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A review by dark_reader
Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie
5.0
This is not just about revenge, although revenge is the driving motivation and forms the entire structure of the book; seven parts, seven people to kill.
It's about trauma.
Every character is shaped by trauma; in their pasts and newly experienced as the novel's events unfold. Bodily trauma, emotional trauma, economic trauma, if it can be labelled you can find it here. This made it a heavy read; I had to take a break 2/3 of the way through to read something else before returning to the fray. (I also had to return it to the library and re-borrow it because I had already had it out for 12 weeks and 3 days, but I needed the break regardless). This book really puts the "grim" in grimdark. Also the "dark".
Fortunately, it is also freakin' hilarious! Bleakly, darkly hilarious, but LOL-worthy nonetheless. That is, when it's not being horribly depressing and traumatic. I don't know how Abercrombie does it, but he is the master of this breed of fantasy. His cinematic background clearly helps. Battle scenes are perfect. The pacing is perfect. The outcomes are surprising. There is a shockingly vivid sex scene which seems out of place... at first.
The adventure takes place in the fractured kingdom of Styria, tangential to the lands featured in Abercrombie's foundational [b:The First Law Trilogy|11706669|The First Law Trilogy|Joe Abercrombie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1341090828l/11706669._SX50_.jpg|19033302], making use of several characters from those earlier books is often surprising ways. Reading those earlier books is not required, but highly encouraged; you will get more out of this book that way. Although it is a standalone story, how the events shape Styria and the characters themselves will doubtless be reflected in future books set in this world.
I would like to give an anti-shoutout to the feeb who stole this and three other Joe Abercrombie books ([b:The Heroes|9300768|The Heroes (First Law World, #5)|Joe Abercrombie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1375671200l/9300768._SY75_.jpg|12879765], [b:Red Country|13521459|Red Country (First Law World, #6)|Joe Abercrombie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1333663008l/13521459._SY75_.jpg|19082135] and [b:Sharp Ends|26030742|Sharp Ends (First Law World, #7)|Joe Abercrombie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1456696097l/26030742._SY75_.jpg|45956909]) from my public library. I asked the library to acquire [b:Best Served Cold|2315892|Best Served Cold|Joe Abercrombie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347732723l/2315892._SY75_.jpg|2322406] and [b:The Heroes|9300768|The Heroes (First Law World, #5)|Joe Abercrombie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1375671200l/9300768._SY75_.jpg|12879765] which they kindly did, and I borrowed the former immediately and kept it out for a loooong time, but once I returned it long enough for it to make it to the shelf, it disappeared, as I discovered the other books had as well. I have no doubt that this was a nefarious theft. The library had better put extra security on [b:A Little Hatred|35606041|A Little Hatred (The Age of Madness, #1)|Joe Abercrombie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558367199l/35606041._SY75_.jpg|57338685] once it comes out. I might just have to keep it eternally checked out except for when someone else requests it, to protect it.
It's about trauma.
Every character is shaped by trauma; in their pasts and newly experienced as the novel's events unfold. Bodily trauma, emotional trauma, economic trauma, if it can be labelled you can find it here. This made it a heavy read; I had to take a break 2/3 of the way through to read something else before returning to the fray. (I also had to return it to the library and re-borrow it because I had already had it out for 12 weeks and 3 days, but I needed the break regardless). This book really puts the "grim" in grimdark. Also the "dark".
Fortunately, it is also freakin' hilarious! Bleakly, darkly hilarious, but LOL-worthy nonetheless. That is, when it's not being horribly depressing and traumatic. I don't know how Abercrombie does it, but he is the master of this breed of fantasy. His cinematic background clearly helps. Battle scenes are perfect. The pacing is perfect. The outcomes are surprising. There is a shockingly vivid sex scene which seems out of place... at first.
The adventure takes place in the fractured kingdom of Styria, tangential to the lands featured in Abercrombie's foundational [b:The First Law Trilogy|11706669|The First Law Trilogy|Joe Abercrombie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1341090828l/11706669._SX50_.jpg|19033302], making use of several characters from those earlier books is often surprising ways. Reading those earlier books is not required, but highly encouraged; you will get more out of this book that way. Although it is a standalone story, how the events shape Styria and the characters themselves will doubtless be reflected in future books set in this world.
I would like to give an anti-shoutout to the feeb who stole this and three other Joe Abercrombie books ([b:The Heroes|9300768|The Heroes (First Law World, #5)|Joe Abercrombie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1375671200l/9300768._SY75_.jpg|12879765], [b:Red Country|13521459|Red Country (First Law World, #6)|Joe Abercrombie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1333663008l/13521459._SY75_.jpg|19082135] and [b:Sharp Ends|26030742|Sharp Ends (First Law World, #7)|Joe Abercrombie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1456696097l/26030742._SY75_.jpg|45956909]) from my public library. I asked the library to acquire [b:Best Served Cold|2315892|Best Served Cold|Joe Abercrombie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347732723l/2315892._SY75_.jpg|2322406] and [b:The Heroes|9300768|The Heroes (First Law World, #5)|Joe Abercrombie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1375671200l/9300768._SY75_.jpg|12879765] which they kindly did, and I borrowed the former immediately and kept it out for a loooong time, but once I returned it long enough for it to make it to the shelf, it disappeared, as I discovered the other books had as well. I have no doubt that this was a nefarious theft. The library had better put extra security on [b:A Little Hatred|35606041|A Little Hatred (The Age of Madness, #1)|Joe Abercrombie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558367199l/35606041._SY75_.jpg|57338685] once it comes out. I might just have to keep it eternally checked out except for when someone else requests it, to protect it.