Book – The Heroes
Author – Joe Abercrombie
They say Black Dow’s killed more men than winter, and clawed his way to the throne of the North up a hill of skulls. The King of the Union, ever a jealous neighbor, is not about to stand smiling by while he claws his way any higher. The orders have been given and the armies are toiling through the northern mud. Thousands of men are converging on a forgotten ring of stones, on a worthless hill, in an unimportant valley, and they’ve brought a lot of sharpened metal with them.
Goodreads Synopsis
Grimdark Goodness
Grit. It’s a quality often associated with Joe Abercrombie, and with good reason. The book is gritty. It’s full of action, adventure, daring feats, and gritty battles. And it’s all set in a grim, dark world where the good guys don’t always win, and the bad guys don’t always lose. But what does it really mean to be gritty? What separates the grit of “The Heroes” from the kiddy fluff of other fantasy novels? Is it the blood and gore? The graphic violence? The language? Maybe. But there’s something more to it than that. Grit is about getting your hands dirty. It’s about fighting for your beliefs, even when the odds are against you. It’s about putting everything on the line and pushing yourself to the limit. That’s what makes “The Heroes” so gritty. And that’s what makes it such a great read.
“The smell of it. The feel of it.” He rubbed one hand up and down the stained sheath of his sword, making a faint swishing sound. “War is honest. There’s no lying to it. You don’t have to say sorry here. Don’t have to hide. You cannot. If you die? So what? You die among friends. Among worthy foes. You die looking the Great Leveller in the eye. If you live? Well, lad that’s living, isn’t it? A man isn’t truly alive until he’s facing death.” Whirrun stamped his foot into the sod. “I love war!”
The Heroes
Characters Steal the Show
The character development is top-notch, and the characters are incredibly well-written. They are funny, relatable, and fully-fledged individuals who grow and change throughout the course of the novel. The humor is biting and clever, and the dialogue is sharp and witty. The characters are indeed the stars of the show, and they shine brightly in every scene. Whether they’re bantering with each other, fighting on the battlefield, or simply reflecting on their lives, they are always engaging and entertaining. It’s no wonder that “The Heroes” is one of my most beloved novels now.
Should I Read It?
Hell yes! That is, of course… high praise. This is one of those novels that will still pop into my mind even after months, years, of first reading it. Sometimes when I play Chivalry 2, I FEEL like I’m charging the heroes themselves.
I might be able to learn to manage?
“We laugh at people who still use Windows 95, yet we still cling to opinions that we formed in 1995.”
Rise Tarnished
