Before they are hanged

by Joe Abercrombie · 2007

In the second volume of Joe Abercrombie’s gritty First Law Trilogy, the Union teeters on the brink of collapse. Inquisitor Glokta, a crippled torturer, must defend the besieged city of Dagoska while navigating a web of treachery and a vanished predecessor. To the north, savage invaders scorch the frozen lands, and Crown Prince Ladisla leads an ill‑equipped, rag‑tag army into a hopeless battle. Meanwhile, the enigmatic Magus Bayaz leads a mismatched band—a feared northern warlord, a reviled southern noblewoman, and a selfish young apprentice—on a perilous quest into ancient ruins. Their uneasy alliance may uncover a forgotten weapon, the Seed, capable of ending the looming war and the monstrous Eaters threatening humanity. Blood‑soaked battles, bitter betrayals, and reluctant friendships collide as each character fights to survive long enough to see their enemies hanged.