Round and round in circles we go, clutching at successes we never grasp, endlessly tripping over the same old failures. Truly, life is the misery we endure between disappointments. 
 With Last Argument of Kings, Lord Grimdark, also known as Joe Abercrombie, concludes his First Law trilogy which follows a broken man, a vengeful woman, a powerful magus and a northern savage. It all started with Logen Ninefingers barely escaping an attack by manlike beasts, the Shanka, making it out "still alive". That night he sits by his fire and summons the spirits that he has always been able to call upon, which tell him that Bayaz, the first of the Magi, is looking for him. When Logen answers the call and meets with Bayaz, they make their way to the capital in Adua to help with preparations against the self-proclaimed King of the Northmen, Bethod. A threat that, at the time, seemed otherworldly and extremely dangerous. In Adua we meet the other two protagonists of the story. Jezan dan Luthar, an arrogant young man who thinks himself better than everybody. He is training to become this year's fencing champion though he is not willing to put in the effort for it. But the most intense and memorable character, partly due to his great resemblance to Tyrion Lannister, is Sand dan Glokta, a man who used to be a boy like Jezal, carefree, arrogant, incredibly handsome and talented, before he was taken by the Gurkish and tortured to disfigurement. He is cursed to live in terror of staircases, limping his way around the corridors of the dungeons of the Inquisition, asking his questions, torturing people for a living. 
 The plot is set, the people are dancing. When Ferro Maljin enters the scene continue reading