Before They Are Hanged: Spoiler-free & Spoiler Review | 2 To Ramble #170

I told you guys, the first book was the best 😊. And it has nothing to do with the pacing. It's all about the characters' debt...Glad you agree with me 😃😃😃

Bloody-Nine >

Logen Ninefingers: If I'm the whore, who is the northman?

Read the series this spring and I’m definitely in the camp of I think the books get better in the First Law trilogy as they go on but I honestly scored all three of the books 4.25. I love the Collem West arc the most in this book and when he kills Ladisa was a legit yell out loud moment for me because F that dude so I’m glad that seems to be a popular moment in the series overall! Just finished Best Served Cold and moving into the Hero’s next and I’m excited to start the Age of Madness books here soon!

When is the name of the wind?

I didn’t know yal were racist, bringing up high school “good times” where kids didn’t have the real life understanding of racism is immature and really lame. No hairline having boy.

This is so refreshing, I thought I was the only one that loved the first book the most 😅

The hardest part about the whole series was making it through the first three to five chapters of book 1 before I was hooked on the characters. After that I was hooked

OH BUT WHEN I SAID DURING THE MIKE LIVESTREAM THAT YOU CALLED IT A KNOCK OFF YOU DENIED IT

I liked them in this order 312, but all were 5 ⭐️

Book 2 was my favorite out of the 3 but my totter isn’t teetered the same as everyone’s totter😂

Threetree's is kind of like Eddard where other characters constantly reference him as being someone who is good or a good leader. "Threetree's wouldn't let this happen," etc.,

I feel obliged to mention that Abercrombie has a map but his publisher/editor thought it was better to not put it in to avoid marking it as "one of those fantasy books" that has a map just to have a map even if it doesnt particularly influence the story. Joe agreed since he wanted a LA Confidential style story where all these characters converged and don't really know what's going on. Having a map adds to the sense of confusion about what the ultimate goal of the story is. You can find maps online though and it looks totally different geographically from what I thought!😅

I just recently finished Best Served Cold. Abercrombie gets better and better. He is the master of making every little moment count, even if the big picture isn't all that unique in fantasy. Maybe I'll just continue the series at the pace you guys move along. The riffing in these discussions is golden!

Honestly, I’m torn between whether I love Book 2 or 3 more. Both are great. The pace of the first didn’t really gel with me until the end, but Before They are Hanged actually really gripped me.

Book 3 is full of good stuff. But there are so many great things from book 2 like Dagoska, the group dynamics, the twist at the end, etc.

I’m still appalled the series hasn’t gotten adapted. Especially since so much of it is rather modest in scale for a fantasy series, and it feels perfect for one.

I enjoyed this book, but it was my least favourite of the first trilogy. I agree wiht Austin about Dogman POV

Between Darrow a Nine Fingers is closed, but I have to go with Darrow. Those Dark Age chapters with Lysander describing Darrow’s incredible violence is probably the best thing I’ve read in my live

DARROW

Richard will definately give The Heroes a 6/5 when he reads it. He will drool with that book.

I'm really excited because Abercrombie's plotting and the messages woven through the fabric of his work only improve through the standalone and - by god - the second trilogy. Please please please continue with it!!! Goodreads is hardly gospel but the 2nd and 3rd books in the sequels are both hold like 4.60 averages

Hmmm, did they all fail? I'm pretty sure one character has been successful this whole time. Which becomes much more obvious in book 3.

Bloody Nine

The fellowship trope in this book didn’t work at all for me

I still have the second trilogy to read but so far my favourite it The Heroes or Red Country. Depends on how I'm feeling.

First law is a series I really want to love. And I don't think they are bad books at all, I can't even say what it is that makes me not like them that much. It just doesn't click for me like other fantasy series do, even though I recognize that they are well written books.

Bloody nine clears Darrow. Also I’m excited for y’all’s review of Last Argument of Kings.

I agree with Austin on everything. Not surprising, since he was right about WoT.

