Series: The Age of Madness #3
Release Date: September 14th 2021
Pages: 560
Publisher: Gollancz
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis

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…

Review

The Wisdom of Crowds is the third and final installment in Joe Abercrombie’s The Age of Madness series. Picking up after the events of The Trouble With Peace, this story is full to the brim with chaos and revolution. A magnificent conclusion to an incredibly gripping trilogy, this final book was everything I wanted and more.

Joe Abercrombie is one of my favourite authors and going into this book I had the highest of expectations, but even with that Abercrombie still managed to blow me away. Abercrombie does a brilliant job of wrapping things up and creates a heart pounding finale that I did not want to look away from.

I won’t say much about the plot as it is the third book in the series but there is an excellent mix of action and political intrigue in the story. Abercombie has a real knack for writing dynamic and engaging battle scenes. The Wisdom of Crowds is the kind of book that hooks you in from that very first page and doesn’t let you go till the very end.

The Age of Madness trilogy has felt like a fresh prospective on the typical fantasy story and Abercrombie has created some truly incredible characters. There are so many complex and fascinating characters but throughout the series Rikke and Savine have been my favourites. This has been such a compelling trilogy and The Wisdom of Crowds is an absolute must read. Though I am sad to see the series completed, I cannot wait to see what Joe Abercrombie writes next.