Reading Abercrombie’s latest was like being wrapped in a warm blanket of nostalgia. The old guard make way for the new but never feel marginalised and the call backs are subtle but gratifying. There is no black and white when it comes to characters decisions and motivations and it is difficult to fully route for one side. The final two hours were exhausting to read and the battle scenes written by an author on top of his game. I loved every twist, turn and flawed character. It’s going to be a long year to wait for the finale.

Firstly, thanks to Gollancz and Orion Books via NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read The Trouble with Peace in advance of publication.

Secondly, for the love of all that's holy, Joe Abercrombie knows how to spin a yarn. I'll admit that due to personal reasons over the last few years I've struggled to concentrate enough to get through reading a full book. However, the way Joe writes makes it almost impossible to not want to read just one more chapter, he's like the John Cleese waiter in the Mr. Creosote sketch of the literary world. It's not that his prose is particularly beautiful compared to his contemporaries but rather that he creates characters and situations that, to me, are so visceral and fantastically realised that they go straight into the experiential part of the brain. I often felt that I wasn’t reading so much as absorbing this book and it's all the better for it.

All the protangonists from the first book are here, some have moved on and others remain resolutely steadfast. To borrow from Shakespeare's Richard III, any number of characters could utter the phrase "plots have I laid, inductions dangerous". From the first page through to the end there is little let up and the Rashomon sequence at the half way point appears out of nowhere, completely at odds with how he tells the rest of the story up to that point and yet it works beautifully and viciously and becomes the launching point for the rest of the tale. There are moments of violence and war that we've come to expect in this world, but also some genuinely tender moments of love and loss that are utterly surprising and make me just stop and sigh and other moments that I shouted out "wait, what, no way!"

Without wishing to give anything away before publication date, this is a magnificent sequel, it's everything I wanted and more. Abercrombie has a way with words and story that is seemingly effortless and remarkable. Throughout my time devouring this book (which included waking up hours before my son so I could squeeze in more chapters) I realised that there are some truly awful people here and yet, I loved them all. The only way that happens is when the author loves them all too, deep seated flaws and all.

So, yes, hardly a surprise to suggest that if you liked A Little Hatred, you'll be delighted with The Trouble with Peace.

Mr Abercrombie, my cap is well and truly doffed, may the Long Eye bring the finale with all speed.

I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This review is spoiler free for The Trouble with Peace, but will contain spoilers for A Little Hatred.

Joe Abercrombie is one of my absolute favourite authors and a new book from him is always an event in my reading year. Given my absolute love of A Little Hatred, the first book in his new First Law series, I had sky-high expectations for its sequel -- and they were unsurprisingly met.

Despite the apparent end to the war and brutality that takes place in the previous book, there’s no rest for Adua in The Trouble with Peace. Due to this simmering unrest and very shaky peace, this book is absolutely filled with political intrigue, backstabbing, and scheming behind closed doors. This is the kind of fantasy writing that I absolutely love, and The Trouble with Peace is one of the finest examples of political fantasy out there. If you’re anything like me, you’ll absolutely delight in each new plot twist and turn as schemes are uncovered.

One of the greatest strengths of Abercrombie’s writing is his cast of characters and their interactions. His dialogue is, as always, razor-sharp and often so surprisingly funny, making a grim story so incredibly compelling and making you root for people you’d hate under any other circumstance. I continue to be impressed with the way he rips up the rulebook on writing fantasy characters and fills his stories with people who defy your expectations, go against archetypes, and feel so incredibly realistic.

Savine rose in the ranks as one of my all-time favourite fantasy characters with her introduction in A Little Hatred, and she continues to be such a delightfully complex, ambitious, and layered woman — I cannot express to you how much I love her. If possible, I enjoyed her story even more in The Trouble with Peace as she became a more frequent POV character and her strong and shiny veneer crumbles as PTSD and shame consume her as the book begins. I also loved the continuation of Rikke’s plotline in the North, her ties to some of the rare magic in the world, and the continuation of her character arc — she is far different from the young woman at the beginning of the first book. I always have less interest in the male characters, but Leo dan Brock really grew on me in this story — I found his story line fascinating as a man who is in the position to bring about change, but honestly just isn’t bright or strong enough to manage it himself. The way he is pushed and pulled by various forces throughout the book was fascinating, and often so infuriating.

If you loved A Little Hatred, I guarantee you’ll also love The Trouble with Peace. Brutal, grim, and often so very compelling, The Trouble with Peace is a totally unputdownable grimdark story for your fall TBR.

I read this for a blog tour.

I do enjoy the world building of Joe Abercrombie - the politics and never ending feuds that threaten the Union as much as the countries on their borders.

People are bored in peace times, there are too many hours in the day to scheme and plot.

Savine hasn't fully recovered from the events of A Little Hatred, and a politically savvy marriage might just be the thing to save her.

Leo gets dragged into schemes at the heart of government, not realising he's being manipulated and lied to.

Things aren't much better in the North, but then when have they ever in this world?

I thoroughly enjoyed this new addition to the Abercrombie canon - lots of action as always, with a wry humour and plenty of intrigue.

4.5 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2020/09/21/the-trouble-with-peace-by-joe-abercrombie/
My Five Word TL:DR Review : Let Them Eat Cake

Okay, that’s only four words and also maybe a strange way to start a review but tbh I think it fits perfectly with the themes in this book (nay, series) – or maybe more apt would be Cromwell’s ‘In the Name of God, go’.

This has to be one of the most appropriately named books that I can think of, at this particular moment in time at least (and funnily enough, looking back at my review of A Little Hatred I said the exact same thing about that book too – has Abercrombie been blessed by the God of Book Naming?

