Whenever people rank their favourite fantasy series, I usually see Joe Abercrombie’s First Law books taking the top spot or at the very least near it.
After seeing so much praise for the novels, I finally gave in and read them.
Once again, the praise was warranted because this is now also among my favourite fantasy series.
Abercrombie has created a riveting world with some of the most compelling characters in the fantasy genre.
So, since there are ten books in the series at the moment, I decided to do a top ten list, ranking them from weakest to best.
Although, I should note before I begin the list that weakest does not mean bad.
I truly do not think there is a bad book in this incredible series, with even the tenth book on the list being very enjoyable, which is…   

10. Sharp Ends.

I think that Sharp Ends would rank at the bottom of every First Law ranking list.
This is because Sharp Ends is not technically a novel but a collection of short stories from the world of the First Law.
That being said, these are some damn good stories. 
“A Beautiful Bastard” gives us a look at what Glokta was like before he was captured and tortured by the Gurkish.
“Hell” provides Temple’s POV of the fall of Dagoska and the death of Kahdia.
“Wrong Place, Wront Time,” tells the untold stories of those who suffer because of Monza’s quest for vengance. 
And, best of all, “Made a Monster” shows exactly what kind of monster Logen used to be while he was the Bloody Nine working under Bethod.
All four of these stories are fantastic and my favourites of the book.
Almost as good are the tales told about Shev and her friend Javre.
These two are the continuous thread in Sharp Ends, with five of the thirteen short stories being about their journeys.
The two make for a great comedic duo throughout, and the slow realization Shev has, that Carcolf is more of a snake than a love interest is great… until this is undone with their final story “Tough Times All Over” where it felt like all of the character development in “Three’s A Crowd” was undone.
It is for that reason that “Tough Times All Over” is my least favourite of the short stories but it is more than made up for by the other fantastic ones. 
All in all, Sharp Ends is definitley the weakest of the books, due to it not really being a novel, but is has plenty to love with its collection of unseen stories.
There is bound to be one that you like.   

9. The Blade Itself.

The first book in the First Law series, The Blade Itself is a compelling start to Joe Abercrombie’s epic series.
What puts The Blade Itself in the lower half of the list is that it is mostly a set-up novel for the adventure Abercombie is about to set his characters on.
This first book is devoted to establishing these characters and their arcs going forward.
There is Logen Ninefingers, a Northen warrior trying to escape his past as a mass murderer known as the Bloody Nine.
Sand dan Glokta is a former soldier who was tortured to the point of being crippled and in constant pain, and now inflicts this pain on others as a torturor for the Inquisition.
Ferro Maljinn is an escaped slave who is focused on her vengance, wanting to kill any Gurkish she can get her hands on.
Finally, there is Jezal dan Luthar, a nobleman half-heartedly preparing for a jousting contest.
Of all these characters Jezal is definitely the most unlikeable, given how narcissistic he is.
This is surprising since the rest of the main cast consist of mass murderers and torturers but this highlights one of Abercrombie’s greatest strengths as an author.
He is able to create characters who are absolutley terrible people and then, unbelievably, make us like them.
This is most evident with Glokta who is torturing people more often than not in this first book, and he is easily the most entertaining character with his sympathetic backstory and hilarious dark humor.
All of these characters fall under the thrall of Bayaz, the First of the Magi, who begins to subtly manipulate them in his grand plans, not that the characters or even us as the readers are aware of it at this point.
This makes The Blade Itself great for second read throughs after finishing the first trilogy because, although there does not seem to be much of a story yet, Joe Abercrombie is planting the seeds for the big pay-off which will come by the third book.
After reading The Blade Itself for the first time, I had no idea where the series was going but I definitely wanted to know. 

