Kara Sears
Joe Abercrombie is a British author best known for his fantasy series, The First Law. The First Law is a trilogy of gritty fantasy novels set in a world reminiscent of early modern Europe, with magic and demons. The story centres on the fortunes of a variety of characters as they navigate conflicts between three major powers: The Union, the Gurkish Empire, and the North. Abercrombie's writing is known for its complex characterisation, immersive world-building, and blend of dark and violent themes with finesse and wit.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Author | Joe Abercrombie |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Setting | Medieval northern Europe |
| Type | Trilogy |
| Story Arc | The Union, the Gurkish Empire, and the North |
| Conflict | War |
| Themes | Realism, complex characterisation, violence |
| Style | Minimalistic worldbuilding, fast-paced |
| Storytelling | Character-driven |
| Tone | Dark, gritty, violent, cruel, witty |
| Magic | Fading |
| Characters | Logen Ninefingers, Jezal dan Luthar, Sand dan Glokta, Dogman, Collem West, Ferro Maljinn, Monza Murcatto |
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What You'll Learn
- The First Law is a trilogy of fantasy novels by Joe Abercrombie
- The story is set in an epic fantasy world reminiscent of medieval northern Europe
- The world is called the Circle of the World and is on the verge of an Industrial Revolution
- The plot involves three powers: The Union, the Gurkish Empire, and the North
- The trilogy centres on the fortunes of a variety of characters as they navigate conflicts
The First Law is a trilogy of fantasy novels by Joe Abercrombie
The backstory of the series begins thousands of years before the events in the books, with the half-human, half-demon Euz, who banished demons from the world to the Other Side, allowing humans to flourish. Magic still exists in the world of The First Law, deriving from connections to the Other Side, but it is fading to the point that most people don't believe in it. The Union, a central realm in the series, is in a state of near-perpetual war, constantly manoeuvred into conflicts by a dysfunctional government and an uncompromising foreign policy.
The plot of the original trilogy involves three major powers: The Union, the Gurkish Empire, and the North, which has recently united under King Bethod. There are two major theatres of war. The first takes place in the north between the Union and the Northmen, who invade the Union's northern province of Angland. The second is in the south between the Union and the Gurkish Empire, who attempt to annex the Union city of Dagoska. The trilogy centres on the fortunes of a variety of characters as they navigate through these and other conflicts.
The First Law trilogy has been praised for its gritty realism, complex characterisation, and immersive worldbuilding. However, Abercrombie's minimalistic approach to worldbuilding and focus on difficult truths over easy lies may be a drawback for readers who prefer extensive worldbuilding and traditional, less morally ambiguous fantasy.
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The story is set in an epic fantasy world reminiscent of medieval northern Europe
Joe Abercrombie's The First Law trilogy is a series of gritty modern fantasy novels. The story is set in an epic fantasy world reminiscent of medieval northern Europe, called the Circle of the World. This world is on the verge of an Industrial Revolution and is inhabited by both Demons and Humans.
Long ago, a half-demon, half-human named Euz banished the Demons from the world to the Other Side, allowing humans to flourish. Euz left behind the First Law: "It is forbidden to touch the Other Side directly". The Union, a central realm in the Circle of the World, is in a state of near-perpetual war, constantly manoeuvred into conflicts by a dysfunctional government and an uncompromising foreign policy.
The North, a frigid region in the Circle of the World, is inhabited by rough alliances of barbarous, warmongering tribes. It is reminiscent of medieval northern Europe in terms of its culture, values, beliefs, and even the speech of its inhabitants. The minor differences between this region and the real world make it an extremely immersive setting.
The First Law trilogy follows the fortunes of a variety of characters as they navigate through conflicts between the three major powers: The Union, the Gurkish Empire, and the North, which has recently united under King Bethod. The first theatre of war takes place in the north between the Union and the Northmen, who invade the Union's northern province of Angland. The second is in the south, between the Union and the Gurkish Empire, who attempt to annex the Union city of Dagoska.
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The world is called the Circle of the World and is on the verge of an Industrial Revolution
The First Law is a series of gritty modern fantasy novels by British author Joe Abercrombie. The series is set in an epic fantasy world called the Circle of the World, reminiscent of early modern Europe. The world is on the verge of an Industrial Revolution.
