Joe Abercrombie Books in Order (Updated August 5, 2026)

Joe Abercrombie is an English fantasy author whose bibliography falls into three distinct continuities: the First Law world, the Shattered Sea trilogy, and The Devils series.

The First Law books require the most care. Although several volumes are marketed as standalones, they advance one continuous history, reuse major characters, and reveal the consequences of earlier conflicts.

The safest choice is to read the First Law world in publication order. The Shattered Sea and The Devils can be started independently.

Choose Your Starting Point

1. For the complete Joe Abercrombie experience: Begin with The Blade Itself.
2. For a self-contained First Law story: Begin with Best Served Cold, but expect references to earlier political events and returning characters.
3. For younger readers or a shorter completed trilogy: Begin with Half a King.
4. For Abercrombie’s newest fantasy setting: Begin with The Devils, which has no connection to the First Law world.

The Three Joe Abercrombie Continuities

The First Law World

Status: Interconnected continuity

This sequence includes the original First Law trilogy, three bridge novels, the Sharp Ends collection, and the Age of Madness trilogy.

The bridge novels are sometimes called standalones because each has its own central conflict. They should still be read in order because characters, governments, wars, and alliances continue changing between books.

The Shattered Sea

Status: Separate continuity

This completed trilogy follows a changing group of viewpoint characters in a seafaring world shaped by warfare, politics, and disputed succession.

It is not connected to the First Law setting.

The Devils

Status: Separate continuity

The Devils begins a newer series set in a supernatural version of Europe. It follows a recurring group but does not share characters, history, or geography with Abercrombie’s earlier books.

Joe Abercrombie Books in Recommended Order

For a first reading, use the sequence below.

The First Law Sequence

1. The Blade Itself (2006): A barbarian, a vain young officer, a tortured inquisitor, and a mysterious wizard enter separate plots that gradually expose the Union’s political and military instability.
2. Before They Are Hanged (2007): War spreads across the North and the South while Bayaz leads an uneasy company on a journey built around ancient history and uncertain motives.
3. Last Argument of Kings (2008): Battles, elections, personal rivalries, and magical schemes converge, resolving the original trilogy while redefining several apparent heroes and villains.
4. Best Served Cold (2009): Betrayed mercenary Monza Murcatto assembles a dangerous group to eliminate the people responsible for destroying her family and career.
5. The Heroes (2011): Union and Northmen forces fight over one strategically insignificant hill during three days that expose the machinery, vanity, and waste of war.
6. Red Country (2012): A farmer searching for abducted children crosses the frontier with a man whose violent past connects the novel to the earliest First Law books.
7. Sharp Ends (2016): This collection moves across several periods of First Law history, adding alternate viewpoints, character origins, and linked adventures involving Shevedieh and Javre.
8. A Little Hatred (2019): Industrialization, labor unrest, political resentment, and a new Northern conflict introduce the next generation of First Law characters.
9. The Trouble with Peace (2020): Failed compromises and private ambitions push the Union toward rebellion while personal alliances become increasingly difficult to separate from political ones.
10. The Wisdom of Crowds (2021): Revolution reaches Adua, old institutions collapse, and the Age of Madness concludes by showing who benefits when power changes hands.

The Shattered Sea Sequence

1. Half a King (2014): Prince Yarvi survives betrayal and enslavement, relying on intelligence and negotiation in a culture that values physical strength.
2. Half the World (2015): Thorn Bathu trains as a warrior while Father Yarvi undertakes a diplomatic journey to find allies against the High King.
3. Half a War (2015): Princess Skara joins an expanding conflict in which diplomacy, vengeance, and battlefield decisions determine the future of the Shattered Sea.

The Devils Sequence

1. The Devils (2025): A secretive cleric assembles vampires, werewolves, killers, and other dangerous outcasts to escort a young woman through a monster-filled alternate Europe.
2. The Heretics (Scheduled for 2027): The second Devils novel continues the group’s loosely connected supernatural misadventures and is scheduled for publication in May 2027.

The Heretics is confirmed but unpublished as of this update. Its position after The Devils is clear, although final publication details can still change.

The First Law Books in Order

The First Law world is best treated as a ten-book sequence rather than as two trilogies separated by unrelated novels.

The First Law Trilogy

1. The Blade Itself (2006): Logen Ninefingers, Jezal dan Luthar, Sand dan Glokta, and several other viewpoint characters are drawn toward conflicts involving the Union, the North, and the First of the Magi.
2. Before They Are Hanged (2007): Glokta attempts to defend a doomed southern city, war consumes Angland, and Bayaz’s expedition searches for a legendary source of power.
3. Last Argument of Kings (2008): The original cast faces open war and political succession as the trilogy reveals the costs behind its promises of victory.

These books form one story and should be read consecutively.