The Trouble With Peace is that people start to realise how dissatisfied they are with the smaller things in life that seemed less important when their lives were threatened by war. The Trouble With Peace is that it makes heroes dissatisfied with their everyday lives, undertaking mundane tasks that are brushed aside in times of strife, longing for the sword and the blood that follows. The Trouble With Peace is it makes people feel over confident in their own abilities, strutting around like peacocks, preening their feathers and dreaming of yet more glory (or money). The Trouble With Peace is people forget just how bloody awful times of war really are and start to look upon such times with fondness and rose tinted glasses. The (real) Trouble With Peace is that it’s a fleeting notion – wars happen regardless (as history shows us), bodies are hacked savagely, desperate pleas for mercy are cried out amongst the mud, blood and tears and disastrous mistakes are made.

I thoroughly enjoyed this second instalment by Joe Abercrombie. It builds up a veritable mass of tension. It’s thick with plots and behind door whisperings, clandestine meetings and murmurs of treason. Of course, before you get too worried that this is all about political posturing and dastardly machinations, let me reassure you that this doesn’t lack the banter or battle scenes that this author is renowned for and both are near the knuckle and brutal.

I’m not going to really elaborate on the plot for this one. I will say that some books in a trilogy suffer from middle book syndrome and act purely as a platform between book 1 and 3 – this is not one of those books.

The characters we became familiar with in the first book in series are here again and this is something that Abercrombie excels at. I might not love all these characters but I unreservedly love the way they’re written.

Savine dan Glokta is probably one of my favourites. She is a cold blooded, manipulating so and so – I love her. Let’s be honest, she develops a slightly more soft and fluffy side here (by which I mean she is still a manipulating so and so, but maybe a touch, a teensy tad bit, more vulnerable). I did love the relationship that she strikes up (not going to spoil it though, my lips are sealed). It has the feel of master and pupil to it but regardless I just liked it, it turned me into a mushy crust instead of a crusty crust.

Stour Nightfall. Let’s be honest, here’s a guy who is literally one consonant away from being sour. This is one nasty pasty – don’t underestimate him. Ruthless but also maybe a bit blinkered in the nonchalant way he’s drumming up enemies.

Leo dan Brock. Here’s a character I want to shake. He’s not a bad guy, really. He’s downright likable but at the same time by God he’s easily manipulated. I cannot deny that I like this character and at the same time completely despair of him. Could you be any less diplomatic!!

Rikke. Another character that I just love to read about – okay, there are parts in this instalment where I was like ‘what?’, ‘NOOOOOOO’. But, then again, on reflection, perhaps I needed the ‘long eye’ to see my way clear. Her character arc is brilliant, a joy to read in fact, and probably one of those elements of the series that I should have taken notes – so I could look back and have all the ‘ah hah, I knew it!’ moments during the grand finale even if I knew nothing all along.

Orso. Another firm favourite. If anybody is more deserving of sympathy and understanding then I don’t know who it is. Could he be more misunderstood? The poor fella seems to get the brunt of everything, I swear that if he said the sea was wet he’d be lambasted and thrown into the stocks.. But, he’s becoming a lot more adept? cynical? – like anyone else I suppose, time and repetition start to make everything seem a little more commonplace and he’s started to get tired of being a small cog in a large machine.

There are obviously more characters but this isn’t a dissertation so I’ll curb my chattiness right here.

Basically, to avoid doubt, yes, I really enjoyed this. The writing is plain good, the banter and dialogue made me want to laugh and cry, the plot is more mixed up than a bag of sand, the characters inspire love and hate, there isn’t a lot of actual fantasy elements, and in some respects it feels more like a snippet of history where the real magic revolved around basic superstition but, what can I say, this was a very fine read indeed.

My rating 4.5 of 5 stars

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

You can write a long essay explaining the complex characters, the great storytelling and world building and how you loved this book.
Or you can be short and say that it was one the most entertaining, gripping and highly enjoyable read of 2020 and you couldn't put it down turning pages as fast as you could.
I loved it: A Little Hatred made me discover and love Joe Abercrombie, The Trouble With confirmed my impressions.
It's even better that a Little Hatred and I loved how the development of the characters, the plot that kept me hooked and humour that made me laugh.
I loved it and it's strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

The Trouble with Peace is the eagerly awaited second instalment in Joe Abercrombie’s Age of Madness trilogy. Book one A Little Hatred was a five star read for me and it made it to my top reads of 2019. The Trouble with Peace was one of my most anticipated releases of 2020 and I had the highest of expectations going in. After just a few pages I was completely sucked back into this world and ended up staying up way past my bedtime to finish this incredible story.

The Trouble with Peace picks up not long after the events of book one. I won’t say too much about the plot as it is the second book in the series but it is full to the brim with political intrigue, secrets and betrayals, war and fighting. It’s a fast paced read and one I couldn’t put down. Like the characters in Abercrombie’s previous books they are incredibly complex and fascinating. I love watching how they adapt and grow over the course of the two books and Savine is rapidly becoming one of all time favourites – she’ll do whatever it takes to win and she doesn’t care who stands in her way.

Like his previous novels The Trouble with Peace contains plenty of violence and gory scenes but there’s also plenty of clever dialogue and sharp humour. It’s a brilliant second book in the series – a complex tale with an intriguing plot, full of flawed and fascinating characters. Whilst you can technically read this trilogy without having read The First Law books, they are some of my favourite books of all time and I highly recommend picking them up before reading these ones. If you’ve read A Little Hatred already, The Trouble with Peace should absolutely be next on your reading list. I can already say for certain that this will be in my favourite books of 2020 and I cannot wait to see where Abercrombie takes the story in The Wisdom of Crowds

The Trouble with Peace is the second book in the Age of Madness series, and follows on immediately after the events of the first book, A Little Hatred.

