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The First Law · Book 2

Before They Are Hanged

by Joe Abercrombie
Published
1 March 2007
Pages
560
ISBN-13
9780575077881
Type
novel
Buy on Amazon All The First Law books in order
Cover of Before They Are Hanged

About this book

Before They Are Hanged (2007) continues the single continuous story that opened with The Blade Itself, following Joe Abercrombie's compromised cast through a war run by the venal and incompetent. At 560 pages, it's the second volume of the original First Law trilogy, preceding Last Argument of Kings.

Key facts about Before They Are Hanged

Joe Abercrombie wrote Before They Are Hanged, a novel on our list. It has been out since March 2007. The book has 560 pages.

We list 3 editions of this novel. Since each edition has its own ISBN, search for 9780575077881 to find the main one.

Before They Are Hanged is book 2 of 11 in The First Law series. The series has 11 published books. However, the series starts with The Blade Itself (2006). The Wisdom of Crowds is the latest book in the series with a full release date, out on 14 September 2021.

Additionally, Joe Abercrombie writes Shattered Sea as a separate series. Those series sit on our grimdark epic fantasy and young adult fantasy shelves. Meanwhile, The Devils is the latest published Joe Abercrombie book on file, from 6 May 2025.

About Joe Abercrombie

Joe Abercrombie is a British fantasy author whose First Law series, beginning with The Blade Itself in 2006, helped establish "grimdark" as a recognizable fantasy subgenre -- morally compromised characters, unglamorous violence, and a willingness to subvert classic quest-fantasy tropes rather than play them straight. See every Joe Abercrombie book in order.

Its place in The First Law

Before They Are Hanged is book 2 in the The First Law series. It follows The Blade Itself. It is followed by Last Argument of Kings. See the full The First Law reading order.

A crippled torturer, a vain swordsman convinced he's the hero of his own story, and a manipulative wizard who never seems to be quite what he claims are pulled together by a looming war and the wizard's own unexplained agenda. Joe Abercrombie's First Law world is epic fantasy stripped of most of its comforting illusions: kingdoms are run by the venal and incompetent, battles are chaotic and ugly rather than glorious, and the people readers root for are, almost without exception, deeply compromised. It's the book…

Editions

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