I feel the same about Before They Are Hanged as I do about The Blade Itself, about a 4.5. I think it's something to do with Abercrombie's prose...it just feels kinda weird to me. That being said, it's not bad at all and his characters are magnificent. I think following West and the Dogman was probably my favorite. Loved the ending, subverted expectations in the best way possible. The ending made me truly wonder how the conflicts were gonna be resolved in Last Argument of Kings. Another great episode!

bloody nine clears Darrow

Jezal and Jamie? I mean I guess. Couple pretty boys. I didn’t dislike jezal near as much as you did. Jamie is borderline evil before his “redemption” arc. Jezals just a vain idiot. Pretty nasty scar but a little different then losing a hand lol. You read enough books especially predominantly from the same genre you can get lost in character/trope comparisons all day. Solid vid though! Keep rambling boys

Jezal supremacyyyy>>> 🤩
Also, with everything you guys said here I feel like you two would both find favourites in some of the standalones, as they offer exactly what you are looking for. And Bloody Nine would demolish Darrow from book 1, but Darrow from Lightbringer? Could be an interesting fight. I love Darrow more though, so that is all that matters lol
And my biggest beef with this entire series is honestly the fact that there's no damn map. It's a travelling quest story ffs 🤣

Oi! Boys! Love the series and love the episode.

First off, The Bloody Nine and Logan are 2 different characters in my opinion, much like the Hulk/Bruce Banner (and Darrow/The Reaper). They are all 2 faces to the same coin, but as different as a heads and tails as both can not be shown at the same time.

The Bloody Nine come out on top FOR NOW, once Red Rising ends I may have to come back and edit this post.

I read the first main trilogy, but I found Best Served Cold very off putting. I was fine with the depictions of violence and grim dark tone in the first series, when it felt like Abercrombie was just presenting it, but Best Served Cold seemed different. It felt like the reader was meant to take a sadistic pleasure in the violence. I like a good revenge story, but something about Best Served Cold felt excessive. I didn’t go on to read the other standalones or the second trilogy, not because I don’t want to, but because I hate the idea of skipping a book that might be relevant later, even though it’s a standalone. I would love it if anyone would tell me if you need to read Best Served Cold before the others, and if anyone has a different take on the books tone I’d love to hear it. I’m generally not squeamish about violence at all, and Best Served Cold is the only thing I’ve ever stopped reading because of the violence.

THE BLOODY NINE WOULD RIP DARROW APART

Darrow all the way!

Just finished this book today. Didnt quite line up for the review, but close enough

Finally! Someone is on the same page with me! Glokta is least fav and Jezal is a favourite characters in the book.
(Also i reeaaaly love our northerners)

I had this one as 4.5 as well. I got bored with the Glokta chapters toward the middle of the book, but it came back around and finished strong.

This entire book I was PRAYING that the north man brought up nine fingers more to west so he could connect the dots that Logan was still alive and tell them, I NEED MY HOMIES TO KNOW HES ALIVE. Also i physically need Logan and ferro to get together.

Look at Austin an his cute lil ass. 😘😘😘

Finally got around to finishing this one .... definitely loved it more than the first 😂

Blade Itself - 4.5.
Before they are hanged - 4.5.
Last Argument of Kings - 5.

This book is very good. I personally think the ending is fantastic, it’s anti climactic and subversive of the genre. Also some of the fight scenes in this book are amazing, reading Ferro and Logan fighting hard. Rudd Threetrees vs The Feared. West going nuts into a haze and fighting blindly is brilliant.

This book also made me like Black Dow because he is hilarious in this book.

Man im so excited for you guys to cover “best served cold” and “heroes” which are tied for my favorite 2 books from all 9(im including the short stories volume) written in the “first law” universe. Infact, is there any estimation when you think those will be out? I wanna reread them (listen to them narrated by Steven Pacey in truth) before i watch the videos!

I love how the ending of this book is essentially a giant troll to the reader. About to finish Last Argument of Kings. Abercrombie might have my favorite prose ever.

LOTR at 15 was my favorite by 17, Dune , then the dark tower, now at 64 :) gotta give it to Abercrombie . Didn't mention 1000 or so books i thought were really really good

After the first Bloody Nine beat-down I found myself tense as hell reading Logan’s POVs

As always, I'm coming back to finish the spoiler section of the review after finishing the book. I think I may agree with Austin in caring more for the pieces on the board than the board itself. Except for the fact that I do find the overarching plot/ mystery to be quite intriguing. But the story beats end up subverting expectations or just not being that important. I'm already a few chapters into book 3 and ill be sure to check out the video for that one too.

Darrow > Bloody Nine

I liked book 2 more and loved the ending lol. I feel his character work stayed consistent and the plot improved over book 1.

Edit to add, first 5/5 in a while from me.