If, like me, you’re a big fan of Joe Abercrombie’s First Law series, then the chances are you’re always on the lookout for more reads that might help to scratch that itch. So, without further ado, here is my list of books you should read if you enjoyed the First Law series.
The Lies of Locke Lamora
The first instalment of Scott Lynch’s The Gentlemen Bastards series, the first thing you’ll fall in love with is the character work. The eponymous Locke Lamora, and his partner-in-crime, Jean Tannen are great, as are the twins Calo and Galdo, and Father Chains himself, of course. And facing them are some brilliantly dark characters in the feared gangster, Capa Barsavi, the mysterious Grey King and the powerful bondsmage known as The Falconer.
Basically, if you liked Rudd Threetrees, Logen Ninefingers and the northmen, or Bayaz and the Order of the Magi, or Sand dan Glokta, Colonel West and the rest of the Union crowd then you will love the characters in The Gentlemen Bastards sequence.
The other comparison worth making here is the strength of the world-building. In the First Law series, the territories of the Union, the North, Styria and even distant Gurkhul all feel very well crafted. The same goes for the city of Camorr, the venetian-styled, hotbed of criminality where The Lies of Locke Lamora takes place. There is very little exposition, but the setting feels so real that you can almost smell the canals as you read.
Not only that, but if you enjoyed The Lies of Locke Lamora then you’ll have two more books (with another reportedly on the way soon) to enjoy, too!
The Blacktongue Thief
I’ve already raved about how much I loved Christopher Buelhman’s Between Two Fires, but that dark, medieval masterpiece is probably less suited to fans of Joe Abercrombie’s First Law series than the author’s later release, The Blacktongue Thief.
The book follows Kinch Na Shannack, a thief who—like many of his peers—is deep in debt to the nefarious Taker’s Guild. This shadowy organisation has its fingers in many pies, as we discover when they send Kinch on his latest job, accompanying a mysterious warrior to the giant-ravaged lands in the far west.
This book walks a brilliant line between horror and fantasy, which the author manages perfectly. Typically when I read about goblins I find them vaguely comical, but in The Blacktongue Thief they are genuinely revolting and frightening. This results in two particular scenes that will forever be seared into my brain.
But as well as being superbly grim, the book is also well-paced, the characters are nicely rounded and the dialogue is sharp and witty – all of the qualities you want from something that’s First Law-adjacent!
The Hunter’s Lament
Yes, I know I’m biased here, but my 2023 debut has drawn comparisons to Joe Abercrombie’s writing (comparisons that I’m both humbled by and can fully get on board with).
The book is a single-POV, third-person limited story that follows the trials and tribulations of veteran bounty hunter Bitter Sweet and his crew of like-minded reprobates. In the aftermath of a bloody war, and against his better instincts, Sweet accepts a contract that could prove to be their most lucrative—but also their most dangerous—job yet.
On the surface, this might seem like a straight-forward race-against-the-clock meets get-the-band-back-together kind of story, and while I hope I’ve delivered that, there’re also deeper layers to The Hunter’s Lament that I’m glad early readers picked up on when it was published back in 2023.
Little by little, you start to care for the characters, and when – and given the genre, this cannot count as a spoiler – some of them go to the great bounty hunter paddock in the sky – it honestly hits you hard. There’s one death that, despite literally no words being said, approaches Sean Bean/Boromir devastation levels. It’s brilliant writing.
Stylistically, my writing inhabits the gritty, dirty gutters that Joe Abercrombie also seems to enjoy exploring. There is dark humour and a real desire to limit any stylisation when it comes to fighting or violence (ask any paramedic and they’ll tell you that the winner of a knife-fight dies in the ambulance). But I also don’t believe in writing completely hopeless tales that just try to “out-bleak” other books in the genre, so if you enjoyed the world of the First Law, I recommend you give The Hunter’s Lament a go, too.
A Song of Ice and Fire
Needless to say, the TV adaptation of Game of Thrones was a cultural phenomenon in the aughts — and while the book series remains unfinished (at the time of writing this post anyway 👀) there are still plenty of reasons why you should give them a read.
Firstly, the complexity of the politicking, the rivalries, the ever-shifting allegiances, is masterfully written. If you’re looking for a cast of characters that you can’t trust as far as you can throw, then you can’t do much better than A Game of Thrones.
Secondly, there’s action aplenty! Gory fight scenes, epic battles, undead armies and terrifying dragons, what more could you want? GoT balances storytelling with action set-pieces in the same way that Joe Abercrombie’s First Law series does. If you like one, the chances are high you’ll like the other!
Finally, the pacing of these books is so tight. Even longer sequences never feel like they drag, and it’s definitely a series that will demand you read “just one more chapter”.
The Powerdermage Trilogy
Powerful sorcerers and a magic system where some people can manipulate gunpowder, need I say more? This series (a trilogy at the time of writing) is one hell of an adventure from Brian McClellan.
The world-building is next level good, the characters are both grim and dark in equal measure and the various storylines ebb and flow wonderfully together. If you like your fantasy with a flintlock twist then you can’t get much better than starting with Promise of Blood and going from there!
Honourable mentions
- Empire of the Vampire – Jay Kristoff
- The Farseer series – Robin Hobb
- The Name of the Wind – Patrick Rothfuss
- The Mistborn books – Brandon Sanderson
- The Shattered Sea series – Joe Abercrombie himself!
Scratching that First Law itch
Now it’s true that direct comparions will never fully meet expectations, especially with a series as brilliant as the First Law books are, but hopefully the stories on this list will give you some starting points to try out! And while Joe might be busy continuing with his new universe (a series that started earlier this year with The Devils) it’s also worth remembering that the First Law saga left lots of things neatly tied-up, but left plenty more questions unanswered…so we can hope for a return at some point in the future!
📚✌🏻SP
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Steve Pannett is an author and designer based in Yorkshire, UK.
He writes primarily in the fantasy genre, combining character-led storytelling with epic, gritty world-building to create dark tales with plenty of action and lots of twists along the way.
He has self-published multiple books and is active online.
