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A Little Hatred

The First in the Epic Sunday Times Bestselling Series

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A Little Hatred

By: Joe Abercrombie
Narrated by: Steven Pacey
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About this listen

 WAR. POLITICS. REVOLUTION.
THE AGE OF MADNESS HAS ARRIVED . . .

'Funny and sardonic, violent and compelling' Guardian

'A tale of brute force and subtle magic on the cusp of an industrial revolution ... Buckle your seat belts for this one' Robin Hobb

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

On the battlefields of the North, the next generation of would-be heroes rushes to make the same bloody mistakes as the last.

While the age of the machine dawns, the age of magic refuses to die. One might glimpse the future, through the curse of the Long Eye, but changing it is another matter altogether.

The chimneys of industry rise, the cities seethe with opportunity, and even kings must kneel before the new power of the banks. But in the slums, anger is brewing, and soon it will boil over with a rage that all the money in the world cannot control . . .

Introducing a cast of unforgettable new characters, A LITTLE HATRED begins a new First Law trilogy which will have you gripped from the very start ...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

'Crammed with characters and detail, the intricately woven story never slackens its merciless grip' Daily Mail

'A masterpiece of fantasy fiction' Starburst

'Could scratch an itch for anyone missing Game of Thrones' Den of Geek

'One of Abercrombie's best books yet' SFX

'Will keep you up long after bedtime' The Sun©2017 Joe Abercrombie Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Historical Royalty Magic Thought-Provoking

Critic reviews

The intricately woven story never slackens its merciless grip as we follow our heroes and heroines through battlefields, boardrooms and bedrooms to their destinies - deserved and undeserved alike.
He writes of slum life with graphic realism, and his rendering of battle scenes is to die for.
Goddamn magnificent
A tale of brute force and subtle magic set in a world on the cusp of an industrial revolution . . . a vivid and jolting tale.
The books are good, really good. They pulled me in. Well-developed world. Unique, compelling characters. I like them so much that when I got to the end of the second book and found out the third book wasn't going to be out in the US for another three months, I experienced a fit or rage, then a fit of depression, then I ate some lunch and had a bit of lay down'
Witty, bloody and fun.
Joe Abercrombie writes with terrifying wit, humour and heart
A new epic saga of war and power set in a world where the industrial age is rising . . . With expert craft, Abercrombie lays the groundwork for another thrilling trilogy
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
Joe Abercrombie's powerful voice raises the bar in any literary genre. Fantasy fans are beyond fortunate he chose this one
This book is exceptional. Indisputably, spectacularly, criminally good. Clever, funny, and packed with cutting commentary, it's well worth the wait.
Abercrombie has created one of the most magnificent, unforgettable casts of characters to ever grace the pages of a fantasy book
Gripping and intriguing.
All told within a complex, fascinating plot that will keep you up long after bed time. The perfect escape from the topsy- turvy world that we're living in at the moment. (Natasha Harding)
Both the magic and the class struggle are subtly handled by Abercrombie, while the humour is delightfully rough. It's a tremendous book, as if Friedrich Engels and Terry Pratchett had agreed to collaborate in rewriting George RR Martin.
[it] gives us incipient industrialisation, a refugee crisis, violence, politics and magic, all handled with darkly funny aplomb.
This is an ambitious and engrossing return to the world of the First Law. Bring on book two.
Little Hatred is one of Abercrombie's best books yet.
All stars
Most relevant
Hello Joe,

I sincerely hope that you'll read this. If not; then please... (email spam & nonsense sifting assistant...) mention to him that I wrote. I have never directly written before but have bought copies of every book for friends & family. Isn't it amazing how few actually read them? Why don't people like to read anymore? I've just begun my second reading of A Little Hatred and am smiling all over.

At 53 years old... I've found books, reading, fiction, movies & theatrical entertainment a bore. It is exceptionally difficult to read anything with any blood in it. Grim Dark is fun for relative realism and enjoyable as fans can see scary, thought-provoking and exceptionally bad scenarios as we've never seen them presented before. For those of us paying for new stories... prose... descriptions, pacing, content, characters and plausibility are always horrifically suspect. In the case of movies I get it... I understand that very popular films must give way to mass appeal. I imagine the same must apply to all artistic endeavours. In the case of books and fictional characters though... I desperately await Joe's books... even when I'm not altogether pleased (Red Country) I'm still riveted.

A Little Hatred is the absolutely NOT the sequel to The First Law I hoped for. Like most fans of that trilogy... I can never get enough of the original and have listened to the audio version several hundred times. Uniformly... we (the fans I've spoken to) wanted a direct sequel following each of those characters to their graves... one by one. Having said that... A Little Hatred has made me very happy.

I'm not a fanboy and will rarely seek out any means to communicate with an Author, Film-Maker or similar but absolutely HAD TO write to Joe today.

A Little Hatred is amazing, charming, hilarious, heart-felt and exciting. From Glokta allowing his daughter to be taught valuable lessons during fencing practice to Ardee's horrific & hilarious admission...I was spellbound and left wanting more & more.

There is so much fill-in detail I'd like to read and so many questions about the 25 years we didn't get to experience. Please please please continue writing Sir. I'd do anything to skip forward 10 years just to binge the next few books.

Dear Mr Abercrombie...

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The saga seamlessly flows on . Brutal, dark and in places funny. Some original characters killed off to make way for the new. How much longer will Bayas/Abercrombie let Arch Lector Glokta live ?

Brilliant as usual

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I particularly loved the first and the forth book, however this has now edged it as my favourite. As always can't wait for the next! Gripping and shocking story and the narrator is by far the best!

Another great audio book!

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The Lion, The Wolf and The Lamb shamelessly flawed relatable and not even the best.

So damn good

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Joe Abercrombie has a very great talent for almost getting me sacked for reading and listening to his wonderful novels. It’s very simply a case of not being able to put them down. Hats off to you Mr Abercrombie once again you never disappoint.

Another stinkingly good book from a master f..king storyteller.

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