Best served cold
Best served coldJoe Abercrombie
Buy on Amazon

Best served cold (2009)

Joe Abercrombie

Others: Overwhelmingly positive

War may be hell, but for Monza Murcatto, a solider of considerable fortune; it's a damn good way of making money too. Her victories have made her popular - a shade too popular for her employer's taste. Betrayed and left for dead, Murcatto's reward is a broken body and a burning hunger for vengeance. Whatever the cost, seven men must die. Duke Orso imagines that he can become king by ending the civil wars that have devastated Styria, but he errs by trying to kill his overly popular general, mercenary Monza Murcatto. Recovering from her massive injuries and mourning her murdered brother, Monza vows vengeance on Orso and half a dozen of his accomplices. "Joe Abercrombie takes the grand tradition of high fantasy literature and drags it down into the gutter, in the best possible way." --- Time "Abercrombie is both fiendishly inventive and solidly convincing, especially when sprinkling his appallingly vivid combat scenes with humor so dark that it's almost ultraviolet." --- Publishers Weekly "A satisfyingly brutal fantasy quest. BEST SERVED COLD? Modern fantasy doesn't get much hotter than this." --- Dave Bradley, SFX "Abercrombie has written the finest epic fantasy trilogy in recent memory. He's one writer that no one should miss." --- Junot Diaz on The First Law Trilogy

ISBN:
9780575127753
Length:
632 pages

Genres: fantasy

Lists: …

Similar books

1 of 6
  • Age of Madness Trilogy

    Joe Abercrombie

    2023 · 2 reviews

    Others: Overwhelmingly positive

    From New York Times bestselling author Joe Abercrombie, the Age of Madness trilogy is a revered epic fantasy series where the age of the machine dawns, but the age of magic refuses to die. This box set contains the completed A Little Hatred , The Trouble with Peace , and The Wisdom of Crowds "A master of his craft." — Forbes 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 . . . Now, get the complete trilogy in one boxed set.

    Why?

    What made the match, strongest first

    Also fantasy
    67%
    2 creators loved both
    18%
    Similar descriptions
    15%
    Personalize your recommendations
  • The Trouble with Peace

    Joe Abercrombie

    2020 · 509 pages · 19 reviews

    Others: Overwhelmingly positive

    Conspiracy. Betrayal. Rebellion. Peace is just another kind of battlefield . . . Savine dan Glokta, once Adua’s most powerful investor, finds her judgement, fortune and reputation in tatters. But she still has all her ambitions, and no scruple will be permitted to stand in her way. For heroes like Leo dan Brock and Stour Nightfall, only happy with swords drawn, peace is an ordeal to end as soon as possible. But grievances must be nursed, power seized and allies gathered first, while Rikke must master the power of the Long Eye . . . before it kills her. Unrest worms into every layer of society. The Breakers still lurk in the shadows, plotting to free the common man from his shackles, while noblemen bicker for their own advantage. Orso struggles to find a safe path through the maze of knives that is politics, only for his enemies, and his debts, to multiply. The old ways are swept aside, and the old leaders with them, but those who would seize the reins of power will find no alliance, no friendship, and no peace, lasts forever. (Publisher's Synopsis)

    Why?

    What made the match, strongest first

    Also fantasy
    67%
    3 creators loved both
    26%
    Similar descriptions
    7%
    Personalize your recommendations
  • Beyond redemption

    Michael R. Fletcher

    2015 · 495 pages · 1 review

    Others: Positive

    A darkly imaginative writer in the tradition of Joe Abercrombie, Peter V. Brett, and Neil Gaiman conjures a gritty mind-bending fantasy, set in a world where delusion becomes reality... and the fulfillment of humanity's desires may well prove to be its undoing.

    Why?