The Blade Itself spends substantial time establishing characters and institutions. Its central conflicts do not resolve until the following two volumes.

The Great Leveller Books

“The Great Leveller” is a collective name often applied to the three novels published between the original trilogy and the Age of Madness.

Each novel changes location, genre emphasis, and principal cast. Together, however, they show how the First Law world develops between its two trilogies.

1. Best Served Cold (2009): Monza Murcatto pursues revenge across Styria with a mismatched crew whose members include both new figures and characters from the original trilogy.
2. The Heroes (2011): A concentrated military narrative follows commanders, soldiers, opportunists, and civilians on both sides of a Northern battle.
3. Red Country (2012): A frontier pursuit combines a family rescue story with returning First Law figures and the consequences of earlier violence.

These novels are included, not optional.

Skipping them before the Age of Madness removes important context for political leadership, territorial changes, family relationships, and the reputations of returning characters.

The Age of Madness Trilogy

1. A Little Hatred (2019): Leo dan Brock, Savine dan Glokta, Prince Orso, Rikke, and other younger characters confront a society being transformed by industry and resentment.
2. The Trouble with Peace (2020): Peace negotiations fail as conspiracies, rebellion, personal rivalry, and Northern ambition pull the cast toward another major confrontation.
3. The Wisdom of Crowds (2021): Revolutionary movements seize control of the Union, forcing the characters to navigate public violence and rapidly changing hierarchies.

The Age of Madness follows the earlier nine First Law books chronologically.

It can introduce the world on its own, but it reveals outcomes from the original trilogy and the bridge novels. Beginning here substantially reduces the mystery surrounding earlier characters and events.

Where Sharp Ends Belongs

Sharp Ends (2016): Thirteen stories revisit the First Law world at different points, including Glokta before his capture, Logen before the original trilogy, events surrounding major battles, and several adventures featuring Shevedieh and Javre.

Read Sharp Ends after Red Country.

Some stories occur before The Blade Itself, but chronological placement is not the best choice. The collection assumes that readers already recognize people, places, reputations, and conflicts from the first six novels.

Reading it after Red Country preserves the intended context without interrupting the main trilogies.

Sharp Ends Stories in Collection Order

The entries below are short stories rather than separate novels, but each contributes a distinct episode to the collection.

1. A Beautiful Bastard: A younger Sand dan Glokta appears before the injuries that shape his role in the original trilogy.
2. Small Kindnesses: Shevedieh discovers that helping a stranger can create complications that are difficult to escape.
3. The Fool Jobs: Curnden Craw and his crew accept an uncertain assignment involving theft, violence, and unreliable instructions.
4. Skipping Town: Shevedieh and Javre attempt to leave a settlement while carrying more trouble than either wants to acknowledge.
5. Hell: A civilian viewpoint presents the siege of Dagoska from inside the city’s collapse.
6. Two’s Company: Shevedieh encounters a famous Northern fighter, turning a personal confrontation into a contest of pride and survival.
7. Wrong Place, Wrong Time: Three perspectives reveal how ordinary people become trapped inside the events of Best Served Cold.
8. Some Desperado: Shy South faces pursuers during an episode set before the main events of Red Country.
9. Yesterday, Near a Village Called Barden: Union soldiers and Northmen prepare for a confrontation shortly before the battle depicted in The Heroes.
10. Three’s a Crowd: Shevedieh and Javre become involved with another dangerous figure whose presence complicates their unstable partnership.
11. Freedom!: A deliberately flattering account of a frontier liberation offers an unreliable public version of events surrounding Red Country.
12. Tough Times All Over: A stolen package passes through numerous hands during a fast-moving chain of betrayals and misunderstandings.
13. Made a Monster: Bethod’s perspective presents an earlier version of Logen Ninefingers and challenges stories told about their shared past.

First Law Publication Order

Publication order is also the recommended reading order:

1. The Blade Itself (2006): The original trilogy begins by assembling the major figures who will shape the Union’s next political crisis.
2. Before They Are Hanged (2007): The second volume divides its cast across a military campaign, a siege, and a journey into the Old Empire.
3. Last Argument of Kings (2008): The trilogy concludes its wars and power struggles without closing the larger history of the setting.
4. Best Served Cold (2009): The focus shifts to Styria for a revenge narrative with consequences that continue into later books.
5. The Heroes (2011): The North and the Union meet in a tightly structured battle novel spanning three days.
6. Red Country (2012): The sequence moves west into a frontier region where several older character arcs receive further development.
7. Sharp Ends (2016): Short fiction fills selected gaps across the timeline without advancing the world beyond Red Country.
8. A Little Hatred (2019): A new generation enters a Union altered by machinery, investment, unrest, and the legacy of previous rulers.
9. The Trouble with Peace (2020): Rival political projects and personal agendas destroy the possibility of an easy settlement.
10. The Wisdom of Crowds (2021): The second trilogy ends amid revolution and another redistribution of power.

