A Little Hatred (Age of Madness Series #1)

by Joe Abercrombie

Overview

The New York Times bestselling first book in Joe Abercrombie's The Age of Madness Trilogy where the age of the machine dawns, but the age of magic refuses to die.
 

The chimneys of industry rise over Adua and the world seethes with new opportunities. But old scores run deep as ever.
 
On the blood-soaked borders of Angland, Leo dan Brock struggles to win fame on the battlefield, and defeat the marauding armies of Stour Nightfall. He hopes for help from the crown. But King Jezal's son, the feckless Prince Orso, is a man who specializes in disappointments.
 
Savine dan Glokta — socialite, investor, and daughter of the most feared man in the Union — plans to claw her way to the top of the slag-heap of society by any means necessary. But the slums boil over with a rage that all the money in the world cannot control.
 
The age of the machine dawns, but the age of magic refuses to die. With the help of the mad hillwoman Isern-i-Phail, Rikke struggles to control the blessing, or the curse, of the Long Eye. Glimpsing the future is one thing, but with the guiding hand of the First of the Magi still pulling the strings, changing it will be quite another . . .
 
For more from Joe Abercrombie, check out:
 
The First Law Series
The Blade Itself
Before They Are Hanged
Last Argument of Kings
 
Best Served Cold
The Heroes
Red Country
 
The Shattered Sea Trilogy
Half a King
Half a World
Half a War

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316187176
Publisher:	Orbit
Publication date:	08/25/2020
Series:	Age of Madness Series , #1
Pages:	512
Sales rank:	57,851
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Joe Abercrombie was born in Lancaster in 1974, spent much of his youth in imaginary worlds, and left school with a good idea of how to make stuff up. After graduating from Manchester University he worked as a TV editor, but he never stopped making stuff up, and his first book, The Blade Itself, was published in 2006. He has since written eight more novels and a collection of stories in his First Law and Shattered Sea series. He lives in Bath with his wife Lou and their three children Grace, Eve and Teddy, and makes stuff up full-time.

Editorial Reviews

"Abercrombie squeezes your heart till it matches his beat. No one writes with the seismic scope or primal intensity of Joe Abercrombie."—Pierce Brown, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"A master of the genre."—Lev Grossman, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"Abercrombie continues to do what he does best . . . Buckle your seat belts for this one . . . . A vivid and jolting tale."—Robin Hobb, New York Times bestselling author.

"Highly recommended - a funny, finely-wrought, terrifically energetic work of high fantasy. Seek it out."—Joe Hill

"Rife with emotion with wit to spare, both honed to an effortlessly fine edge. A Little Hatred is the joy of watching a master of the craft with his tools at their sharpest."—Sam Sykes, author of Seven Blades in Black

"A Little Hatred is Abercrombie at his very best: witty, wise, and whip-smart. Masterfully plotted . . . . I had high hopes for this book, and it exceed them all."—Nicholas Eames, author of Kings of the Wyld

"Brutal, unforgiving, and terribly fun. Everything awesome readers have come to expect from Joe Abercrombie."—Brian McClellan, author of Sins of Empire

"Goddamn magnificent."—Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of Children of Time

"Joe Abercrombie's powerful voice raises the bar in any literary genre. Fantasy fans are beyond fortunate he chose this one."—Myke Cole, author of The Armored Saint

"Joe Abercrombie writes with terrifying wit, humor and heart."—Ben Aaronovitch, author of the Rivers of London Series

"With expert craft, Abercrombie lays the groundwork for another thrilling trilogy."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Say one thing for Joe Abercrombie, say that he's a master of his craft."—Forbes

"Abercrombie unerringly juggles a large cast of multifaceted, morally ambiguous characters, each embroiled in their own complicated story."—Booklist (starred review)

"A critical, compelling epic fantasy loaded with
wonderfully drawn characters, the bloodletting tempered with sharp social commentary and
a touch of satire . . . . It doesn't feel like a stretch to say Abercrombie's on his way to writing
another masterpiece of epic fantasy."—B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog

"A Little Hatred may be the most
accomplished work from a writer who many already consider a master."—SFF World