8. A Little Hatred.

We go from the first book in the First Law trilogy to the first book in The Age of Madness trilogy.
Abercrombie decided to follow up the first trilogy and three stand alone novels by focusing on the kids of the previous generation.
This could have easily backfired but I think all of the characters he chooses to focus on are fantastic.
Orso, Savine, Leo, Vic, Clover, and Gunnar all make great first impressions but, to me, Rikke of the Long Eye is the best of A Little Hatred.
The Dogman’s Daughter, Rikke is either cursed or blessed with the Long Eye, which gives her visions into the future, and the way she gains control of this power during Leo’s fight in the circle with Stour Nightfall was a joy to read.
Her telling Caul Shivers that he is still in there was also incredibly touching.
Coming close behind her in likeability is Orso, a spoiled prince who struggles to do right in a world that is actively conspiring against him, although this would not become apparent until The Wisdom of Crowds.
The rest of the cast is just as compelling, with A Little Hatred being much clearer than what the story is than The Blade Itself.
Both the stories of Stour Nightfall’s invasion of Uffrith and the beginning of the Union’s own French Revolution were very compelling.
Another interesting thing about A Little Hatred is that it has a couple swap.
In the first act of the novel, Rikke is with Leo, and Savine is with Orso, but in the end Rikke gets together with Orso, and Savine with Leo.
The reason I mention this is that, in any other book, I would be criticizing this as contrived and for the sake of drama.
So imagine my surprise when I was reading this and found that Abercrombie had convinced me on the realism of this whole situation.
The book ends ominously, with the death of King Jezal, which I definitley think either Bayaz or Glokta had to have some kind of hand in, although such is never confirmed.
A Little Hatred was a great start to The Age of Madness trilogy but it is its focus on the story which put it above The Blade Itself for me.    

7. The Heroes.

When I see people rank the First Law series, I usually see The Heroes in the top five, if not top three.
As for why I have ranked it lower, it is through no fault of this novel.
The Heroes is great and it just comes down to me liking the other books more.
The novel follows the three-day battle at the titular Heroes, where the forces of the Union face off against Black Dow’s Northmen.
One thing I like about The Heroes is how it turned Calder and Brenner dan Gorst into complex characters.
In the first trilogy, Calder came across as a one-note villain, yet here he is one of the best POV characters, as Abercrombie focuses on his guilt, love and ambition very well.
Then there is Gorst who seems like a hero on the outside, yet his inner thoughts reveal him to be a depressed, suicidal, murderous incel who is simultaneously sympathetic and detestible.
His “August Fuck-Hole” letter is one of the most hilarious moment in the entire series, for me.
This old cast is not alone in greatness, however, for the new characters are also fantastic, with Finree and especially Whirrun of Bligh being highlights.
The only character POV I did not really care for was Tunny’s but I did like his role in The Age of Madness trilogy so this served as a good introduction for him.
The Heroes also has the privilege of being the first book in the series to have a chapter where Abercombie goes over the perspectives of all the normal people in a battle.
This begins with the “Casualties” chapter, which is one of the best in the entire series, and followed up by the “The Little People” chapters in The Age of Madness Trilogy.
The ending of the book also builds perfectly into that trilogy, with Calder becoming the new leader of the North being key to understanding the contextual politics.
This makes The Heroes the most important of the stand alones to read, even if its my least favourite of them.  