In The Trouble with Peace, wars are fought on the battlefield and on the Open and Closed Councils. We catch up with Savine dan Glokta, one of Adua's most powerful investors, who has lost her influence and judgement after the first book. In the north, we catch up with Leo dan Brock, Rikke, and Stour Nightfall. As always, the book switches each chapter to follow a different character.

I absolutely loved this book! I was hooked from start to finish. I am a huge fan of Joe Abercrombie's books, and reading this series has felt like coming back to see old friends. But that doesn't mean that this is a fun, comfortable read — as always, it's dark, violent and with plenty of shock twists. The characters always feel real — no one is ever good or evil, they are always mixed (as all people are!).

I love that this series has many unique, strong female characters, too. Savine is one of my favourites of this new series — she is clever, witty and elegant. I also really like Rikke, who in this book learns to control her Long Eye and is as unpredictable as ever. She has really grown as a character from The Age of Madness to this one, which is always enjoyable to read! Mothers also play a big role in these books — Orso's mother Terez, Leo's mother Finree and Savine's mother Ardee all have a big impact in this book, too.

As always, the pacing is fantastic, with each scene having importance (even if you don't realise it until later). During the action, the point of view switches from one character to another in a fantastic, smooth way. Many will be minor characters that have only a few paragraphs, but still you feel as though you know them and their hopes, dreams and loves. It's incredibly moving and you are thrown from one character to the next very quickly. We'll follow one character, who then stabs another, and we then switch to their killer's perspective, and then on to another that they speak to. It's one of my favourite things about Joe Abercrombie's writing and as always, done so well — he is the master of writing combat!

As always, Joe Abercrombie has written another must-read book. The Trouble with Peace is a fantastic, fast-paced story, with all the elements and characters that we have come to know and love. I loved it and it's one of my favourite books of 2020! It was certainly worth the wait — and now I wait in desperate anticipation for the final instalment in the series, out in 2021!

Thank you, thank you, thank you book gods at Orion, Gollancz and Netgalley for the opportunity to read The Trouble with Peace. It was the perfect book to make me forget, if only temporarily, our own Age of Madness.

All too often genre fiction writers create series spawning instalment after instalment that doesn’t develop characters, world or plotlines, repeating the same old over and over again. Even if they manage to stick to a trilogy, the middle book tends to act only as a set up to an ‘explosive finale’ of the third and nothing actually happens. I’d encourage them all – whether they write thrillers, fantasy or anything else classified as ‘genre’ to go read Joe Abercrombie before attempting any further books.

Having introduced progress in the form of industrial revolution and its discontents to the First Law world in A Little Hatred, Abercrombie ramps up its unresolved frictions in The Trouble with Peace. The traditional aristocracy sees its privileges curtailed while the working class has no bargaining powers to speak of. The peace achieved at the end of the first book is fragile, rife with political intrigue and scheming. The characters introduced in A Little Hatred: Rikke, Savine, Orso, Leo and others navigate this new world with more or less success. One of Abercrombie’s major strengths is character development and it’s particularly good in The Trouble with Peace. Characters from First Law, Best Served Cold and The Heroes also return, this is not their story anymore and their parts are smaller, but much appreciated. The writing is so often wonderfully cinematic, another Abercrombie signature trait, with more than one (!) chapter that moves the action from one character to the next. I would love to see all of the books filmed although I totally dread this too in case they get it all wrong.

Needless to say, the plot is fantastically twisty and complex, especially in the last third of the book. Fans will be overjoyed. I urge any self-respecting fantasy reader who hasn’t read Joe Abercrombie yet to pick up the books immediately - preferably in order because it’ll be a much more rewarding experience.

Highly recommended, four and a half stars.

The Trouble with Peace is the second book in the Age of Madness trilogy, and the times depicted definitely live up to that name. Madness is on the menu, and comes at us from all sides. We pick up from the events of the last book, and find nearly all of our point of view characters unhappy. Savine has PTSD, Leo and Orso are frustrated by politics, Rikke is finding the long eye a curse, Clover is stuck with an unruly king, Vick is still working for a system she despises and Broad is… well, he’s Broad.


I found this one did not grip me as much as A Little Hatred did, the start is slower and the characters feel a little hollow. They all spend the first fifth of the book brooding and being miserable, and it’s just not as interesting as it Abercrombie’s usual dour take on the human condition. Savine and Orso really carry this early portion of the book, as the twisted circumstances of their relationship tear at them and each one hurts the other assuming they don’t care. Luckily, the other characters soon follow as the world slowly loses its mind with talk of civil war, and takes them all along for the ride. Leo in particular becomes engaging, as it becomes clear just what Abercrombie thinks of the typical fantasy protagonist that mows down thousands of men in the name of justice and honour.


Abercrombie has always been about characters, and once the book gets into the swing of things, they shine again. Leo is perhaps one of his most interesting characters to date - it is rare that someone picks a gullible, slightly stupid, character as their point of view. Leo is easily pulled in any direction a stronger, more cunning individual wants and on top of that he is clearly in denial about his own sexuality. It feels like a choice made to see if it could be done, to write a character so conflicted about their own feelings, while not making that the driving force of their plot. Leo acts decisively when faced with external problems, but for his own internal problems, he dithers and dathers.


It is not just the point of view characters that engage here. The introduction of King Jappo, living in the shadow of his venomous mother, is fantastic and the way he plays with our protanginists is a delight. His appearance is one of the highlights of the book, with many of the others being provided by our other king, Orso.


Nothing demonstrates Abercrombie’s style more than Orso. A character who is cunning, intelligent, witty and likeable, but only internally. Externally he can seem dithering, weak and is brought low by his vices. However, he gets his time to shine and there is a particular dinner scene that was by far my favourite part. Just an excellent display of the character work that Abercrombie is known for.