"Abercrombie examines the effects of social upheaval and the use and abuse of power through the viewpoints of a large cast, from kings, princes, warriors and seers to businessmen and women; the characterization is little short of brilliant. The plot is labyrinthine, with trademark Abercrombie twists and turns and reversals of fortune. He writes of slum life with graphic realism, and his rendering of battle scenes is to die for."—The Guardian

"[Abercrombie] might have his most important series of novels yet."—Locus

"Bloody and relentless."—George R. R. Martin on Best Served Cold

"Bold and authentically original."—Jeff VanderMeer on The Blade Itself

"If you're fond of bloodless, turgid fantasy with characters as thin as newspaper and as boring as plaster saints, Joe Abercrombie is really going to ruin your day. A long career for this guy would be a gift to our genre."—Scott Lynch on The Blade Itself

"Imagine The Lord of the Rings as directed by Kurosawa."—Lev Grossman, Wall Street Journal on The Heroes

From the Publisher

★ 07/15/2019

Abercrombie expands the First Law fantasy universe with a new epic saga of war and power set in a world where the industrial age is rising. Rikke’s Long Eye, a somewhat reliable prophet, foresees a battle in the North, but she doesn’t expect Northern warrior Stour Nightfall and his men to come looking for her. Luckily, she escapes, reuniting with her father, the Dogman; a friend, hotheaded Leo dan Brock; and Leo’s mother, Lady Governor. Together they fight for glory against superior Northern forces. Far away, Prince Orso is hungering for a cause, and when the Northern attacks worsen, he finds it. Without the funds for an expedition, he persuades Savine dan Glokta, his lover, to invest in his army so he can support the Dogman and the others. Meanwhile, rumblings of rebellion emerge as workers suffer. Business-savvy Savine sees an opportunity in the unrest—but when she travels to the industrial city Valbeck, revolutionaries seize control of the city, destroying factories and taking hostages. Orso and his new army are ordered to Valbeck to put down the insurrection, leaving the Dogman, Leo, and Lady Governor stranded and forced to make difficult choices. This isn’t a bad starting point for new readers, but returning fans will get the most out of it, as these characters are the heirs and descendants of the previous books’ protagonists. With expert craft, Abercrombie lays the groundwork for another thrilling trilogy. Agent: Robert Kirby, United Agents (U.K.). (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

2019-07-15
First entry in a new trilogy set in the world of, and as a direct if long-awaited sequel to, the First Law trilogy (Last Argument of Kings, 2008, etc.).

There's nothing distinctive about the backdrop, being a fantasy-standard medieval Europe with magic and a developing industrial revolution. Nor the plot, which proves elusive and possibly unfathomable. The Northmen are invading the Union. (Again. It's what they do.) The Union may or may not be imperiled: Abercrombie spurns maps, so it's never clear which territories are part of it or where they lie in relation to one another. What matters are the details. Every scene features one or more memorably well-developed, convincingly lifelike characters. A desperate fugitive from pursuing Northmen, Rikke may have the second sight; tough hillwoman Isern is determined to help her survive long enough to find out. Battling the Northmen is reckless fighter Leo dan Brock. His mortal enemy is Stour Nightfall, whose father engages surly, insubordinate ex-warrior Jonas Clover to teach Stour how not be a total jerk. It's a thankless task. Savine dan Glokta, daughter of the feared chief inquisitor, nurtures a ruthless ambition to control large chunks of industry. Dissolute philanderer Prince Orso, Savine's secret lover, experiences vague urges to reform and do something useful while his father, High King Jezal, shows no interest in the looming conflict. Despite summary executions, the Breakers, an angry, Luddite-like group of dissidents and union organizers, are a growing force. Various mages may or may not be meddlesome. Some familiar faces return along with assorted offspring. It's a sprawling, often jarringly inchoate yarn with what seems like hundreds of moving parts, crafted by an author evidently keeping plenty of cards up his sleeve, so even fans of the previous trilogy will need their wits and memories intact.

Readers susceptible to Abercrombie's undoubted charms will become rapidly immersed.

Kirkus Reviews