When I finished The Wisdom of Crowds, I reviewed it and thanked Joe Abercrombie for ripping out my heart, throwing it on the ground, and stomping it into a bloody smear. His reply: "You're welcome."

I read The Wisdom of Crowds nearly two years ago, sometimes in the quiet of night I find my mind drifts to Orso. I smile fondly . . .then I cry.

The chapter 'The Villain' is the best chapter Joe has written so far. The final confrontation between Leo and Savine was ABSOLUTELY GODDAMN BRILLIANT!! I can't appreciate that verbal faceoff enough!!

This book cements how great of a character Sand dan Glokta is. The one time he tries to do what he thinks is “right” and he burns down half the nation. “Forgive yourself; no one else will.”

OHHH! and not JUST THAT GLOKTA was the weaver- but ardee his wife- savines mother- CAME UP WITH THE ENTIRE IDEA of the burners and the revolution!!!!

The thing about Leo is you can sympathize with him earlier on in the trilogy, and he's this almost tragic likable character. After you've read the last book, you feel dirty for ever sparing him a good thought 🙃 Edit: Also the Little People chapters were so so good, you can really feel how chaotic those scenes were

Loved this book. After finishing it I started to reread the first law books. I had a wow moment when I got to the part when 9 fingers got to the northern library and told the gate gard, "I surrender". Clover said the something to the same person, with the same response. I love the world joe has made.

I still haven't forgiven Joe for this book and what he did to sweet Orso. I read it as soon as it came out and I'm still holding tight to that grudge to this day.😤

Even though Rica's betrayal of Orso was a little heartbreaking, I respect her for going through with it. She's a leader and now is the time to protect her people now more than ever. I'm also really proud of the fact that she didn't act on her vision immediately at the end of the book, because her people deserve a moment of peace. Not more fighting

Orso is just too precious for the world Joe made.

The last version of ‘Make of Your “Heart” a Stone’ made me guffaw and fall over 😂

Age of Madness is my favorite dark comedy series

As soon as Orso started making that speech, I started counting down to when Abercrombie was going to blow all this optimism to bits. I admittedly didn't see it happening literally seconds after he finished... 😂

I wish you talked about the ending and rikkes last long eye dream! I'm so excited to see what happens to hildi, it sounds like she's going to be the next big bad

especially when orso had every right to hang leo and chose not to, then leo betrays orso!!! arrrrrrrrrrrrgh

How's the leg? 💔

I'm surprised you didn't say much about Vick. I didn't expect much from her at first but she grew on me a lot as the story progressed with her competence in all things deception, badassery and arc of slowly regaining her humanity. Loved the parallels between her and First trilogy-Glokta especially with her choice at the end being a neat subversion of his with Bayaz. Gunnar on the other hand was a letdown. I did think he was well-written but nothing he did justified him having his own POV chapters IMO.

I think the scene in the orphanage was Savine coming face to face with the costs she's willing to let others pay. She feels far from great about it, _but what are you gonna do?_ She still wants to win regardless of who it hurts. It's really hard to find people to root for in this series, which I suppose is by design because the decent ones are all in the mud.

Orso's death... I felt that one. Only other death that hit that hard for me was in Stormlight when Moash *did what he did*.

Please don't miss Sharp Ends. It's not on the level of Wisdom of Crowds, but there's some great bits in there. I'm so happy to see you've enjoyed the series so much.

I really needed this rant! Finished the book last autumn and I am still angry and sad and in awe.

Loved this video, I could listen to hours of content about the first law series I wish your video was even longer. I loved your reading of quotes, this book ripped my heart out and yet it is still so satisfying. The vision at the end makes me crave a new story so bad. Thank you for making these videos on this series that I am in love with.

