Joseph Edward Abercrombie is a British fantasy writer and film editor. He is the author of The First Law trilogy, as well as other fantasy books in the same setting and a trilogy of young adult novels. His novel Half a King won the 2015 Locus Award for best young adult book.
Series by Joe Abercrombie
The Age of Madness
4 books · ★★★★★ ★★★★★ 4.53
The First Law
3 books · ★★★★★ ★★★★★ 4.30
First Law World
3 books · ★★★★★ ★★★★★ 4.34
Shattered Sea
3 books · ★★★★★ ★★★★★ 4.08
World of the First Law
1 book · ★★★★★ ★★★★★ 4.12
The Tainted
1 book
Similar Authors
Books by Joe Abercrombie
The Wisdom of Crowds
The Age of Madness #3
The revolution has swept through Adua, overturning the old order and installing a new, brutal regime. King Orso, a priso… The revolution has swept through Adua, overturning the old order and installing a new, brutal regime. King Orso, a prisoner of the mob, must navigate treacherous political currents to survive, while Empress Savine plots to reclaim her throne through any means necessary. In the North, the fiercely independent Rikke faces her own battles, struggling to unite her people against encroaching threats and the ghosts of the past. As the Common Folk demand a reckoning and the powerful seek to restore their dominance, the fate of the entire Union hangs in a bloody balance. This is a world where ambition clashes with idealism, and the price of progress might just be total destruction.
The Trouble With Peace
The Age of Madness #2
CONSPIRACY. BETRAYAL. REBELLION. PEACE IS JUST ANOTHER KIND OF BATTLEFIELD . . . 'Nimble, brutal and hilarious' Daily Ma… CONSPIRACY. BETRAYAL. REBELLION. PEACE IS JUST ANOTHER KIND OF BATTLEFIELD . . . 'Nimble, brutal and hilarious' Daily Mail 'Will leave fans begging for more' Starburst * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Unrest worms into every layer of society. The Breakers lurk in the shadows, plotting to free the common man from his shackles, while yesterday's heroes nurse grievances and noblemen bicker for their own advantage. The King of the Union struggles to find a safe path through the maze of knives that is politics, only to see his enemies, and his debts, multiply. The old ways are being swept aside, but those who would seize the reins of power will find no alliance, no friendship, and no peace, lasts forever. Second in the AGE OF MADNESS trilogy, THE TROUBLE WITH PEACE is the next instalment of a series which is revolutionising fantasy . . . * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 'A breakneck- speed fantasy book that brings in all the elements of a political thriller, action romp and reflective memoir. Job well done' The Sun 'Joe Abercrombie is a master of the genre' Lev Grossman 'It's smart. It's witty. This is an absolutely top-notch work of fantasy' Sci-Fi and Fantasy Reviews 'The Trouble with Peace mauls expectations to serve up a sublime sequel that's even better than it's showstopper of a predecessor' Novel Notions 'Effortlessly brilliant' The Bookbeard's Blog 'I had insanely high expectations for the sequel. But The Trouble with Peace met pretty much all of them' The Fantasy Inn
Last Argument of Kings
The First Law #3
The King of the Union lies on his deathbed, the peasants revolt, and the nobles scramble to steal his crown. No one beli… The King of the Union lies on his deathbed, the peasants revolt, and the nobles scramble to steal his crown. No one believes that the shadow of war is about to fall across the heart of the Union. Only the First of the Magi can save the world, but there are risks.
