Anaya Nolan
Joe Abercrombie's First Law and Shattered Sea are two fantasy trilogies with distinct tones and target audiences. While First Law is known for its dark, gritty, and realistic fantasy, Shattered Sea is geared towards young adults and is considered a lighter read. Set in a post-apocalyptic future, Shattered Sea takes place in a world where society has regressed to a medieval state, with remnants of modern technology and a Viking-like setting. Despite some speculation, there are no concrete hints that the two series are connected or set in the same universe. They feature different characters and magical systems, with First Law having a well-defined history and cosmology, while Shattered Sea has minimal magic and a focus on the coming-of-age story of Yarvi, a prince with a crippled hand.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Author | Joe Abercrombie |
| Tone | "The First Law" is dark, gritty and realistic fantasy; "Shattered Sea" is lighter and more YA-oriented |
| Setting | "The First Law" is set in a world with a specific history and cosmology; "Shattered Sea" is set in a post-apocalyptic Baltic Sea/Scandinavia |
| Characters | "The First Law" characters are older and have more depth and history; "Shattered Sea" characters are younger and lack depth but are still well-written |
| Connection | There is speculation about a connection, but no definitive evidence; there is an Easter egg in "Shattered Sea" with a constellation named after "Stranger Come Knocking" from "The First Law" |
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What You'll Learn
The Shattered Sea is a standalone trilogy
The story follows the coming of age of Yarvi, a prince of Gettland with a crippled hand. After his father's death, Yarvi is left to the mercy of the Shattered Sea and becomes the captive of Grom-gil-Gorm. He must use his wits to escape and return to Gettland to reclaim his throne.
The Shattered Sea trilogy is often compared to Abercrombie's other series, The First Law. While both series feature complex, realistic, and interesting characters, The Shattered Sea is geared towards young adults and has less sex and gore. The world-building is also different, with The First Law set in a world with a specific and verifiable history and cosmology, while The Shattered Sea is set in a post-apocalyptic future with remnants of modern technology.
There are some easter eggs and nods to The First Law in The Shattered Sea, such as a constellation of stars called Stranger Come Knocking. However, the two series are generally considered separate, with distinct worlds and characters.
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The First Law is darker and grittier
Joe Abercrombie's First Law series is considered the "golden standard of dark, gritty and realistic fantasy". The characters in the First Law series are gritty and realistic, and the books are violent, with sex also featuring.
In comparison, the Shattered Sea trilogy is considered to be lighter and more suitable for young adults. The Shattered Sea is set in a post-apocalyptic Baltic Sea, with irradiated ruins of cities like Stockholm. There is no magic, but old technology and medicines are worshipped as such. The characters are younger and lack the depth and history of the First Law characters. While the Shattered Sea books are still gritty and realistic, the "grittiness is toned down from 11 to 10". There is less sex, and less gore, and the violence is more palatable for younger readers.
The First Law series is set in a world with a specific and verifiable history and cosmology. There are certain characters who have been around "from the beginning", when demons lived in the world alongside humans, before being banished by Euz to another dimension.
The Shattered Sea trilogy is set in a Viking-like epic fantasy world, which is slowly revealed to be a post-apocalyptic Scandinavia in the far future. After a cataclysm, society has regressed to a medieval level. Most people believe that the remnants of present-day buildings and technology were left by "the Elves" (who were actually present-day humans).
While the two series are set in different worlds, with different characters, there may be some connection between them. There is a reference in the First Law series to a constellation called Stranger Come Knocking, which is also the name of a constellation in the Shattered Sea series.
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Shattered Sea is aimed at younger adults
The Shattered Sea trilogy by Joe Abercrombie is considered to be aimed at younger adults. The story is set in a post-apocalyptic Baltic Sea, with the main kingdoms of the book—Gettland, Vansterland, Throvenland, and Skekenhouse—making up what is now Sweden and Denmark. It is a Viking-like epic fantasy world that slowly reveals itself to be a post-apocalyptic Scandinavia in the far future.