6. Before They Are Hanged. 

The second book in the First Law trilogy, Before They Are Hanged is a great follow up to The Blade Itself, which continues to lay the seeds the first novel started.
Before They Are Hanged follows three main storylines.
First, we have Bayaz journeying with Logen, Ferro, Jezal, Quai and Brother Longfoot to the edge of the world to locate the Seed, a weapon Bayaz needs.
All three of our POV characters in this storyline experience growth, with a relationship forming between Logen and Ferro.
The character who grows the most is undoubtedly Jezal, as an injury he recieves causes him to reevaluate his life and narcissistic attitude, allowing himself to form a friendship with Logen.
This growth is my favourite of any character in this book and made the narcissistic rants from him we had to endure in The Blade Itself more than worth it.
This storyline ends in an anti-climax, where Bayaz and the others realize that the Seed is not there, making their journey mostly pointless, an interesting twist on the usual fantasy adventure but one that is pure Joe Abercrombie.
The second storyline follows Glokta, who has been tasked by Arch Lector Salt with defending Dagoska from Gurkish invasion.
Golkta’s POV is, as always, darkly humorous, and also horrifying during his first encounter with an Eater, the cannibalistic wizards of First Law.
Upon Glokta’s return from Dagoska, we also get a hint of the character dynamic between him and Ardee, which will be an unusually endearing part of the third novel.
The final main storyline of Before They Are Hanged is the combined one of Collem West and the Northerners rebelling against Bethod, among them Dogman, Threetrees, Black Dow, Tul Duru Thunderhead, and Grim.
There are many highlights to this storyline, such as the first encounter between West and the Northmen, West getting the name “Furious” from them and then throwing Prince Ladisla off a cliff for attempting to rape Cathil.
And then, of course, there is the first fight with Fenris the Feared, ending with Threetrees’ death and the Dogman becoming the new chief, a job he would retain for the rest of his life.
All three of the storylines in Before They Are Hanged combine to create a great novel filled with plenty of surprise for the big pay off in the final book of the trilogy, which I will get to much later on in the list.     

5. The Wisdom of Crowds.

The final book in The Age of Madness trilogy, The Wisdom of Crowds was an expectedly tragic close to this section of the First Law storyline.
After the cliffhanger of The Trouble With Peace teased a peasant uprising against the nobels, The Wisdom of Crowds follows through on this promise, with the uprising ruining Orso’s victory against Leo, making him a prisoner of the Breakers and the volatile Burners.
The story then follows Orso, Leo and Savine attempting to navigate this extremely dangerous political climate, so that they do not get executed for going against the Great Change, Joe Abercrombie’s version of the French Revolution.
As this is happening, Rikke prepares for war against Black Calder, leading to what I feel is the most predictable storyline in all of First Law.
This is not to say that the storyline was bad but I realized that Rikke was attempting to fool Black Calder’s spies into thinking she was throwing away her allies very quickly, and this made this part of her storyline drag a bit for me, which is the reason The Wisdom of Crowds is not higher.
That being said, watching her defeat Black Calder was still great and her betrayal of Orso at the end was fittingly unfortunate.
As for Orso, his ending is the most poetically tragic in the entire series, as he is hanged all so Leo can maintain his grip on power.
Speaking of Leo, oh, my god, I absolutely hate him.
The Trouble With Peace made me dislike him but The Wisdom of Crowds made me want to jump into the book and push him down a flight of stairs.
Still, I cannot deny his downward spiral is amazingly written and he is still not quite a bad person as Savine.
This again speaks to Ambercrombie’s writing ability, as he made me like Savine more than Leo, when she readily admits that she is the “villain” in her final chapter.
She is probably not as big of a villain as her adoptive father though, as Glokta literally becomes the next Bayaz, wrestling control of the Union away from him.
Bayaz is definitely not taking this sitting down, however, as he has recruited Hildi and Calder’s unnamed son to get his revenge and take back control.
Rikke’s vision at the end foreshadows this eventual storyline, along with the return of an as yet unnamed character.
Whatever storylines eventually follow, for now, The Wisdom of Crowds is a fantastic temporary conclusion to the series.  

4. Red Country. 

Red Country is, without question, the most divisive book in the First Law series.
Most seem to either love it or hate it.
Personally, I fall into the love it camp, as it is my second favourite of the stand alones.
Red Country stands apart from the rest of the First Law series because, while all the rest of the books are strictly fantasy, Red Country is a western with a pinch of fantasy.
The story follows a former outlaw named Shy South, who goes on a journey with her step-father, Lamb, after her siblings are kidnapped.
Oh, and Lamb?
Yeah, he’s Logen.
I cannot tell you how joyous it was to read the first few chapters and realize Lamb’s identity through his dialogue and the the physical description of him.
I also liked how Abercrombie never addresses him as Logen or even the Bloody Nine in this book, just as Lamb, yet both sides of his character are readily apparent in all of their darkness.
As for Shy, sure, she is not the most interesting of Abercombie protagainsts, but where she lacks is more than made up for by the other characters, most notably Temple, a former lawyer who now works under Nicomo Cosca.
Temple’s story of redemption with Shy was fantastic, making him a successful parallel to the tragic Cosca who has sunk low after the highs of Best Served Cold.
His fall from grace and somewhat pathetic demise was sad to see play out, yet felt fitting.
Just as fitting was how the few fantasy elements were incorporated into Red Country, with the reveal of the mechanical dragon made by Kanedias being a highlight scene.
Red Country is also capable of being incredibly funny at times.
The reveal that Lestek was acting as the Gurkish Legate had me laughing my head off.
As for the ending, we get a final, satisfying confrontation between Logen and Shivers, before both ride off, Logen into an uncertain future.
Will we ever see him again?
Time will tell but if not this was a fitting end for the character.
Red Country may be the most divisive First Law novel but I consider it to be a compelling story and one of the best western tales told in recent years.     

