“Nothing like being wanted, is there? Wanted by someone you want. Always seems like magic, that something can feel so good but cost nothing.”
Abercrombie is a prolific fantasy author who has written a lot of his books in the same fantasy world so you already know a lot of the players and what the world’s magical or non magical setting is like. I first found Abercrombie when I read his First Law series which is absolutely fantastic and is the same setting as his new series, The Age of Madness (of which A Little Hatred is the first book), is set in. The characters in this book are descendants of the players in his First Law series. Do you need to read the First Law series to understand this book and enjoy it? No. Would reading it provide a better understanding and enjoyment of this book? Absolutely!
“Believe it or not, we all want what’s best. The root o’ the world’s ills is that no one can agree on what it is.”
In A Little Hatred, we mostly follow the perspectives of seven characters: Rikke, Leo, Savine, Orso, Vic, Broad, and Clover. These are all different characters who have been dealt different cards in life and from different economic classes so we get a lot of different perspectives.
- Savine is the daughter of Sand dan Glokta, the extremely feared leader of the inquisition, she is a ruthless business owner who will stop at nothing to turn a profit.
- Orso is the crown prince and heir to the throne, a burden which he both enjoys and detests.
- Broad just got out of the military, is trying to stay out of trouble and make a good life for his wife and daughter.
- Leo was raised with the Northmen and is obsessed with making a name for himself in battle.
- Rikke still has a little of the old magic present in her and is trying to get a hold of her long eye which allows her see the future.
- Vic was raised in the prison mines and has been recruited by the inquisitor.
- Clover is a Northman who goes wherever the wind blows, he is loyal to anyone who is on the winning side.
Each character’s internal struggles, different motivations, and their characterizations were extremely well-written; seeing how their paths connect with one another made this book worthwhile.
“Call it art, you can get away with anything.”
Abercrombie continues to do what he does best. He doesn’t write cookie cutter stereotypical characters. He sets up his characters and their political game play and lets you decide which faction to cheer on. And oh, your faction might support slavery but Oh, the other faction just murdered a whole army just because and Oh, your favorite character just argued for racism. If you’re expecting a hero, you’re not going to find that here. A Little Hatred is set in a society with pockets of magic that is on the cusps of industrial revolution. People have started regarding a lot of magic as superstition and tall tales, science is taking over, and the people are waking up to how terrible the monarchy is.
Abercrombie also writes really strong female characters, the women in his books are just as ruthless and heartless as the men. He makes them multidimensional and their actions and motivations are just as complex and compelling as the men. He creates female characters that are full human beings. He creates really vivid action scenes filled with grit and blood with plenty of humor mixed in as you watch hundreds of people hanged and murdered.
“She was not a woman to be deterred by hatred: not from her workers, not from her rivals, not from the men she bullied, bribed or blackmailed to get her way. It is when they truly hate you, after all, that you know you have won. So she met the seething dislike with effortless superiority, paraded past with her shoulders back and chin high. If she was to be cast as the villain, so be it. They were always the most interesting characters anyway.”
I really recommend this book. This book was witty, bloody and just plain FUN. I also strongly recommend the First Law trilogy which was amazing and will make the enjoyment of this book even better. I gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads.
Leggy.
TwoNightStands 