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The Wisdom of Crowds

The Age of Madness (Book 3)

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What to expect

Concluding the AGE OF MADNESS trilogy, THE WISDOM OF CROWDS brings the series which is revolutionising fantasy to its stunning conclusion. . .

Chaos. Fury. Destruction.
The Great Change is upon us . . .
Some say that to change the world you must first burn it down. Now that belief will be tested in the crucible of revolution: the Breakers and Burners have seized the levers of power, the smoke of riots has replaced the smog of industry, and all must submit to the wisdom of crowds.

With nothing left to lose, Citizen Brock is determined to become a new hero for the new age, while Citizeness Savine must turn her talents from profit to survival before she can claw her way to redemption. Orso will find that when the world is turned upside down, no one is lower than a monarch. And in the bloody North, Rikke and her fragile Protectorate are running out of allies . . . while Black Calder gathers his forces and plots his vengeance.
The banks have fallen, the sun of the Union has been torn down, and in the darkness behind the scenes, the threads of the Weaver's ruthless plan are slowly being drawn together . . .

Critics Review

In book three of this dazzlingly gruesome and gripping cycle, Joe Abercrombie does politics much as he handles everything else: with a clear-eyed understanding of the limits of human kindness and the banal depths of evil.
Daily Mail
Joe Abercrombie is doing some terrific work
George R. R. Martin
No one writes with the seismic scope or primal intensity of Joe Abercrombie
Pierce Brown
Delightfully twisted and evil
The Guardian
Witty, Bloody and fun
Nicholas Eames
A vivid and jolting tale
Robin Hobb
I had a blast with this trilogy.
Fantasy Inn
Bravo, Joe Abercrombie; the bar for grimdark fantasy has been raised again. And you, Lord Grimdark, remain absolute as one of the greatest fantasy authors of all time
Novel Notions
A cutting satire of political revolution with wonderfully dark humor and a grim mess of an outcome that will leave you wanting more. 9 out of 10.
Fantasy Book Review
The Wisdom of Crowds is Abercrombie at his best. It's fun, it's engrossing, it's brutal on its characters in all the best ways, and it's just a damned enjoyable way to spend a few days glued to the pages of a book
Grimdark Magazine
Thoroughly recommended - a definite book of the year
SFF World
This is not just your average good third volume of a decent fantasy trilogy; this is the stunningly ambitious final section of what was clearly originally conceived and planned as a single, unified work of art. Not only do the plotlines, themes and narrative devices of the trilogy cohere into a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts but they also speak to a second age of madness: the one we currently live in.
ParSec Magazine
Bloodily brilliant...This is fantasy as it should be, with blood, guts and broken bones felt on every page.
The Sun

User Reviews

Book 5.0
Narration 5.0
Author Joe Abercrombie
Narrator Steven Pacey
Series The Age of Madness
Duration 23 hours and 37 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781473228535
Format Audiobook
Publisher Orion
Genre Fantasy
Availability AU, GB, IE
Rating
5.0 (4 reviews)
Narration
5.0 (4 reviews)

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