LAST ARGUMENT OF KINGS by Joe Abercrombie

Narrated by Stephen Pacey

 * Inscribed on His Cannons by Louis XIV

I decided to keep with the pattern of review titles I had adopted in the first two books; that of completing the quote used in the name of the book. But here are some great quotes from this novel that would have made great review titles:

Life being what it is, one dreams of revenge.

The good thing about every step being an ordeal: You learn to tread carefully.

Life is a series of things we would rather not do.

You’re never alone if you bring laughter with you.

Life is the misery we endure between disappointments.

In war the only crime is to lose.

God smiles on results.

You have to be realistic about these things.

There are many small surprises in this last book in the trilogy. Some of the behind the scenes maneuvering is revealed and I like the long range planning involved.  The strong suit of this series is characterization.  I will long remember Logan, Jezel, Bayez and the twisted Glokta; all of whom undergo significant life changes, and all of whom are forced to do some serious soul searching. All the people are flawed, just like real life. All the people have something to contribute to one’s own introspection. This is an excellent series. I liked each book more than the last as the story grew in the telling it grew in my estimation as well.  This is good enough to revisit again in the future.

And in the end Logan is…

Stephen Pacey gives a performance worth of an Audie award. He was great in the first two books and is even better here as the story builds toward the conclusion. He is adept at the variety of characters here. His voice for Superior Glokta is so deliciously sarcastic. He does a fine job at portraying Jezal dan Luther, the selfish dandy that has greatness thrust upon him. He is even great in voicing the female characters. This is one of those books that I will be listening to again just to hear the one-man-show that is Stephen Pacey.

The above was written after my first listen to this book. I have now listened to it two additional times along with the First Law World books—Best Served Cold, The Heroes, and Red Country Joe—two more times each as well. I only listen to a book twice when I enjoyed the first experience immensely and know that a repeat performance will help enhance my enjoyment. I can unequivocally state that Joe Abercrombie is a top shelf storyteller and that Stephen Pacey is in the first rank of narrators. These audiobooks I now consider to be among my absolute favorites. 

BEFORE THEY ARE HANGED by Joe Abercrombie

Narrated by Stephen Pacey

We should forgive our enemies, but not *

This is the middle book in Abercrombie’s Fist Law Trilogy and as such advances the various story lines but does not attempt a conclusion. The lives of five main characters are followed, Logan (The Bloody Nine), Inquisitor (now Superior) Glokta, the Dogman, Bayez The first of the Magi, and Jazel. All these characters show significant development. So now that the stage is set with all these great characters the conclusion is anticipated. The thing is, I really have no idea where the story is headed because there is no central quest to this series so far. One thing to focus on that will give you a leg up: focus on the insults. Abercrombie is a master of the backhanded insult and his characters are often given witty invective dialog to display this penchant for diatribe.

The characters are so good that Stephen Pacey has ample opportunity to display his considerable talents. Pacey is in fact fantastic making what could have been a plodding middle book into an engaging entertainment.

The above was written after my first listen to this book. I have now listened to it two additional times along with the First Law World books—Best Served Cold, The Heroes, and Red Country Joe—two more times each as well. I only listen to a book twice when I enjoyed the first experience immensely and know that a repeat performance will help enhance my enjoyment. I can unequivocally state that Joe Abercrombie is a top shelf storyteller and that Stephen Pacey is in the first rank of narrators. These audiobooks I now consider to be among my absolute favorites. 

THE BLADE ITSELF by Joe Abercrombie

Narrated by Stephen Pacey

* Incites to deeds of violence

Continuing my foray into contemporary fantasy I found this book to have nearly the same feel as that of The Riyria Revelations by Michael J. Sullivan. This is not the High Fantasy of Tolkien populated with noble races of Men and Elves, filled with grandiloquent speech or even, a quest to save the world, but a modern take on a low-tech world populated by mercenary soldiers, noble dolts and snappy dialog. To me that is the hallmark of contemporary fantasy. I must say that I liked Inquisitor Glokta best of all the characters. The unspoken dialog that runs in his head just before he speaks is quite cynical and so well suited to his character that he becomes likeable despite his loathsome appearance and deplorable torture tactics as described in the novel.  This book has other fine characters. Another is that of Logan, the Bloody Nine, a barbarian from the north: brutal in combat, but subtle in the art of leadership. As a first book, this one does everything right: Characters get introduced. We get to know the main political players. And it manages to do it all in an entertaining fashion. I don’t expect the series to plumb the depths of the human psyche, but even that potential is there.

Stephen Pacey is fantastic in this book. He is, perhaps, why I found The Blade Itself to be so entertaining. He takes the characters Abercrombie has given him and assigns them with voices so suitable that it makes you wonder if the characters were written with his range in mind.

The above was written after my first listen to this book. I have now listened to it two additional times along with the First Law World books—Best Served Cold, The Heroes, and Red Country Joe—two more times each as well. I only listen to a book twice when I enjoyed the first experience immensely and know that a repeat performance will help enhance my enjoyment. I can unequivocally state that Joe Abercrombie is a top shelf storyteller and that Stephen Pacey is in the first rank of narrators. These audiobooks I now consider to be among my absolute favorites. 

CHANGE AGENT by Daniel Suarez

Narrated by Jeff Gurner

Biological Techno Thriller

This book is a bit of a departure for Daniel Suaez but it is in keeping with his other techno-thriller novels. All of his novels are significant excursions into an extrapolation of a current cutting edge technology. His other novels rely heavily upon Information Technology and computers to tell their story. This novel deals with an even more threatening technology, that of genetics. Some listeners may be alienated by this leap from bits and bytes to DNA and RNA but in the end the same tense action and taught plot are on display. I heartily recommend this novel as do I all of the books by Suarez.

Jeff Gurner gives a stand out performance. He is one of the best narrators in the business.  

P.S. for those Genetics geeks out there you may be interested in the technology that is behind this novel.  My list of recommended books for aspiring geneticists and ethicists:

INHERITANCE by Sharon Moalem

THE EDGE OF EVOLUTION by Michael Behe

UNDERSTANDING GENETICS by David Sadava

THE SPORTS GENE by David Epstein

THE VIRAL STORM by Nathan Wolfe

THE GENE: AN INTIMATE HISTORY by Siddhartha Mukherjee

THE DOUBLE HELIX by James D. Watson