Likely I was fine bypassing the bridging novels for the story as a whole, as I could infer the important outcomes, however as someone who loves the minute details I was left with the nagging feeling I was missing out on insider information.

I’m sure I missed nuances, backstories, and important deaths in those books. It wasn’t until I’d finished A Little Hatred that I realized in between the two trilogies Abercrombie had written several stand alone novels that would have been valuable to fill in the voids and key events that are referenced. After approximately a year, I was eager to start A Little Hatred, delighted to find out that it started twenty eight years after the conclusion of the Last Argument of Kings, albeit with a slew of new characters mixed in with the familiar. That said, Abercrombie’s worldbuilding and distinct characters were so enjoyable I couldn’t stay away for long. After finishing The First Law trilogy last year, I found that despite thoroughly enjoying the books as a whole, I wasn’t super eager to continue with Abercrombie’s next series in that same literary world as the ending of the Last Argument Kings had been so bleak. 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. With the help of the mad hillwoman Isern-i-Phail, Rikke struggles to control the blessing, or the curse, of the Long Eye.

The age of the machine dawns, but the age of magic refuses to die. But the slums boil over with a rage that all the money in the world cannot control.

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 King Jezal's son, the feckless Prince Orso, is a man who specializes in disappointments. 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. The chimneys of industry rise over Adua and the world seethes with new opportunities.

The New York Times bestselling first book in Joe Abercrombie's The Age of Madness Trilogy where the age of the machine dawns, but the age of magic refuses to die.

A little hatred book 2