Joe Abercrombie - The First Law Trilogy

The Blade Itself

"The blade itself incites to deeds of violence." Homer



Logen Ninefingers, infamous barbarian, has finally run out of luck. Caught up in

one feud too many, he's on the verge of becoming a dead barbarian, leaving

nothing behind but some bad songs, a few dead friends, and a lot of happy

enemies.



Nobleman, dashing officer, and paragon of selfishness, Captain Jezal dan Luthar

has nothing more dangerous in mind than fleecing his friends as cards and

dreaming of glory in the fencing circle. But war is brewing, and on the

battlefields of the frozen North they fight by altogether bloodier rules.



Inquisitor Glokta, cripple turned torturer, would like nothing better than to

see Jezal come home in a jar. But then Glokta hates everyone: cutting treason

out of the Union one confession at a time leaves little room for friendships.

His latest trail of corpses may lead him right to the rotten heart of

government... if he can stay alive long enough to follow it.



Murderous conspiracies rise to the surface, old scores are ready to be settled,

and the line between hero and villain is sharp enough to draw blood.

Unpredictable, compelling, wickedly funny, and packed with unforgettable

characters, The Blade Itself is fantasy with a real cutting edge.









Before They Are Hanged

"We should forgive our enemies, but not before they are hanged." Heinrich Heine



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.







Last Argument of Kings

"Last Argument of Kings." Inscribed on his cannons by Louis XIV



The end is coming.



Logen Ninefingers might only have one more fight in him – but it's going to be a

big one. Battle rages across the North, the King of the Northmen still stands

firm, and there's only one man who can stop him. His oldest friend, and his

oldest enemy: it's time for the Bloody-Nine to come home.



With too many masters and too little time, Superior Glokta is fighting a

different kind of war. A secret struggle in which no-one is safe, and no-one can

be trusted. As his days with a sword are far behind him, it's fortunate that

he's deadly with his remaining weapons: blackmail, threats, and torture.



Jezal dan Luthar has decided that winning glory is too painful an undertaking,

and turned his back on soldering for a simple life with the woman he loves. But

love can be painful too – and glory has a nasty habit of creeping up on a man

when he least expects it.



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. There is no risk more terrible, than to break the

First Law...



Link: http://www.joeabercrombie.com/books.htm