The climax is gripping, with grit you can almost feel on your teeth. Abercrombie has become known of these chapters where, when things are going wrong, we follow multiple points of view that we’ve never seen and will never see again. The finale of this book is almost entirely written in this style and gets the chaos, violence and fear across wonderfully. There’s a worry he may become reliant on these chapters, almost like a challenge to himself to top the often praisec chapter from The Heroes.

While, overall, this is an excellent outing, not everything works. Broad feels aimless, pointless. His chapters are repetitive and very little he does in this book affects the overall plot. It doesn’t help that his personality feels bland compared to everyone else. My hope is that there is a payoff for this character in the third and final book, but books must be judged on their own merit and Broad falls short here.


Clover and Rikke suffer from this a little as well, however their arcs have a satisfying payoff at the end of this book, and they have enough personality that their interactions are just more enjoyable. Rikke in particular comes into her own, and the way she bounces off of her friends Isern-I-Phail and Shivers, brings a smile to my face. Of course, everyone is always happy to get more Shivers, and that probably plays a significant part.


Nothing is perfect, as Abercrombie often likes to remind us with deeply flawed characters, terrible events and no-one ending up happy. However, despite the few hiccups, this is still an excellent example of low-magic fantasy. By the end I was more invested than at the end of A Little Hatred, and the state of the world sets up the final book to be even better. A must read for fantasy fans.

I want to start off by saying thank you so much to the publishers for providing me with an ARC of this book via netgalley in an exchange for a review.

Three words to describe this book: phenomenal, compelling, an absolute masterpiece.

Ok, so technically that last one isn’t just one word. But it’s still the best way to describe this book.

I am already familiar with Abercrombie’s work from his first book in his First Law trilogy. If you’re here, you may be a huge Abercrombie fan or perhaps even a fantasy newbie. In which case I would recommend you read the first book in this series before you read this one! Nonetheless, let me introduce you to the writing style of Joe Abercrombie.

Abercrombie has a way with words; he weaves his magic into every word. Every sentence sucks you into this fantastical world of Abercrombie’s creation and it’s mind blowing how well he can do this. I’m usually hooked from the first page.

This book was no exception. Instantly, I was transported into the world of Savine dan Glokta, Orso, Leo etc and I loved this book.

I’m a little late to the world of Joe Abercrombie so I have only read the first book in the First Law trilogy, one of Abercrombie’s well known works, but I definitely plan to continue. I had a little trouble getting into this book because I haven’t read the first book in this series so I briefly skimread the book previous to this, A Little Hatred, so that I would be able to compare both the first and second books in the series for this review. This book is readable to a person who hasn’t read book one but from a reviewer’s perspective I found it difficult to understand the world without reading the first book.

As this review is spoiler free I won’t talk about the events in depth, I will be talking more about how I felt about the book and who I’d recommend it to.

This book follows the same characters from the first book in this series. There are many side characters that can be hard to keep track of but I feel as though we don’t necessarily need to keep track of these characters as they tend not to be too significant to the plot.

Still, if you are a person that gets confused when there are many characters or is quite new to the world of fantasy, I don’t think I’d recommend this book to you. This book is perfect for avid Abercrombie readers or fantasy readers.

The character development was interesting. We get to see how the characters go through each of their situations and how they grow. They felt like realistic characters, even the smaller characters and so of course it’s heartwrenching when we see some characters die.

Orso was probably one of my favourite characters because he was quite unique for the character of a king and I loved seeing how he developed throughout the book although his personality remained the same which is another reason why there characters felt realistic. Orso is very adaptable and smart which I felt was a fresh take on a king.

Savine was a very strong character who could be manipulative, cold and cunning but also quite brave.

The burden of power, the weight of a crown.

Orso, The Trouble With Peace

The world building was fantastic. I don’t even have a lot to say about it because I’d just be reiterating my point that Abercrombie’s unique writing style pulls you in this world. There was beautifully crafted imagery that made me feel like I was watching a movie. It was even humorous at times despite the obvious tension and dark/grey themes.

There was definitely political themes in here too so if you’re a person who likes politics in your fantasy then I’d say that you might enjoy this book. If you like morally grey characters, you might like this book.

Again, coming back to the writing style of Abercrombie, I love the way his metaphors are so descriptive and help to immerse the reader in this world. This book is a step up from the first book, which was already really good. All the character arcs happen in this book.

I even love the insightful quote on the first page.

‘In times of peace , the warlike man attacks himself.’ Friedrich Nietzsche The World’s Wrongs

From The Trouble With Peace

Overall I really liked this book and would recommend it to all fantasy fans!

The Trouble with Peace is everything that I will ever need in a book.

Seriously. I love Joe Abercrombie’s novels. I love the way that they play with grey morality, conflicting motives, and character desperation — all while showcasing the author’s unique sense of charisma and humour. But I think I love this one in particular.

Coming off of the astounding A Little Hatred — a book that is maybe my favourite series opener of all time — I had insanely high expectations for the sequel. But The Trouble with Peace met pretty much all of them. It’s maddening. It takes the pieces from the first installment (and everything that came before), and uses them to construct some mesmerising, blood-stained jigsaw landscape.

Remember when you used to watch Art Attack as a kid? And Neil Buchanan would make these giant floor canvases out of things like salt, cardboard, or fabric? Well, Joe Abercrombie does something similar. With corpses.

While A Little Hatred was focused on the introduction of the next generation of First Law characters, The Trouble with Peace shows what happens when these characters take their place in the new world. Nothing kills youth like responsibility, and our characters now face themselves wielding the kind of power that comes with intense scrutiny and expectations. One of the major themes revolves around the idea that while it is easy to criticise leadership from without, it’s another thing entirely to enforce it from within.

