Before They Are Hanged
How do you defend a city surrounded by enemies and riddled with traitors, when your allies can by no means be trusted, and your predecessor vanished without a trace? It’s enough to make a torturer want to run – if he could even walk without a stick – and Inquisitor Glokta needs to find answers before the Gurkish army comes knocking at the gates.
Northmen have spilled over the Angland border and are spreading fire and death across the frozen country. Crown Prince Ladisla is poised to drive them back and win undying glory. There is only one problem: he commands the worst-armed, worst-trained and worst-led army in the world.
And Bayaz, the First of the Magi, is leading a party of bold adventurers on a perilous mission through the ruins of the past. The most hated woman in the South, the most feared man in the North, and the most selfish boy in the Union make a strange alliance, but a deadly one. They might even stand a chance of saving mankind from the Eaters. If they didn't hate each other quite so much.
Ancient secrets will be uncovered. Bloody battles will be won and lost. Bitter enemies will be forgiven – but not before they are hanged.
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Joe Abercrombie
In the grimy taverns and blood-soaked battlefields of modern fantasy, Joe Abercrombie’s name is spoken with equal parts awe and amusement. Known for dragging epic fantasy out of its shining armor and into the mud, Abercrombie has built a reputation for turning genre conventions on their heads—then lopping those heads clean off.
Born in Lancaster, England in 1974, Abercrombie didn’t set out to be the crown prince of grimdark fiction. He studied psychology at Manchester University, worked as a freelance film editor, and quietly began drafting a story filled with flawed warriors, crooked politics, and sharp tongues. That story became The Blade Itself, the first book in The First Law trilogy—a debut that landed with a thud, a cheer, and the metallic ring of steel meeting steel. From there, the world of Logen Ninefingers, Glokta, and Jezal dan Luthar took on a life of its own, where even the heroes are liars, cowards, or worse—and the villains are often more honest.
The First Law Trilogy
The First Law Trilogy consists of three books. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
Main series World of the First Law
Reviews and Comments
Abercrombie redeems the promise set by the first part of the First Law trilogy and delivers a rocking sequel that ranks very high on my personal list. (It won't stand alone so before grabbing it from the bookstore, check out The Blade Itself.) It's fast, funny, dark and refreshingly original. The interesting characters evolved even more, the plot twists left my socks spinning and the cruel..ish humor made me first laugh out loud, then blush in embarrassement and then chuckle once more. But as much as I loved it, I must say the younger audience and more sensitive souls might be better off skipping it. The story left me biting my nails, waiting for the day the third book would drop in my mail box and thinking seriously about starting a Glokta fan club.