Collected together for the first time, here are the three hard-hitting standalone novels set in the world of Joe Abercrombie's bestselling FIRST LAW trilogy. BEST SERVED COLD: War may be hell but for Monza Murcatto, the Snake of Talins, the most feared and famous mercenary in Duke Orso's employ, it's a damn good way of making money too. Her victories have made her popular - a shade too popular for her employer's taste. Betrayed, thrown down a mountain and left for dead, Murcatto's reward is a broken body and a burning hunger for vengeance. Whatever the cost, seven men must die. THE HEROES: Over three bloody days of battle, the fate of the North will be decided. But with both sides riddled by intrigues, follies, feuds and petty jealousies, it is unlikely to be the noblest hearts, or even the strongest arms that prevail. Three men. One battle. No Heroes. RED COUNTRY: Shy South hoped to bury her bloody past and ride away smiling, but she'll have to sharpen up some bad old ways to get her family back, and she's not a woman to flinch from what needs doing. She sets off in pursuit off her family's killers with only a pair of oxen and her cowardly old stepfather Lamb for company. But it turns out Lamb's buried a bloody past of his own, and out in the lawless Far Country, the past never stays buried.
Collected together for the first time, here are the three hard-hitting standalone novels set in the world of Joe Abercrombie's bestselling FIRST LAW trilogy. BEST SERVED COLD: War may be hell but for Monza Murcatto, the Snake of Talins, the most feared and famous mercenary in Duke Orso's employ, it's a damn good way of making money too. Her victories have made her popular - a shade too popular for her employer's taste. Betrayed, thrown down a mountain and left for dead, Murcatto's reward is a broken body and a burning hunger for vengeance. Whatever the cost, seven men must die. THE HEROES: Over three bloody days of battle, the fate of the North will be decided. But with both sides riddled by intrigues, follies, feuds and petty jealousies, it is unlikely to be the noblest hearts, or even the strongest arms that prevail. Three men. One battle. No Heroes. RED COUNTRY: Shy South hoped to bury her bloody past and ride away smiling, but she'll have to sharpen up some bad old ways to get her family back, and she's not a woman to flinch from what needs doing. She sets off in pursuit off her family's killers with only a pair of oxen and her cowardly old stepfather Lamb for company. But it turns out Lamb's buried a bloody past of his own, and out in the lawless Far Country, the past never stays buried.
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First Law World
First Law World
47 books in catalog
Epic fantasy literature received a distinct infusion of moral ambiguity, visceral action, and dark humor with the publication of The First Law trilogy. Written by British novelist and film editor Joseph Edward Abercrombie, these gritty narratives subvert traditional heroic tropes by focusing on cynical, complex characters navigating messy political conflicts. His expanded fantasy universe and young adult works, including the award-winning novel Half a King, offer grounded perspectives where noble intentions rarely yield clean outcomes.
Born in Lancaster, England, on December 31, 1974, Joseph Edward Abercrombie attended Lancaster Royal Grammar School before studying psychology at the University of Manchester. After moving to London, he worked in television production as a freelance film editor before embarking on a career in fiction writing. Drawing on his early interests in cartography and gaming, he began drafting his debut novel, The Blade Itself, in his mid-twenties. Published in 2006, the book was shortlisted for the Compton Crook Award and launched The First Law trilogy, which continued with Before They Are Hanged (2007) and Last Argument of Kings (2008). He later expanded this setting with standalone fantasy novels and The Age of Madness trilogy, while also entering young adult fiction with the Shattered Sea trilogy.
Abercrombie's writing is distinguished by its sharp wit, dark humor, and unvarnished portrayal of violence and power dynamics. Rather than presenting clear distinctions between good and evil, his narratives center on morally complex figures whose personal flaws and cynical viewpoints drive the story. His background as a film editor informs his dynamic pacing and vivid scene construction, allowing intricate multi-character plotlines to unfold fluidly across war zones and political courts. Recurring themes across his bibliography include the corrupting influence of authority, the cyclical nature of violence, and the personal cost of survival.
47 books in catalog
Epic fantasy literature received a distinct infusion of moral ambiguity, visceral action, and dark humor with the publication of The First Law trilogy. Written by British novelist and film editor Joseph Edward Abercrombie, these gritty narratives subvert traditional heroic tropes by focusing on cynical, complex characters navigating messy political conflicts. His expanded fantasy universe and young adult works, including the award-winning novel Half a King, offer grounded perspectives where noble intentions rarely yield clean outcomes.
Born in Lancaster, England, on December 31, 1974, Joseph Edward Abercrombie attended Lancaster Royal Grammar School before studying psychology at the University of Manchester. After moving to London, he worked in television production as a freelance film editor before embarking on a career in fiction writing. Drawing on his early interests in cartography and gaming, he began drafting his debut novel, The Blade Itself, in his mid-twenties. Published in 2006, the book was shortlisted for the Compton Crook Award and launched The First Law trilogy, which continued with Before They Are Hanged (2007) and Last Argument of Kings (2008). He later expanded this setting with standalone fantasy novels and The Age of Madness trilogy, while also entering young adult fiction with the Shattered Sea trilogy.
Abercrombie's writing is distinguished by its sharp wit, dark humor, and unvarnished portrayal of violence and power dynamics. Rather than presenting clear distinctions between good and evil, his narratives center on morally complex figures whose personal flaws and cynical viewpoints drive the story. His background as a film editor informs his dynamic pacing and vivid scene construction, allowing intricate multi-character plotlines to unfold fluidly across war zones and political courts. Recurring themes across his bibliography include the corrupting influence of authority, the cyclical nature of violence, and the personal cost of survival.
