From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. This blood-drenched, thought-provoking dissection of a three-day battle is set in the same world as Abercrombie's First Law Trilogy (The Blade Itself, etc.), but stands very well alone. Union commander Lord Marshal Kroy coordinates the fight with the aid of a motley group of incompetent, self-important officers. The strangely sympathetic Col. Bremer dan Gorst is officially a royal observer who nurses a burning desire to kill or be killed. Leading a much smaller army against the Union is Black Dow, whose grip on the throne of the Northmen is tenuous and based on fear and brutality. Calder, a slippery and cunning egotist, advocates peace while plotting to take Black Dow's place. Abercrombie never glosses over a moment of the madness, passion, and horror of war, nor the tribulations that turn ordinary people into the titular heroes. (Feb.)
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Review

"The Heroes is an indictment of war and the duplicity that corrupts men striving for total power: bloody and violent, but never gratuitously so, it's imbued with cutting humour, acute characterisation and world-weary wisdom about the weaknesses of the human race. Brilliant." -- Eric Brown THE GUARDIAN "An action-packed novel full of brutality, black-humour and razor sharp characterisation." -- Dave Bradley SFX "The Heroes is the first major fantasy release of 2011, and it looks like the new year is already off to a cracking start. The Heroes is Joe Abercrombie doing what he does best but better than ever before: gritty, violent, morally ambiguous and darkly funny fantasy with a streak of intelligent cynicism." THE WERTZONE "A well-constructed, absorbing war novel that returns to a familiar stamping ground. There's satisfying character development, exploration of the ironies of war, and of course plenty of blood and treachery, all delivered with Abercrombie's trademark wry humour." SPECULATIVE HORIZONS "Abercrombie's take on fantasy has always been dark, almost nihilistic, yet shot through with black humour. The deliberate irony of the title of this book is that he does not write about heroes, he writes about ordinary people thrust in to extraordinary situations who seldom, if ever, acquit themselves heroically. Highly recommended both for fantasy readers and lovers of Cornwell and Iggulden." BOOK GEEKS "Abercrombie has quickly risen to the top ranks of heroic fantasy. This novel, a stand-alone epic that doesn't require you to have read his others, makes it abundantly clear why. Even among writers known for doing fine characterization, Abercrombie's approach is strikingly effective and not quite like anyone else's." SF REVIEWS "The Heroes redoubles my belief in Mr. Abercrombie's talents. He approaches fantasy from new angles with creative ideas that are phenomenally well-executed. He adeptly juggles handfuls of brilliant, provocative, entertaining and empathetic characters, and encourages the reader to see the world through their (clouded) eyes rather than his own. The First Law was great, Best Served Cold was brilliant and The Heroes is truly masterful." PORNOKITSCH "For me this will be in the top 5 Fantasy Novels of 2011 without a doubt. If you have read Abercrombie's work before I have little doubt you will find this his best release to date... The fight scenes are sharper, pointier and more realistic. There is better character development. And finally, the narration is darker, grittier and even more seamless than ever. For a standalone novel to achieve so much is simply incredible... a true testament to the skills of Abercrombie." FANTASY FACTION