LogFAQs > #920167045

ParanoidObsessive posted...

WhiskeyDisk posted...

I actually jumped over to Joe Abercrombie's The Blade Itself as a bit of a pallette cleanser. I'm about 2/3 of the way through but it's been a busy week.

I read that. But I sort of lump that in with A Crown for Cold Silver as books that feel like they tried to emulate the dark fantasy flavor of George RR Martin and kind of missed what made it work, and instead went all-in on the cynicism and doing terrible things to the characters. It's very much "look how dark and edgy we are!"

I of all people love some dark tragic cynicism, but you have to earn your tragedy. It feels like too many of the imitators kind of skip right over that directly to murdering and torturing characters because that's what Martin did and people seemed to like that.

I'm giving Abercrombie a pass since he's keeping his number of POV's and the scope of his world manageable. I get the comparison to GRRM, but Abercrombie writes like a man that knows we all have things to do and places to be. I don't feel like I'm going to have to start taking notes just to keep up.
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