3. The Trouble with Peace. 

The second and, in my opinion, best book in The Age of Madness trilogy, The Trouble With Peace depicts the aftermath of King Jezal, King Scale, and the Dogman’s deaths.
As the leaders of their respective kingdoms, their deaths throw these countries into states of unrest, which all of the main characters have to deal with.
This is especially the case for Orso, who attempts to step up as King, only to learn just how trapped his father was in the position.
Orso is the highlight of this book, for me, as his attempts to do right are continuously sabotaged, leading to the eventual battle at Stoffenbrek, which allows him to truly become a leader, outsmarting Leo.
If only he had the ruthlessness to execute him at the end.
As for Leo, this was the book where I began to dislike him, although he is still very well written.
Watching him be manipulated into starting a rebellion was frustrating but the good kind, especially when Savine got involved, doubling down on her own ruthlessness from A Little Hatred.
And then there is Rikke who has some of the best chapters of the novel because of just how creative Abercrombie got with her Long Eye.
There is a chapter where it is revealed that everything we just saw was Rikke’s vision of the future, and a chapter where the events take place in reverse as Rikke can no longer tell between the past, present and future.
This leads to her getting her Long Eye contained, with her becoming cunning enough to eventually take her father’s place, outwit Savine, and take Stour Nightfall’s castle while he is away at war.
Watching both her and Orso have the opportunity to become great leaders was thrilling to read.
The Trouble With Peace also has some of the best chapters in the series.
I have already mentioned the creative Rikke chapters, but the one where Orso and Leo have very different confrontations with Jappo is also a highlight.
The book also ends on an intense cliffhanger, with the joy of Orso’s victory being crushed with the false reveal of Pike as the Weaver, and the beginning of the Breakers and Burners’ Great Change. 
The only issue I have with it is that Gunnar’s role in this book feels pointless but that is it.
The Trouble With Peace is the best book in The Age of Madness trilogy and more than deserving of the third spot on this list.    

