Last Argument of Kings

Joe Abercrombie

Sep 2015 · Sold by Orbit

About this ebook

The final novel in the First Law Trilogy by New York Times bestseller Joe Abercrombie.

Logen Ninefingers might only have one more fight in him -- but it's going to be a big one. Battle rages across the North, the king of the Northmen still stands firm, and there's only one man who can stop him. His oldest friend, and his oldest enemy: it's time for the Bloody-Nine to come home.

With too many masters and too little time, Superior Glokta is fighting a different kind of war. A secret struggle in which no one is safe, and no one can be trusted. As his days with a sword are far behind him, it's fortunate that he's deadly with his remaining weapons: blackmail, threats, and torture.

Jezal dan Luthar has decided that winning glory is too painful an undertaking and turned his back on soldiering for a simple life with the woman he loves. But love can be painful too -- and glory has a nasty habit of creeping up on a man when he least expects it.

The king of the Union lies on his deathbed, the peasants revolt, and the nobles scramble to steal his crown. No one believes that the shadow of war is about to fall across the heart of the Union. Only the First of the Magi can save the world, but there are risks. There is no risk more terrible, than to break the First Law. . .

Ratings and reviews

A fitting end to the poor pacing of this series. Shoving all the progression absent from the painful drudgery of the second volume into this one and closing matters out by beating the reader over the head with its desperate push to achieve a level of nihilism only found in teenage poetry. "Bleak" does not equate to "pointless" and the author bounds over this line with an almost awe-inspiring energy. I have no desire to find out if Abercrombie managed to arrest his inner 14-year-old in his other works as I'm already tempted to try and get my money back on these.

Story comes full "circle" more than a lot of other stories I have read recently. The story was well thought out and planned from beginning to end, with epic moments throughout. Everything just came together so well. Great AHA! moment, ended perfectly. I am going to miss these characters, good thing there are 3 other books based on this world that I can dive into!

I confess... I'm very happy with how the series ended! My favorite character ended up exactly the way I wanted. I could have been more pleased with the series. I also loved the comment from Ardee, "too many damn wizards"!

About the author

Joe Abercrombie is the New York Times bestselling author of Red Country and the First Law trilogy: The Blade Itself, Before They Are Hanged, and Last Argument of Kings. He is a full-time writer and occasional freelance film editor who lives in Bath, England with his wife and three children.