A Little Hatred

By: Joe Abercrombie

Narrated by: Steven Pacey

The New York Times bestselling first book in Joe Abercrombie's The Age of Madness Trilogy where the age of the machine dawns, but the age of magic refuses to die.
The chimneys of industry rise over Adua and the world seethes with new opportunities. But old scores run deep as ever.
On the blood-soaked borders of Angland, Leo dan Brock struggles to win fame on the battlefield, and defeat the marauding armies of Stour Nightfall. He hopes for help from the crown. But King Jezal's son, the feckless Prince Orso, is a man who specializes in disappointments.
Savine dan Glokta—socialite, investor, and daughter of the most feared man in the Union—plans to claw her way to the top of the slag-heap of society by any means necessary. But the slums boil over with a rage that all the money in the world cannot control.
The age of the machine dawns, but the age of magic refuses to die. With the help of the mad hillwoman Isern-i-Phail, Rikke struggles to control the blessing, or the curse, of the Long Eye. Glimpsing the future is one thing, but with the guiding hand of the First of the Magi still pulling the strings, changing it will be quite another . . .
For more from Joe Abercrombie, check out:
The First Law SeriesThe Blade ItselfBefore They Are HangedLast Argument of KingsBest Served ColdThe HeroesRed Country The Shattered Sea TrilogyHalf a KingHalf a WorldHalf a War

Critic reviews

"Abercrombie squeezes your heart till it matches his beat. No one writes with the seismic scope or primal intensity of Joe Abercrombie."—Pierce Brown, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"A master of the genre."—Lev Grossman, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"Abercrombie continues to do what he does best . . . Buckle your seat belts for this one . . . . A vivid and jolting tale."—Robin Hobb, New York Times bestselling author.

"Highly recommended - a funny, finely-wrought, terrifically energetic work of high fantasy. Seek it out."—Joe Hill

"Rife with emotion with wit to spare, both honed to an effortlessly fine edge. A Little Hatred is the joy of watching a master of the craft with his tools at their sharpest."—Sam Sykes, author of Seven Blades in Black

"A Little Hatred is Abercrombie at his very best: witty, wise, and whip-smart. Masterfully plotted . . . . I had high hopes for this book, and it exceed them all."—Nicholas Eames, author of Kings of the Wyld

"Brutal, unforgiving, and terribly fun. Everything awesome readers have come to expect from Joe Abercrombie."—Brian McClellan, author of Sins of Empire

"Goddamn magnificent."—Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of Children of Time

"Joe Abercrombie's powerful voice raises the bar in any literary genre. Fantasy fans are beyond fortunate he chose this one."—Myke Cole, author of The Armored Saint

"Joe Abercrombie writes with terrifying wit, humor and heart."—Ben Aaronovitch, author of the Rivers of London Series

"With expert craft, Abercrombie lays the groundwork for another thrilling trilogy."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Say one thing for Joe Abercrombie, say that he's a master of his craft."—Forbes

"Abercrombie unerringly juggles a large cast of multifaceted, morally ambiguous characters, each embroiled in their own complicated story."—Booklist (starred review)

"A critical, compelling epic fantasy loaded withwonderfully drawn characters, the bloodletting tempered with sharp social commentary anda touch of satire . . . . It doesn't feel like a stretch to say Abercrombie's on his way to writinganother masterpiece of epic fantasy."—B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog

"A Little Hatred may be the mostaccomplished work from a writer who many already consider a master."—SFF World

"Abercrombie examines the effects of social upheaval and the use and abuse of power through the viewpoints of a large cast, from kings, princes, warriors and seers to businessmen and women; the characterization is little short of brilliant. The plot is labyrinthine, with trademark Abercrombie twists and turns and reversals of fortune. He writes of slum life with graphic realism, and his rendering of battle scenes is to die for."—The Guardian

Medieval-Punk

It's a pretty good read/listen, lots of interesting, well developed characters in what I would call a medieval-punk setting (if steam-punk is implementing 21st century devices with 19th century tech, medieval-punk is this instance is developing 17th century innovations with medieval tech). You have factories and mills and high finance and you also have people in armor bashing each other with swords. The plot is kind of uneven, humming along nicely in some places and really dragging in others, especially towards the end. I'll probably pick up the sequel at some point but not soon.

Great

Joe abercrombie never fails to entertain. I love his books. Now i just have to wait for the next one

Can’t get enough of Lord Grimdark!

I have listened to this book twice consecutively, within one week. And now I’m going back to the blade itself again for probably the fifth or sixth time of listening to the first law trilogy, and the third time going through the second trilogy. No book/s has ever given me the sense of nostalgia about the characters and heroes from the previous books like Abercrombie’s books. He’s easily the greatest fantasy writer since GRRM. As much as I love ASOIAF, I wish the first law trilogy was turned into an HBO show on the same scale as GOT. What a work of art that would be. As far as this book goes, it was incredible. I wasn’t expecting to feel that way however. The whole Victorian era setting is not my usual cup of tea. But it did not take away from the story at all here. At the risk of spending too much time on this review. If you are in doubts about getting A Little Hatred, stop doubting it and pick it up. You’ll be glad you did.

amazing

abercrombie has created a world unlike any other. incredible. And pacey is the best narrator.

Hypersexualized, but otherwise a good story

If you can get over the sexualized writing, vulgar language, and gory descriptions there is a really good story underneath. For the most part, those factors added to the sense of pragmatic amorality that colors the story, giving even the most mundane parts a sense of grit and iniquity. Though, there are parts where the vulgarity is over done.
Despite the dark tone, the characters are likable and well thought out. The author takes time to flesh out each of the main characters' thoughts, motivations, and feelings. Their actions make sense in the context of the story, even their worst or most immoral decisions made sense for the characters. And these characters certainly do make some morally questionable decisions.