If You Like The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie, Read These Books!
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- čas přidán 25. 07. 2024
- Hi everyone! Today's video is about The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie and books I recommend if you like The First Law trilogy. For the past three years, one of the most requested videos on my channel is for me to do this kind of video. If you like a (insert series name), read these books. Today, I'm posting the fourth episode in this series of videos, and I chose one of my favorite series of all time: The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie. So, if you're a fan of The First Law World, here are some recommendations from me!
Let me know what you think of The First Law if you've read it, and what do you think of my recommendations? Also, do tell me which series you want me to do next!
Timestamps and affiliated links
0:00 Intro & Rules
1:11 A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin amzn.to/4bBnlAi
2:34 Sons of Darkness by Gourav Mohanty amzn.to/4dAnGFj
4:14 Ash and Sand trilogy by Richard Nell amzn.to/3ykXOwZ
5:44 The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne amzn.to/3wzPAk6
7:14 The Last War Trilogy by Mike Shackle amzn.to/3UYRyE0
8:19 The Bloodsounder's Arc by Jeff Salyards amzn.to/44ZpoMF
9:31 The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter amzn.to/3QH7RT9
10:53 Eleventh Cycle by Kian N. Ardalan amzn.to/3ULjnhA
12:27 Pandemonium Rising by Mike Sliter amzn.to/44I4pxu
14:25 Illborn by Daniel T. Jackson amzn.to/4b9Kqu5
15:22 Dreams of the Dying by Nicolas Lietzau amzn.to/4bjtmBM
16:43 Honorable Mentions and Ending
Thumbnail art by Raymond Swanland
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#booktube #booktubesff #thefirstlaw #joeabercrombie - Zábava
I'm a simple man. I see a "If you like Joe Abercrombie..." list, I click.
Great minds think alike! :D
Agreed with both of the above statements!✌️
As I am a simple woman. One of my favourite series!
Same
Thank you for this, Petrik! Some great recommendations here, and I myself have enjoyed most of them. That said, I'm not sure that anyone can match Abercrombie's humor -- at least for me. That is the one category where I feel he stands on his own.
thank you, Philip! I can definitely agree with you. His books are incredibly hilarious. Which is amazing considering how dark and gritty they are supposed to be. :D
I'd also recommend Bernard Cornwell's Warlord Chronicles for fans of Joe Abercrombie- starting with the Winter King. It's a wonderful trilogy and I think Abercrombie fans will love it!
I LOVE Warlord Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell. Good recommendation! :)
That's funny. A series that I'm reading right now, that Jake Bishop got me into, reminds me a bit of first law. It's called the Vorkosigan Saga and the main character reminds me so much of Glokta. The best way to put it is if Robin Hobb decided to write a story in space plotted out like a dresden book and had Glokta as the main character. I highly recommend it if you haven't read it yet, this series was Jim Butcher's inspiration for dresden files apparently.
Oh, I heard about that series many times. The number of books are intimidating, but this is really good to hear! :)
Ash and Sand is on my TBR
Currently reading Best Served Cold
Superb! I hope you'll enjoy them! 😄
I don’t know how you manage to leave my TBR list in shambles every time you publish a video. But here we are again. Well, what can I do. I’ll have to add four more series to the list.😉😉😉😉
I am happy to hear that! :D
Ash and Sand is so damn good, book 2 & 3 are fucking incredible
I totally agree! :)
my new favorite Petrik video, thank you, and i would confer , Ash and Sand is an amazing trilogy!!!
Criminally underrated!! :D
Omg it’s like this video was made just for me. Thank you Petrik!!
You're so welcome!! I hope tbe video is useful! 😄
Thanks for this video! I love how you broke down different aspects of the books so we can make a more fitting choice. I've added The Lost War and Ash and Sand to my TBR.
You're welcome! Happy to hear the video is useful! :)
I’ve read 9 and have three on my tbr!
Wow. 3 left!! 😃😃
Great list, few of these already on TBR
Thank you!! 😁
THANK YOU, PETRIK. I'VE NEEDED THIS.
You're welcome! I hope they are useful! :)
This list is perfect for me, with First Law being my favourite! And there are several series here I've never heard of! So awesome!