It's reviews like these that work very therapeutic. Thank you Merphy! 😊

What an awesome review. This gotta be the best book i've read this year but your reactions are precious :D

I loved that you hit us with so many quotes!!! This book was so good I wouldn't have cared if you just read it chapter for chapter. "How's the Leg" Uggggggghhhhhhhhh 💔💔💔💔💔💔

Literally just finished this book today and checked your channel if you had a review. And you did it 16 hours ago ! Thanks :)

Joe is so wonderful at writing characters that the scene between Glokta and Jezal at the end of Last Argument of Kings made me realize that Glokta was the true Weaver. Also, I think Glokta wasn't as much involved because his involvement was all encompassing in the narrative. All the conditions for the revolution and destruction of Valint and Balk were influenced by him. He also made sure to be as far removed from the focus as he could because he knew he was fighting Bayaz, so only long term planning and indirect actions would be able to go unnoticed. Savine was definitely my favorite character. Joe managed to strike the same balance with her he hit with Glokta. She's underhanded, ruthless and sometimes evil, but they're charismatic, smart and their ability to self-reflect and think critically about the world makes them appealing. Savine goes on a public stunt in the slums? Yes. It's self-serving, but she doesn't just gloss over the misery. You can see the goodness pulling her several times, but there's a vein of cynicism in her (much like Glokta) that prevents her from going all the way, so she's always a step removed from doing something good for altruistic reasons.

Joe could give me a book with only north men and I'd be so happy. The way he writes them is just perfect clover and shivers all AOM trilogy northmen are just perfect.

I loved Orso so much by the end of book 2 that I knew he would die in book 3, I knew it with depressed certainty. I think Joe was cognisant of the fact that many would suspect this ending for him, that he red-herringed the crap out of the reader! Just kept making me think that this was his end only to rescue him so many times that by the time we got to the final betrayal, I was starting to hope he'd get out ok, especially since Rikke liked him 😭 Completely agree about Savine being incredible. Leo I hated from book 2 so book 3 cemented my everlasting hatred for that prick!

This was just a hot-diggity-damn of a read. So glad that you had that same, near book throwing reaction. I remember working out in the gym, and going "No-fucking-way" out loud. I earned a dozen sideways glances in that moment, but Joe earned (and solidified) my unending adoration as a writer.

The conflict in the North was so satisfying for me. Felt bad at the end for a final character When it comes to Gorst & Nightfall……Joe did what he always does really well: people die without resolution. It’s the sad fact of life that we can go at anytime without an arc

This trilogy makes the original one Almost look like a fairy tale.... ALMOST**

Age of Madness was one of the few series I read before you, so it was fun watching your reactions in real time.

HIP HIP HOORAY!!! There is a video on Wednesday and damn Merphy you liked it so much that it...hurts?!

Definitely loved this trilogy, could not help but get a little salty how this ended up, not really even the things that happened but Joe has a great way of making things feel so bad. Joe's written is fantastic and the characters are so enthralling I will read whatever he writes. As you said there are some cracks and some plot convinces but not to make things end up good but to keep them bad, over all tho fantastic read as always from Mr. Abercrombie, Shivers is prolly my favorite character right now, his super dry humor at just the right moments really get me going

This is why you're the GOAT, Merphy. We love you. ❤️

omg I forgot Zuri. Absolutely loved The Wisdom of Crowds. And omg I loved Zuri omg

I just finished The Age of Madness today. I feel for Orso & despise Leo. I had to put the book down when Leo stabbed Forest. I loved Downside when he kept killing everyone. Rikke killing Stour when it looked like she was going to hand him over to papa 😆 The only twist I saw coming was Rikke turned in Orso. She's the Owl! What a great conclusion to the trilogy. How's your leg? - Orso

I go through most fantasy in audiobook form since I can listen at work, so of course I was at work trying not to cry during many of the developments in this last book.

'Dod gamn it" said Merphy

sholla and the thin cheeze was such a fun characteristic for her to have

Man I need to re-read this series- hoping Abercrombie eventually returns with another series in this world

"Bring Judge back, kill Leo". Yes please.

I FEEL ALL THE THINGS TOO!! JOE!!!

