The Unforgiving First Law
A grim dark fantasy trilogy that I will always recommend
“Power makes all things right. That is my first law, and my last.
That is the only law that I acknowledge.”
- Bayaz
I have been on a Joe Abercrombie reading binge lately and I just started on A Little Hatred, the first book in the trilogy The Age of Madness, and it got me thinking on how this author has become one of my go to recommendations when someone asks me about which grim dark fantasy they should try out.
It is truly a wonderful grim dark trilogy, that left me with such a bitter taste in my mouth after finishing it, that I needed a couple of weeks of just processing what I had read. As I have dived into more of his books, I am finding that I am enjoying it more and more - probably because with the books, you can tell that Abercrombie has found his voice, they are getting consistently better, and I already loved the first one.
The First Law series consists of three books:
The Blade Itself (2006)
Before They Are Hanged (2007)
Last Argument of Kings (2008)
And then there are a few stand alone books, that you can read without reading the trilogy, but because there are few characters that reappear in these books - I would say leave them for after The First Law.
Stand alone books in the First Law Universe:
Best Served Cold (2009)
The Heroes (2011)
Red Country (2012)
Three reasons why I love The First Law
When discussing Abercrombie there are always three things I tend to come back to:
The characters
The sense of humour
The realism of its humanity
Unlike many of the epic fantasy series out there, The First Law is not a series centred around world building, it is first and foremost a character driven story. To be fair, there is some world building, but not a lot, one moves around in the world together with the characters and gets to know the different parts through them. Which means, the world may seem like it is not entirely fleshed out. This might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it is worth a try if you are looking for a different kind of storytelling.
In my humble opinion, this way brings out some of the best character portrayals in literature. The First Law will not give characters that are easy to love, to be honest, you might actually despise most of them. In here you will not find a single character that is not morally gray - and sometimes they will range between the 50 shades of gray that makes out the scale.
Each and everyone of them are unique, they are fully fleshed out and to me, they are some of the most authentic and realistic characters I have come across on my reading journey. I am still baffled on how good Abercrombie is in making sure that every single one stand out when they need to, thus making them unforgettable.
Another part are the layers! I love layers in characters, every time you think you have them figured out, another layer appears and draws you in even more. Even the most despicable (you’ll know who it is when you read it) becomes likeable, and by the time their fates are revealed you will be feeling this in your core.
I do want to highlight Abercrombie's writing style, he truly does capture his characters heart, by just writing how they move in their own skin and in this world. The tiniest mannerism or how they say specific sentences - becomes the core memory of that person to you as a reader. This distinguishes Abercrombie from other authors, because he truly makes his characters feel real. Instead of reading endless beautiful descriptions (yes Night Circus - I am calling you out), I get a very vivid picture of who Inquisitor Glokta is - by the way he runs his tongue over his gums or he struggles with his injuries, or the hundred different ways Logen mutters "Still alive." or how Ferro curses her enemies in all her different variations ("Pink bastard!") - her anger just jumps out of the page.
That is what I am still left with after finishing this series - a bunch of characters that are very much alive in my own imagination.
Grim dark fantasy can be very heavy to read and most of the time you need to be in the right headspace to get through them. It lies in the very name, it is supposed to be hard, brutal and there is no mercy for anyone. These worlds are hard to survive in, filled with morally grey and insufferable characters - how are you supposed to cheer for them?
Easy.
You have to have a great sense of humour to pull this off and Abercrombie has it. I cannot state on how many occasions I have been laughing out loud in public, and then trying to explain why my favourite character is a bitter, crippled man who works as a torturer. How horrible scenes, suddenly become really funny - because of the way he has written them, or their perfectly delivered lines in moments of high pressure. You can either cry or laugh, but I usually laugh and it makes the story even more realistic.
The sense of humour is on point, as it is never overused, but just always timed at the precise moment when you need it. It makes you bond more with these morally and insufferable characters more and you find yourself rooting for them just a little more than you did in the beginning.
The combination of the sense of humour and the characters brings me to my last point, the realism of the series humanity. There are characters trying to be the better versions of themselves, consistently trying to make that right choice, but as the story unfolds, it becomes harder - and they start to fail. Whatever their choices end up being, justified or not - they are done based on believable reasoning. Watching them fall back to old patterns, making choices that - to me, where horribly wrong - were ironically the reasons why I ended up rooting for them in the end and becoming fond of men such as Inquisitor Glokta.
To me, The First Law series managed to do what many fantasy books are not able to do. Some authors try to be awesome at all parts, the world building, the lore, the characters, the tropes and you name it. By all means, there are authors who do this amazingly well - but many fail and you end up with a bad book that could’ve been so much more. Abercrombie on the other hand, chooses certain parts to be brilliant in and this makes the series work as a whole. Less is more. Particularly in grim dark fantasy! And then he does a complete twist on all the well known tropes out there - I wont name there here, I want you to discover them for yourselves. But because he turns everything up side down and combines it with great character, sense of humour and pacing - it becomes an unforgettable trilogy.
If you’ve been following my reading journey - you might already know how much I adore these books and particularly the audiobooks that are all read by Steven Pacey. The books stand tall on their own, but with Pacey, they become even better. This duo was just meant to work together. Anytime there is an Abercrombie book waiting for me, I will always choose the audiobook read by Steven Pacey. One the best narrators out there.
There is so much more I want to say about this series - but I do not want to spoil it. I do think it is a series worth trying out.
The First Law is unforgiving, but oh boy, I had so much fun reading it!
Until next time,
happy reading! ✨
I have seen you recommend this series a few times now I think. I have never read them. I don't read nearly as much fantasy as I used to but every now and then I get the itch. Maybe I will give these a go one of these days. Thanks for the great write-up and recommendation.