A Little Hatred is about a world in change, not from the typical epic fantasy stand-bys of ravening monsters and evil sorcerers, but from the changing page of history itself.Ĭharacterisation is a key strength of Abercrombie's and he gets to exercise that skill with aplomb here.

Even the collapse of the Gurkish Empire, removing a key threat to the Union's southern flank, has caused its own problems as hordes of refugees flee to Midderland, sparking a wave of racist xenophobia. The North and the Union are still at each other's throats over the North's conquest of Angland and the Protectorate, whilst (in the wake of the events of Best Served Cold) the Union and Styria have fought three bloody wars to no satisfactory outcome.

The book is also concerned with the next generation, the children of great characters growing up in the shadow of their famed parents, whilst those parents face the truth that the great exploits of their youth haven't led to long-lasting peace and happiness. This isn't totally new ground for fantasy, with Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels and China Mieville's Bas-Lag series both delving into industrial chaos, revolutions and modernisation, but it's still an under-explored idea for the genre. A Little Hatred is a novel about a world in turmoil, not just from war or religious schisms but from its own Industrial Revolution.

Not keen on resting on his laurels, the novel also sees Abercrombie moving into new territory with a lot of socio-economic musings. It's fast-paced, violent, lusty and intelligent.

Since then he's been moonlighting in YA (with the Shattered Sea trilogy in 2014-15) and short fiction (with the Sharp Ends collection in 2016), but his return to the First Law world with not just a novel, but a full trilogy (entitled The Age of Madness) is welcome news.Ī Little Hatred is very much just what most readers are expecting from an Abercrombie novel. It's been - somewhat startlingly - seven years since Joe Abercrombie last visited the world of his First Law saga with Red Country. As war and revolution threaten the Union on every front, the fate of the Circle of the World falls upon a handful of unlikely figures: Savine dan Glokta, the daughter of the royal inquisitor and a shrewd investor Crown Prince Orso, a wastrel and drunkard Vick, a young woman in the Breakers, the would-be working class revolutionaries Gunnar Broad, a military veteran trying to get his life back Stour Nightfall, a Northern warrior with a ridiculous name and evil ambition Rikke, daughter of the Dogman, blessed (or cursed) with the magic of foresight and Leo dan Brock, the Young Lion, a brave and reckless warrior who cannot see the big picture.

Joe abercrombie a little hatred trilogy