Before they are hanged

It's been a slow start to the year; two weeks off with the kids, and back into the work/study/parenting routine, and not much time for reading. I've started this year with the second book in Joe Abercrombie's The First Law series, Before They Are Hanged.

It's very similar to the first; the same cast of characters, with the same clear character development arcs. Nothing too surprising. A few very nice battle scenes in this one - these are hard to do well, and often come off either dull or underwhelming, but these ones are quite tense, and you have a clear idea of what's happening, and get caught up in the excitement of it all.

I've got the same reservations about this as the previous one; there isn't quite enough going on (at least, in comparison with A Song Of Ice And Fire), and a bit of Empty World Syndrome (similar to Pern's). I felt that a map would help; one with more place names than are mentioned in the book always helps, just so you know that there is more out there (the author has, however, made his feelings known about maps). However, the characters are well-done, and a joy to read about.