A Little Hatred
The Age of Madness #1
WAR. POLITICS. REVOLUTION. THE AGE OF MADNESS HAS ARRIVED . . . On the battlefields of the North, the next generation of… WAR. POLITICS. REVOLUTION. THE AGE OF MADNESS HAS ARRIVED . . . On the battlefields of the North, the next generation of would-be heroes rushes to make the same bloody mistakes as the last. While the age of the machine dawns, the age of magic refuses to die. One might glimpse the future, through the curse of the Long Eye, but changing it is another matter altogether. The chimneys of industry rise, the cities seethe with opportunity, and even kings must kneel before the new power of the banks. But in the slums, anger is brewing, and soon it will boil over with a rage that all the money in the world cannot control . . . Introducing a cast of unforgettable new characters, A LITTLE HATRED begins a new First Law trilogy which will have you gripped from the very start ... * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 'Crammed with characters and detail, the intricately woven story never slackens its merciless grip' Daily Mail 'A masterpiece of fantasy fiction' Starburst 'Could scratch an itch for anyone missing Game of Thrones' Den of Geek 'One of Abercrombie's best books yet' SFX 'Will keep you up long after bedtime' The Sun
The Heroes
First Law World
They say Black Dow's killed more men than winter, and clawed his way to the throne of the North up a hill of skulls. The… They say Black Dow's killed more men than winter, and clawed his way to the throne of the North up a hill of skulls. The King of the Union, ever a jealous neighbour, is not about to stand smiling by while he claws his way any higher. The orders have been given and the armies are toiling through the northern mud. Thousands of men are converging on a forgotten ring of stones, on a worthless hill, in an unimportant valley, and they've brought a lot of sharpened metal with them. Bremer dan Gorst, disgraced master swordsman, has sworn to reclaim his stolen honour on the battlefield. Obsessed with redemption and addicted to violence, he's far past caring how much blood gets spilled in the attempt. Even if it's his own. Prince Calder isn't interested in honour, and still less in getting himself killed. All he wants is power, and he'll tell any lie, use any trick, and betray any friend to get it. Just as long as he doesn't have to fight for it himself. Curnden Craw, the last honest man in the North, has gained nothing from a life of warfare but swollen knees and frayed nerves. He hardly even cares who wins any more, he just wants to do the right thing. But can he even tell what that is with the world burning down around him? 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.
Best Served Cold
First Law World
Monza Murcatto, the Snake of Talins, is the most feared mercenary general in the Styrian wars. When she is betrayed by t… Monza Murcatto, the Snake of Talins, is the most feared mercenary general in the Styrian wars. When she is betrayed by the Grand Duke she serves and left for dead, she begins a ruthless campaign of revenge—one where the line between justice and monstrosity is dangerously thin.
Before They Are Hanged
The First Law #2
Superior Glokta has a problem. How do you defend a city surrounded by enemies and riddled with traitors, when your allie… Superior Glokta has a problem. 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. Northmen have spilled over the border of Angland 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, 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.
Red Country
First Law World
'Joe Abercrombie is doing some terrific work' George R. R. Martin, author of GAME OF THRONES. They burned her home. They… 'Joe Abercrombie is doing some terrific work' George R. R. Martin, author of GAME OF THRONES. They burned her home. They stole her brother and sister. But vengeance is following. 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 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. Their journey will take them across the barren plains to a frontier town gripped by gold fever, through feud, duel and massacre, high into the unmapped mountains to a reckoning with the Ghosts. Even worse, it will force them into alliance with Nicomo Cosca, infamous soldier of fortune, and his feckless lawyer Temple, two men no one should ever have to trust... The past never stays buried...
The Blade Itself
The First Law #1
Logen Ninefingers, a scarred barbarian. Jezal dan Luthar, a vain young officer angling for glory. Inquisitor Glokta, a c… Logen Ninefingers, a scarred barbarian. Jezal dan Luthar, a vain young officer angling for glory. Inquisitor Glokta, a crippled torturer who once endured the same. Three very different people are drawn together by the First of the Magi as a dark power stirs in the North.
Sharp Ends
World of the First Law #7
The Union army may be full of bastards, but there's only one who thinks he can save the day single-handed when the Gurki… The Union army may be full of bastards, but there's only one who thinks he can save the day single-handed when the Gurkish come calling: the incomparable Colonel Sand dan Glokta. Curnden Craw and his dozen are out to recover a mysterious item from beyond the Crinna. Only one small problem: no one seems to know what the item is. Shevedieh, the self-styled best thief in Styria, lurches from disaster to catastrophe alongside her best friend and greatest enemy, Javre, Lioness of Hoskopp. And after years of bloodshed, the idealistic chieftain Bethod is desperate to bring peace to the North. There's only one obstacle left - his own lunatic champion, the most feared man in the North: the Bloody-Nine . . . Sharp Ends combines previously published, award-winning tales with exclusive new short stories. Violence explodes, treachery abounds, and the words are as deadly as the weapons in this rogue's gallery of side-shows, back-stories, and sharp endings from the world of the First Law.
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