Audiobook Sample

Listen to the sample to experience the story.

Please wait while we verify your browser...

Hello fellow travelers and story-seekers, Marcus Rivera here. As someone who’s spent years chasing stories across deserts and dinner tables alike, I’m thrilled to share my thoughts on this remarkable audiobook experience with you.

There’s a particular magic that happens when a great narrator brings a textured fantasy world to life. Steven Pacey’s performance of Joe Abercrombie’s ‘Before They Are Hanged’ reminds me of those long nights in Oaxaca, where stories weren’t just told but performed with every fiber of the teller’s being. The way Pacey inhabits each character – from Glokta’s pained wheezing to Logen’s gruff introspection – transforms this already compelling narrative into something truly special.

Listening to this second installment of The First Law Trilogy while driving through the winding roads of the Andes last month, I was struck by how Abercrombie’s gritty world mirrored the harsh, beautiful landscapes outside my window. The audiobook’s depiction of the Northmen’s campaign particularly resonated – Pacey’s delivery of battle scenes had me gripping the steering wheel as if I were in the shield wall myself. His ability to capture the dark humor amidst brutality is unmatched; I found myself laughing aloud at exchanges I might have skimmed in print.

What makes this audiobook exceptional is how Pacey enhances Abercrombie’s already vivid character work. Each member of Bayaz’s ill-fated expedition comes through with distinct vocal mannerisms – I could recognize Ferro’s sneer or Jezal’s privileged whine with my eyes closed. The narration adds layers to Glokta’s internal monologues that print simply can’t convey – the pauses between thoughts, the subtle shifts in tone that reveal his crumbling facade.

The audiobook format particularly serves Abercrombie’s strengths: his mastery of dialogue and character voice. Pacey’s performance amplifies these qualities, making the political machinations in the Union and the brutal survivalism in the North feel immediate and visceral. I found myself taking the long way to destinations just to keep listening, much like I did years ago with ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ in the Atacama.

While the grimdark tone won’t be for everyone, Pacey’s narration finds surprising warmth in unexpected places – a shared joke between soldiers, a rare moment of vulnerability between rivals. The audio experience adds texture to Abercrombie’s world-building too; you can almost hear the creak of Angland’s frozen trees or smell the rot in Dagoska’s streets.

If I had one critique, it’s that some listeners might find the unrelenting bleakness challenging in audio format – there’s no skimming past the darker moments here. But for those willing to sit with the discomfort, it’s a masterclass in immersive fantasy storytelling. Compared to other fantasy audiobooks I’ve experienced, Pacey’s work here stands with the best – his performance is to Abercrombie’s writing what a perfect mole sauce is to Oaxacan cuisine: complex, layered, and impossible to experience properly through description alone.

As I sign off from a small café in Bogotá, where the rain against the windows could easily be mistaken for a northern storm in Angland, I’ll leave you with this: some stories are meant to be heard, not just read. ‘Before They Are Hanged’ is one of them. Until our next literary adventure, keep listening deeply and traveling widely. – Marcus
Marcus Rivera