Thanks Petrik! 😊
Thank you so much! Fellow First Law fans unite! :)
Thank you for recommending the books!! 📕 😊
You're so welcome! :D
Great list! Definitely going to pick up some of these I’ve not heard of! Another series I’d suggest to scratch the Abercrombie itch is Essex Dogs by Dan Jones. It’s historical fiction, but it’s written in the same bleak, gritty way and the character work is very similar to Joe’s!
Thank you! I heard about Essex Dogs. Didn't know it's written that way, though. I'll put it on my list to read!
@@PetrikLeo the sequel, wolves of winter was even better, so if you like it, you have more to look forward to!
WoW, suprisingly great list of recommendations for Joe Abercrombie enjoyers. I love how you avoided typical reddit recs like Malazan, Black Company and Mark Lawrence books. I read most of these and only one I ended up hating is The Last War, but I'll be checking out the few I haven't read. Thanks for a great video, cheers!
Thank you! Too bad about The Last War, I hope you will enjoy the other recommendation more! :)
I have dilly-dallied getting Dreams of the Dying for far too long. I finally got my copy. Thank you.
Do it!! I hope you will enjoy it! :)
Great recommendations as always! I have read most of them and agree with your reviews. One series that I would add to your list is the Erland Saga by R.S. Moule. This trilogy is finished (the third book just came out in May) and it is so underrated. Reminds me of A Song of Ice and Fire as it is told from several POV’s. And like GRRM no characters are safe which keeps you on edge throughout the series.
Thank you so much! I haven't heard of this series before. I checked and apparently, it's a historical fiction series. I liked what I'm hearing, though. Characters not being safe from danger is one of my favorite things to have in my reading!
Exelent recomendations. 👍
Glad you like them!
Never enough Abercrombie vibes! I am so curious to see how Eleventh Cycle is going to change, I already loved it on first read! And consider me sold on The Bloodsounder's Arc, I love that you always manage to bring some hidden gems onto my radar! Curious to hear your thoughts on both of the honourable mentions, I personally love them! Thanks for the recs ;)
You're welcome! And thank you so much! You and me both on the Eleventh Cycle, Esmay! Here's hoping the book will transform into something even more awesome.
Definetly love Asoiaf and Bloodsworn Saga ! ❤
Hear hear!
Richard Nell is violently underrated, it's a shame. I totally forgot about the Bloodsounders Arc until you brought it up, another great story. Have you ever read Chronicles of the Black Gate? I really liked that series and I never hear anyone bring it up. Great video as always brother.
Thank you so much! I read two books in Chronicles of the Black Gate but haven't continued the series. I need to go back to it someday. Definitely an underrated series, though!
Great recs! The best comparison I know of for the vivid character voice is one off your radar though, Empire of Salt trilogy by Conn Iggulden. It’s a fantastic trilogy that no one knows about, and it’s not grimdark at all but definitely dark and gritty at times so I think it has even wider appeal than First Law.
Thank you, brother! Oh yeahh, vivid character voice is another main strengths of the series. Super difficult to find series with that level of narration, though. I haven't read Empire of Salt trilogy by Conn Iggulden yet. I should read more books by Iggulden tbh. His Conqueror series is one of my favorite series! :)
@@PetrikLeo oh awesome, I really need to read his Conqueror Series! Maybe late this year I can read that one, and you can read Empire of Salt and we can have an Iggulden chat on my channel. I really think you’ll love Empire of Salt, and we can compare Iggulden’s hist fic writing to his fantasy
Great video, Petrik! I loved The First Law trilogy! The only series I've read here is GOT. Hmmm...I'm interested in the Ash and Sand trilogy, the Evan Winter books, and of course John Gwynne- still making my way thru The Faithful and The Fallen and have decided I will follow Mr Gwynne anywhere. Ack! I need more time to read....
Thank you so much, Tiffany! I'm glad to hear you are enjoying your time reading Gwynne's books. I hope you will like Ash and Sand plus Winter's books, too! :)
It’s impossible to not like Ash and Sand
I would love to see BrokenBinding get their hands on The Bloodsworn Saga
I will make sure it happens. For myself as well! ! :D
Thanks for the great recs. Can you pleaaaase do a vid like this for ASOIAF?
That's the plan! It will be next! 😁
@@PetrikLeo thanks. Ive found many gems (most recently The Dandelion Triology) thanks to your vids.
