A Little Hatred

A Little Hatred, the first installment of Joe Abercrombie's Age of Madness trilogy, follows several protagonists across a fantasy realm called the Circle of the World as war erupts in the North, revolution convulses an industrial city, and ambitions collide in the corridors of power.

In the northern wilderness, Rikke, daughter of the Dogman, Chieftain of the city of Uffrith, suffers a seizure at ancient standing stones while the hillwoman Isern-i-Phail tests whether she possesses the Long Eye, a rare gift of prophetic sight. Rikke sees Uffrith burning and a cryptic sequence: a wolf eats the sun, a lion eats the wolf, a lamb eats the lion, and an owl eats the lamb. Returning home, they learn that Stour Nightfall, a young warrior known as the Great Wolf, is invading the Dogman's territory at the behest of his father, Black Calder, the true power behind King Scale Ironhand of the Northmen. Isern kills two of the scouts and finishes a third whom Rikke wounds with an arrow. They emerge from the trees to see Uffrith in flames, confirming Rikke's vision.

In the province of Angland, Leo dan Brock, called the Young Lion, leads a reckless cavalry charge against Northmen raiders. His mother, Lady Governor Finree dan Brock, commands Angland's defense while the Union government delays reinforcements. She rebukes Leo, reveals his friend Ritter died in the charge, and orders a retreat to lure the enemy into overextending.

Rikke and Isern flee through freezing wilderness for weeks, hunted by Nightfall's men. Hiding under a riverbank, Rikke overhears Nightfall describe the tortures he plans for her. The aging warrior Jonas Clover and Black Calder's second, Wonderful, both assigned to restrain Nightfall, express private disgust. Rikke vows vengeance. During a later chase, her Long Eye opens fully: She perceives an arrow's trajectory and deflects it with her fingertip, saving Isern's life. Caul Shivers, a fearsome warrior loyal to the Dogman, rescues them.

In the capital city of Adua, Savine dan Glokta operates as a ruthless investor, the daughter of Arch Lector Glokta, head of the Inquisition and the most feared man in the Union. She dominates the business world through blackmail and social manipulation, aided by her companion Zuri. At a gathering of investors, Yoru Sulfur hints that his master, the legendary wizard Bayaz, wishes to meet her.

Crown Prince Orso, the dissolute heir to the throne, watches the execution of three Breakers, members of an outlawed group demanding workers' rights. He sympathizes privately but does nothing. It is revealed that Orso and Savine are secret lovers with deeper feelings simmering beneath a casual surface.

Victarine dan Teufel, known as Vick, grew up in the Union's prison camps after her father was taken by the Inquisition. Working undercover for Glokta, she infiltrates a Breaker cell planning to bomb a foundry with Gurkish Fire, an explosive linked to a mysterious revolutionary called the Weaver in the industrial city of Valbeck. When the Inquisition springs its trap, the cell's leader, Collem Sibalt, with whom Vick has formed a genuine bond, kills himself rather than be captured. Glokta sends Vick to Valbeck to trace the Weaver.

Rikke arrives at the Union camp and begins a turbulent romance with Leo. During a fit, she sees a lion and a wolf fight in a circle of blood: The wolf has the upper hand, but the lion wins. Leo wonders if he is the lion.

Gunnar Broad, a massive war veteran, returns to find his family's livelihood destroyed by a nobleman who fenced in common land. After killing three thugs in an eruption of violence he cannot control, he flees with his wife Liddy and daughter May to Valbeck, where poverty and injustice push him toward the Breakers.

Orso persuades King Jezal, his father, to let him lead a Northern expedition, but the government lacks troops and money. Savine offers to fund him without conditions, realizing afterward that she is in love with him.

Savine travels to Valbeck to inspect her textile mill, accompanied by Vick. She discovers one shed staffed by purchased orphan children and, though disturbed, rationalizes the practice. When armed workers storm the mill, Savine barely escapes and stumbles through a city consumed by mobs, hangings, and burning buildings. She is rescued by Broad, whose daughter May deduces her identity and negotiates a deal: the family's safety in exchange for silence.

Vick discovers that Superior Risinau, Valbeck's head of the Inquisition, is the Weaver orchestrating the uprising alongside Judge, a deranged woman leading the extreme Burners, who want destruction rather than reform. Vick sends word to Glokta and stays to manage the crisis.

The Closed Council, the Union's secretive ruling body, redirects Orso's troops to Valbeck. Without reinforcements in Angland, Finree sets a trap for Nightfall at a valley near Red Hill. On the morning of battle, Rikke's Long Eye reveals Black Calder's forces flanking the Dogman's position, preventing total surprise but leaving the plan in tatters. Leo leads a devastating cavalry charge that drives the Northmen back, though his friend Barniva is killed. Stour challenges Leo to single combat. Leo, burning with grief, accepts.

Orso surrounds Valbeck and negotiates the Breakers' surrender, offering amnesty for hostages and weapons. Savine reveals herself as the city opens. Overwhelmed, Orso proposes marriage. Savine pulls him into a passionate reunion but gives no verbal answer. The next morning, Orso discovers that Superior Pike, acting on Glokta's orders, has executed 200 Breaker leaders, betraying the amnesty. He is devastated by his powerlessness.

In the duel, Stour proves the superior swordsman, cutting Leo repeatedly. Rikke forces her Long Eye open, perceives Stour's next swing, and screams for Leo to drop. He does, chopping into Stour's thigh and battering him down. The crowd chants for a killing blow, but Leo drives both swords into the turf beside Stour's head, sparing him.

Rikke is furious; she swore to see Nightfall dead for his destruction of Uffrith. Leo argues he is building an alliance with the future Northern king and refuses to credit Rikke's Long Eye for saving him. Their relationship fractures.

Savine returns to Adua intending to accept Orso's proposal, but her mother, Ardee, reveals a devastating secret: before Jezal was king, he and Ardee were lovers. Savine is Jezal's biological daughter, making Orso her half-brother. Revolted, Savine sends Orso a curt rejection. At a ball celebrating Leo's triumph, she recklessly pursues Leo, while Orso and Rikke bond over shared rejection and spend the night together.

Three nobles of the Open Council, the Union's legislative body, court Leo as their champion against the Closed Council. Savine employs Broad as an enforcer and reasserts control of her business. Her father warns her to refuse any approach from Bayaz, hinting that as the king's eldest child she is both valuable and vulnerable.

In the first epilogue, Stour invites King Scale to a feast and, without warning, stabs him in the neck while his followers slaughter the king's warriors. He demands Clover prove loyalty by killing Wonderful. Clover obeys without hesitation. Stour declares himself King of the Northmen, shocking even his father.

At Leo's triumph through Adua, Rikke suffers a vision of an old chieftain dead in a high hall. Certain the dead man is her father, she races north. In the final scene, Orso is woken to find King Jezal dead in bed. Bayaz, the First of the Magi, smiles and declares the new king. Orso, alone and unprepared, is now High King of the Union. The story continues in The Trouble with Peace.