also be disappointed by the lack of overt information given here on their fates (although there is a whisper of an interesting clue of a possibility that is tantalising). Oh, and disappointingly/thankfully (delete as appropriate) Abercrombie has failed to include one of his trademark terrible sex scenes.
The Heroes (*****) is Joe Abercrombie doing what he does best but better than ever before: gritty, violent, morally ambiguous and darkly funny fantasy with a streak of intelligent cynicism. The book will be published on 20 January 2011 in the UK and 7 February 2011 in the USA.
Nice to see some old characters, what about Glokta?
Any news from the south of the Union?
Nice to see some old characters, what about Glokta?
Any news from the south of the Union?
Some reports from what's going on in Styria and Gurkha, but nothing at all on Glokta. We don't even get a vague reference to him like we did in BEST SERVED COLD.
The Heroes is shaping up nicely - have you folks checked out the Chapter extract on Joe's site? "Bloody" good stuff indeed...
It's good to be King o' the North :)
Bump.
I just read this and liked it a lot. Anyone want to talk about it?
Oh I daresay I'd be up for some chat on this :)
I really enjoyed this latest offering... very different from Best Served Cold which I also loved. Enjoyed the larger cast and battlefield pov...
Oh I daresay I'd be up for some chat on this :)
I really enjoyed this latest offering... very different from Best Served Cold which I also loved. Enjoyed the larger cast and battlefield pov...
Back to the mud with you, Mr. Dow!
Thus, the resolution of the Scale/Calder storyline was a pleasant surprise. Also glad to see that Calder found a way to defy Bayaz's expectations; I absolutely despise the First of the Magi.
I haven't gone back and looked through the previous books, but the scene where Finree pulls the rug out from underneath Gorst's self-pity made me want to doublecheck the Cardotti's House of Leisure scene in Best Served Cold.
Abercrombie's writing reminds me of a couple things. First, he reminds me of the comic writer Garth Ennis. They both use such over-the-top grotesque humor that it's easy to overlook their profundity when they're being deadly serious. Second, his reliance on unreliable pov characters, while a staple of literature, reminds me mostly of the first season of Lost, especially when the characters started getting their second flashback episodes.
Back to the mud indeed
The Garth Ennis comparison is a very good shout - neither do shy away from the gritty and brutal gallows humour at the most inoppertune of times! I've enjoyed Shiver's continued development as the new "bogeyman" of the North, through reputation, deed and appearance. Both Black Dow and Shivers (for me) are those rare characters that you can fill you with impending dread for those surrounding them.
I liked the characterization and excellent writing, except I felt Dow changed a bit. Only fault is that Best Served Cold had more plots and story, Heroes was too vague in that part.
Agree old Dow had changed - but then being King O'The North will change a man... rather than being hungry for power he became a aging King struggling to hold onto it.
Agree old Dow had changed - but then being King O'The North will change a man... rather than being hungry for power he became a aging King struggling to hold onto it.
I think that age might've softened him just a bit. His nostalgic tone when talking about being a potter's apprentice shows a more sentimental side of Dow than we had ever seen before. Of course, this being Dow, he's still not that soft!
About The Bloody-Nine, I can't even remember. Abercrombie spends so much time portraying a character one way before doing the big reveal and exposing them for what they really are, that I tend to remember him as Logen. Whom I really liked. In fact, I think the Northmen might be Abercrombie's most successful creation. There's an unromantic, cynical tone to the whole society that strikes a real chord. So, I loved that Logen was the baddest ass warrior and he spent the whole first chapter cursing and letting out terrified gasps.
But the Bloody-Nine was a real bastard.
Only fault is that Best Served Cold had more plots and story, Heroes was too vague in that part.
What do you mean by that?
I think the war IS the story.
Just expected more changes to the world, an appearance of someone unexpected, like Shenkt.
Just expected more changes to the world, an appearance of someone unexpected, like Shenkt.
Yeah, well, I can appreciate that, BUT:
The fact that not much has changed is a necessary part of what he's trying to do. Think of the opening scenes of Henry V. Think of the stories of World War I where the trenches go back and forth and tens of thousands of men die to gain a mile. Think of "anti-war" movies like Paths of Glory or Thin Red Line. There's a certain "feel" and tradition that fuels his work, and I think it was kind of predetermined that this battle wasn't going to change much.
