The trilogy that established Joe Abercrombie as one of the defining voices in contemporary fantasy. Three characters - Logen Ninefingers, a barbarian from the North trying and failing to leave his violent past behind; Sand dan Glokta, a crippled Inquisitor who was once the Union's finest swordsman and now extracts confessions with methodical self-awareness; and Jezal dan Luthar, a vain nobleman who wants glory without cost - are drawn together by the wizard Bayaz, First of the Magi, whose purposes are not what they appear. The trilogy spans a war with the Gurkish Empire, a journey to the edge of the known world, and a siege of the Union's capital, but its real subject is the gap between who people think they are and what they actually do. The First Law established the template for grimdark fantasy and remains its clearest expression: the world is not fair, people do not change easily, and the powerful stay powerful regardless of who wins.