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  • Best Served Cold

  • Written by: Joe Abercrombie
  • Narrated by: Steven Pacey
  • Length: 26 hrs and 28 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (622 ratings)

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Best Served Cold cover art

Best Served Cold

Written by: Joe Abercrombie
Narrated by: Steven Pacey
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Publisher's Summary

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.

©2010 Joe Abercrombie (P)2010 Orion Publishing Group Limited

What listeners say about Best Served Cold

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I LOVE the narrator.

Steven Pacey truly does put on a performance. Best voices, unique for all characters, doesn't just narrate either, he performs.

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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one of the best narrations ever

great story, phenomenal narrating. This has been my favourite Joe Abercrombie book so far. the characters have a ton of depth and grow throughout the story.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent

Excellent novel. Loved hearing more of Styria and the adventures that take place there. Steven Paceys narration is a 10/10 as always. Highly recommend.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Masterful writing and an amazing performance!

Joe's amazing utilization of the English language paints every scene, colors every moment and breathes life into every character!

Pacey's performance is amazing! You can feel every characters shift in temperament and ever conversation has excellent flow. A really great story!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Story

Excellent story with good character development of the main characters. The narration is so well done!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent book!

Joe's books are masterful, the kind of dark, realistic fantasy books that immerse you in the grit and glory of it all. The narration was also excellent.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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The best revenge story, and First Law story!

For some reason I always don't get excited about stand alone books after reading a trilogy(when they are all in the same world).
This book will always remind me not to think like that.(And all the First Law stand alone for that matter.) Maybe its because of how invested I am in the world/characters after reading a trilogy, but damn if I don't think these ones are even better!! And this one... i'm pretty sure... this one... is THE BEST.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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A great revenge story

This was another excellent work by Abercrombie. A fun and engaging revenge story set in not-Italy. I recommend this read.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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The Characters

Shivers is no doubt one of the greatest characters in fantasy, and the supporting cast are all both witty, intelligent, and funny. Makato's arch is brilliant, and the push and pull relationship between her and Shivers is truly spectacular, and leads to an incredible conclusion.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Abercrombie continues to be brilliant

The First Law trilogy narrated by Steven Pacey was magnificent, and it quickly became my favourite series. Abercrombie's character writing is a master class and should be the subject of study for aspiring writers.

And with all that said, I think I may even enjoy Best Served Cold even more than the original trilogy. The story is tight with a sense of solid direction, filled with tension, moral dilemmas, and well written character progression. Steven Pacey absolutely nails the performance here, making every character feel unique and distinct.

I would recommend this to anyone and everyone.

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