Book Review - THE TROUBLE WITH PEACE by Joe Abercrombie

(Title: The Trouble With Peace / Author: Joe Abercrombie / Publisher: Orbit / Publication Date: September 15, 2020 / Pages: 512)

What to say about this book and series?  I'm beginning to run out of words to describe the excellence of these stories and this author.  Joe Abercrombie's First Law trilogy, for those who are unaware, is my second favorite fantasy series of all-time only behind Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn by Tad Williams.  But I have to say that after reading the second book in Abercrombie's follow-up series THE TROUBLE WITH PEACE, it is going to be really difficult to choose which one belongs in that #2 slot.

This book picked up not too long after the events that concluded A Little Hatred.   There is much turmoil and dissent as The Union struggles to maintain its tenuous hold on power.  Plots of overthrow continue to brew in seclusion from the outlaw group The Breakers and many like them.  The Union finds itself threatened not only from these outside groups but also from within as there are some who do not agree with the harsh method of rule that King Orso has instituted among the Open Council.  In order to maintain his slipping grip he has decided that benevolence is not exactly the way to go.  

There are also whispers that the Great Wolf of the North Stour Nightfall is plotting his own attack to reclaim Union taken land.  Taking a cue from his predecessor Bethod, Nightfall believes he can succeed in this endeavor and his arrogance and ruthlessness knows no bounds.  He only knows one way to lead: by crushing his opponents and anyone in his own ranks who may disagree with his unusually cruel methods.  The time is quickly approaching were talk is cheap and words will eventually necessitate action.  The only question is whether or not Nightfall has the skill and the manpower to outwit a very formidable foe to the south in The Union and its allies.

Meanwhile, Savine dan Glokta, daughter of the famed inquisitor Sand dan Glokta, has ambitions of her own.  Savine has identified a path through an advantageous marriage and also her own hard-earned connections, that will enable her to gain back her tarnished reputation and climb to the highest rungs of Union investments once again.  One can't help but feel that when all is said and done, Savine will use whoever and whatever she needs to win against those who would try to test her and bring her down.

This is definitely a different book from the first one.  There is a great deal more political maneuvering and back-stabbing in THE TROUBLE WITH PEACE that I found an enjoyable change of pace.  I've said before that Joe Abercrombie doesn't get enough credit for how well he writes political stuff because his dialogue and characters are so brilliantly done.  But in this book that part of his craft really shines and we get to see just how multi-layered and unpredictable the plots between the different factions in the story are.  There is no way to tell who is 100% on one side or the other because these characters can switch allegiance with every considerable bribe or threat, and often do.

That's not to say that this book suffers from middle book syndrome at all.  Yes there is absolutely a sense of chess pieces moving and being set up for the finale, but this book had plenty of action and intrigue to more than stand on its own as a terrifically entertaining story.  In all honesty, I think I liked this book slightly more than A Little Hatred.  I think part of this was the fact that the new characters and descendants of the main players from First Law have already been introduced and we are more familiar with their personalities and motivations in this one.

I can't review a Joe Abercrombie book without touching on the extraordinary dialogue.  There is simply nobody better in my opinion at writing dialogue than this guy.  And this book is no exception I'm happy to say.  I know that when I read an Abercrombie book there are always going to be a number of scenes that will blow me away with how effortless and witty the conversations are.  I could quote some of them but there are just too many to pick from.  Abercrombie has a knack for conveying a character's mood without needing to describe it explicitly, but rather, just by the way the words are delivered.  You can almost see the facial expression of each character in your mind as you are reading.  It's something that is extremely hard to do and can't be taught, Joe just has it.

This is even more brilliantly handled via the use of one character in particular, Rikke.  Possessed with a talent called The Long Eye, which enables her to see flashes of the future, this book utilizes those flashes to create a foreboding series of events that may or may not come to pass.  Not even Rikke fully knows.  These flashes are ambiguous enough that it is somewhat tough to piece together what might happen, yet shed a tiny glimpse at enough specifics that they almost force you to try and figure it all out.  The problem is you can't really do it and I think this is part of the plan so that when book 3 delivers the ultimate climax, we will all be shaking our heads saying, "Oh yeah!  how did I miss that?"  This was an element that really raised the book to another level in my opinion.  Just an added dimension to wrap your head around and think about between reading sessions.

I don't give out perfect ratings very often, but I feel like this one most certainly deserves it.  When a book makes you think about it at the dinner table, while mowing the lawn, in the shower (sorry for that image), then that's a bloody fantastic book.  There aren't many that can engender that type of obsession from me.  But when one does, it is truly worthy of recognition and that simply can't be denied.  I don't think I have the patience to wait for book 3 of this series because what I just read was a reading experience the likes of which don't come around very often.  And the cliffhanger was just too much to take.  I just hope that time moves quickly so that I can read the ending of this series as soon as possible.  I recommend starting with the First Law trilogy before diving into this one.  You will get so much more out of the story knowing the history and background from those books.  But you need to do it because Joe Abercrombie is in top form right now and continues to pump out tremendous books to happily devour.  The official release date for THE TROUBLE WITH PEACE is September 15th.

Rating: 10/10