FIRST LAW TRILOGY SPOILER
I want to know what's coming next. He's dropping hints about what kind of trouble Monza's been stirring up in Styria. And we haven't seen ANY of the original set of protagonists in a while (except that execrable Lord Bayaz). If I got my way, it'd be an intrigue-laden espionage showdown between Monza and her gang vs. Glotka, upset by a last minute reappearance by the Bloody-Nine endlessly ramming a blunt fork into Bayaz's head over and over and over....
Yeah, I don't like him.
With you on that... Bayaz is insidiously nasty, smug and arrogant. Things should indeed come full circle from the Blade Itself and the Bloody Nine pulverises him with his old faithful cooking pot from the first book (a standout star who deserved more book time lol).
Not sure that The Heroes needed more world building... I mean so may little wars and border disputes have been felt outside of their sphere/nations... the three days in The Heroes were exactly that a brutal short war over a scrap of mud on the map... Did world building really need to be included outwith anecdotes and rumours from dialogue and inference?
Next up we've the homage to the Western genre... Abercrombie's Wild Bunch/Unforgiven if you will... perhaps a good opportunity to meet up with Ferro and Logen again???
I got the impression:
** spoiler omitted **
and so won't be coming back. It would be nice to be wrong, but Abercrombie strikes me as an unsentimental writer.
Joe has popped in and out of the boards on sffworld, and when confronted with that burning question he repeatedly goes all closemouthed and disappears.
Interpret that as you will. ;)
Yeah that burning question...
As for The Heroes aftermath... I'm hoping that Shivers and Gost lock up down the line, and I'd like to see more of the Friendly/Cosca partnership developed from BSC.
I forgot about Friendly, he's awesome, too.
I liked how Abercrombie's continuing his mission of messing with his readers about the map thing.
After the little, teaser maps in Best Served Cold, for The Heroes he serves up...campaign maps?! I think he's intentionally pissing people off. Hee hee!
I did NOT get the same spoilered impression about Logen, but I'll go re-read the end of the trilogy and see what I think.
The Logen thing is ambiguous, for sure - myabe Joe hasn't made up his mind.
I think it may just be that Logen really had reached the natural end of his plot journey for the time being. He's such an overshadowing character that Abercrombie really can't just bring him up in every book or it dilutes the other fantastic characters that he's created. It'd be cool to see more of him in the future but I for one would be just happy as punch to have First Law be his memorial stomping grounds.
As for The Heroes, I really enjoyed it. The scene where
I think it may just be that Logen really had reached the natural end of his plot journey for the time being. He's such an overshadowing character that Abercrombie really can't just bring him up in every book or it dilutes the other fantastic characters that he's created. It'd be cool to see more of him in the future but I for one would be just happy as punch to have First Law be his memorial stomping grounds.
I'm quite pleased with the "appearance" of Logen in The Heroes. It was just enough to remind the already familiar reader of how awesome the Bloody-Nine really is.
I would be entirely happy if we never see the "Big Three" of Logen, Jezal and Glotka again.
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I think it may just be that Logen really had reached the natural end of his plot journey for the time being. He's such an overshadowing character that Abercrombie really can't just bring him up in every book or it dilutes the other fantastic characters that he's created. It'd be cool to see more of him in the future but I for one would be just happy as punch to have First Law be his memorial stomping grounds.
Agreed, nicely put.
This book is on my to read list, I've come to like Abercrombie, a lot.
Just expected more changes to the world, an appearance of someone unexpected, like Shenkt.Yeah, well, I can appreciate that, BUT:
The fact that not much has changed is a necessary part of what he's trying to do. Think of the opening scenes of Henry V. Think of the stories of World War I where the trenches go back and forth and tens of thousands of men die to gain a mile. Think of "anti-war" movies like Paths of Glory or Thin Red Line. There's a certain "feel" and tradition that fuels his work, and I think it was kind of predetermined that this battle wasn't going to change much.
I see what you mean, additionally I think the novel is that good that it raises a couple of pro-war thoughts.
Ninefingers could return at some point cause of his ability with the spirits.