The Trouble With Peace by Joe Abercrombie

 The reigning king of grim dark fantasy is back at it. And for a series that picks up decades after the First Law trilogy - the Age of Madness is truly rolling on in spectacular style. The "little hatred" has gone onto become full fledged conspiracy, betrayal and the spark is lit for a rebellion. The trouble with peace...is that it hardly lasts, ending too soon.

And the trouble with this book, is that it ended too soon for me as well. 

The Trouble With Peace, sequel to A Little Hatred, the second book in this new trilogy from Joe Abercrombie is even better than the first book and pushes ahead the overall narrative by a mile, brimming with tension and action - all coloured by the same shroud of grim hopelessness and underlined by that gut-punch of black humour that differentiates Abercrombie from others. 

We start the second book, right after the catastrophic reveals and twists of A Little Hatred. Peace reigns within the Union, but a brittle one at that. And reluctant new King of the Union Orso realises that the closed council of his advisors are a bunch of old tottering Lords, mired deep in their old ways and not willing to look beyond their petty issues, to do any good for the kingdom. Tension flares with decisions that Orso takes about the fate of an arrogant Lord who is clearly guilty but whom the Open Council backs without blinking an eye, at his horrific crimes. This soon escalates as Orso realises that rocking the boat may not be the best idea, with respect to decisions about the members of either Councils. Savine dan Glokta is struggling to come to terms with the horrors she's lived through and deal with PTSD, simultaneously plotting hard to regain her social status. And of course, the revelation about her 'father' obviously has her shaken to the core and bitter about her losses. The Young Lion, Leo quickly realises that becoming a Lord Governor isn't half as fun as it sounds on paper. Paper-pushing isn't for him, a man born for action, itching to lead a charge against the enemies. And so he bides his time, waiting for something more exciting than just 'governing' Angland, the northernmost territory of the Union. 

Up north, Clover, the old prudent warrior who hates violence, realises Stour Nightfall, the Great Wolf is not planning to honour the treaty signed with his 'ally' governor Brock. Thirsting still to get his 'dues' - mainly Uffrith, that remains an independent territory run by the goodwill and wisdom of the Dogman. Rikke, the one cursed with the Long Eye, an ability to read the future and be visited by the visions, still remains a tormented girl. But her best friends, Isern and Caul Shivers have plans for her. To help cure her of this. Vick, the slippery spy who's managed to switch sides, stay alive and work the underhand tactics for her boss, the Old Sticks Glokta, is still figuring out who is the leader of the revolutionaries who call themselves Breakers, spreading unrest, taking the arms against the capitalists and the 'owners'. 

All things come to a head - as members of the Open Council, old arrogant Lords angry at the inept new King's high-handed decisions - conspire against the crown. And this conspiracy lights the fire for a roaring revolution that will spill blood and spell destruction throughout the Union. How the lives of the six main characters and their allies, friends and enemies get caught up in that fire, forms the main narrative for this rousing sequel in the Age of Madness.

The best thing about any Joe Abercrombie of course is the characters. Flawed, vulnerable, all likeable despite their multiple flaws or vices. The bubbling cauldron of a milieu that Joe fleshes out starts of course right at the top. The hapless prince Orso pushed beyond his limits to now become a responsible king - bound by the age old tenets of a Closed Council led by a smug annoying but all-powerful Wizard ( the spider who sits at the centre of it all, waiting patiently for the bloody flies to get closer) But we've seen Orso grow from being an irresponsible young drunk fop into a resolute man, who despite all appearances has a strong will to do good for his country. Definitely my favourite of the lot, Orso with his wry observations on the unruly court and his fawning inept courtiers, has a flowing banter that comments on the sad state of affairs. Either with corporal Tunny ( remember the standard bearer, one of the original 'Heroes'!) or Hildi, his adopted sister from the brothels. Then one rung down from the King is the Lord Governor Leo. Masterfully crafted as a one-track mind, the Young Lion is frustrated to his core at this 'stupid' prospect of peace. His troubles and travails are all of just that one sort - inaction means ineptitude for him. And for someone who always aspires to be an honourable hero for his citizens, inspired by the stories of the Circle in the North, Leo becomes clay in the hands of conniving, ambitious older gents and ladies than him. I was a bit disappointed in the way his character arc developed. He was the one true shining gem but now am waiting to see how Joe crafts up his character in the last book of the series. 

Coming to Savine dan Glokta - the most interesting woman of the lot. Truly fascinating character arc. The rise and fall and rise of Savine is a dizzying see-saw ride. You are always on the edge with her as this woman, who survived a worker revolution in the far-off industries of Valbeck, turns down a King's proposal, is still gambling to climb back unto the highest runs of the societal echelons within the Union. Her mind is sharp, her smile sharper as she sharpens her knives to dig into and rise up again. You would think her vile but she's just a reflection of the society in general. A woman fallen on hard times and hard luck with an absolutely diamond-hard edged will to survive and flourish. Rikke is the other female character among the chief six, while her perspectives in this book are a bit muted, she too goes through her own version of living hell, to go from a carefree young woman to a hardbitten bitter version of herself. Her physical transformation speaks about her own journey of discovery that's been tough and unforgiving - earlier given to sunny smiles, her face tattooed with runes to control for the Long Eye, her smiles are a rare flash and murderous. 

Vick, Gunnar Broad and Clover round off the other perspectives on this long simmering tense plot with multiple threads. Vick is our 'correspondent' to the underhand deals that keeps the peace within the union while Broad and Clover are our first hand views of the violence, that defines such times. Broad still gets a raw deal with not much character evolution, stuck to being Savine's 'labour relations' man who uses threats and violence to get the work done within the factories owned and later, gets drafted into the vicious schemes by his mistress to move deals along. Clover's perspectives are the funniest with his dry wit and dark humorous takes on life and he also becomes the closest thing to being back among the "Northmen" - and our old forgotten heroes like the Bloody Nine or Bethod. 

The war and battle scenes unfold like a mad man's dream and here Joe applies a clever technique that we have seen in the past, from Heroes. A string of minor unknown characters who live through the same moment, giving us a Roshomon'esque treatment of that singular moment. It happens multiple times through the book and it's marvellously applied, sifting through characters and opening up our perspectives on it. It's frenetic and in your face, the grim reality and hopelessness of such an act laid bare. The trademark banter, sharp wit and fabulous observations about life are all in there. 

This is a sequel that is even better than the opening book in this trilogy. The stakes are raised much higher, the characters transform and the plot is getting thicker. Twists, turns and betrayals abound. The Trouble with Peace is yet another giant tick mark against the virtuouso of Joe Abercrombie. He shows us consummately why he is a master of the craft, truly the lord of grim dark fantasy with this fine instalment of the Age of Madness.