Springtime in Styria. And that means war. There have been nineteen years of blood. The ruthless Grand Duke Orso is locked in a vicious struggle with the squabbling League of Eight, and between them they have bled the land white. While armies march, heads roll and cities burn, behind the scenes bankers, priests and older, darker powers play a deadly game to choose who will be king. War may be hell but for Monza Murcatto, the Snake of Talins, the most feared and famous mercenary in Duke Orso's employ, it's a damn good way of making money too. Her victories have made her popular - a shade too popular for her employer's taste. Betrayed, thrown down a mountain and left for dead, Murcatto's reward is a broken body and a burning hunger for vengeance. Whatever the cost, seven men must die. Her allies include Styria's least reliable drunkard, Styria's most treacherous poisoner, a mass-murderer obsessed with numbers and a Northman who just wants to do the right thing. Her enemies number the better half of the nation. And that's all before the most dangerous man in the world is dispatched to hunt her down and finish the job Duke Orso started...Springtime in Styria. And that means revenge.
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
Best Served Cold
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Product Description
Review
"Abercrombie is both fiendishly inventive and solidly convincing, especially when sprinkling his appallingly vivid combat scenes with humor so dark that it's almost ultraviolet." ---Publishers Weekly Starred Review
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Joe Abercrombie is a freelance film editor living in London with his family.
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Zafri M.
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
B+ for "Best Served Cold"
This is typical fare for Joe Abercrombie fans. You can pretty much guess the end result of the novel (people will be brutally killed, people will be betrayed, etc.) but it was a fun ride while it lasted. For some reason, this novel seemed even more cold and depressing than the first law series. Perhaps it was the unerring cynicism of some of the characters, but I was left with a hollow, empty feeling after reading this novel. That is not to day that I didn't enjoy it, but you may well finish this book feeling more depressed than usual. The combat is, as always, fantastic and the characters are as interesting as ever. I enjoyed the use of secondary characters from his First Law series being reused here, and am looking forward to his upcoming novel, "The Heroes."
This is typical fare for Joe Abercrombie fans. You can pretty much guess the end result of the novel (people will be brutally killed, people will be betrayed, etc.) but it was a fun ride while it lasted. For some reason, this novel seemed even more cold and depressing than the first law series. Perhaps it was the unerring cynicism of some of the characters, but I was left with a hollow, empty feeling after reading this novel. That is not to day that I didn't enjoy it, but you may well finish this book feeling more depressed than usual. The combat is, as always, fantastic and the characters are as interesting as ever. I enjoyed the use of secondary characters from his First Law series being reused here, and am looking forward to his upcoming novel, "The Heroes."
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By R. Nicholson
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
'Best Served Cold' is the latest book from Joe Abercrombie, author of one of my favorite trilogies, 'The First Law' series. Rather than the first book in another trilogy, this is a stand alone fantasy/adventure.
***Spoiler***
'Best Served Cold' is not a book about summer beer or potato salad; its a book about... revenge. Monza Murcatto, the books female protagonist has been sorely wronged by Grand Duke Orso, and thus the tale (and the premise for its title) begins.
***End Spoiler***
Having just finished this book,I did not get the same sense of satisfaction as I did with 'First Law' trilogy (especially the first two books of that work).
Why? ...let me explain
1.)The book was written in the same style as the previous work, but yet the story lacked a certain quality; I couldn't develop a caring commitment to its main characters that I felt early on with Logen and Sand dan Glokta from 'The First Law' series. Yes, the main side-characters (those being Shivers, Morveer and Cosca) had some great traits and interesting personalities, but when you get lots of action, without substantial character development to the main heroine, the story tends to fall a little flat after a while. Monza's character just needed a little more likability and maybe a little less hardness or brittleness.
2.)The story is rather predictable in its outcome...from early on you can fairly well guess as to the ultimate outcome will be, however, the road to the ending did provided several delightful and intriguing twist and turns.
3.)This book seemed to dwell on some prolonged descriptions of scenes with gratuitous violence and others of intimate sex.
Conclusion:
Another solid fantasy/adventure effort by Joe Abercrombie. If I hadn't been 'spoiled' by 'The First Law' trilogy, I'm sure I'd have loved this work, rather than just liked it. 3 1/2 Stars, rounded up to 4.
Ray Nicholson
***Spoiler***
'Best Served Cold' is not a book about summer beer or potato salad; its a book about... revenge. Monza Murcatto, the books female protagonist has been sorely wronged by Grand Duke Orso, and thus the tale (and the premise for its title) begins.
***End Spoiler***
Having just finished this book,I did not get the same sense of satisfaction as I did with 'First Law' trilogy (especially the first two books of that work).
Why? ...let me explain
1.)The book was written in the same style as the previous work, but yet the story lacked a certain quality; I couldn't develop a caring commitment to its main characters that I felt early on with Logen and Sand dan Glokta from 'The First Law' series. Yes, the main side-characters (those being Shivers, Morveer and Cosca) had some great traits and interesting personalities, but when you get lots of action, without substantial character development to the main heroine, the story tends to fall a little flat after a while. Monza's character just needed a little more likability and maybe a little less hardness or brittleness.
2.)The story is rather predictable in its outcome...from early on you can fairly well guess as to the ultimate outcome will be, however, the road to the ending did provided several delightful and intriguing twist and turns.
3.)This book seemed to dwell on some prolonged descriptions of scenes with gratuitous violence and others of intimate sex.
Conclusion:
Another solid fantasy/adventure effort by Joe Abercrombie. If I hadn't been 'spoiled' by 'The First Law' trilogy, I'm sure I'd have loved this work, rather than just liked it. 3 1/2 Stars, rounded up to 4.
Ray Nicholson
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I was a bit skeptical of this book following up Joes' first law series since it was in the same universe and wouldn't have his incredible and deep characters from the three original books. How much I was proven to never second guess Joes' amazing skill with the written word. I have read a library of fantasies and this author rises to the top of a chosen few in my eyes as one of the best authors to grace us with their stories and creations. This is a must buy for any person into fantasy fiction or hell anyone with a head on their shoulders and a wish to be enthralled in an amazing read.
Want to see more reviews on this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 195 reviews
4.2 out of 5 stars
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