2. Best Served Cold. 

I can still remember reading the first chapter of Best Served Cold, which was used as a teaser at the end of the Last Argument of Kings book I have.
That first chapter hooked me in on Monza’s journey of revenge and, when I finally read the rest of the novel, I was not disappointed.
Best Served Cold follows mercenary Monza Murcatto, a woman hellbent on revenge after her brother Benna is killed and she is thrown off a mountain.
She enlists a cast of colourful and morally dubious characters to help her, consisting of Caul Shivers, Nicomo Cosca, Friendly, Castor Morveer, Day, and Shylo Vitari.
All of these characters are fantastic, especially Cosca, as this was the book which finally made me take notice of him as a character.
His friendship with Friendly was an unexpectedly endearing one and full of hilarious moments, both light-hearted and dark.
It is Shivers who is the best character in this book for me, though.
Much like Cosca, this was the first book in which I truly took notice of him, and his own descent into murderous revenge was tragic to watch, yet highly understandable.
As for Monza, her journey is also very compelling through what she learns about revenge.
In most revenge tales, the author focuses on the cost of revenge, with the main characters often questioning whether they should abandon it altogether.
This is not the case for Monza because the negative effects of her revenge are made clear from the first dozen murders, and she remains devoted to her goal of killing Grand Duke Orso.
What makes Monza’s revenge tale unique for me is how she comes to learn the man she is seeking revenge for, her brother, was actually a bit of a jerk, to put it lightly.
Across the novel, both Monza and the reader come to realise what a monster Benna was and how his actions lead to the chaos that Monza is now wreaking through Styria.
This results in multiple stages of the novel, each dedicated to Monza taking out one of the seven men she has sworn to kill.
Each of these instances of revenge stand out from the other, from Morveer poisoning dozens of people in a bank, to the fight with Ganmark, which is one of the best sword fights in the series.
Then there is so-called grand finale with Duke Orso, who Monza takes out with fittingly little fan-fare.
She is aided by Shenkt, who is revealed to be the one who saved Monza at the beginning of the novel in a great twist reveal.
When Abercrombie decides to incorporate twists into Best Served Cold he absolutely nails them.
There is of course Shenkt’s reveal and the twist of Benna’s true nature to the reader, but also the reveal that Monza is sleeping with the Duke of Delay.
That last one was particularly funny, as I was getting uncomfortable with how much detail the sex scene between Monza and Shivers was getting, while wondering why the POV kept changing between them, only for Monza’s POV to finally reveal she was sleeping with Rogont as well.
Best Served Cold has many twists and turns, along with fantastic characters, so it is no wonder that this is the first of the series to be getting a movie adaptation, which I hope they nail.
Best Served Cold is my favourite of the stand alones and, in my opinion, the second best book in the whole series.    

1. Last Argument of Kings.

It’s funny but, before I actually got to writing this list, I actually intended for Best Served Cold to be number one.
However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized just how often I was going back to re-read the chapters in Last Argument of Kings, the final book in the First Law trilogy.
Once I realized that, there was no doubt in my mind that this was the best book in the series.
Remember how I kept mentioning that The Blade Itself and Before They Are Hanged were set-up books for the big pay off?
Well, boy, does Last Argument of Kings ever pay off.
Every single one of our main POV characters has an impactful storyline.
Logen returns to the North to fight Bethod, only to fall further into the Bloody Nine side of his personality, resulting in more bloodshed.
Bayaz manuvers Jezal to take the throne of the Union, putting Jezal’s supposed positive change in Before They Are Hanged to the test.
Glokta is stuck between two masters who could both very easily destroy him, as he attempts to figure out the plans of both Sult, and the Valint and Balk bank.
Ferro’s discovering of the Seed leads to her finally gaining the means to accomplish her revenge against the Gurkish, while also finally revealing the true evil behind the scenes this entire time, Bayaz himself.
The First of the Magi reveals himself to be the power hungry overlord, controlling the Union from the shadows, and each of his conversations with the four main characters disclosing this are riveting.
In particular, his conversations with Glokta and Jezal are standouts.
In his talk with Glokta, Bayaz reveals all of his secret moves, paying off two whole books worth of foreshadowing.
As for Bayaz’s confrontation with Jezal, this may be my favourite moment in the entire series.
Watching Bayaz completely tear Jezal down, forcing him to be his puppet was devastating to watch in the best of ways.
There are numerous other highlights in this book, from Glokta and Ardee’s relationship, to Logen fighting Fenris the Feared in the Circle, to Pike’s reveal as Salem Rews following the tragic death of West and, of course, how so many of the characters’ endings come full circle.
Ferro is back on her revenge quest by the end, with the power to now actually achieve it, and Glokta continues to torture, only with much more power and now admitting to himself that it amuses him.
Finally, there is Logen, whose story ends exactly as it began, word for word.
Logen started the trilogy as a man on the run from his bloody past, and he ends the trilogy as a man on the run from his bloody past.
Last Argument of Kings has probably one of the most depressing endings of the series, with Logen’s fate unknown and Jezal now a fearful puppet of Bayaz, yet it is the perfect conclusion to this dark and delightful trilogy of books.
There is not a single bad novel in the First Law series and, in my opinion, Last Argument of Kings is Joe Abercrombie’s masterpiece.