The ‘new leaders’ also hold little knowledge of what to do with their newfound power or even how to run the country. The proud forcefully become humbled, and the poor and lowly suddenly find themselves powerful, yet they also show a capability to deliver the same cruelty that was bestowed upon them by the nobility. This time around I felt the balance hit the exact right spot for me. In my review for The Trouble with Peace I had said that the narrative had leaned more towards the political intrigue side, and even though that was entertaining in its own right, I did miss the action. The past now comes to heads with the future. As our characters face an uncertain future, they must also reflect, even learn from the deeds of the past, the once legends now long buried beneath the mud. Orso finds that being a king has landed him with the worst possible fate, and in the North, Rikke faces a battle all of her own as Black Calder plots his revenge. Leo Dan Brock, beloved by many, seeks to be the hero for the new age, and Savine must turn her talents for business into talents of survival, she must truly become ‘the darling of the slums’.

Yet there are those who find opportunities amongst the ruin. The Age of Madness certainly reflects all that this book stands for. Anyone with wealth and prosperity are brought under a knife’s edge and they must either willingly denounce their status or face a long fall from grace. Much like during The French Revolution, the time of Social Revolution has finally come and the oppressors have become the oppressed.

On the cover of my ARC the words Chaos, Fury and Destruction dominate, and these are apt words, civil war ravages throughout the lands and the ‘Great Change’ is fully upon the citizens of the Union, for better or worse. Before I began this book I was apprehensive about what kind of ending these beloved characters would meet, but I needn’t have feared, say one thing for Abercrombie, say he knows how to create a show-stopping finale!

The Wisdom of Crowds by Joe Abercrombie is the last book in the Age of Madness trilogy, and for now at least, marks the end of our time within the world of the First Law. ‘Wisdom is not a premium, madness is the fashion, the balance sheets are all torn up and the friends that were assets have become liabilities.’ Vic kept walking, ‘Threats for tomorrow don’t cut very deep when today is so damn threatening.’ Please note this review will contain spoilers for A Little Hatred and The Trouble with Peace, but it is spoiler free for The Wisdom of Crowds.

The wisdom of crowds by joe abercrombie