This is explored to a fascinating degree, and it’s these kind of thought experiments that keep me coming back to the First Law world. Much is made of Abercrombie’s “shades of grey” worldview, but it’s not often noted that this complexity isn’t limited to the morality of his characters. I can’t adequately describe just how interesting it is to see an established fantasy world seen through the eyes of a second generation. All those inter-generational conflicts. All those stories that lose detail and nuance in the telling. All those nooks and crannies that are so often plastered over in the worldbuilding, but here are the focus of the story.

And it’s fascinating, too, to see the characters live and grow and die through the course of that story. Orso, Savine, Rikke, Leo, and the rest… every one of them faces consequences for every single thing they are a part of. They bear the scars of every battle. They gain experience from every shortfall. They feel real, not so much pieces on a board as living, breathing people, each with their own anxieties and worries and fuck ups.

But. Well. Even so. Anyone who has read this far in the series knows that there’s at least one character out there who will only ever see them as game pieces. And he’s watching.

I can’t praise this book enough. There’s simply too much here that is entirely my thing. It has a class war and a civil war, it has a revolution, it shows both sides of a conflict, and every single thing that happens has an impact on what comes next.

If you’ve liked what you’ve seen from this world so far, then you’re gonna love this.

The Trouble With Peace is the most apt and accurate title to ever describe this book of such magnitude. I finished this in one day (apparently I can consume 500 pages but not 700!) and I am amazed. Not only at the technicality of keeping numerous events in this massive world from not veering of the chart, but through the way Joe has managed to keep such a complex style of politics simple! I was immersed into the politics of the Union a lot more than I expected to be. I wasn't expecting to relate with so many characters. Be it a politican, a wounded veteran (and there's a lot of them) and scared soliders (also a lot of them) and young recruits. This is no small world. This is a very big world, a very complex world, and keeping in-check of all the politics reminds me of so many historical parallels and at one point when I read industrial, I thought, wait is this the fantasy version of Anno 1800?

The dialogue is engaging, not a moment is wasted at all. The world-building is actually well done. I'm caring more about the world-building than I am before. It feels like this takes all the fantasy stuff and gives it a fresh coat of paint. There's no part I didn't enjoy. Though while I'd wish to reveal the story, I'm keeping it non-spoiler because there's a lot of story here. It's def continuing from book 1 but here's the thing. It doesn't feel grim-dark. You can get into this book if you haven't read book 1 (Spoilers! Go read Book 1, its amazing! xD). But let me tell you which characters I liked and which I didn't like the most.

I loved Orso's development of maturity across his arc, but I did feel that he was too stubborn sometimes. Orso in my opinion, has the most interesting characteristic of any King out there. I like his regal stance, his cleverness, his ability to adapt too situations that are thrown across his way. Orso represents in some kind of way, the Charles I of Austria-Hungary in WW1. Cue the historical context: In WW1, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was pretty much a corpse shackled its to competent ally, Germany. It was corrupt, it was broken internally, having to house so many nationalities (A theme you will def find in this book a lot.) and the passing away of Franz Joseph in 1916 caused a tremendous blow to the Empire internally.

Charles had a useless general named Conrad that practically would have been a better commander in the Imperial German Army than the Austrian Army. The Austrians were throughly unprepared for WW1, and they were taking the brunt of aggressive Russian attacks, especially the Brusilov Offensive that shattered the morale and backbone of the Austrian army. Charles inherited the throne of Austria but soon it went bascially something like this: A lot of his subjects revolted against him, and then declared independence. Charles was trying to keep the Empire united and tried to negotiate Austria Hungary's exit from WW1 but the allies were having none of it. Charles even went and allowed the Empire to transform into an federal union. Boom. Independence. Bu the end of 1918, Hungary declared indepndence, Croats, Serbs, Czechsolovakia were just parts of the empire that broke away. Charles had to renounce participation but was soon dethroned by the Austrian Parliament in April 1919, and exiled to Switzerland. He was then, if I remember, exiled to the Portugese colony of Madeira, after his second attempt at reclaiming the throne.

This is why I am finding comparisons between Orso and Charles of Austria. I'd say this is the alternate version of Charles in a fantasy context. This is what if, he was giving breathing room to expand his power perhaps? I've been watching a lot of series of WW1 episodes from the Great War (a great history youtube channel done by Time Ghost) that show and demonstrate the complexities of politics within WW1. While of course, the combat is medieval in many senses, it reminded me of Pike and Shot warfare quite a lot. Austria-Hungary is neglected out of the study I find, and its a perfect way for authors to pick inspiration from. Bear in mind, this is what came to my mind when I read the first opening chapter.

As for Savine, I didn't agree with many of the decisions she made. But I cannot help but admire her cunningness. Her ability to manipulate and betray. She is cruel, vindictive, yet brave, solid and a strong lady that knows what she wants. I just feel that she needs to get out of these lands, and start fresh. A new empire maybe. She reminds me of Catherine of Russia for one and Empress Theodora of Byzantium. Her father has the most witty lines that you will be mind-blown at. And Bayaz. I feel this guy needs an entire series of his own. He's such an interesting character I really wished to see more of him. I also liked Clover and his ability to see the situations four steps ahead of everyone else. There are so many characters you'll love it. And Leo. A bit prejudicied, but he is an innocent man that I feel that he needs to go away from fighting and start a new life. He needs to see whether he can become mature or not.

