The Heroes

Great Book , Great Author, Great narrator.

This book is an treasure. Joe Abercrombie delivers another masterpiece of a novel. Get the books in order, but get them all. This is the latest one.
Michael Page does an smashing job of narration, as always. He is one of the best .

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

People in battle

As in real life, all characters are trying to stay afloat, while being pulled down by their past, their weaknesses and ambitions. Although the story is about a bloody battle, with wizards fighting at both sides, to me this is the most memorable theme of the book, It sets it apart from the black and white characters usually found in epic fantasy novels. Well done, looking forward to the next book

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Outstanding

Joe Abercrombie continues to shine. The story was well crafted and truely gripping. The plot twists and turns, making you feel as though you know where the story is going, only to surprise you with all manner of surprises. The language is as gritty as battle scenes described. The characters are despised, but in equal measure captivating. The battle between good and evil is played out through the eyes of the little man as much as the grotesque hero. There are real parallels between the heartlessness and self interest of the characters in the book and the people of the 21st century. This, for me, was one of the best books I have listened to in the last 12 months. Highly recommended.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Excellent books, Excellent Narration

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, having read Joe Abercrombie's other books, I decided to listen to this one on audible.

The story is excellent and you get involved with the main characters. The narration and his portrayal of voices and description of battles is excellent, one of the best narrations I have ever listened too.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Mr. Abercrombie, you're the best.

Cunning, funny, fast! I love the language, the plot and, most of all, the characters!
Really amazing read!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Abercrombie tells an amazing story

If you could sum up The Heroes in three words, what would they be?

Dark gritty fantasy

What did you like best about this story?

Seeing some of the protagonists battle against their own demons as much as the enemy, only to be undermined or revealed by those demons.

Which scene was your favorite?

The charge of Osrung was memorable as was the first skirmish at the Heroes.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

Stephen Pacey is a wonderful narrator and thankfully reads all of the Abercrombie books on Audible. His many voices, accents and intonations the gives the characters a life and adds or underscores dimensions that might otherwise be missed.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Entertaining, but leaves you thirsting for more.

The Heroes is once again a very well written book and supported by the excellent narration from Steven Pacey. I rate this book above Best Served Cold (BSC) as it gets back to the meat and potatoes of his world and gives us a further insight into the large scheme.

If you like the general Abercrombie style: raw, bloody, full of human failings and no real happy endings you'll like this book. His style cuts closer to the real world than one expects, but has a whole lot more entertainment and is bolder to boot.

There aren't any real surprises in this book, much as Best Served Cold, but it has the usual excellent character development, lots of bloody action, remarkably little sex (he's getting better at it ;) ) and some nice twists in the plot. More so than BSC but a lot less than his First Law trilogy.

This is where I feel that Abercrombie is falling down. Yes the individual books are good, a nice diversion, but frankly he's set such a high bar with First Law that the following novels just don't match the majesty of the trilogy. An individual novel just doesn't give the room to expand grand ideas and create marvelous intricate plots.

This book, much more so than the last at least gives more in the way of the trilogy, but it still pales by comparison. We get reacquainted with some old characters, but essentially we don't know much more about his world nearly a decade on.

Frankly, I'd like to see his talent put back into a First Law effort. This is what he is best at.

This is a good book, but in context of the world he has created, just a little slice of the pie to keep you going.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Joe Abercrombie At His Best!

read it!

...or the BLOODY-NINE will get you!

Or will he? Whatever happen to him? That is one of the question left hanging in the other books, this book brings you one step closer to finding out the truth. A great story with multiple plots and fantastic storytelling!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Blood and death

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I don't really think that I'll recommend this book to a friend, maybe only to listen how a really good narration should be performed.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The story itself is not that interesting, but the idea of the story is notable.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

"Heroes" Give the Great Leveler Plenty of Work!

Joe Abercrombie's The Heroes was a can't stop listening to audiobook, wonderfully read by Michael Page. It is full of humor and terror; exciting and horrific battle scenes; and believably flawed characters. Abercrombie creates a vivid fantasy world that exists in its own terms with its own history and cultures and that also sharply comments on our own violent real world, through epigraphs about heroes and war by the likes of Berthold Brecht, Will Rogers, and Mickey Mantle, as well as through its depiction of the unheroic folly of "the Black Business" of war, fought by canon-fodder commoners (from ignorant new recruits to cynical grizzled veterans) led by incompetent, arrogant, jealous, and overly bold commanders, everything clotted with the devastating and wasteful cost of bodies, lives, land, and resources. What is war for, finally? Money? Glory? Xenophobia? Patriotism? Power? Boredom?

The novel is an unsparing investigation of martial heroism, asking from a variety of points of view what is a hero: the man who is an insanely brave and monstrously capable killer? The man who is a "straight edge" who strives "to do the right thing" no matter what? The man who is killed outside a battle by friendly fire? The man who leads from the front? The man who leads from the rear? The man who gives up war for life on a farm?

And in addition to all that, Abercrombie writes many memorable characters, witty lines, cool similes, vivid descriptions, and page-turning set piece scenes.

Michael Page was great, doing all sorts of different voices, all with perfect pitch and emotion and intention, bringing the book even more to life. My favorite is his high-pitched and nasal Gorst, his utterances never failing to surprise me by how mis-matched they are with his hulking body and cynical thoughts.

If you like the epic fantasies of Steven Erickson and George R. R. Martin, you'd probably enjoy this one.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful