Reading Order
First LawThe First Law Trilogy Reading Order
Joe Abercrombie's The Blade Itself (2006) is the first Law trilogy novel — Logen Ninefingers the feared northern barbarian, Sand dan Glokta the crippled torturer, and Jezal dan Luthar the vain young officer, three characters who would seem to belong to different fantasy novels, brought together as the politics of the Union collapse and a barbarian horde prepares to invade. Abercrombie is the major figure in 'grimdark' fantasy — fantasy that subverts the genre's heroic conventions by showing violence realistically, heroes as deeply flawed or outright villains, and the world as morally ambiguous rather than divided into good and evil.
Where to start
The Blade Itself
Complete First Law Book List
- 1Buy
The Blade Itself
Joe Abercrombie·2006·The first Law novel — the setup, introducing all three protagonists and the conflict, ends without resolving its main plot threads. Read as the first of three, not a standalone. - 2Buy
Before They Are Hanged
Joe Abercrombie·2007·The second novel — three separate storylines pursuing the mission into the Old Empire, defending a besieged city, and marching north against the barbarians, the middle volume of the trilogy. - 3Buy
Last Argument of Kings
Joe Abercrombie·2008·The third novel — the conclusion, Bayaz's true agenda revealed, the election of the new king, the twist that retroactively reframes the entire trilogy. The ending is one of the most discussed in recent fantasy. - 4Buy
Best Served Cold
Joe Abercrombie·2009·The first standalone set in the same world — Monza Murcatto's revenge quest through the city-states of Styria, accessible without reading the trilogy but richer for having done so.
First Law — Frequently Asked Questions
What is grimdark fantasy?
Grimdark is a style of fantasy fiction — named from the tagline of Warhammer 40,000 — characterized by morally ambiguous characters and situations, realistic depictions of violence and its consequences, subverted genre tropes (heroes who are not heroic, quests that do not achieve their stated goals, power that corrupts), and a generally pessimistic or cynical worldview. Joe Abercrombie's First Law trilogy is the most commonly cited example. Grimdark emerged partly as a reaction to the epic fantasy tradition of Tolkien and its successors, in which characters tend toward clear moral categories and heroism is rewarded.
What is the reading order for Joe Abercrombie's First Law world?
The First Law trilogy comes first: The Blade Itself (2006), Before They Are Hanged (2007), Last Argument of Kings (2008). Then three standalones set in the same world: Best Served Cold (2009), The Heroes (2011), Red Country (2012). Then the Age of Madness trilogy: A Little Hatred (2019), The Trouble with Peace (2020), The Wisdom of Crowds (2021). The standalones and Age of Madness trilogy can be read without the First Law trilogy but are richer for having read it. The world is also featured in the short story collection Sharp Ends (2016).
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