Sharp Ends by Joe Abercrombie

If you like your fantasy grim and most definitely dark then you should look no further than Joe Abercrombie. Set in the world of his First Law series 'Sharp Ends' is a collection of short stories that are vividly realised.

Despite the fact that these tales do use some previously established characters they are easily accessible to anyone without knowledge of the series. Each one has a completely different feel - from the ransacked city, dramatic descriptions of the horrors of war, quiet acts of faith and hope, a meeting on a bridge between two warriors which is at once violent, funny and slightly sentimental.

Three in this collection really stood out for me. 'Tough Times All Over' rather brilliantly follows a package given to, then stolen from, Carcolf. So many clever twists and turns but it never feels overdone. 'Freedom' simply because it is a nice change of pace and quite quirky compared to the rest - it is the retelling of a characters' heroic exploits in the typically overblown style of a medieval biographer, so flowery and larger-than-life. Then there is 'Yesterday...' with Tinder, the soldier who is now a farmer, watching as troops destroy his crops, desperate to protect his children, and Gorst, the commander of these men, who is jaded and tired of everything. This shows truly shows the devastation of battle but it is also a good study of human frailty. In the moment where Tinder is preparing to give his life for those he loves as Gorst approaches them, when in fact the commander is leaving payment for a cup of milk (a very generous amount as it turns out) is poignant and incredibly eloquent.

Glokta and Ninefingers are as good as ever but the best characters, for me at least, were Javre and Shevedieh. They feature in several of the stories and are wonderful, deeply flawed but strong female protagonists which were a joy to read. I would love to see more of these two....

There is hope, bloodthirsty (often very gory) violence, dark humour and some very strong language. They are immensely detailed which gives each one more the feeling of a novella than a short story. Fans of Mr Abercrombie will love 'Sharp Ends' and, while they are a good introduction for the uninitiated, please remember that this is not a 'sweetness and light' kind of world. If you are grown up enough to handle all that then I can highly recommend.