The action in this book is not as action-packed. I however feel that's good. Its shows the politics and the characters that make those moves. That said, I did want to see more scenes of Orso a lot more. I felt more related to him. I do feel that Savine's time with Zuri could maybe have been a shorter. I also feel that Joe pretty much covered the rest of the story - but maybe some more distigunishing between the Open and Closed Council would also add some more elements. I feel there needs to be a map because this world is big. I really wanted to look at a world map and see where Joe referenced other nations, other people. Because he does a lot. There was a Arabic inspired world, and he referenced that character from there. I really do wish we will start to see more of the world from other culture's perspective as well.

I do wonder if dragons exist in this universe. Plenty of characters, plenty of politics, and it sets things up nicely for the third novel. I just felt by the end, I knew the story, it picked up pace so well I was like, no. No. No! There was more! There was more to this! And it finished quickly. Just when it got right there. A real cliff-hanger. Its a lot to summarise, but I enjoyed this story a lot. A total 10/10 from me. Great novel. Great stuff.

I will be posting my review via the blog tour tommorow. I wanted to finish my review and submit it here. I will be posting my amazon review via tweet

The trouble with peace is that you have to go to war to keep it.

On the one side is the reluctant new king, who begrudgingly accepts his birthright, and tries to do the right thing for his people. His opponent is the easily led ,self righteous ,local hero who is manipulated by some ambitious and duplicitous members of the King’s own council.

Unfortunately this sets the scene for a collision course to war.

Although set in a medieval Fantasy world, the themes are very much contemporary. The Merchant Banks pulling the strings and the down trodden people surviving in appalling conditions. Both factions being manipulated by equally shady third parties and where does the “benevolent “ first Magi fit into all this?

The book is gritty, dark and also extremely funny, full of wry observations on human nature and family relationships.

The superbly written exciting and gripping battle scenes do not pull any punches, vividly portraying the absolute horror and sheer random luck on a battlefield . This is starkly brought to life through the gut wrenching experiences of some of the individuals caught up in the melee.

A superb read.

A savagely stunning sequel.

The Trouble With Peace takes place shortly after the events of A Little Hatred and its ominous conclusion. Whilst peace has been hard-won, it is a peace built on shaky foundations and the title for this second book in The Age of Madness trilogy is not coy about the direction of this story.

‘In times of peace, the warlike man attacks himself.’
Friedrich Nietzsche

I want to avoid any possible spoilers, so the plot is a no-go here, but much is at stake during this peaceful time with threats looming everywhere, both visible and hidden. Abercrombie, of course, brings his A-game with deft writing and some fantastically twisty plot points that will leave you grinning at the brilliance of it, but I’m once again doing my best impression of a broken record here. Who needs this fantastic, gripping story when you have such compelling characters?!?! And this second book is where the younger generation really starts to come into their own. Rikke, Orso, Leo, Savine, Victarine, even Stour Nightfall; all start to carve their own paths in this book, their own legends, breaking away from the shadows of their parents for good or for bad. You may think you know them already, but think again! The author caught me off guard more than once with the choices our colourful cast made and I cant wait to see how they further grow in The Wisdom of Crowds. Despite these surprising developments I was fascinated by how often these choices reinforced the feeling that history is repeating itself and wonder at how far it’s going to go.

“...great soldiers become prisoners of their own success.”

While the story is filled to the brim with cutting dialogue, crafty manoeuvring and trademark Abercrombie humour, the Lord of Grimdark has earned his title through blood, sweat and tears on-page. And it’s all here again. Bigger and bloodier than ever with a particular sequence that was as savage as they come, delivering blow after blow, after blow. When you think of assembling a dream team of writers for fight scenes, surely no-one else’s name jumps to mind faster. There is also a narrative device that I first encountered in The Heroes where the author switches POV’s from one character to another, in this case as they come into contact with one another. Abercrombie employs it perfectly once again in the midst of a tumultuous scene, which does a brilliant job of emphasizing the chaos unfolding. It’s a hell of a performance and I loved every second.

‘No plan survives contact with the enemy.’
Helmuth von Moltke

I had been putting this series off for a long time, and for no obvious reason, but I am certain I won’t make that mistake again when it comes to this author’s books. After all, I could not help but read these two books back to back, they are that good, and Joe Abercrombie’s writing never ceases to delight. Memorable characters, spellbindingly ferocious action, twists that scare a pretzel and gallows humour to die for, The Trouble with Peace mauls expectations to serve up a sublime sequel that’s even better than it’s predecessor. I am without doubt that like me, any Abercrombie fan will devour this story and soon after be practising their best Oliver Twist impression.

I went into The Trouble With Peace with high expectations only for it to far exceed them in every possible way. This is Joe Abercrombie at his best.

The Trouble With Peace picks up shortly after A Little Hatred. With an uneasy friendship between the Young Lion and the Great Wolf barely keeping the North together and the Breakers and Burners having slunk back into the shadows and slag of Midderland's industrial cities, the Union, under the newly crowned King Orso, has returned to a fragile state of peace. But, being an Abercrombie book, it is not long before the tendons of peace are cut by those whose ambitions know no limits. Which is pretty much everyone in the First Law world.

We follow the same cast of characters as the first book, all seven of which continue to play significant roles. The growth, or 'great change', that the likes of Savine, Leo, Rikke and Orso go through over the course of the book's 500 or so pages is really something to be experienced. There is no doubt that they are the future of the First Law world. This is very much their book and I am content to say that they each deserve a place on the high table of Abercrombie's greatest characters. That is not to say that the older characters of Clover, Broad and Vick are any less compelling. Clover still remains my personal favourite, whose wit and wisdom continue to provide some of the best dialogue to ever grace a page. As for Broad, well he is Broad, the grizzled old veteran with a penchant for violence and urge to do the right thing, which means, what is there not to like? Vick appeared to be the less interesting of characters to readers in A Little Hatred where she came across as very cold and calculated to the point where it felt like she lacked any emotion at all. She is even more so here but I found myself warming a lot more to her as she is thrown into some truly tense situations, including one with some old familiar faces and manages to keep her own.