I'd probably recommend The Black Company, Glen Cook, which has morally ambiguous protagonists and a bleak world married to a solid plot with good battle descriptions.
I'd consider recommending The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson. It has a frustrating and borderline evil protagonist in a brilliantly drawn fantasy world with excellent writing.
Black Company is a good recommendation! I am speaking objectively because I did not like Glen Cook's writing style too much. I haven't read Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, though. As you said, the despicable things the main character did that I heard about really made me decide I have to be in the right reading mood before trying that.
I just started We Are The Dead this week! I'm quite excited to get into this world. I notice the writing could use a polish (lots of reported description, lots of telling) but I remain hopeful!
Give it a whirl. It keeps getting better, imo. 🙂
I think Jay Kristoff is another Grimdark author I enjoy very much!
I don't consider him a grimdark author but I like his books too!
This is such a cool video! Great recommends. My list juat grew exponentially 😅
Would you consider making a similar video but for Faithful and the Fallen? 🙏😇
Thank you, Max! I actually did make a video for The Faithful and the Fallen already. Video like this. It was the first one I made. Check it out! :)
@@PetrikLeo Awesome!! I will 🥳
I’m interested in grim dark with those strange touches of humor that First Law has. For that matter I always like to know if an author has been able to include even small amounts of humor or witty banter.
Yeah me too. Humor is truly one of Abercrombie's best strengths. It's incredible how he manage to implement those so organically in the dark narrative he writes. :D
To me Joe Abercrombie sits very, very close to the Throne of Fantasy.
He's truly one of the Kings of Fantasy, imo. 😄
I'm always recommending Jesse Teller's Madness Wars. Grimdark fantasy at it finest.
I haven't read anything by Jesse Teller yet!
The only thing from this list that I’ve read is the Sons of Darkness, which I read last week! It was really good!
This means you have many other books to read. ON TOP OF FIRST LAW!
@@PetrikLeo yes! 😂 I think I’d say that I’m still “new” to fantasy in that I haven’t read as much of it as other hardcore fantasy readers, even though I started reading the genre in like 2013.
Hey petrik didn't see you cover this,but for those who are looking for paperback of malazan,penguin is now releasing books 1-7 in 19.8 cm height same as books 8-10 by Bantam,books 2 and 4 are scheduled to be released by august,rest are now in stock
I got them myself for a matching set but these are very poor quality,with thin pages and easily scuffed covers
Didn't know about this. Thanks for letting me know! That actually is rare. I'll check them out now!
I asked on Reddit right after finishing first law and I was recommended Kings of the Wild by Nicholas Eames. It's much more lighthearted, but the comedy is kind of similar.
That's not a bad recommendation. Kings of the Wyld is amazing. And the humor in that book was hilarious like First Law!
I have yet to read the First Law 😅🤣 but I was still interested in this list!
Oh do it! Read The First Law please! :D
You must, you must!
I have read some of these books, but no Abercrombie yet 😅Am I doing it wrong? 😉His books are on my list but there is so much on it ... I will get to him eventually
Hhaha nothing wrong about that. This just means you have to try Joe Abercrombie's books, though! :D
Petrik make a tier list of all the grim-dark books how dark and bleak are they. I read the last war trilogy and it was a bit too bleak for my taste. It will be great reference for everybody .
I plan to do that AFTER I read Prince of Nothing this year! :)
I read Sons Of Darkness a few years ago and I really enjoyed it. Having a character that reminded me of Glokta didn't bother me at all. However, what ended up hurting the experience for me was that I read it right after reading Best Served Cold and I couldn't help noticing that several scenes were lifted directly from that book. They not only played out the same way but even used some of the same lines. It bothered me because I felt the author was capable of writing his own scenes and I would enjoy those more than rereading scenes from the last book I finished. I still recommend Sons Of Darkness but put some distance between reading it and Best Served Cold.
Interesting! I didn't notice that. But most likely because it has been YEARS since I read Best Served Cold! :O
@@PetrikLeo next time you feel like rereading one of them, try reading both back to back. I would love to hear your thoughts.
Попробуйте Алекса Маршалла (Джесс Буллингтон) цикл "Багряная империя" (The Crimson Empire) и Ричарда Моргана цикл "Страна, достойная своих героев" (Land Fit for Heroes). По описанию боевых сцен на Аберкромби похож Роберт Вегнер "Сказания Меекханского пограничья" (Opowieści z meekhańskiego pogranicza).
