Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
Gollancz (2016), 304 pages
Description
"The Union army may be full of bastards, but there's only one who thinks he can save the day single-handed when the Gurkish come calling: the incomparable Colonel Sand dan Glokta. Curnden Craw and his dozen are out to recover a mysterious item from beyond the Crinna. Only one small problem: no one seems to know what the item is. Shevedieh, the self-styled best thief in Styria, lurches from disaster to catastrophe alongside her best friend and greatest enemy, Javre, Lioness of Hoskopp. And after years of bloodshed, the idealistic chieftain Bethod is desperate to bring peace to the North. There's only one obstacle left -- his own lunatic champion, the most feared man in the North: the Bloody-Nine..."-- Page 2 of cover.
User reviews
LibraryThing member ericreeves3
First, I have to say that I am a huge fan of Joe Abercrombie. If you enjoyed the First Law trilogy and the follow up books then this would make a great summer read. These short stories offer a morsel to just leaving you wanting more. I, especially enjoyed the new stories following Shev and Javre.
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The only problem was there was a slight lull in a couple of the stories. I look forward to more First Law world. Show Less
LibraryThing member antao
Flat, Flat, Flat: "Sharp Ends" by Joe Abercrombie “There’s men chasing me! Gulping breath in the doorway and doing her best to look beyond desperate—no mighty effort of acting at that moment, or any occupying the last twelve months, indeed.”
One of the things that makes Abercrombie
This collection, being based on characters previously explored in the above-mentioned novels, draws inspirations from several sources. That in itself is not a bad thing, but nevertheless some stories felt flat. "Freedom", and "Yesterday, Near a Village Called Barden" are just two examples of what I’ve just stated. I've read everything Abercrombie has ever written. This means I'm quite conversant in Abercrombish, and this collection is flat, flat, flat. Those who are not so proficient in Abercrombish will have a harder time getting to know some of the characters by just reading these short stories. Abercrombie is at his best when he's challenging my SF preconceptions. He usually does that by enhancing the worst qualities of man...We still have plenty of that, but the Abercrombish chutzpah is absent.
One of the things that makes Abercrombie
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outstanding is his ability to write stuff in different styles. “The First Law Trilogy” reads like epic fantasy, “Best Served Cold” is all about revenge, “The Heroes” is bent on being a war novel, and “Red Country” masquerades itself as a wild west romp.This collection, being based on characters previously explored in the above-mentioned novels, draws inspirations from several sources. That in itself is not a bad thing, but nevertheless some stories felt flat. "Freedom", and "Yesterday, Near a Village Called Barden" are just two examples of what I’ve just stated. I've read everything Abercrombie has ever written. This means I'm quite conversant in Abercrombish, and this collection is flat, flat, flat. Those who are not so proficient in Abercrombish will have a harder time getting to know some of the characters by just reading these short stories. Abercrombie is at his best when he's challenging my SF preconceptions. He usually does that by enhancing the worst qualities of man...We still have plenty of that, but the Abercrombish chutzpah is absent.
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LibraryThing member hskey
Abercrombie continues to be one of my favorite fantasy authors; he's fun, he's violent, he's unexpected.
This is a series of short stories that REALLY reached 5 star levels in some, but 3 star levels in others. Overall, it made me want an entire story of Shev and Javre, or a full continuation of
I wouldn't start with this one, but it's probably fine to satiate our desire for book 6/7 in the main series.
This is a series of short stories that REALLY reached 5 star levels in some, but 3 star levels in others. Overall, it made me want an entire story of Shev and Javre, or a full continuation of
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the main story. It feels a bit "spin-off"y, but I feel that's more a compliment to how much I enjoyed The First Law Trilogy, Best Served Cold and Red Country (wasn't a fan of the Heroes for some reason...). I wouldn't start with this one, but it's probably fine to satiate our desire for book 6/7 in the main series.
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LibraryThing member ssimon2000
I’m a huge fan of Joe Abercrombie, especially of his “First Law” series. This anthology is set in this grimdark world of violence and treachery, and fleshes out many of the much-loved/much-hated characters from the original trilogy and the three stand-alone novels.
My favorites out of the
“A Beautiful Bastard”, the story of Colonel Sand dan Glokta immediately before his was taken captive and tortured by the Gurkish army. My biggest complaint comes with this story, as well: it stops just before Glokta enters the fray, leaving the story mostly untold.
“Yesterday, Near a Village Called Barden”, a story about Bremer dan Gorst, royal observer for the king. This is probably the most touching story I’ve ever read from Abercrombie.
“Two’s Company”, a short story starring Javre and Shev, facing off against Cracknut Wirren on a bridge. Actually, all of the stories with Javre and Shev were very good, and it makes me want to go back and reread Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser series. I think at least one book, possibly even a trilogy, of Javre and Shev would be fantastic!
“Made a Monster”, a story from the perspective of Bethod and how he sees his uncontrollable champion, Logen Ninefingers, the “Bloody Nine”.
The one story I didn't care for, probably because I don't care for the character, was "Freedom". I simply don't like Nicomo Cosca...
Once again, I listened to this as an audiobook, as I've done with all of Joe Abercrombie's books--I haven't actually "read" any of them, only listened. Steven Pacey is simply perfect for narrating this series. His voicing for all of the characters, every single one, is amazing. There is no problem figuring out who is speaking, because the characterizations are so distinct.
