Below is a review on Last Argument of Kings, the third and last book in The First Law series by Joe Abercrombie.
I finished the Last Argument of Kings novel this weekend. This is the last book in the The First Law series by Joe Abercrombie, a series I’ve been reading for the last couple of months. I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books – The Blade Itself and Before They are Hanged – and was curious how Abercrombie would finish the series off. I was not disappointed. In this review, I’m not going to describe each main character, like I did in my last reviews. Instead, I’m going to try and sum up the third novel, and in doing so, the series as a whole.
Last Argument of Kings
Throughout The Last Argument of Kings, I was once again reminded of Lord of the Rings. If you have read my reviews of the other books in the series I say something similar for both other novels. It has similar characters, similar plots, similar backgrounds. The Last Argument of Kings is also non-stop action, with one big event, normally numerous different battles, after another. This is just like the final Lord of the Rings book, Return of the King, with The Battle of Pelennor fields and The Battle at the Black Gate.
However, finishing the last chapter, I realized the startling difference between the two. The modern writing that Mr Abercrombie brings to The First Law series is not just refreshingly different to JR Tolkien, it makes the story fundamentally different too. Without giving the ending away, the final few pages are very unexpected and not a tidy finish up, like Lord of the Rings. This highlights that this not a happy ending, but also that the story is based on real life influences, and things never really end (or turn out the way you want it too). I think this is why I enjoyed the series so much. It takes the best bits of stories, like Lord of the Rings, and gives it a refreshingly new sound. The result is a fantastic ending novel, to superb series. If you like Lord of the Rings, read it now.