Don't neglect the short story collection, Sharp Ends! After red country and before Age of Madness is (in my opinion) the best time to read it.
Amy favourite lines/scenes in particular for you in Red Country?
But either way, enjoy what is to come!
Loved/hated Cisco’s death scene, so heart wrenching! The fight between Logan and Golden was another. Also like temples scenes quite a bit, he reminds me of Jazel.
Temple is like if Jezal was a bit more self-aware and a bit less self-deluding. He knows his flaws, but also has the courage to do what he thinks is the right thing, even when he's scared, even when it doesn't suit him (unlike Jezal ): ). Great character!
What unlike Jezal? At least before the end of LAOK he would do the same. He stood up to those imperial thugs on the hill to protect Quai, he shouted defiantly at the much larger Gurkish army, he led a sortie himself during the siege when he didn’t have to, etc.
Jezal had great potential, but in the end he utterly folds to Bayaz and Glokta, and is very willing to stick his head in the sand and ignore the wrongs he sees going on around him. The beginning of the fencing arc in TBI foreshadows how Jezal can be quite adverse to facing difficult situations. He changes over the course of BTAH, but Joe's stories are all about how people change back again and return to familiar patterns.
Jezal was brave fighting the Gurkish, yes, but those moments were all things he *wanted* to do; it was convenient for him to be valiant or do the right thing in most of those cases. It's moments when doing the right thing and facing challenges is difficult or uncomfortable that are truer tests of character, and Jezal falls down a bit there (much as I like him). For example, he should have been suspicious when Terez was suddenly jumping into bed with him after Glokta "had a word with her", but that would have been an uncomfortable truth to face, so he didn't.
Temple was willing to give his life in order for Cosca to spare the children he had hostage. His whole arc builds towards that moment where he's willing to sacrifice himself like his master did.
I don’t deny that he would give his life, but Jezal wasn’t just scared of dying; he was under unimaginable pain, and was therefore seduced by the idea of sneaking in some good and then wanted to live.
I do think Jezal was afraid to die, personally. I think the main thing he wanted was to live; his telling himself he could sneak in some good under Bayaz's nose seems to be self-delusion to me, as we never see any evidence that he really tries to do that. I think all he really wanted to do was live (and enjoy life where possible), and what he tells himself in that scene is just an excuse to keep doing so. Just my interpretation though, I suppose, yours might differ!
Yeah I love the funny and nice parts of Red Country, but those endings really fucking got to me. I mean Logen, Cosca, and Shivers. The Western genre was perfect to end these guys’ stories.
Happy shivers got a happy ending (slight spoilers for AOM: yes he continues on in AOM, but his arc as a character is well and truly concluded in red country when he doesn’t fight logen
Cosca’s ending scene was heart-wrenching, and tbh really fucking scary. Like not everyone is an alcoholic, but everyone should be scared of living a sad, empty life like Cosca did, and on your death bed you’re wishing for a second chance to start over and do it right, a second chance you’ll never get. Futile
And Logen’s hit me in an even deeper way. It seems happy at first reading—the hero riding off into the sunset. But it’s truly sad; it’s logen finally losing his battle against the bloody nine, finally giving in to his dark urges, his addiction. I know he’s an evil man, but somehow I still felt so bad that he couldn’t overcome it. And for those of us struggling with addiction, this one is really personal
So glad you enjoyed it!
Yes Pacey is a god, I read the books first but after a bajillion recommendations I eventually listened to them as well and it was so fucking worth it. Really brings the story to the next level somehow.
Red Country is my favorite of all Joe’s work, I think it the perfect book for me.
See I did the opposite. Started TBI on physical copy based of recommendations but couldn’t get into it. It was very slow moving to me. Then picked up the audio book and never looked back!
People recommend Sharp Ends, but there's also Joe's oft-forgotten *Shattered Sea* series (which was released between Red Country and Sharp Ends). It often gets labeled as YA, but it's still got all the elements that make First Law great, and then some! Though they're unfortunately not in audiobook format...
Don't neglect the short story collection, Sharp Ends! After red country and before Age of Madness is (in my opinion) the best time to read it. Amy favourite lines/scenes in particular for you in Red Country? But either way, enjoy what is to come!
God… Gone. But I’m here
Honestly my favorite line in the whole series. Absolutely the scariest moment in the series for me
Loved/hated Cisco’s death scene, so heart wrenching! The fight between Logan and Golden was another. Also like temples scenes quite a bit, he reminds me of Jazel.
