RED COUNTRY | Non- Spoiler Review

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[@ramacass108]

Red Country is my favorite FL book. I don’t know what’s not to love. The Characters, the dialogue and the action were all fantastic!

[@connoriquada5429]

Sorta light spoiler kinda In the very first chapter when Shy and Lamb got back to the burnt ass house lamb said “you gotta be realistic, shy” and from that line onwards I knew. There were a million other hints later on but that was the moment I knew. I got so excited.

[@thefantasynuttwork]

Got my notification and immediately clicked haha. I really liked Red Country, and think it gets a lot of flack unjustly. I am a fan of westerns though... And Lamb 😁 Great review, love hearing you talk FL

[@LienesLibrary]

it's definitely better than people make it sound, I just tend to grade authors/series on a curve, so for Abercrombie this is 3 stars but it's way better than other books that I've given 4 stars to 😂

[@thecontradictorian2225]

Et voila, we cannot even agree on all of First Law anymore haha. This was my favourite standalone, because of Lamb and Temple.

[@LienesLibrary]

I do love them, as well as Cosca aka the Jack Sparrow of First Law 😛

[@osoisko1933]

Oh Cosca...one of my faves. Too bad he was getting old even back in the original trilogy.

[@suckstobeblue]

This definitely wasn't one of my favourite First Law books, especially when it felt so slow in the beginning, and I was sensing a mixture of The Searchers, Shane, Stagecoach & Unforgiven (the last of which I do not care for). However, I'm glad it picked up and I began to enjoy it a lot more as it went on. Funnily enough, I think I most enjoyed how it took Cosca, its lovable rogue/Jack Sparrow-esque character and turned him into a real POS. Like, just showed the real toll of his years, the self-destructive patterns and the dark side to that character given the hostile perspective he is placed in relative to the main characters. Very fitting that a disillusioned writer killed him.

[@coleton7048]

There are also elements of The Outlaw Josey Wales and Lonesome Dove in Red Country as well that Abercrombie pulled from, it isn't just Unforgiven. In the deeper cut interviews online he talks more in depth about his influences for it which I find really fascinating. It's funny that you liked it less on a reread and I liked it more. Haha I think its exploration of themes surrounding Lamb is magnificently done.

[@joelindley5113]

The abduction element reminded me more of The Searchers with John Wayne. Clint's character's violent past is totally Logen though

[@LienesLibrary]

I do think it's a good book, and well executed (as everything he writes is) I just don't find it personally as entertaining or as enjoyable as the others

[@joshuafoster5780]

I totally understand that perspective if westerns aren’t your thing. That said, as a massive western fan, this was definitely one of my favorites!

[@cynthiaholmes5124]

I was really surprised about how much I enjoyed red country along with best served cold but the heroes is still in my bottom 😁🤠😀😊

[@LienesLibrary]

any book without Glokta is lesser haha

[@gjermund6455]

I appreciate "The Unforgiven" a lot, but I do not think everyone have to like/appreciate it as I do. The Unforgiven was seen as a deconstruction of the Western movie at the time. I saw the Richard Harris character playing a different role in the movie than what you experienced. I did not expect him to show up at the end. For me he was a pretender/poser that did not live up to his reputation (all talk, but not the walk), compared to Eastwoods character (no talk, but walk the walk). (A lot of people find Eastwoods character boring as you do). Harris character disappearing before the end was therefore fitting for me. As for the review. You have convinced me to catch up on the series. The spoiler you dropped for "Red Country" has me intrigued, and I have to buy the rest of the books. I have only bought, and read, the first four in the First Law series.

[@LienesLibrary]

I would definitely be curious to hear what a fan of Unforgiven thinks of Red Country! it really is a good book, just not my fave. Unforgiven on the other hand....I'm sure it was groundbreaking, etc. but as a viewing experience it was far from enjoyable for me 😂

[@luckyleo25]

​@@LienesLibrary "Unforgiven" is one of my favorite movies of all time -- third in fact. My favorites are "The Shawshank Redemption" and "The Dark Knight". So I definitely saw the parallels with "Unforgiven" and "Red Country" For instance, Clint Eastwood's character (William Munny) and Lamb. Lamb is definitely a stand-in for William Munny. A "changed" man whose transformation came about from the love of his deceased wife -- a good woman in all respects. A man who just wanted to live the life as a peace-loving, unobtrusive farmer who just wants the best of his children. Who, at first glance, seemed to be a weak man -- maybe being seen as a cowardly man, who was just trying to forget his dark bloody past and be a "good man" (as if that can happen in world of "The First Law"). Richard Harris' character (English Bob) is a stand-in for Costa (especially with his chronicler). He was there for Little Bill (Gene Hackman's character) to call BS on his heroic and romantic exploits that he was telling his chronicler. Also, English Bob was there to show how brutal Little Bill had to be to just keep order and prevent assassins to come in for the "whores' gold". He was never supposed to be the Big Bad for Munny. The truth is Munny was the "Big Bad" who showed his "true colors" at the end -- drunk off his ass to avenge his friend. Off course, Lamb had a similar arc to rescue his kids. That said, I also put "Red Country" near the bottom of the list "First Law" novels. I did enjoy it because I enjoy westerns (at least Clint Eastwood westerns -- especially his "Man with No Name" spaghetti westerns). And I liked it more than "The Heroes" (and I LOVED "The Heroes" but it is my least favorite of the standalones). That said, one of my favorite genres is revenge tale -- so "Best Served Cold" is my favorite of the standalones and was my favorite in the series...until "The Trouble with Peace" (WOW!) Anyway, just two more weeks until "The Wisdom of Crowds"! I cannot wait!!!

