Oh yeah, and, during aforementioned battles, people swear – a lot.Īnyway, this latest book, Red Country, is Abercrombie’s sixth and to say that it has been highly anticipated is an understatement. Relationships are not easy and sex is seldom in the vein of Mills and Boon novels. Children don’t rise up and lead burly men into battles. Heroes are almost non-existent and those that do wear the title tend to wear it temporarily for financial reward. Evidence confirms this: in wars people die, horribly. In Abercrombie’s world you experience what feels like real people and stories, where anything can happen, which is fitting because in life anything can happen. Not in the sense of vividness like Lord of the Rings or any of Sanderson’s novels (although they are that too), but in the sense that you don’t find yourself rolling your eyes as another young ‘chosen one’ defeats ten-thousand unbeatable demons. It seems strange to say it, but I believe Abercrombie’s success is due to his ability to make a fantastical world into a realistic one. Abercrombie was the first person to do this in the UK since David Gemmell an author I’m sure must have been a bit of an influence on him, and probably for the same reason: the level of realism woven into his books. Often hailed as the father of gritty fantasy – that is fantasy with dark characters, questionable heroes, bloody battles, realistic sexual relationships and plenty of swearing – Abercrombie has not only attracted the attention of the vast majority of genre-fiction readers, but also managed to reach beyond this group and earn himself a place on the general fiction bestseller lists. If you’re a fan of the current trend towards darker fantasy, you should have already sent your thank you card off to Joe Abercrombie. VERY little has been said about Abercrombie’s latest book so I wanted to lift the veil (not too much), whilst reviewing the book at the same time. Because this is the first review of Red Country (that I’m aware of) and we’ve been given the exclusive trailer, which you can see above – this review is a cross between an advanced preview and a review.
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