Speaking of familiar faces, returning fans will find even more to delight in here than in A Little Hatred with plenty more nods to old characters, events and adventures. We also get to visit familiar places too with a wonderful convergence of characters in a particular setting that every returning fan will vividly remember. As I said in my other review, this new series is still a great entry point for newcomers with plenty to love about it. However, those who have read the previous trilogy and standalones will get so much more out of it.

The Age of Madness is very much centred on themes of social upheaval and revolution. Whereas A Little Hatred can be seen as a story about the working man and woman's fight for a better future, The Trouble With Peace is very much a story of the nobility's attempt to bring about the 'great change'. As you can imagine the working class and nobility's idea of what shape that 'great change' will take is very different and their methods even more so. This book has so much political manoeuvring and backstabbing. Some of its best moments are discussions of dissent behind closed doors and subtle attacks in public spaces. They are as vicious and brutal as the moments found on the battlefield where Abercrombie has already earned the equivalent to a named-man's reputation in writing. There is a battle in The Trouble With Peace and not only does it eclipse the Battle of Red Hill in A Little Hatred, but quite possibly even the Battle of Osrung in The Heroes. It is brutal, horrifying and exhilarating, with new methods of warfare being put to explosive and terrifying use. Abercrombie also continues the trend of writing about the everyday 'little people' which gives readers an somewhat all-encompassing chaotic perspective of events. In fact, Abercrombie treats us to double the dose, not just on the battlefield but on another field also, one that is no less bloody.

I went into The Trouble With Peace with high expectations only for it to far exceed them in every possible way. This is Joe Abercrombie at his best. I am already planning a reread, this time listening to the phenomenal voicework of Steven Pacey. With one book still left in the Age of Madness trilogy, I am both excited for and dreading its release. I cannot wait to see what happens next but do not want it to end.

I mean, seriously, I feel sorry for Joe Abercrombie. I simply do not know how the f*ck he plans to top this book. The Trouble with Peace is a masterpiece, plain and simple.

Abercrombie has set aside war as the main goal and centerpiece of dark fantasy where muscled men drive swords through their abdomens and split skulls with axes. Instead, we have a time of peace and as is the way of man, peace is as troublesome as any other fucked up day of war. We cannot be any other way, we always have to have a power pissing contest and one thing leads to another and before we know it, bang, we’re back to turning humans into pincushions.

Anyway, The Trouble with Peace is simply utterly clever. The deception of peace portrayed a beautiful lie. Ambitions and search for justice parting the society like snakes in a grass parting blades. Brilliant. Smooth. Sharp.

The author might have had to dig deep for all the grit and intrigue. Might have. But more than likely, he broke no sweat delivering because the book, although complicated with all the moving parts and various agendas working against each other, feels effortless. That’s what makes this book so addictive, bold, unforgiving, exciting. So many moments that suggested more than words on paper stated – like the whole and unexpected brooding shenanigans with Leo. I felt like a pervert at times- I willed him to go for what he REALLY wanted. Ha! My point is, I was thoroughly IN the story. I couldn’t get more IN the story if I wanted to. I wished and still wish this book to never end. Delicious. I want more…

By far the best fantasy title I have read in my short enough lifetime. By far. I mean, I laughed and sneered and punched the air – I do not commend slyness but I kept egging Clover on. I do not commend betrayal but I was gleefully following Savine trying to slither to the top. I do not commend violence but sadly, I was excited for Broad’s itchy fists. And Rikke with her Long Eye. For the love of f*ck, she made me howl with laughter more often than not.

So. A million stars for the utter bastardry. Bastardation? Ha.

The Trouble With Peace, the latest book in the First Law universe, is both brilliant and bloody.
I’ll start here: fans of Abercrombie will not be disappointed. The masterful characterisation, the whip-smart dialogue, and the thick vein of cynicism traced with capillaries of hope, are all immediately evident. As is the world, as broken as ever, as treacherous as ever, and as full of chances for redemption, truth and love, as ever. Also, if you’re here for people sticking sharp bits of metal into other people, for battles where you can feel the dirt underfoot, quail at the cannonades, and realise the existential futility of the whole thing while messily taking someone apart with an axe - well, then this is the series for you.

This is a world that is, in theory, at peace. Just this once, the Union isn’t at war with anyone. Which is novel. It does have rather a lot of enemies, but who doesn’t? And just this once, the North isn’t at war with anyone. And neither is the protectorate of Uffrith, which is sandwiched between them, and is definitely not very nervous about that. Everyone is rebuilding from the last war, and just wants to be left alone. In theory. In practise, the court of the Union is a seething nest of vipers. They’re torn between social climbing, cutting each other dead at parties, oppressing their workers, and high stakes politicking. Pressures are coming to bear on the Union from all sides. Workers are rising up against their chains, against working a fourteen hour day for an unlivable wage. Nobles are determined not to sacrifice any of their privilege. Parts of the Union, now that the wars are over, are manoeuvering for advantage, questioning why their taxes are so high, or talking about why they’re in the Union at all.

Peace, for the Union, is merely the absence of armed conflict. It’s a complex system, limping along on the dream of what it should be, and the brutal control of the levers of power exercised by those at the top of its systems. Of course, those who would like to break off those levers aren’t often very nice themselves.