Orso = Edd Stark

My favorite chapter and simultaniously the one i hated most, was the one when Orso went to Rikke when hiding and she gave him to Leo in the morning. Couldn't believe it, hated it but made just so much sense and i just love that Joe doesn't back up from these turns

Man, I was so Team Orso throughout this series. I was actually hoping that he would regain the throne with Vick as his queen. Well, none of that. I was hoping for Bayaz to show up for the last book and a half to lay things to waste, even after how his role ended in the first novel. I was on and off with Savine, maybe leaning toward her by the end of the trilogy. All in all, I ended up pretty angry when I read the last of it. My only hope was that the last of Calder's sons would end up slaughtering a lot of the folks that let me down.

So, what you're telling me is...prepare to have my heart ripped out and smashed. I have yet to read Joe's works, so I only have your reactions to gauge whether I'm going to enjoy him. Oh boy.

Rikke is such an underrated character imo. Every time her or Isern Iphail are on the page I just eat it up. Inspector Toyfel was also a hidden gem.

I am still mourning and I don’t think I can overcome it ever

No rush, but are you going to post your schedule on your channel for the month. I really like looking at that, but no rush. Love all you do!!

savine and loe are the same loe learned to act that way by what savine had told him in book two. by the end of book three the one person i hated more then loe was savine. she's the one that told loe he'd have to kill orso.

I never had so much fun watching a BookTube video. :-)

Unfortunately, there was no room for the likes of Orso in this world of Joe's - too kind, too benign. Leo was the limb that Orso should have amputated at the end of the second book, but he didn't, and that limb began to fester... badly.

As someone who tends to like villains more often than not I found myself totally surprised at how much I liked Orso. Maybe it because in a series full of villains he was probably the only mostly good character and stood out for that. I knew that his caused was lost in book 2 because that was when I began to like him. Especially the way he reacts to situations. He is not beyond seeing his own flaws and making fun of them. No matter how much he is afraid of the rubbish going on around him he doesn't let it show. I liked Savine in the beginning of the series quite allot. By the end I believe she is one of the biggest hypocrites in the series. I don't know why she gets so much love in this review Merphy.

The real reason Leo broke bad is cause he caught his friends wrestling. Why did they have to wrestle? So funny

Abercrombie… why do I love to hate you so much? Great review Merph! I’d watch a video of you reading Joe’s quotes all day. I highly highly HIGHLY recommend you give the audiobook a try, even if it’s just for a few sections. Joe’s prose + Stephen Pacey’s performance = perfection. Never in my life did I think it possible to hate a character more than Leo. I finished the first trilogy hating Bayaz so much, only to finish the Age of Madness DREAMING of Bayaz coming in to wipe the floor with Leo. Poor poor Orso. No one that good of heart can exist in The Circle of the World, unfortunately. Special shout out to Shivers. He’ll always be the love of my life

Feel the Leo hate. Gosh he's such a horrible person. But at the same time he's so tragic - he had a lot of flaws to begin with but it just became worse with pain and injury and the increasing feeling of being neither loved nor appreciated for anything he's ever done or who he ever was. Makes you wonder what might happen to his character if his mom and him actually fixed their relationship or he finally gets a grip on himself and confesses his feelings to Jurand.

I just finished it like an hour ago what a fantastic book. I can't add much to your video I agree with pretty much everything. I guess the point of Glokta and Bayaz being mostly absent is to again shock the reader with the reveal that everything was just a war between greater powers, all these people who believed in their ideals and died for them were but pawns in a greater game, useful tools and nothing more. Orso's death was heartbreaking. Leo... man I so hoped he was gonna die at the hands of Savine, or maybe Zuri. He still alive and in power at the end was also heartbreaking. Well maybe in the next book :) Speaking of Zuri, the moment a word eater appeared in this book I was ready to swear she is one and bet my head on it. However probably due to lack of attentive reading I didn't realize she never showed much skin so I was sure she was not Ishri because you know no wrappings. Damn Im glad I was wrong, I so wanted to learn more about mysterious East Wind, her to be a bit more major character than just a manipulator behind the scenes that shows up for half a scene per book. And now I've got three damn books where she was a pretty major character constantly on screen, and didn't realize it until the very end. Way to go, Abercrombie. THAT is how you "defy expectations" without making the phrase into a bad joke on the internet. Definitely gonna read the whole decalogy again, I loved every book, The Heroes and Age of Madness trilogy were probably my favourites, I also liked Best Served Cold a lot, The Red Country not so much but still a very good book, just less so than others in the First World. Also can we please get a sequel I desperately want to read Leo death scene the more brutal and gruesome the better :(

I am absolutely living for the sass towards Leo in this video 👏😂

Just finished this audiobook before I got off work about 20 minutes ago. My soul is crushed and I’m upset about it. I actually think I hate Leo the most out of anyone in this entire series.

