These are what we call the 'YMMV items.' Things that some people find in this work. We call them 'your mileage might vary' because not everyone sees these things in the same way. This starts discussions in the trope lists, a thing we don't want. Please use the discussion page if you'd like to discuss any of these items.
YMMV: The First Law
Alas, Poor Villain - Strangely enough, one can feel sorry for a lot of these cold-blooded killers. Severard for example.
Some Anvils Need to Be Dropped - It's got alot of sub-messages that usually escape Anti-War books. Supply lines are long, arduous, and rarely efficient. Petty, stupid rivalries on your own side can be far more deadly than the enemy. Sometimes, the most unlikely men are actually courageous, and even then, they rarely receive the glory they deserve. It goes on and on to subvert the stereotypical image of a smoothly-running, well-trained professional army. YMMV, but it's about time someone pointed out that there's a REASON armies rarely rose above forty thousand men before the Industrial Revolution.
Crosses the Line Twice - For the most part the books avoid this, but Best Served Cold provides one example. Despite the tone of the series, it's sarcasm.
Morveer: "What could possibly be more amusing than orphan children sold into slavery?",
Evil Is Sexy - Caurib, Bethod's sorceress, is described as frighteningly beautiful. Tolomei was certainly a looker as well.
Jerkass Woobie - Inquisitor Glokta. He certainly doesn't do much that merits sympathy, but at the same time it's impossible not to pity his broken body and wish him a miraculous recovery, even if it would only serve to make him do horrible things more efficiently.
Terez, a man-hatingRoyal Brat who ends up having become a baby farm for the king to prevent her lover from being tortured to death.
Magnificent Bastard - Nicomo Cosca, famed soldier of fortune, is here for dinner.
Also Bayaz
Glokta seems to be heading this way, judging by Carlot dan Eider's words in Best Served Cold.
One could argue he has always been that.
Narm - Partial subversion, as most of it is played deliberately, to show that real life drama tends to be incredibly melodramatic, even outright senseless most of the time.