Oh! Crimson Empire by Alex Marshall. I have to try that one. That caught my interest a long time ago but I haven't tried it yet! 😅
If you like Joe Abercrombie, you might also enjoy the Care Bears!
LOL, just joking. Sons of Darkness is the one I'm most excited to check out on your list (of the several I haven't read yet).
HAHA! I mean, if you love First Law, the books can function as Care Bear! :p
I flip-flop between Hobb and Abercrombie as to who is my favourite fantasy author (though I think Hobb has it in the bag because I am in love with Fitz!). I recently heard of a new fantasy author whose book is narrated by (wait for it!), STEVEN PACEY!! The author is Steve D Wall and the first book is The Way of the Renegades (I have told you about this already, Petrik, so I know you are aware of it and have a copy.)
I have started listening to it and yes, it reminds me of Abercrombie! There’s a way for the author to go before he is even allowed to hang on Abercrombie’s shoe laces!! BUT, he’s well on his way. Just needs to dial up the humour!
I’ve only listened to about a half of the book but he’s a new favourite of mine!
Yeah! I remember you saying that. I have The Renegades on my TBR pile. It's just a matter of time before I start reading it. I hope you continue to enjoy the second half of the book, too! :)
I've just started reading Joe Abercrombie and loving his work! G.R.R.M is my favourite fantasy author. As a lover of Dark Souls ☀ ⚔ 🌞(& FromSoft in general XD) I was interested in reading the Eleventh Cycle, but lots of people said it's extremely r*ap&y & weird as well, especially the 2nd book I think it was, so not for me.
Anyway, I've got Joe's books to read, and Malazan to continue with 📚- I lol'd several times reading Gardens of the Moon, and haven't laughed during a Fantasy book for a long time, so that impressed me! 😆
Steven Erikson certainly has some rumor sprinkled throughout Malazan Book of the Fallen. Being a fan of Dark Souls and FromSoftware Games will help your reading experience, too. There are plenty of things in Malazan that reminded me of FromSoftware Games! :)
Check out "The Blacktongue Thief" if you want a quick read with a kind of rough wit that makes me think of Abercrombie.
I've read and highly enjoyed Blacktongue Thief! I'm about to start its prequel, Daughters' War tomorrow! :)
Talking about John Gwynne
The saga of The Faithfull and The Fallen is more like Abercrombie or a Psmg of Ice and Fire? Or just Classci Fantasy? What do you think about it?
Think of it like classic heroic fantasy. BUT with battles like Joe Abercrombie, and at first, many houses and names to remember like A Song of Ice and Fire. Do not expect Gwynne's books to be similar in tone or world-building level to First Law or A Song of Ice and Fire, though.
@@PetrikLeo Don’t worry i just love it how it is already;)
Petrik, what up? Have you read the Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe yet?
Hey! I'm good. Not yet, but definitely will! :)
Guessing that Dreams of the Dying will be in the list.
You know me! :D
I wouldn't say Abercrombie does Grimdark.
The Prince of Nothing trilogy by Scott R Bakker, now thats grimdark.😂
Letxs say Abercrombie is grimdark. Scott Bakker is ABSOLUTE grimdark. 🤣
ASOIAF series has such a engaging and beautiful story that it can be a massive hit in literally every medium,,I really get amazed by GRRM.... How can he imagine and can weave a story like this....Finish the story plzzz Gramps,,you are getting too old now which is giving me a not so good feeling
Yeah, despite the harsh comments he gets now due to not finishing the series, I think A Song of Ice and Fire is a brilliant series.
@@PetrikLeo The harsh comments he gets are from entitled idiots. They absolutely have no understanding of literature.
He will finish and release them when they're ready and not before.
You don't rush genius.
Also
Orca is a fantastic name lol
Haha the character name is Orka! Similar pronunciation, though!
Idk I never really considered A Song of Ice and Fire to be grim dark imo. Is it dark and cynical? Absolutely but in my mind Grimdark is stories about people who can’t be redeemed or try and fail. I think ASOIAF has a lot of hope despite its cynicism. Also it’s the best series on the list.😊
I never consider grimdark to be devoid of hope, to be honest. They're darker than the standard epic fantasy, filled morally grey characters and actions, more explicit content, but often the characters are still doing something relatively good. That said, everyone has their own definition of grimdark. :)
Of course I'd watch this! You have to be realistic 😀
Well said! I see what you did there. 😄
I loved Salyard's trilogy. Too bad we haven't heard anything else from him.