Long ago, the Circle of the World was inhabited by both Demons and Humans. Then, hundreds or thousands of years ago, the legendary half-Demon, half-Human Euz, with his great magical powers, banished the Demons from the world to the Other Side, thus allowing humans to flourish. Euz left behind the First Law: "It is forbidden to touch the Other Side direct [ly]".
The Union, the central realm of the Circle of the World, appears to be in a state of near-perpetual war, constantly manoeuvred into conflicts by a dysfunctional government and an uncompromising foreign policy. To the north of the Old Empire lies Far Country, a near lawless frontier region west of Starikland province. In the frigid north, the Union is on the brink of war with the Northmen, a rough alliance of barbarous, warmongering tribes.
The First Law trilogy centres on the fortunes of a variety of characters as they navigate through these conflicts. Abercrombie's writing is known for its difficult truths, moral ambiguity, and immersive world-building. His intention was to "single-handedly redefine the fantasy genre", and his work has been praised for its gritty realism, complex characterisation, and unique approach to fantasy.
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The plot involves three powers: The Union, the Gurkish Empire, and the North
The plot of Joe Abercrombie's First Law trilogy involves three major powers: The Union, the Gurkish Empire, and the North. The Union, the central realm of Abercrombie's epic fantasy world, is made up of the provinces of Angland, the Midderlands, Dagoska, Starikland, and the city of Westport in Styria. It is a state of near-perpetual war, constantly manoeuvred into conflicts by a dysfunctional government and an uncompromising foreign policy.
The North, inspired by medieval northern Europe, is inhabited by the Northmen, a rough alliance of barbarous, warmongering tribes. The Union and the North are on the brink of war, with the Northmen invading the Union's northern province of Angland.
The Gurkish Empire, meanwhile, is attempting to annex the Union city of Dagoska in the south. This sets up a second theatre of war between the Union and the Gurkish Empire.
The trilogy centres on the fortunes of a variety of characters as they navigate these conflicts, as well as others, in a world where magic once existed but is now fading away.
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The trilogy centres on the fortunes of a variety of characters as they navigate conflicts
The First Law is a series of gritty modern fantasy novels by British author Joe Abercrombie. The first three novels form a trilogy, while the remaining stories are stand-alone but interconnected novels. The trilogy centres on the fortunes of a variety of characters as they navigate conflicts.
The series is set in an epic fantasy world reminiscent of early modern Europe, called the Circle of the World. It is on the verge of an Industrial Revolution, and magic, which was once a force in this world, is fading to the point that most people don't believe in it. The central realm is the Union, which is in a state of near-perpetual war, constantly manoeuvred into conflicts by a dysfunctional government and an uncompromising foreign policy.
The plot of the original trilogy involves three major powers: The Union, the Gurkish Empire, and the North, recently united under King Bethod. There are two major theatres of war. The first takes place in the north between the Union and the Northmen, who invade the Union's northern province of Angland. The second is in the south between the Union and the Gurkish Empire, who attempt to annex the Union city of Dagoska.
The trilogy follows several characters, including Logen Ninefingers, Jezal dan Luthar, Sand dan Glokta, Dogman, Collem West, and Ferro Maljinn. The story is character-driven, and the characters change throughout the series. The worldbuilding is minimalistic but immersive, with minor differences from the real world that set it apart.
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Frequently asked questions
The First Law series is a set of gritty modern fantasy novels set in an epic fantasy world reminiscent of early modern Europe, on the verge of an Industrial Revolution. The world was once inhabited by both Demons and Humans but, hundreds or thousands of years before the events of the books, the half-demon, half-human Euz banished the Demons from the world to the Other Side, allowing humans to flourish. Magic, which relies on connections to the Other Side, is fading and most people don't believe in it. The Union, the central realm of the series, is in a state of near-perpetual war, constantly being drawn into conflict by a dysfunctional government and an uncompromising foreign policy.
The First Law is a law put forth by Euz, which states: "It is forbidden to touch the Other Side direct, forbidden to communicate with the world below, forbidden to summon Demons, forbidden to open gates to hell".
Abercrombie's writing style has been described as "gritty, violent, and sometimes even cruel—but it’s all delivered with such finesse and wit that it becomes a brilliant, captivating experience". His work is said to be "the polar opposite of traditional farm-boy-saves-the-world-from-the-dark-lord fantasy". Abercrombie himself has said that he prefers writing "difficult truths rather than easy lies".