All in all, the stories weren’t bad, but they were mostly just little snippets in a much larger story. And most of them didn’t really end, left wide open for the reader to guess at the outcomes. For those that haven’t read the original trilogy or the standalone books, reading this anthology would be a waste of time. Knowledge of the characters and events is a MUST.
My favorites out of the
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thirteen short stories were:“A Beautiful Bastard”, the story of Colonel Sand dan Glokta immediately before his was taken captive and tortured by the Gurkish army. My biggest complaint comes with this story, as well: it stops just before Glokta enters the fray, leaving the story mostly untold.
“Yesterday, Near a Village Called Barden”, a story about Bremer dan Gorst, royal observer for the king. This is probably the most touching story I’ve ever read from Abercrombie.
“Two’s Company”, a short story starring Javre and Shev, facing off against Cracknut Wirren on a bridge. Actually, all of the stories with Javre and Shev were very good, and it makes me want to go back and reread Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser series. I think at least one book, possibly even a trilogy, of Javre and Shev would be fantastic!
“Made a Monster”, a story from the perspective of Bethod and how he sees his uncontrollable champion, Logen Ninefingers, the “Bloody Nine”.
The one story I didn't care for, probably because I don't care for the character, was "Freedom". I simply don't like Nicomo Cosca...
Once again, I listened to this as an audiobook, as I've done with all of Joe Abercrombie's books--I haven't actually "read" any of them, only listened. Steven Pacey is simply perfect for narrating this series. His voicing for all of the characters, every single one, is amazing. There is no problem figuring out who is speaking, because the characterizations are so distinct.
All in all, the stories weren’t bad, but they were mostly just little snippets in a much larger story. And most of them didn’t really end, left wide open for the reader to guess at the outcomes. For those that haven’t read the original trilogy or the standalone books, reading this anthology would be a waste of time. Knowledge of the characters and events is a MUST.
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LibraryThing member dandelionroots
Major bummer.
LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
Sharp Ends by Joe Abercrombie is a collection of short stories that are all set in the fantasy world that he created in his First Law World series. Featuring a rogues gallery of characters, some of which we have met before while others are completely new, they dispense violence and treachery as
It was a nice surprise to meet some familiar characters but there were a couple of new ones that I would love to see expanded into their own book, in particular Shevedieh and Javre, Lioness of Hoskipp who appear in five of the stories. If you are familiar with Abercrombie’s style of grim-dark fantasy then you will love this collection, but if you are new to this author, I would suggest starting at the beginning of his First Law World as this author is excellent at world building, character development and intricate and interwoven plots that show to advantage in the longer books.
The First Law World series is one of my favorite fantasy series and I was thrilled to be able to return there with this collection. Yes, they are extremely violent and bloody but the author wisely offsets this with dark humor and by giving his audience characters that you grow to care about. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Sharp Ends and look forward to more from this author.
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they travel this unique world. There are 13 stories in all, and, as is usual in short story collections, some appealed to me more than others but overall I was left with a feeling of wanting more.It was a nice surprise to meet some familiar characters but there were a couple of new ones that I would love to see expanded into their own book, in particular Shevedieh and Javre, Lioness of Hoskipp who appear in five of the stories. If you are familiar with Abercrombie’s style of grim-dark fantasy then you will love this collection, but if you are new to this author, I would suggest starting at the beginning of his First Law World as this author is excellent at world building, character development and intricate and interwoven plots that show to advantage in the longer books.
The First Law World series is one of my favorite fantasy series and I was thrilled to be able to return there with this collection. Yes, they are extremely violent and bloody but the author wisely offsets this with dark humor and by giving his audience characters that you grow to care about. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Sharp Ends and look forward to more from this author.
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Awards
Locus Award (Finalist — Collection — 2017)
World Fantasy Award (Nominee — Collection — 2017)
British Fantasy Award (Nominee — Collection — 2017)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2016
Physical description
304 p.; 6.02 inches
ISBN
0575104678 / 9780575104679
Local notes
A collection of short stories in the First Law universe.
The Union army may be full of bastards, but there’s only one who thinks he can save the day single-handed when the Gurkish come calling: the incomparable Colonel Sand dan Glokta.
Curnden Craw and his dozen are out to recover a mysterious item from beyond the Crinna. Only one small problem: no one seems to know what the item is.
Shevedieh, the self-styled best thief in Styria, lurches from disaster to catastrophe alongside her best friend and greatest enemy, Javre, Lioness of Hoskopp.
And after years of bloodshed, the idealistic chieftain Bethod is desperate to bring peace to the North. There’s only one obstacle left – his own lunatic champion, the most feared man in the North: the Bloody-Nine
Signed by the author. One of 350 copies.
The Union army may be full of bastards, but there’s only one who thinks he can save the day single-handed when the Gurkish come calling: the incomparable Colonel Sand dan Glokta.
Curnden Craw and his dozen are out to recover a mysterious item from beyond the Crinna. Only one small problem: no one seems to know what the item is.
Shevedieh, the self-styled best thief in Styria, lurches from disaster to catastrophe alongside her best friend and greatest enemy, Javre, Lioness of Hoskopp.
And after years of bloodshed, the idealistic chieftain Bethod is desperate to bring peace to the North. There’s only one obstacle left – his own lunatic champion, the most feared man in the North: the Bloody-Nine
Signed by the author. One of 350 copies.