The story follows the coming of age of Yarvi, a prince of Gettland with a crippled hand. Yarvi has vowed to regain a throne he never wanted. He is sold into slavery but eventually escapes with a fellow slave and ships navigator, Sumael. They set off on foot through the wilderness for Gettland, where Yarvi wants revenge.
The characters in The Shattered Sea are generally complex, realistic, and interesting, but they are younger than those in The First Law and lack some of the depth and history of those characters. The Shattered Sea is also lighter and less gritty than The First Law, with less sex and less gore. There is also minimal magic.
While the two series are considered to be set in different worlds, there is some speculation about their connection. Some readers have noted that Glokta's old friend, Major West (the brother of Ardee), died of what seemed like radiation poisoning, and there is a mention of Stranger Come Knocking as a constellation in The Shattered Sea.
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The First Law has more sex
The First Law and the Shattered Sea are two fantasy trilogies written by British author Joe Abercrombie. While both series are set in different worlds, there is a constellation in the Shattered Sea series called Stranger Come Knocking, which is thought to be an Easter egg referencing The First Law.
The First Law is described as a "dark, gritty and realistic fantasy" series with complex, adult characters. It includes explicit content and violence, and features a diverse cast of characters with compelling backstories. One of the standout features of the series is its well-written female lead, a guerrilla girl. The First Law also includes a self-made character, Colonel Commum West, who has a hellish temper but a heart of gold.
The Shattered Sea, on the other hand, is a lighter read, with less sex and toned-down violence, making it more suitable for young adults. The story is set in a post-apocalyptic Baltic Sea, with irradiated ruins of Stockholm. The characters are generally younger, and while they are still complex and realistic, they lack the depth and history of the characters in The First Law. The main character, Yarvi, is a not-so-well-loved prince of Gettland with a crippled hand, who must use his wits to survive and reclaim his throne. Another notable character is Thorn Basu, a strong female lead.
Overall, while both series are well-received by fans of fantasy fiction, The First Law is noted to be more sexually explicit and grittier in tone and content compared to the Shattered Sea series.
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Shattered Sea is post-apocalyptic
Joe Abercrombie's Shattered Sea trilogy is a work of young adult speculative fiction. It is set in a post-apocalyptic future where society has regressed to a medieval level of technological development and political ideology following a global nuclear cataclysm.
The story is set in a world with a distorted historical perspective, where the ruins of present-day or near-future civilisation are known to belong to "elves", and guns and radiation are feared as magical phenomena. The Shattered Sea appears to be the Baltic Sea, with significantly altered coastlines. Large parts of Finland are underwater, Stockholm has become an island, and the Gulf of Bothnia has disappeared. The characters in the story visit the irradiated ruins of Stockholm, and take iodine pills and find rifles, which they worship as magical.
The trilogy's post-apocalyptic setting is not immediately apparent, and it is only through subtle allusions that the reader realises that the narrative is set in a post-apocalyptic future. For example, the "elf ruins" are revealed to be the concrete skeletons of modern cities, and "elf magic" refers to gunpowder weaponry.
One reader notes that the Shattered Sea is similar to the setting of 'Broken Empire', and could even be the same world. Another reader points out that the presence of a computer plate in the first book confirms that the story is set in the far future rather than the distant past.
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Frequently asked questions
No, The Shattered Sea is a separate trilogy with different characters. While there may be some overlap in themes and references, the two series are set in different worlds.
The First Law trilogy is darker and more gritty, with more adult themes and a focus on complex, realistic characters. The Shattered Sea trilogy is aimed at younger adults, with less gore and sexual content, but still maintains Abercrombie's signature style of gritty realism and compelling characters.
There is some speculation that the two series could be connected. Some readers have noted references to radiation poisoning in both series, and the presence of "elf staff" in The First Law and the post-apocalyptic setting of The Shattered Sea. However, these connections are vague and have not been confirmed by the author.
