It’s no secret I’m a big Joe Abercrombie fan (I even ranked the novels in the First Law series) so I was eager to get more of a fix from the collection of short stories, Sharp Ends. Here’s my review of how I got on with the book.
The review
Written as a mini-anthology, Sharp Ends gives us a mixture of new characters, a nod to some old favourites and a tantalising glimpse at events in the primary First Law novels (again, see my ranking of them here) but told from a different perspective. Having loved and devoured the aforementioned books, these were the chapters that I enjoyed the most in Sharp Ends.
Sadly though, they were somewhat few and far between. A strong opening gives us a look at Sand dan Glokta in his prime (before he becomes the character you know and love from The Blade Itself and beyond). It’s smartly followed by the introduction of some new characters. Dark, dangerous, mysterious and strange…they perfectly fit the Joe Abercrombie mould.
But…they just weren’t for me.
I’ve waxed lyrical before about how much I admire Joe Abercrombie’s character work, but in Sharp Ends it feels less rounded or refined. Perhaps the format of having to deliver both characters and their stories across such a limited number of pages simply doesn’t lend itself to this kind of writing. Or perhaps I just didn’t gel with these particular characters. Whatever the reason, I didn’t vibe with the new introductions and found myself a little disappointed every time a new chapter opened on one of them.
What I did love, though, were the more “one-off” stories within the collection. Self-contained, sharply delivered tales that scratch the First Law itch almost perfectly. A performer’s look at what happened in Cardotti’s House of Leisure. A banker’s perspective of what happened in the Westport branch of Valint & Balk. A simple soldier’s view of a campaign in Ospria (all covering events from Best Served Cold). These are the stories I was searching for, and while there are a smattering of them throughout Sharp Ends, I still found myself wishing there were more.
Perhaps the book is fine, and I’m just greedy. Perhaps collections of short stories just aren’t for me (I haven’t read many, and definitely prefer spending more time with a full-length novel). Or perhaps I just subjectively didn’t get on with Sharp Ends.
Whatever my reasons, I’d still give this book a thumbs up. If you enjoyed the First Law series then I would recommend grabbing a copy of Sharp Ends – but I’d also warn you to temper your expectations a little, and try to view each chapter in its own light.
Final verdict
Great fun in places, but feels a bit stop-start and doesn’t grip you like the full-length novels do. Sharp Ends is still good, but maybe a bit blunt for my tastes.
Steve Pannett is an author and designer based in Yorkshire, UK.
He writes primarily in the fantasy genre, combining character-led storytelling with epic, gritty world-building to create dark tales with plenty of action and lots of twists along the way.
He has self-published multiple books and is active online.
