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  • A Little Hatred

A Little Hatred

The Age of Madness #1 / 3 ✓
by Joe Abercrombie
A Little Hatred (The Age of Madness #1) by Joe Abercrombie
★ 8.60 / 10
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Introducing a cast of unforgettable new characters, A LITTLE HATRED is the start of a brand new trilogy set in the world of the First Law which will have you gripped from the very start...

War. Politics. Revolution.
The Age of Madness has arrived...

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 specialises 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...

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FantasyEpic FantasyHigh FantasyDark Fantasy
Release date: September 17, 2019
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Joe Abercrombie

Joe Abercrombie

In the grimy taverns and blood-soaked battlefields of modern fantasy, Joe Abercrombie’s name is spoken with equal parts awe and amusement. Known for dragging epic fantasy out of its shining armor and into the mud, Abercrombie has built a reputation for turning genre conventions on their heads—then lopping those heads clean off.

Born in Lancaster, England in 1974, Abercrombie didn’t set out to be the crown prince of grimdark fiction. He studied psychology at Manchester University, worked as a freelance film editor, and quietly began drafting a story filled with flawed warriors, crooked politics, and sharp tongues. That story became The Blade Itself, the first book in The First Law trilogy—a debut that landed with a thud, a cheer, and the metallic ring of steel meeting steel. From there, the world of Logen Ninefingers, Glokta, and Jezal dan Luthar took on a life of its own, where even the heroes are liars, cowards, or worse—and the villains are often more honest.

Read more ...

What sets Abercrombie apart isn’t just the violence or the cynicism. It’s his uncanny ability to make readers laugh in the middle of a massacre, to root for a torturer, to see beauty in brutality. His characters are messy, wounded, and painfully human. Dialogue crackles with wit, plots twist like a knife in the gut, and the moral compass spins wildly from page to page. Fans of Game of Thrones and The Witcher have found a home in Abercrombie’s morally gray universe, where loyalty is rare and survival is a daily gamble.

Beyond The First Law trilogy, Abercrombie expanded his world with standalone novels like Best Served Cold and Red Country, each one diving deeper into themes of vengeance, justice, and the cost of power. His Age of Madness trilogy pushes the timeline forward—and the stakes higher—as industry, revolution, and class warfare reshape his brutal world. Yet, through all the mayhem, Abercrombie never loses sight of the individual—the broken soldier, the jaded noble, the reckless idealist—all clawing for purpose in a world that offers none.

Despite his dark settings, Abercrombie himself is known for a disarmingly dry sense of humor and a laid-back presence. When asked about his infamous tone, he once joked, “I suppose I find cynicism and sarcasm easier to write than nobility and heroism.” That self-awareness bleeds into his work, giving his novels a razor-sharp edge of irony that fans have come to love.

Today, Abercrombie is widely recognized as one of the leading voices in modern fantasy—though he’d likely scoff at the compliment. His books have been translated into multiple languages, earned critical acclaim, and built a fiercely loyal readership. But for all the accolades, his stories remain rooted in the same murky moral questions: What makes someone good? What does power cost? And can anyone truly change?

In Joe Abercrombie’s world, nothing is ever simple. And that’s precisely what makes it so unforgettable.

The Age of Madness

The Age of Madness consists of three books — considered a complete series. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.

Main series World of the First Law

A Little Hatred (The Age of Madness #1)
★ 8.60 / 10
The Trouble with Peace (The Age of Madness #2)
★ 9.00 / 8
The Wisdom of Crowds (The Age of Madness #3)
★ 8.86 / 7

Reviews and Comments

08/08/2020
kiratia avatar
kiratia
302 books, 1 reviews
★★★★★★★★★☆ 9 / 10

Wonderful storytelling, as always. I was blown away by the dark humor and realistic, well-developed characters. Everyone's scared and no one's a hero unless by accident of course.

This book takes place after a couple of decades from the ending of the First Law Trilogy on the brink of an industrial revolution. Many of the old characters have gone back to mud but we get to glimpse some old ones. Can't say that I don't miss my favorite characters from the First Law Trilogy. The main characters are young fighters (of war or politics) of the next generation in a changing world. They have little to no combat experience, which sets a different atmosphere, compared to having mainly veterans. As a result, there's less action than usually in Joe Abercrombie's books but still plenty. The storytelling jumps from one character to the next and even some very minor characters get to have their say.

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This novel is brilliant. What sets it apart is how truly realistic everything is, although it is not a surprise for anyone familiar with Abercrombie's other work. Events, thoughts, and relationships feel as though they could be real. The world is not softened or simplified as it often is in many books. The cold truths can be found from the pages of this novel. One would expect that from a fantasy book, even if the fantasy aspects are very subtle.

I strongly recommend reading the First Law Trilogy before starting this one. Otherwise, you won't understand many references. If you enjoyed reading any other books set in the World of the First Law, you'll like A Little Hatred too.

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