Yeah, I'm starting to feel he has stopped writing. :(
for me for GRRM....I love that he could write Jaime Lannister and you start feeling for the character and some how forget...he pushed a 6 year old out a window.
Yeahhh! It was brilliantly done. Logically, we should utterly hate him. But nope... amazing characterizations.
God more people need to get onto eleventh cycle its possibly my favorite epic fantasy story
Yeahh, it's a shame not too many people read or loved the book! :)
@@PetrikLeo i wouldnt have came across jt without your recommend (not even a big fan of dark souls either, prolly cus i die too much to beat the games tho)
Wait John Gwynnes books aren't considered grimdark fantasy? Could have sworn i saw articles listing his books as grimdark
I don't consider his books grimdark fantasy at all. 😄
Oh got it. Any particular reason why?
Im currently near the end of " The Heroes " and even though its written well its by far the weakest novel ive read of his so far in order.
After hearing so much praise for Abercrombie i bought all his first law novels and im working through them.
His prose just gets better with each book and his characters and dialogue is fantastic.
Very lean in the world building for me but still its there.
Hes obviously a massive G.R.R.Martin fan but people claiming hes as good if not better are out of their minds.
Very good writer though for sure and im looking forward to reading through the age of madness trilogy.
Once theyre all done im levelling up to start the prince of nothing series by Bakker.
✌️
Out of their mind is too much haha. It all depends on what you're looking for in a book. I think Abercrombie is better at characterizations and battle scenes. George Martin is much better at world-building.
@@PetrikLeo 😉😂 I wrote my comment when I saw your video...had it on pause...then once my comment was done I started watching it and you quickly said you thought parts were as good if not better than Martin's a song of ice n fire series...AWKWARD...😂😂😂✌️😉 Obviously it's your opinion...your truth and this is mine 👍
Glokta is indeed an amazingly fascinating character not just based on Tyrion but little finger and Varys the spider too from Game of thrones.
Abercrombie writes like Martin, his characters are so similar as is his dialogue style. Without him reading through the magnificent 5 book series ( yes all 5 not the first 3 ) Abercrombie would never have written the first law.
Abercrombie matches Martin in some respects - Dialogue, characters.
Beats him in others - Humour, Fight scenes.
Miles behind in others - World building and plot.
I'm not dissing Abercrombie though...what I've read so far has massively impressed me but no one can match Martin's of ice n fire series whether it's finished or not.
😉✌️
Agreed, ASOIAF is miles better than first law. No offense to Abercrombie
I am an Abercrombie addict! He can do no wrong in my opinion! I love ALL his books, but The Heroes is my favourite.
Think about the premise, the action, the dialogue and the characters- just outstanding.
Without Abercrombie or Hobb, my life and world would be very different!!
@@tanja9364 He's a great writer for sure and I'm 40 pages from finishing the Heroes and I can't wait because to me it's such a forgettable story.
Barely any meat on the bones ( which is a given so far, for world building, in an Abercrombie novel ) A list of characters very easily forgotten compared to previous books and a plot that often left me bored while reading...
When looking at the rankings on Reddit for his books, The Heroes is the most Divisive.
It's either near the top or near the bottom to its readers.
That said...it's no poor novel.
It's still written well.
I'm also getting the vibes that a reread down the line will improve for me but as it is it's easily his most lackluster novel so far.
I see Joe’s name I click 🙌
Good decision!
☀️📖😌📚
Peeeeeetrik
Zeeeennnn!
Petrik, I was wondering if you would try Stephen Lawhead's Pendragon Cycle. I know you like Arthurian Legends, historical fiction and high fantasy so I guess it will be right up your alley.
I actually haven't read that series. I am indeed a fan of Arthurian Legends, though. I shall take a look! :)
@@PetrikLeo good. I say this because an adaptation is coming around this year and I'm trying to re-read at least the first two books, which will cover the first season
Have you read Between Two Fires? @PetrikLeo
Yeah! Good book. I loved Blacktongue Thief more, though!