[@cynthiaholmes5124]

Would you ever do a ranking on your favorite first law characters 🤠🤔🤨

[@LienesLibrary]

I would totally do that!

[@mattkean1128]

I just picked up the rest of the first trilogy. I've only read Blade Itself. I'm caught up in the hype for the new one about to come out.

[@LienesLibrary]

so much great reading ahead of you!

[@summerb5153]

I just finished Red Country and it was an experience full of highs and lows for me. On Joe Abercrombie level it was different but my emotions were high with it. Although I don't enjoy western stories but I really enjoyed this one AND OH MY GOD THAT ENDING! My chest hurts😭😫😂

[@ramacass108]

Unforgiven is a great movie. Weird that you didn’t like it.

[@ScullyPop]

Great review today.

[@SpencerDragonMonster]

I love genre mashups, and I love Westerns, so in theory this book seemed tailor-made for me. There's a lot of great stuff in there, but it was the only Abercrombie book that dragged in places. Plus a lot of the ensemble cast blurred together, so someone would turn out to be important like it's supposed to be some big payoff, and I was just like, "Wait, who was that again?"

[@LienesLibrary]

yeah, I do feel like this one drags the most - Abercrombie himself said he felt the most burnt out writing this one and I think that somewhat shows

[@SpencerDragonMonster]

@@LienesLibrary Off-the-cuff theory: As to Westerns as a *film* genre, you'd think it would lend itself naturally to lightning-fast, rip-roaring action-adventures, yet when you look at a lot of classic Westerns, it's funny how many of them are rather deliberately, meditatively paced. On film, that often not only works, but works well, because of all that gorgeous, sweeping cinematography/photography of the Great Outdoors, where you don't mind getting lost and just basking in the setting, so you wind up feeling more at home in that setting along with the characters. Trying to replicate that on the page can quickly lead to the reader's eyes glazing over, and Joe's attempts to do so really didn't play to his strengths.

[@lancedyllan]

Red Country turned out to be my favorite of the series, and after finishing Wisdom of Crowds I think it's because it was the only one with a happy ending 😢Or at least happy by Abercrombie standards which isn't saying much.

[@OverlyAverageBen]

I still have 'the Heroes' to read before this but Red Country is the standalone I was least looking forward to and I have a feeling I will echo your opinions

[@LienesLibrary]

it's definitely not a bad book, just not as enjoyable as the others imo

[@osoisko1933]

I was surprised how much I liked it. I'm not that big of a Western fan either (I'm Native and there's only so much a person can see of their own people being genocided), but I ended up putting this close to Best Served Cold in enjoyment. I think the only reason I didn't like it as much was the part where they reached the town in the Far Country. I felt the subplot there dragged the pacing down, but it wasn't terrible. It felt more like the space could have been used to flesh out the Dragons a bit more, IDK. If nothing else followed in First Law, I would say this would have been a great capstone for his world. Since the theme of struggling to be a different person, yet being dragged down by your past, is a vein running back to The Blade Itself. Anyways, I've babbled enough.

[@LienesLibrary]

I was worried when the new trilogy was announced that it would feel like an unnecessary continuation just written for the sake of slapping the First Law name on something that would sell, as you said, Red Country was a good way to leave the series. but the new trilogy is insanely good.....

[@osoisko1933]

I'm not even quarter into "A Little Hatred" and I like so far too. I think what works was the seeds of change he planted throughout all the books. Abercrombie did say he wanted his world to feel like real history - events may end, but its not the end of the Circle of the World's story.

[@dallasnateweyes3288]

Good book review 👍👍

[@lindsaym7265]

Red Country is my least favorite First Law and TBH I skipped it in my last reread thinking once was enough for that (was just way more excited about getting to TTWP). I haven’t seen many westerns, but I love your interpretation of the events and might have to include RC this time just to see it from that perspective

[@LienesLibrary]

hope viewing it through a different lens adds some enjoyment for you 😊

[@joelindley5113]

Spoiler alert.. - - - - - It reminded me more of a John Wayne movie called The Searchers where John Wayne's niece was abducted. I do like Red Country but the big draw was Lamb, or rather who Lamb really is. I can just picture the look on Glama Golden's when Lamb holds up the hand with the missing finger. Great to see Nicomo and Friendly return too

[@LienesLibrary]

I always love seeing characters from the previous books pop up, whether as leads or as incidental cameos