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Best Served Cold

By Joe Abercrombie
Series: World of the First Law
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Check link for latest rating. ( 107,143 ratings, 6,281 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie is a thrilling tale of revenge set in a richly detailed fantasy world. The story follows Monza Murcatto, a mercenary betrayed and left for dead, as she embarks on a relentless quest to hunt down and destroy those responsible. Amidst political intrigue and intense battles, the novel weaves themes of betrayal, vengeance, and the high cost of war with Abercrombie's signature dark wit and complex characters.
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Format: Hardback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

If you enjoy gritty, fast-paced fantasy filled with vengeance, complex characters, and dark humour, this book might be perfect for you. Set in a vividly imagined world brimming with intrigue and action, it appealingly combines sharp wit, epic battles, and a gripping tale of revenge.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Violent, bloody and fast-paced; this is the ultimate revenge fantasy by fantasy juggernaut Joe Abercrombie.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Springtime in Styria. And that means war.

There have been nineteen years of blood. The ruthless Grand Duke Orso is locked in a vicious struggle with the squabbling League of Eight, and between them they have bled the land white. While armies march, heads roll and cities burn, behind the scenes bankers, priests and older, darker powers play a deadly game to choose who will be king.

War may be hell, but for Monza Murcatto, the Snake of Talins, the most feared and famous mercenary in Duke Orso's employ, 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, thrown down a mountain and left for dead, Murcatto's reward is a broken body and a burning hunger for vengeance. Whatever the cost, seven men must die.

Her allies include Styria's least reliable drunkard, Styria's most treacherous poisoner, a mass-murderer obsessed with numbers and a Northman who just wants to do the right thing. Her enemies number the better half of the nation. And that's all before the most dangerous man in the world is dispatched to hunt her down and finish the job Duke Orso started...

Springtime in Styria. And that means revenge.

Best Served Cold is a gripping tale of betrayal and vengeance, where the line between friend and foe is as sharp as a sword's edge.

Series: World of the First Law

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  • The Heroes
    In the frozen and unforgiving North, where might is right and power is wrested through sheer brutality, Black Dow has etched his name in blood and violence. Known as a man who has killed more foes than winter itself, he has ascended to the throne of the North by leaving a trail of skulls in his wake. But consolidation of...
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  • Sharp Ends
    Immerse yourself in the gritty, treacherous world of Sharp Ends by Joe Abercrombie, a masterful collection of short stories that delve into the nooks and crannies of the First Law universe, where violence and cunning reign supreme. The Union army may be overrun with scoundrels, but there's one man, Colonel Sand dan Glokta, who arrogantly believes he can single-handedly stand...
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  • Red Country
    They burned her home. They stole her brother and sister. But vengeance is coming. Shy South tried to escape her brutal and bloody past, dreaming of a quiet life. However, when her family is taken from her, she realises she must resurrect her old, deadly skills to get them back. Determined and relentless, Shy sets off on a perilous journey,...
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  • Best Served Cold
    In Best Served Cold, Joe Abercrombie crafts a gripping tale of betrayal, vengeance, and survival in a brutal, war-torn world. At its heart is Monza Murcatto, also known as the Snake of Talins, a ruthless and formidable mercenary who has earned the title of the most feared and respected warrior in the employ of Grand Duke Orso. Blood and victory...
    By Joe Abercrombie
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2499
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Red Country
    THE PAST NEVER STAYS BURIED. They burned her home. They stole her brother and sister. But vengeance is following. Shy South hoped to bury her bloody past and ride away smiling, but she'll have to sharpen up some bad old ways to get her family back, and she's not a woman to flinch from what needs doing. She sets off...
    By Joe Abercrombie
    Hardback
    Sold Out
  • The Heroes
    Three men. One battle. No Heroes. They say Black Dow's killed more men than winter, and clawed his way to the throne of the North up a hill of skulls. The King of the Union, ever a jealous neighbour, is not about to stand smiling by while he claws his way any higher. The orders have been given and the...
    By Joe Abercrombie
    Hardback
    Sold Out
  • Best Served Cold
    Springtime in Styria. And that means war. There have been nineteen years of blood. The ruthless Grand Duke Orso is locked in a vicious struggle with the squabbling League of Eight, and between them they have bled the land white. While armies march, heads roll and cities burn, behind the scenes bankers, priests and older, darker powers play a deadly...
    By Joe Abercrombie
    Hardback
    Sold Out

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Joe Abercrombie's Best Served Cold is highly recommended by reviewers for its blend of humour, craftsmanship, and energetic storytelling. It's praised as a high fantasy work brimming with bloody, relentless epic themes of vengeance. The book features visceral battles, brutal action, and a fast-paced narrative with unexpected yet logical plot twists and satisfying reveals, marking it as one of Abercrombie's best works.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781399614481

Publisher: Orion Publishing Co

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 23 February 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Gollancz

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 52.0mm

Width: 164.0mm

Height: 236.0mm

Weight: 794g

Pages: 544

Collections

Fantasy Fiction General Fiction Joe Abercrombie Sci-Fi & Fantasy Series: World of the First Law

About the Author

Joe Abercrombie was born in Lancaster, England, studied psychology at Manchester University, and worked as an editor of documentaries and live music before his first book, The Blade Itself, was published in 2006. Two further instalments of the First Law trilogy, Before They Are Hanged, and Last Argument of Kings, followed, along with three standalone books set in the same world: Best Served Cold, The Heroes and Red Country. He has also written the Shattered Sea trilogy for young adults, the Age of Madness trilogy for old adults, and Sharp Ends, a collection of short stories. He lives in Bath, England, with his wife and three children. 

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