Abercrombie introduces a world that has a dense history with little exposition and too many names. It’s immediately overwhelming and didn’t really come together until halfway through the story. I appreciate the diversity of the characters and their motivations, but less jumping around at the beginning would have helped make the story less confusing.

Logen, Glokta and Jezal are the main three it jumps between. Logen is a man who seemed to be part of a tribe and has a history of violence. People fear his name, but much like the bogeyman, don’t believe he actually exists. He’s trying to do better, and I can’t help but sympathize with him. In opposition to him is Jezal, who was born with everything he needed. His bloodline is respected, so he’s arrogant and self-centered. An almost unbearable character. Finally is Glokta, a man that served the nation’s army and was a prisoner of war. Now crippled, he serves the nation as an inquisitor, a position of power. He does the bidding of local lords, which usually includes hunting down criminals and interrogating them. These three are wholly unique and all come from different backgrounds, so they see the world differently. Exploring it through their perspectives gave insightful perspectives into the subjects. I appreciated this aspect, but the hierarchy of the government and the kingdoms themselves became a complete mess to follow.

So the kingdom of Angland is gearing up for war with the North. Previously they had warred with the Gurkish, another neighboring nation, and came out on top. Their government is very convoluted and none of the exposition makes it make sense. There are Marshalls, Justices, Inquisitors and many more delineations. On top of that, there are guilds, however the only one I can think of is the Mercers, which are the merchants. Because of this mess, I was disconnected from the story for most of the first half. The pieces really didn’t come together well and I think that’s because of the constant jumping around.

Most of the characters start off separate from one another, experiencing different events. Their plots don’t converge until that halfway point. Logen’s running through the woods, seeking refuge from savages; Jezal is practicing fencing and getting drunk; Glokta is interrogating Mercers in a dungeon. While all of these events are interesting and important, hopping between them in the introduction kept me from following any with much care. Waiting to introduce other characters until the world is more established would’ve been a better choice, to acclimate the reader to the world better.

Once I was a little more used to the world, I still wasn’t too invested. None of the characters really resonated with me since they were all relatively crass, hardened by their experiences. I thought West, a friend of Jezal’s, was going to be the character that I would become invested in, but unfortunately not. Having each character carry a dark past or be hiding a more sinister side is not conducive to forming connections. I felt like I couldn’t fully trust any of them, but maybe this was the vision from the start. Maybe Abercrombie wanted people to feel uncomfortable in the world he built, but this choice kept me from getting invested.

All in all, it felt messy. The multitude of perspectives, names, titles and past events thrown at the reader immediately is too much to handle. The characterization leads to none feeling relatable, at least for me, and kept me from immersing myself in the story. Though I think the setting has promise, the setup wasn’t enough for me to continue on. If you like medieval fantasy with minor magic and lots of political backstabbing, this one’s for you.