Still, Adua, the capital of the Union, is a thriving city, filled with as much light and life and technological advancement as it is with misery, oppression, and sudden disappearances at the hands of the secret police. A study in contradictions, Adua sees itself as the height of civilisation, whilst also acting with a pragmatic and ruthless brutality when it feels threatened. Adua, indeed, the Union as a whole, is a system. One of the key tensions in the text is between systems and individuals. The king of the Union is one of our viewpoints, as, indeed are other prominent worthies - and its notable that they all struggle to manipulate, drive or change the system, and all lament the inertia and expectation which causes so many of the worst excesses. They live in a systematised world, which cares less and less for the individual, and not a lot more for the aggregate - it merely exists to perpetuate itself. That said, even as it does this, it produces marvels alongside horror, though of course, horrors alongside marvels.

The North, by contrast, is as familiar and as strange, and equally broken. The North is filled with space, with sprawling valleys, with Named Men leading bands of warriors. It’s populated by reputation, and by the ideal of honour. It’s more rustic, trading uniformed armies for berserkers, and cannons for the terrifying mystery of unknowable sorceries. But the North puts aside its virtuous pursuit of honour in the name of pragmatic ruthlessness when required. Reputations are built on being bloody and brave, but kingdoms are built from betrayals, or swift knives in the kidney. Still, you can feel the room, feel the ice water in the lakes, the culture built on loyalty to people, not to institutions. The contrast to Adua is beautifully done - as our character smove from one end of the world to the other, we can see that each system has its own strengths, and that hypocrisy and moral turpitude are as common as bravery and courage in both cases. Both societies may try and fool themselves into some superiority over the other, but they share more similarities than anything else.

In any case, the sprawling emptiness of the North, its strange majesty and desolation, stand as beautifully drawn and cunningly crafted as ever, alongside the bustling cities of the Union, even if the latter have traded in their horse-dung carts for the smoking towers of industry. These are societies on the cusp of change, and that, as well, is one of the tensions in this story. The Union is being driven to industrialise; its workers are renegotiating their relationship with the traditional capital using fire and steel, while the new owners of the mills respond in kind. The Lords of the Union are grumbling under the autocracy of the Closed Council, and the King is trying to find a way to do the right thing, whilst navigating all of these varied (and often malevolent) interests.

One of the beautiful parts of this book is that it so expertly threads the needle of motivations. The systems which people act in cause them to do ruthless things, bad things, and arguably, necessary things. But each of our viewpoints can be seen to be making a good case for what they’re doing, and why they’re doing it. Some of them are fooling themselves more than anyone else, that’s for sure. But when you can see both sides of the question as the heroes of their own story, it’s an absolute joy. In creating and sustaining this ambiguity, Abercrombie has proven to be a masterful storyteller. Everyone is not a shade of grey, a moral swamp of grimdark awfulness. No. They are, in their own lights, heroes. Doing the necessary thing, and often the right thing. That we can switch views and immediately see them as the opposition, as enemies to be crushed, is a marvel. It showcases the reality that each of these characters is not an ideal of heroism or villainy, but just someone trying to get stuff done. To build a better world, or hold what they have, or improve working conditions, or keep their family safe, or, or, or. As much as we all do, these are people who have hopes and dreams, lives, aspirations. That they all feel so human is a wonder, and in making their shared humanity cut across their antagonistic goals, we’re left asking questions about conflict. About why the choices we make are the right, or wrong ones. About whether there are any simple answers. About how the system drives people to do terrible things, or how individuals outside the restraints of the system do them anyway.

This book is poetry. It’s the poetry of errors. Of mischance. Of bureaucracy. Of armies tramping in the mud, to kill men with whom they share far more than the leaders who drive them. The poetry of leadership trying to do the right thing, in a world where nothing is certain, and where certainties are a trap. It’s a song about the sheer, bloody minded brilliance of people, who can be knocked down and get back up again, always reaching out for something better, always asking themselves how to make their dreams reality. It’s a story of how reality meets songs, and the compromises that means have to be made, and about refusing to accept compromise.

The Trouble with Peace is a page-turner. It less grabs your attention than walks up, slips a stiletto of narrative into your gut, and demands your attention. It’s smart. It’s witty. It has things to say about government, about systems, about finance, about power and the circumscriptions of power. And it also has things to say about the price we’re willing to pay for comfortable lives, and when saying enough is enough is the right thing to do. And about what happens when the right thing to do meets a different right thing, but more heavily armed. There’s battles, and politics, and some genuinely heartfelt emotional moments which made me choke up,and betrayals, reversals and revelations which will hit like an anvil, and in one memorable case, made me swear loudly in disbelief.

This is an absolutely top-notch work of fantasy, which deserves to be on everyone’s shelf. If you’ve made it this far, and you’re still wondering: yes, you should absolutely read this series, and if you’re reading this series, yes, you should absolutely buy this book. Thoroughly recommended.

Joe has done it again and produced another brilliant book.

I love how as much as things change, everything stays the same.

The characters are fantastic I love how who is good and bad and who is against who is so fluid yet completely understandable. You are with each character and while you might be screaming at them that it's a BAD idea, you still get why they are taking that path.

The plot is really quite complex and you need to have your wits about you when reading it. The action is wonderfully written but for me the political shenanigans are where the magic lies.

Really looking forward to where this goes in the next book.

This is a tale of rebellion, full of scheming, deceit, trickery and bad faith, capped off with an epic and harrowing battle. It’s not just the characters being manipulated - your sympathies will slide all over the place as you find yourself urging on someone who stands against the character you were rooting for just one chapter ago. No one is really good, no one is pure evil. They’re all a cocktail of motives and emotions, expertly sketched by Abercrombie in a tale told with his trademark sharp dialogue and mordant observation.

Middle volumes can often feel a bit padded and ineffectual, as the big drama gets saved for the climax. Not the case here, as the last quarter builds to one of the grittiest, most widescreen, battles in recent fiction. The final sting in the tail leaves us poised on the edge of all kinds of upset…so frustrating to know the third and final book is already written, but we have to wait a year to read it. Bring it on!