    What made the match, strongest first

    Also fantasy
    68%
    Similar descriptions
    21%
    The Brothers Gwynne loved both
    11%
    Personalize your recommendations
  • Warbreaker

    Brandon Sanderson

    2009 · 672 pages · 26 reviews

    Others: Overwhelmingly positive

    After bursting onto the fantasy scene with his acclaimed debut novel, Elantris, and following up with his blockbuster Mistborn trilogy, Brandon Sanderson proves again that he is today’s leading master of what Tolkien called “secondary creation,” the invention of whole worlds, complete with magics and myths all their own. Warbreaker is the story of two sisters, who happen to be princesses, the God King one of them has to marry, the lesser god who doesn’t like his job, and the immortal who’s still trying to undo the mistakes he made hundreds of years ago. Their world is one in which those who die in glory return as gods to live confined to a pantheon in Hallandren’s capital city and where a power known as BioChromatic magic is based on an essence known as breath that can only be collected one unit at a time from individual people. By using breath and drawing upon the color in everyday objects, all manner of miracles and mischief can be accomplished. It will take considerable quantities of each to resolve all the challenges facing Vivenna and Siri, princesses of Idris; Susebron the God King; Lightsong, reluctant god of bravery, and mysterious Vasher, the Warbreaker.

    Why?

    What made the match, strongest first

    Also fantasy
    67%
    3 creators loved both
    26%
    Similar descriptions
    7%
    Personalize your recommendations
  • Fool's Errand (Tawny Man, Book 1)

    Robin Hobb

    2001 · 592 pages · 10 reviews

    Others: Overwhelmingly positive

    Robin Hobb has emerged as one of today's foremost fantasy authors. Now she continues the adventures of one of her most popular heroes in the first book of what promises to be her most spectacular trilogy yet. Fool's ErrandFor fifteen years FitzChivalry Farseer has lived in self-imposed exile, assumed to be dead by almost all who once cared about him. But that is about to change when destiny seeks him once again. Prince Dutiful, the young heir to the Farseer throne, has vanished and FitzChivalry, possessed of magical skills both royal and profane, is the only one who can retrieve him in time for his betrothal ceremony--thus sparing the Six Duchies profound political embarrassment...or worse. But even Fitz does not suspect the web of treachery that awaits him or how his loyalties to his Queen, his partner, and those who share his magic will be tested to the breaking point.From the Paperback edition.

    Why?

    What made the match, strongest first

    Also fantasy
    68%
    3 creators loved both
    26%
    Similar descriptions
    6%
    Personalize your recommendations
  • The Lord of the Rings

    J.R.R. Tolkien

    1954 · 1168 pages · 21 reviews

    Others: Overwhelmingly positive

    Originally published from 1954 through 1956, J.R.R. Tolkien's richly complex series ushered in a new age of epic adventure storytelling. A philologist and illustrator who took inspiration from his work, Tolkien invented the modern heroic quest novel from the ground up, creating not just a world, but a domain, not just a lexicon, but a language, that would spawn countless imitators and lead to the inception of the epic fantasy genre. Today, THE LORD OF THE RINGS is considered "the most influential fantasy novel ever written." (THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FANTASY) During his travels across Middle-earth, the hobbit Bilbo Baggins had found the Ring. But the simple band of gold was far from ordinary; it was in fact the One Ring - the greatest of the ancient Rings of Power. Sauron, the Dark Lord, had infused it with his own evil magic, and when it was lost, he was forced to flee into hiding. But now Sauron's exile has ended and his power is spreading anew, fueled by the knowledge that his treasure has been found. He has gathered all the Great Rings to him, and will stop at nothing to reclaim the One that will complete his dominion. The only way to stop him is to cast the Ruling Ring deep into the Fire-Mountain at the heart of the land of Mordor--Sauron's dark realm. Fate has placed the burden in the hands of Frodo Baggins, Bilbo's heir...and he is resolved to bear it to its end. Or his own. Contains The Fellowship of the Ring The Two Towers The Return of the King The Lord of the Rings [2/2] The Lord of the Rings [1/6] The Lord of the Rings [1/9] The Lord of the Rings [2/9] The Lord of the Rings [3/9]

    Why?

    What made the match, strongest first

    Also fantasy
    69%
    3 creators loved both
    26%
    Similar descriptions
    5%
    Personalize your recommendations

Reviews5