David Sven's Reviews > Before They Are Hanged

“Still alive, still alive, still alive…”

Yes, my favourite character Logen Ninefingers, all two of him, is still alive and back as the badass Northman with multiple personality disorder. And there’s more than one thing we can say about Logen. Say He’s a fighter, he’s a lover, he’s stealthy. Unfortunately he also has bad luck and is often in pain. But you should see the other guy, what’s left of him.

Ninefingers has teamed up with Bayaz, The first of the Magi, his apprentice magus, a feral ex slave and a nobleman, on a quest in search of an artefact so powerful, that the gods themselves feared it enough to hide it away at the edge of the world. Their journey will take them through territories hostile in terrain and inhabitants. They will pass through ancient ruins, both wonderful and dangerous. And don’t forget the Shanka. But rest assured, The Bloody Nine might sleep, but he never goes away and we’ll hear his terrible laugh again before this book is done.

And then there’s our most beloved inquisitor, Superior Glokta, friend of the friendless, rescuer of young women in distress, torturer of the guilty and innocent alike – he doesn’t discriminate. This book, he’s been sent to the besieged city of Dagoska, to investigate the mysterious disappearance of the former Superior Inquisitor and sniff out the treacherous plot to hand the city over to the enemy that his predecessor uncovered before his untimely end. Oh, while you’re there Glokta, can you take over the defence of the city and make sure it does not fall into the hands of the fanatical Gurkhul army and don’t expect any reinforcements and don’t you dare ask for any money. If you fail, well I’m sure you are familiar with the phrase "Body found floating by the docks…"
Fortunately for our crippled friend, he’s very good at investigations and he has just the tools for the job ie pliers, saw, rusty scalpel etc. And heads on spikes never goes out of fashion.

One might be under the impression that these are the only two (or three) characters worth mentioning in the book. No, they are just my favourites. What I like about Abercrombie, is that all his characters are well thought out and interesting. There’s The Bloody Nine’s old crew - Dogman, Threetrees, Black Dow, Tul, Grim. They are all back and they join up with Major West and co to help the Union fight their common enemy, Bethod the Northern Warlord. These guys are just way cool!

Oh, did I mention Shanka? Yeah, there’s going to be plenty of Flatheads to go around.

The vibe I loved in the first book continues in the second.

5 stars