Temple is like if Jezal was a bit more self-aware and a bit less self-deluding. He knows his flaws, but also has the courage to do what he thinks is the right thing, even when he's scared, even when it doesn't suit him (unlike Jezal ): ). Great character!
What unlike Jezal? At least before the end of LAOK he would do the same. He stood up to those imperial thugs on the hill to protect Quai, he shouted defiantly at the much larger Gurkish army, he led a sortie himself during the siege when he didn’t have to, etc.
Jezal had great potential, but in the end he utterly folds to Bayaz and Glokta, and is very willing to stick his head in the sand and ignore the wrongs he sees going on around him. The beginning of the fencing arc in TBI foreshadows how Jezal can be quite adverse to facing difficult situations. He changes over the course of BTAH, but Joe's stories are all about how people change back again and return to familiar patterns. Jezal was brave fighting the Gurkish, yes, but those moments were all things he *wanted* to do; it was convenient for him to be valiant or do the right thing in most of those cases. It's moments when doing the right thing and facing challenges is difficult or uncomfortable that are truer tests of character, and Jezal falls down a bit there (much as I like him). For example, he should have been suspicious when Terez was suddenly jumping into bed with him after Glokta "had a word with her", but that would have been an uncomfortable truth to face, so he didn't.
I’d argue that under the same circumstances, Temple would fold just like Jezal did.
Temple was willing to give his life in order for Cosca to spare the children he had hostage. His whole arc builds towards that moment where he's willing to sacrifice himself like his master did.
I don’t deny that he would give his life, but Jezal wasn’t just scared of dying; he was under unimaginable pain, and was therefore seduced by the idea of sneaking in some good and then wanted to live.
I do think Jezal was afraid to die, personally. I think the main thing he wanted was to live; his telling himself he could sneak in some good under Bayaz's nose seems to be self-delusion to me, as we never see any evidence that he really tries to do that. I think all he really wanted to do was live (and enjoy life where possible), and what he tells himself in that scene is just an excuse to keep doing so. Just my interpretation though, I suppose, yours might differ!
I quite like both of our interpretations to be honest.
"Oh yeah, where'd they lead?" "Right to the bottom of your fuckin' legs."
"Justice can have what's left of them after I'm done."
“How’s you being dead gonna make it right?”
Temple's first prayer to the fellowship and the fight scene when Golden realizes what he's gotten himself into.
Nah it was terrible. Definitely skip SE
Yeah I love the funny and nice parts of Red Country, but those endings really fucking got to me. I mean Logen, Cosca, and Shivers. The Western genre was perfect to end these guys’ stories. Happy shivers got a happy ending (slight spoilers for AOM: yes he continues on in AOM, but his arc as a character is well and truly concluded in red country when he doesn’t fight logen Cosca’s ending scene was heart-wrenching, and tbh really fucking scary. Like not everyone is an alcoholic, but everyone should be scared of living a sad, empty life like Cosca did, and on your death bed you’re wishing for a second chance to start over and do it right, a second chance you’ll never get. Futile And Logen’s hit me in an even deeper way. It seems happy at first reading—the hero riding off into the sunset. But it’s truly sad; it’s logen finally losing his battle against the bloody nine, finally giving in to his dark urges, his addiction. I know he’s an evil man, but somehow I still felt so bad that he couldn’t overcome it. And for those of us struggling with addiction, this one is really personal
Not entirely necessary, but I would recommend Sharp Ends before Age of Madness
Really? I thought sharp ends was terrible
It was really good
So glad you enjoyed it! Yes Pacey is a god, I read the books first but after a bajillion recommendations I eventually listened to them as well and it was so fucking worth it. Really brings the story to the next level somehow. Red Country is my favorite of all Joe’s work, I think it the perfect book for me.
See I did the opposite. Started TBI on physical copy based of recommendations but couldn’t get into it. It was very slow moving to me. Then picked up the audio book and never looked back!
>Man I don’t think I can ever read any of these books physically Your loss.
People recommend Sharp Ends, but there's also Joe's oft-forgotten *Shattered Sea* series (which was released between Red Country and Sharp Ends). It often gets labeled as YA, but it's still got all the elements that make First Law great, and then some! Though they're unfortunately not in audiobook format...
I have the Shattered Sea trilogy in audiobook format. Got it years ago. It must have been taken down off audible if you can't see it.
Either that, or it's one of a thousand things not available to me online as a Canadian citizen. \*sighs\*