I kinda am not over Orso yet, like we lost Bremma to save him...and yet...

Hi Merphy.

This ballad of a love/hate towards joe.....it's beautiful

Love this book, one of the most raw page turners I've had in years but I kinda wish Joe had been bolder with the ending like the original trilogy. This one leaves a lot of stuff open and many of the characters have happyish endings

Rereading the Age of Madness trilogy you really see all the seeds from the start especially Leo's entitlement and narcissism. He is a petulant child throughout the entire trilogy and feels he deserves everything and can not relate to anyone's feelings except his own. In the first two books he regularly gets the consequences of his own actions thrown at his face such as the deaths of his childhood friends and the destruction of his surroundings but it barely takes him five minutes to justify everything to himself and shrug off the blame. Leo is the same entitled child in the third book only now he has learned that his storybook fantasies will not get him his glory or playthings and so he becomes the ruthless, power hungry tyrant. If they won't love me then they shall fear me. I also can not recommend the audiobooks performed by Steven Pacey enough. Steven brings such life to these characters and portrays them in such a perfect manner. The sarcasm on the page has a deep tone but Steven really lets every line bite through.

I'm surprised there's not as much hatred for Savine as there is Leo. I think readers have fallen for her darling of the slums act as much as the people of the Union despite all the evidence to the contrary. She's completely driven by self interest at the expense of all others through the whole trilogy and only does the right thing when it's convenient for her. She manipulated Leo onto the path to what he became and in the end, despite the complete mess she made of it, got exactly what she wanted... Herself on the throne. The only way that was ever gonna happen was with Orso dead. In the end, after all those people died/had their lives ruined for her ambition, she's too weak willed to go through with it and gets upset when someone else is. I thought she was the most despicable of all of them.

I agree with every word (except perhaps Orso hadn’t stolen my heart as completely). Such a phenomenal series. I believe there has to be more. Bayaz won’t accept this.

I had decided after reading the first law trilogy that abercrombie is not the author for me. But hearing you so enthusiastic about the books makes me wanna give him another go.

I had Leo pegged as the bad guy when he went all homophobic on his best friend.

I have to thank you for introducing me to the First Law series, and Mistborn. Wouldnt have gotten back into reading without those recommendations. Age of Madness was so friggin good. Cant wait for Abercrombie's the Devils.

I recently finished the book, and though I enjoyed it on a literary level, I hated what happened to Leo, and it made finishing the book harder, I didn't like who he was becoming haha. But Savine was great!

Could I please have 2-3 more hours of this?

I just finished this book two nights ago and can say that I am somewhat still in mourning! I was so angry and felt so personally betrayed that I first told myself I would never read another of Joe's books again to get back at him... I now realize how silly that sounds, but damn I have never felt so angry about fictional characters. Leo sucks!!

Revolution is all well and good, but you need to have a better alternative ready before breaking the system 🙂

I. Am. Returned.

I'm gutted for my boy Orso . I am gutted like I have never been before

For me, Rikke will always be pronounced RICK-EE not RICK-UH. Shitty Rick-ee and tricky Rick-ee has a much better ring than shitty or tricky Rick-uh.

I didn’t care much for Savine in the first book(and most of the second), but I really warmed up to her in Wisdom of Crowds; she’s definitely still a schemer and manipulator, but I really do think becoming a mother brought out the best in her character. I feel like she really did try to do the best she could with trying to save Orso, and she definitely retains some degree of humanity by the end - unlike Leo, who just became an empty, bitter shell of a man 🤷🏼‍♂️

i literally yelled out NO!!!!!!!!!!! when leo stabbed forest and betrays orso! and closed the book for a few seconds

Finished the book 5 minutes ago,to me is less loved despite his moments of good. Ironic his name is Gunnar, he is a gun for whoever uses him. To kill without remorse which he loves to do but pretends otherwise.

