u/kaizen-rai

Specifically more about Joe Abercrombie's writing style.

[Edit 3: Putting this at the top. I'm not specifically talking about Glokta's character development, it's just the first example I came across and am using. Please stop with the passive-aggressiveness making fun of me for having a "short attention span", or telling me that tiktok ruined my life, or telling me to take my ADHD meds, or to go back and take 10th grade literature classes for not understanding how characterization works. I've read books before where authors go heavy on exposition and long winded descriptions of irrelevant details, like the wheel of time series. I get that. I'm a retired military member with two teenage children and a busy career. I have very limited time to listen to audiobooks and/or sit down and read and I want to ensure I am investing my time wisely. I don't have the luxury of just spending dozens of hours just to find out his writing style isn't my cup of tea and that's ok. I'm just trying to get opinions and some reviews on the authors writing style. I hope this community isn't as toxic as a few people seem to be.]

Chapter 2 introduces Glokta, and there is a sequence of him walking down the stairs, and his thoughts about... how much is sucks walking down the stairs. And it's a long sequence. Now I was on the audiobook version and it seemed... very long.

Now I had just finished reading a different series by an author with a very different writing style that was much more concise and fast paced. So maybe it's just the abrupt change that got me and I just need to be patient and adjust. But my question is Joe's writing style typically more detailed and descriptive with long sequences of just describing things that the reader could otherwise fill in themselves?

Maybe there is a purpose to spending 10-15 minutes listening to Glokta's internal monologue about how much stairs suck and his character development, and if so that's fine. Just tell me that. But I've started reading books that I just can't finish because the author will spend far too much time describing every aspect of a characters appearance or the environment around them, and it never has a purpose for the story.

So, what are the opinions on Joe's writing style? I'm also aware this is the First Law Trilogy subreddit so the the answers are going to have some bias to them.

Edit: I think I wasn't clear in my post. I'm asking about Joes writing style. Gloktas first chapter is just the example I was using to understand if all the books are going to be a similar style or not. I'm not trying to understand where the author is specifically going with Gloktas character.

Specifically more about Joe Abercrombie's writing style.

I just listened to the first two chapters after finishing up dungeon crawler carl, and maybe it's just a sudden change is writing styles caught me off guard.

In chapter 2 it starts off with a long sequence of the character, Gorka, walking down the stairs. And I mean, looong. I'm doing audiobook and it was about 10-15 minutes of just describing an old mans thoughts about how much it sucks walking down stairs.

I like more concise writing styles where I need every detail of everything meticulously described.

So, is this what the trilogy is going to be like or does it tighten up? I don't want to invest time into the books if they are going to be 40% just being overly descriptive of details I can fill in myself.