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By the dead.

This one feels big. Seems like every other review I’m blathering on about finishing a trilogy or a series, and THE WISDOM OF CROWDS (kinda? maybe?) does both! If Joe Abercrombie has any concrete plans to return to the world of THE FIRST LAW, I haven’t heard about it. Which makes this one the last in this world…at least for now?

My first experience with Joe Abercrombie was with THE SHATTERED SEA, but after finishing that trilogy, I quickly dove into THE BLADE ITSELF back in June of 2016.

I’ve read a ton of fantasy in between then & now, including some books/series that have become all-time favorites of mine. But early on in THE WISDOM OF CROWDS, I was just so completely lost in this world again, and in that indescribable feeling of reading an author who is as good as it gets. I mean fucking hell…I’m not sure this is my FAVORITE Abercrombie novel (I think that will always be THE HEROES), but I think there’s a serious case to be made that THE WISDOM OF CROWDS is his very best work.

His ability to pull tight all the loose threads, not just from the previous two books in THE AGE OF MADNESS, but from all the FIRST LAW books…oof. It’s a masterpiece.

I remember feeling a bit let down with Gunnar Broad’s role in THE TROUBLE WITH PEACE, but that was not remotely an issue in THE WISDOM OF CROWDS. I think his story in this book kind of pushes him across the line as my favorite character of the trilogy. Maybe.

Maybe.

Either way, I loved the journey he went on over the course of this trilogy. Gunnar’s story broke my heart, a lot. And then kind of put it back together. Then ripped my heart out and stomped it into a filthy cobblestone street a little. Then, you know…put it back together, a little mangled, but ok. Goddamn, I love this character so much. One of Abercrombie’s best, and that’s saying a lot.

I’m not smart enough to say whether it’s true or not, but it almost felt like Leo dan Brock has been on something of a reverse hero’s journey over the course of the trilogy. Not exactly a villain origin story, but more just like…a doofus origin story? He starts off this trilogy as one of Joe Abercrombie’s most likable characters, and just makes one bone-headed decision after another, becoming bitter & hostile along the way. Ughh.

And maybe Orso is kind of like…not on the hero’s journey, but…stripped of just about everything in the face of a growing (and growing out of control) rebellion, he becomes somehow much more likable. He’s got some great scene-stealing & bleakly hilarious moments in this one.

Putting aside who may or may not have ultimately been my favorite character, I think it’s hard not to see Savine dan Glokta as the main character of the trilogy. The list of POV characters is extensive, but it really feels like Savine’s is the lens we see this entire story through. She actively reinvents herself over the course of these three books & I fucking loved her character arc.

Rikke is the character I first gravitated towards in this trilogy. I think it’s fair to say she is the character with the strongest links to the characters I loved the most in the FIRST LAW trilogy & the three “standalones.” I love how Rikke is kind of the living embodiment of how we’re all just making this shit up as we go. But she’s really earned her place in this world & is one of this trilogy’s liveliest & most entertaining characters.

There’s no one that writes an action scene quite like Joe Abercrombie. Bloody, raw, frenetic. You’ll be holding your breath one moment, as the fate of one your favorite characters might hang in the balance. Then something will happen that’s simultaneously disgusting & hilarious, and you don’t know if you should be laughing or crying or both. Oof…everything he writes is so wildly cinematic, so I’m crossing my fingers & toes that the BEST SERVED COLD adaptation continues to move forward (which hopefully paves the way for more Abercrombie adaptations!)

What a fucking ride it’s been. Ten books in this world, all incredible. Joe Abercrombie is a singular talent, and I’ll always be a fan.

Also! I’ve been doing a lot of mixed format reading lately, adding in some chapters via audiobook here & there. As much as it felt a bit strange to be reading the tenth book in a series in a different way than the previous nine, I have seen nothing but reverence for the narration of Steven Pacey (who has narrated the audiobooks for every book set in this world), and yeah… fucking incredible narration, and has me wanting to go all the way back to THE BLADE ITSELF and start this series all over on audiobook! Hugely recommend the audiobook for THE WISDOM OF CROWDS (and the rest of the series) if that’s your preferred format!