War is a messy business. Not the "shining armor and noble sacrifice" kind of messy you see in most high fantasy, but the "slipping in the mud on your own friend's guts" kind of messy. If you've spent any time in the grimdark trenches, you know Joe Abercrombie is basically the reigning king of that second category.
Released back in 2011, The Heroes remains arguably the tightest, most visceral exploration of combat ever put to paper. It’s a standalone novel set in his First Law world, but honestly, it feels more like a 600-page heart attack.
While the original trilogy was a sprawling epic, and Best Served Cold was a blood-soaked heist, The Heroes narrows the lens. It covers just three days. One hill. Two armies. Thousands of people who would mostly rather be anywhere else.
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The Hill Nobody Actually Wants
The plot is deceptively simple. The Union—think 18th-century British aesthetics with more bureaucracy—is trying to stomp out the Northmen. The two forces converge on a seemingly worthless patch of land featuring a circle of ancient stones called "The Heroes."
Why? Because the other side wants it. That's pretty much it.
A Cast of Beautiful Disasters
Abercrombie doesn't do "good guys." He does people who are tired, people who are ambitious, and people who are just plain mean. In The Heroes, he cycles through a massive cast of POV characters that give us a 360-degree view of the carnage.
- Bremer dan Gorst: A disgraced officer with a high-pitched voice and a terrifying capacity for violence. His internal monologue is a masterpiece of self-loathing and repressed rage.
- Prince Calder: The son of a dead king who is openly a coward. He’s the smartest guy in the room, which makes everyone else want to kill him.
- Curnden Craw: An old veteran who just wants to do the "straight" thing in a world that has gone completely crooked.
- Finree dan Brock: An ambitious noblewoman trying to navigate a military command structure that views her as an ornament.
You've also got Beck, a farm boy who thinks war is going to be glorious until the first person dies in front of him. It’s a brutal deconstruction of the "hero's journey" that makes most other coming-of-age stories look like fairy tales.
That One Chapter (You Know the One)
If you talk to anyone who has read The Heroes, they’ll eventually bring up a chapter titled "Casualties." It’s a technical marvel.
The perspective starts with one soldier, follows them until they are killed, then immediately jumps to the person who killed them. Then it follows that person until they die, jumping again. It creates this terrifying, seamless chain of death that illustrates the total randomness of the battlefield.
It’s not just clever writing. It’s a statement. In this book, your backstory, your hopes, and your "main character energy" don't save you from a stray spear or a trip in the mud.
Why The Heroes Still Hits Different
Most fantasy books treat war like a backdrop for magic. Here, the magic is mostly in the background, represented by the shadowy, puppet-mastering First Magi, Bayaz.
The real focus is on the logistics. The boredom. The way men talk to each other when they think they’re going to die tomorrow. Abercrombie’s dialogue is famously sharp—it’s funny, cynical, and feels like actual humans talking, even when they’re talking about splitting skulls.
The Myth of Progress
One of the most sobering things about The Heroes is the ending. (No spoilers, but let's be real—it’s Abercrombie).
By the time the dust settles and the bodies are being counted, you’re forced to ask: What actually changed? The map might look a little different, but the same cycles of violence and the same power-hungry people are still running the show.
It’s a cynical take, sure. But it’s also incredibly honest. It acknowledges that "winning" a war often just means surviving it with a few more scars than you started with.
How to Approach This Book
If you’re new to the First Law world, you can read this as a standalone. It works. The story is self-contained within that three-day battle.
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However, you’ll get a lot more out of it if you’ve read the original trilogy and Best Served Cold. Seeing characters like Caul Shivers or the Dogman through the eyes of others adds layers of context that make their actions way more impactful.
Actionable Next Steps for Readers:
- Check the Map: The book includes maps of the battlefield for each of the three days. Refer to them. It helps you track the tactical shifts that Abercrombie describes so meticulously.
- Listen to the Audiobook: If you’re a fan of audio, Steven Pacey’s narration of the First Law series is widely considered the gold standard. His voice for Bremer dan Gorst is life-changing.
- Look for the Parallels: Pay attention to how the Union officers and the Northmen "Named Men" mirror each other. Despite the different cultures, the petty politics and the fear are identical.
- Read "The Fool Jobs": This is a short story found in the Sharp Ends collection. It features Curnden Craw and his "dozen" before the events of The Heroes and gives you a great feel for their dynamic.
Ultimately, The Heroes isn't just a book about a battle. It’s a book about the stories we tell ourselves to justify the terrible things we do. It’s grim, it’s bloody, and it’s arguably the best thing Joe Abercrombie has ever written.