Can the First Law Standalones Be Read Separately?

They can, but that is not the strongest order.

Best Served Cold has its own revenge plot and can function as an alternative entry point. It still reveals who survived the original trilogy and how power shifted afterward.

The Heroes has a contained setting and conflict, but many of its commanders and fighters carry histories from earlier books.

Red Country tells a complete pursuit story, yet one of its central arcs depends heavily on recognizing a returning character.

Readers testing Abercrombie with one novel should choose Best Served Cold. Readers intending to continue should begin with The Blade Itself.

First Law Chronological Order

The novel-length chronology matches publication order:

1. The Blade Itself (2006): The Union faces internal tension while war develops on multiple borders.
2. Before They Are Hanged (2007): The original cast continues directly from the unresolved campaigns and journeys of the opening novel.
3. Last Argument of Kings (2008): The first trilogy concludes without a meaningful time reset between volumes.
4. Best Served Cold (2009): Events move to Styria after the original trilogy’s political settlement.
5. The Heroes (2011): Another Northern war follows the changes created by the preceding books.
6. Red Country (2012): The frontier story occurs later and shows several characters at different stages of their lives.
7. A Little Hatred (2019): A substantial generational gap introduces the children and successors of earlier figures.
8. The Trouble with Peace (2020): The second Age of Madness novel continues the political crisis established in A Little Hatred.
9. The Wisdom of Crowds (2021): The revolution and its aftermath complete the current First Law timeline.

Sharp Ends contains stories from several different periods, including years before The Blade Itself. Inserting each story into strict chronology produces little benefit and can reveal character histories too early.

The Shattered Sea Books in Order

The Shattered Sea trilogy changes its central viewpoint emphasis between books, but its plot is continuous.

1. Half a King (2014): Yarvi loses a throne he never expected to inherit and must survive slavery before attempting to reclaim his place.
2. Half the World (2015): Thorn Bathu and Brand travel with Father Yarvi as he seeks support for a war that cannot be won through strength alone.
3. Half a War (2015): Skara becomes the political center of a final struggle involving Gettland, Vansterland, Throvenland, and the High King.

Read all three in publication order.

Half the World is not an unrelated sequel despite its shift toward Thorn and Brand. Yarvi’s plans continue across the full trilogy, and each book assumes knowledge of the previous one.

Is Shattered Sea Part of the First Law?

No.

The two series share certain themes, including political calculation, violence, flawed leadership, and changing points of view. They do not share an official continuity.

Characters from one series do not appear in the other, and no First Law preparation is needed before Half a King.

The Devils Books in Order

1. The Devils (2025): Brother Diaz leads a company of supernatural prisoners on a mission involving disputed identity, religious power, hostile territory, and an invasion threat.
2. The Heretics (Scheduled for May 2027): The returning company enters another loosely connected adventure in the same supernatural setting, with publication planned for May 2027.

Abercrombie has described these books as more individually approachable than the tightly serialized First Law trilogy. They share some cast members and an overarching plot, but each is designed around a more self-contained mission.

A third Devils book is being planned. Its title and publication date were not confirmed as of August 5, 2026, so it should not yet be placed in the formal order.

Is The Devils Connected to the First Law?

No.

The Devils takes place in a different world modeled loosely on a supernatural version of Europe. It uses overt monsters, religious institutions, and alternate geography rather than the nations of the Circle of the World.

Readers can begin The Devils without reading The Blade Itself.

Joe Abercrombie Omnibus Editions

Omnibus editions collect existing novels and do not add new positions to the reading order.

The First Law Trilogy Omnibus

The First Law Trilogy: This edition collects The Blade Itself, Before They Are Hanged, and Last Argument of Kings in the correct sequence.

The Great Leveller

The Great Leveller: This omnibus contains Best Served Cold, The Heroes, and Red Country, preserving the bridge sequence between the two First Law trilogies.

The Collected Joe Abercrombie

The Collected Joe Abercrombie: This digital collection combines the original trilogy and the three Great Leveller novels, covering the first six First Law books.

The Shattered Sea Trilogy

The Shattered Sea Trilogy: This collected edition contains Half a King, Half the World, and Half a War in publication order.

Readers who own an omnibus do not need separate copies of the novels it contains.

Graphic Adaptations

The First Law Graphic Novel

The First Law Graphic Novel: This adaptation retells material from The Blade Itself in illustrated form rather than continuing the novel sequence.

It is optional and should be treated as an adaptation, not as an additional First Law installment.

Readers choosing between formats should use the prose novel for the complete original version.

Joe Abercrombie Books in Overall Publication Order

This list mixes unrelated continuities, so it is more useful for collectors than for first-time readers.

