I would have said it's pitched atyear olds, except some of the content is very adult, although again even the adult content is presented like kids talking about adult stuff.
The main characters are all likeable and interesting, Ringil is quite amusing and gets in a few good lines, There is plenty of action and the pace is good, There are dark and violent aspects to the plot which keep you guessing throughout, It is slightly spoiled by two things: the first is that the romantic angle is over played and seems a bit forced, the second is the use of the gods as a crutch, they aren't an integral part of the plot and although there are two involved the motives of one of them doesn't really make sense.
A good book but a little short of great, On the surface this is a fairly standard fantasy story that simmers away with sword fights, magic and quests but there aren't many fantasy novels where the main character is queer.
This lends itself to a really unique perspective and interesting storytelling that keeps you invested and engaged in the main character.
Overall, the book is well written, exciting and adventurous and would recommend to enthusiasts of fantasy novels.
I have been looking for a 'Game of Thrones' equivalent for a while and this book fits the bill nicely.
I am not going to say that it was a huge surprise, the gritty environment and the not so heroic heroes are the reasons I picked it up in the first place, but it is still a good read.
I will highly recommend it unless you feel uncomfortable with homosexual erotic scenes, There are a couple of really spicy bits there that might annoy you, Gritty fantasy, written in what I've come to realise is Richard Morgan's unique, fast paced, slap you in the face with a nasty fictional but totally imaginable reality.
I really like this guy's books, This is as far as I'm aware his
first forray into fantasy, and sometimes the finer details of the plot seem to twist away from understanding.
If you're like me and will read books over and over again, you will pick up on anything you missed before.
It's totally worth the re read, You gotta read all three to get some of the answerswhich is totally worth it, For a fantasy book it hits pretty close to home in how relatable the characters are,
Bold, brutal, and making no compromises Morgan doesn't so much twist the clichés of fantasy as take an axe to them.
Joe Abercrombie
The award winning author of Altered Carbon and Market Forces brings the same iconoclastic approach to his fantasy debut as he did to his sf technothrillers Richard K.
Morgan's storytelling talent and his atmospheric, hard hitting prose make this a strong addition to mature fantasy collections.
Library JournalSpellbinding. There's so much to like about the adventure, Star Ledger Morgan has taken traditional sword and sorcery tropes and given them a hard, contemporary kick.
The antithesis of the cosy fairytale, this one is for big boys, Times, London A dark, gritty tale, The well developed characters and realistic battle scenes ring true, Publishers Weekly