REVIEW: The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie (Kindle Edition)

The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie
Publishing Information: Kindle
Publisher: Orbit; 7 February 2011
ISBN 10: 0316044989
ISBN 13: 978-0316044981
ASIN: B00480O978
Standalone
Copy: Out of Pocket
Reviewer: Tyson

Synopsis: "This blood-drenched, thought-provoking dissection of a three-day battle is set in the same world as Abercrombie's First Law Trilogy (The Blade Itself, etc.), but stands very well alone. Union commander Lord Marshal Kroy coordinates the fight with the aid of a motley group of incompetent, self-important officers. The strangely sympathetic Col. Bremer dan Gorst is officially a royal observer who nurses a burning desire to kill or be killed. Leading a much smaller army against the Union is Black Dow, whose grip on the throne of the Northmen is tenuous and based on fear and brutality. Calder, a slippery and cunning egotist, advocates peace while plotting to take Black Dow's place. Abercrombie never glosses over a moment of the madness, passion, and horror of war, nor the tribulations that turn ordinary people into the titular heroes."

There is no denying that Joe Abercrombie is quickly becoming a fan favorite for fantasy readers. With The Heroes, he should win over everyone else. I am sure many other reviewers will say that this latest novel is gritty, it is, but it is mostly bloody. Even though there is a lot of warfare and many great characters meet their maker in a violent way, the book does a really great job of telling a story.

The Heroes takes place over a few days as the North and the Union meet up for a final confrontation. A few of the Northmen, the Dogmen, are scouts for the Union and play a role in the novel but the majority of the novel for the Union side takes the prospective of Bremer Dan Gorst. A character that was first introduced during The Blade Itself trilogy. For the North side the majority of the prospective takes place through a new character Craw and Prince Calder, the second son of the king. The Heroes really shows you just how far Abercrombie has come into his writing as an author. The characters really come alive in the novel, from the get go you have a strong description of everyone involved and the dialogue that you find throughout the book is tight. When the warriors are discussing tactics or just taking a breather from the action, they feel real. It is as if you are standing there listening to real individuals complain and describe their past and sharing their experiences.

Perhaps the best thing about The Heroes is that we finally return to the North. Nearly everyone wants more of the Northmen first introduced to us in The Blade Itself. Black Dow has staked a claim as the ruler of the North and the Union wants to stop their advance. Which leads us to a small hill known as The Heroes. It is very reminiscent of many battles in Vietnam or Korea when men would go to their deaths all for a meaningless piece of land countless times only to leave the area with a no idea whether or not their friend's death meant anything in the bigger picture or if their contribution helped weaken the enemy's resolve. By providing us with both army prospectives it is hard to pick which side I wanted to win. The Northmen are some very interesting characters with many likable characters. The Union only has a handful of characters that I enjoyed reading about. Tunny's comments and actions had me laughing on many occasions as he instructed his greenhorns in the military craft, or lack of military craft.

Even though this is a fantasy novel, the very idea of dying in conflict is very real and the setting for The Heroes is just like that of many modern day settings or from previous historical conflicts. I could not help but think of White Horse Hill or Pork Chop Hill where countless men from both sides died on a nameless hillside that was later abandoned for other political and military goals. The battles are fast, furious, and gruesome. The scenes depicted are impressive and Abercrombie shows his flair for telling a quick-paced battle. And there are plenty of battles to go around with many different prospectives. Each day brings with it deadly consequences and heart racing action.

Perhaps the one question everyone will ask is, does Logan Ninefingers, The Bloody Nine, show up in the novel. Unfortunately, he does not. He is mentioned in the novel on several occasions and his legend is bigger than ever as the mention of his name inspires fear in all but the bravest of fighters. I was a little disappointed that he was not featured in the book; however, I will say that I have a feeling that he is coming and that this novel just makes us salivate at the very idea of his return. I hope that I am correct in that assumption.

The one bad side to the Kindle and I will continue to say this until somebody listens, is the maps. The Heroes have a handful of maps that show the various positions of the two armies and on the Kindle you can barely make anything out. I did not have to study the map very long or hard to understand the troop positions and movements but, the fact that they are so small and do not come out very well on the Kindle may deter others from reading the book in this format. Instead opting to go with the physical book to actually see what the map has on it. eReaders need to do something to improve the maps the books contain. This is not something that Abercrombie should be blamed for but publishers and who ever converts the physical book over to the various eReader formats need to improve the quality of maps and images for those of us that want to read electronically.

The Heroes is an outstanding novel and an impressive addition to the world Abercrombie has created. I do suggest reading his novels in publication order as there are many recurring characters and nearly everyone from previous novels is given a mention. Although if you haven't read his previous works you could easily get by, but I feel you will miss some of the little touches that Abercrombie has added to the enrichment of the novel. The Heroes is my favorite Abercrombie novel to date and I look forward to seeing him top this one, which should be very difficult to do. The Heroes was pretty much the entertainment equivalent of riding a unicorn down a mountain while drinking from a goblet filled with the laughter or children. Highly recommended.

Plot 10
Characters 10
Style 10

Overall 10/10