1. The Blade Itself (2006): The First Law world opens through intersecting character studies and slowly emerging wars.
2. Before They Are Hanged (2007): The trilogy expands into military disaster, siege warfare, and an uncertain expedition.
3. Last Argument of Kings (2008): The first trilogy resolves its central political and military conflicts.
4. Best Served Cold (2009): A revenge campaign shifts the First Law focus to Styria.
5. The Heroes (2011): A three-day battle reveals the experiences of soldiers and commanders on both sides.
6. Red Country (2012): The First Law world moves into a frontier story about family, pursuit, and buried identities.
7. Half a King (2014): The separate Shattered Sea continuity begins with Yarvi’s loss of power and fight for survival.
8. Half the World (2015): Thorn and Brand join a journey intended to change the balance of power across the Shattered Sea.
9. Half a War (2015): The trilogy ends with diplomacy and warfare deciding the fate of several kingdoms.
10. Sharp Ends (2016): First Law short fiction revisits earlier events through familiar and unfamiliar viewpoints.
11. A Little Hatred (2019): The Age of Madness begins in a more industrial and politically unstable Union.
12. The Trouble with Peace (2020): Rebellion, succession, and private ambition push the new generation toward war.
13. The Wisdom of Crowds (2021): Revolution concludes the Age of Madness while leaving the First Law world open to future change.
14. The Devils (2025): A new continuity begins with a company of monsters undertaking a mission for the Church.
15. The Heretics (Scheduled for 2027): The Devils series is set to continue with another shared-cast adventure.

Latest Joe Abercrombie Book

The latest published Joe Abercrombie novel is The Devils, released in May 2025.

The Devils (2025): Supernatural outcasts travel across a dangerous alternate Europe while protecting a young woman whose identity could affect the balance of religious and political power.

The next confirmed novel is The Heretics, the sequel to The Devils.

The Heretics (Scheduled for May 2027): The second book continues the series with returning characters and another mission, with UK publication scheduled for May 4, 2027, and US publication scheduled for May 11, 2027.

The manuscript had entered copy editing by June 2026. Abercrombie was also planning a third book, but no reliable title or publication date had been announced.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best Joe Abercrombie reading order?

Begin with The Blade Itself and follow the entire First Law world in publication order.

That means reading the original trilogy, the three Great Leveller novels, Sharp Ends, and then the Age of Madness trilogy.

Should I read Sharp Ends before the Age of Madness?

Yes.

Read it after Red Country and before A Little Hatred. This position preserves the context for its prequels and side stories without delaying the main First Law sequence.

Can I skip the First Law standalone books?

They should not be skipped.

Best Served Cold, The Heroes, and Red Country establish political and personal developments that directly inform the Age of Madness.

Can I start with Best Served Cold?

Yes, especially when trying one self-contained novel before committing to the full sequence.

It remains a less spoiler-safe starting point than The Blade Itself because it confirms outcomes and survivors from the original trilogy.

Can I start with The Heroes?

The central battle can be followed independently, but several important participants already have established histories.

Read the earlier books first for the clearest understanding of the commanders, factions, and personal rivalries.

Is Red Country a standalone?

Its immediate rescue story is self-contained.

Its strongest character material depends on knowledge of the original First Law trilogy, so it belongs sixth in the wider sequence.

Is the First Law series complete?

The original First Law trilogy and the Age of Madness trilogy are complete.

The wider setting remains open-ended. The Wisdom of Crowds is the latest published novel in that continuity, but it is not presented as an irreversible ending to the world.

Is The Devils a trilogy?

The Devils is the opening book in a continuing series.

The Heretics is confirmed as the second volume, and Abercrombie has discussed planning the book after it. A final series length had not been firmly established in the verified information available for this update.

Is The Devils suitable as a first Joe Abercrombie book?

Yes.

It begins a separate continuity and requires no familiarity with First Law or Shattered Sea.

Is Shattered Sea written for younger readers?

It was published as young adult fantasy, but its continuing political plot and violent conflicts also make it accessible to adult Abercrombie readers.

The trilogy is separate from his adult First Law books.

Are the First Law books chronological?

The novels are chronological in publication order.

Sharp Ends moves across the timeline, but the full collection is still best read after Red Country.

Does Joe Abercrombie have any standalone novels outside the First Law world?

The Devils begins a separate series rather than functioning as a permanent standalone.

Best Served Cold, The Heroes, and Red Country have self-contained central plots, but all three remain part of the First Law continuity.

Final Reading Decision

Begin with The Blade Itself when planning to read the First Law world. Continue through the original trilogy, then read Best Served Cold, The Heroes, Red Country, Sharp Ends, and the complete Age of Madness trilogy.

Begin with Half a King for the separate and completed Shattered Sea trilogy.

Begin with The Devils for Abercrombie’s newest continuity. Its sequel, The Heretics, is scheduled for 2027, while the third volume remains unconfirmed in title and date.