I've seldom laughed at any book reviews so much. It's not you, it's your VERY VALID reactions to Abercrombie's writing. This trilogy was a dark delight.

when you have a deep visceral hate for a character like i did for leo, you KNOW thats good writing

How’s your leg 😂 ! Welcome to the Leo hate club! I don’t think people hate Savine tho, she did what she had to imo, she couldn’t helped Orso more:( Orso is my favourite character in the entire fiction I’m not joking he’s phenomenal… btw what you thought about Vick? I loved her arc so much! And loved how Calder’s final scene was written, he’s so smart he knew it all about Rikke 😂

I've been anxious to hear your thoughts. Agree with you on pretty much everything. This trilogy easily surpassed The First Law, which I absolutely love and adore. This one was so devastating, the twists and betrayals were visceral. What a fabulous series, novel, and author!

Glokta wasn't Leo's grandfather

Basically Merphy suffering Leo.♡

🧡📚🧡📚🧡📚🧡

I did not like how the book and series concluded. It felt incomplete and merely a set up for the next series. It was a big disappointment for me because Abercrombie is my favorite author and The Trouble with Peace is probably my favorite book ever.

How's your leg?💀💀💀

Orso's little right hand chic is so great... but man this book was chaos, which i think was the point. What a great writer... but as I've said before Abercrombie is at risk of becoming a cliché of unpredictability. Still better than anything anyone else is doing, imho. I like that your enthusiasm for these comes through, reminds me of me.

I liked also Orso but he also annoyed me like I would sometimes felt like yelling at him. It just reminded me too much of Ned Stark in GoT so was not completely surprised he was betrayed and hanged

Orso, one of the goatest characters of all time.

Oh man, I hate Leo sooo much

Glokta saved this book for me. Leo sucked in every single book.

I hate the ending

I loved The Trouble With Peace, but The Wisdom of Crowds really let me down and I feel like I am taking crazy pills because everyone loves it. Halfway through the book I realised that none of the characters were doing anything interesting. They stopped being significant forces for story progression. Abercrombie then forcibly wrests the story into miserable directions that didn’t feel like a natural progression to me. The approach feels manipulative; it came across as wringing as much shock as possible out of all the backstabbing and changes of heart. As a consequence, characters didn’t get to shine properly. They didn’t grow into their own; didn’t fulfil the promise that The Trouble With Peace had built up. Once I realised what Abercrombie was doing, I began to feel so alienated from his vision for what this book should be, that I could hardly force myself through it. Every technique he used began to feel manipulative. Some techniques that he is so fond of, like juxtaposing what people say and what they think, began to feel tiresome and repetitive, to the point that I felt browbeaten into accepting twists in the characters’ arcs. I am done with this series’ outlook on life. I don’t agree with it. It is just cheap melodrama without redemption and everyone gobbles it up.

I don’t get why Bayaz just let everything he built be burned and do nothing , that was never explained , and everyone who deserved to die didn’t . I was left throughly unsatisfied.

I feel like this is Joe being predictably unpredictable. He went too far the wrong way. BTW, I find it nearly appalling that people, "read" these books as opposed to experiencing them w/Stephen Pacey's narration. You're missing half of it. Like listening to Zeppelin on your phone w/no headphones in a crowded party w/o smoking first. But yea WOC my least favorite of the trilogy... Trouble w/peace top 5 books ever written.

I hate Leo just as much. The worst guy ever. And then some people act like Savine's just as bad, I don't get that at all. She just had people roughed up sometimes, Leo is a straight up warmonger who isn't even nice to his mom, who did everything for him and his dad. I turned against Leo in book 1 because of how he treated his mom and Rikke, hated him by the end of book 2, and book 3 he became like my most hated villain of all time. I hope him and Jurand don't get together, Jurand's too good for Leo.