Everyone's Got a Past...

I finished reading Joe Abercrombie's 'Red Country' last night. Should have been working, but meh. By Jupiter's cock, I'm a slow ass reader! Really enjoyed it though, just as with all his books so far. Written in the style of a spaghetti western (distinctly not to my taste usually), but so well done it was like immersing yourself in mud just and having fun rolling about in it! Great characters, well written, and although set in a part of the Abercrombie world that I initially had doubts about, I was gripped from the outset. Good to have a lot of the old faces come out in the book, and to see the hand which the passage of years had dealt them. Shivers and Ninefingers - immense! Not quite as good as the last one - 'The Heroes' - which was stand out brilliant, and a different type of book, but excellent nonetheless. I read his blog quite regularly and I like his approach: a lot of his world is based upon his experiences of D&D when he was in uni, even up to this day (imagine playing D&D with George R. Martin!!!). There is no black and white, just shades of grey; everyone is a bit of a cunt in their own way.

He set it up with a trilogy, and has now done three linked stand alone books. Each of the stand alone has its own style and theme. 'Best Served Cold' was a revenge book, 'Heroes' was a battle unfolding over three days (like a fantasy version of the longest day - epic), and 'Red Country' was his western. I wonder where he'll go next? Cant wait!

I've got Harry Sidebottom's 'The Wolves of the North' next up, maybe I'll get through this one by June :-D ?? The fifth book in the series, set around a Roman General - Ballista - with a barbarous Germanic background. I loved the first two of these, set on the eastern limits of the Roman Empire in a time of decline, civil war and war with the Sassanids in the ascendancy. The third book lacked some of the intensity of the others for me, but the fourth one got it back on track. Sidebottom is an Oxford Don of Classical Studies. The amount of detail, just the day to day material culture which he packs in is immense. Easily the most immersive Roman historical fiction I've read yet. Looking forward to going Greek after this and picking up Christian Cameron's latest. His last book, 'Killer of Men' was by far and away the best historical fiction book I've ever read, and I've read a lot...