Before They Are Hanged Review: A Brilliant First Law Sequel

Joe Abercrombie’s Before They Are Hanged takes the strongest part of The Blade Itself, its deeply flawed, sharply drawn characters, and puts those characters under much greater pressure. The result is an excellent fantasy sequel that expands the First Law world while making its conflicts feel more personal.

There are battles, dangerous journeys and political schemes, but the book’s real strength is what happens between those larger events. A conversation can reveal as much as a confrontation. An act of kindness can be as surprising as a betrayal. And a character who seems easy to dismiss can become unexpectedly difficult to stop caring about.

For readers who enjoyed the first novel but wanted the story to gather momentum, Before They Are Hanged is a rewarding continuation. It gives the trilogy a stronger sense of movement without losing the dark humor and uncomfortable characterization that make Abercrombie stand out.

Spoiler note: This review discusses the book’s opening setup and broad themes without revealing major twists or the ending.

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Before They Are Hanged: Book Details

Before They Are Hanged Summary

The story follows three major strands. Sand dan Glokta arrives in Dagoska with an assignment that involves both investigating his predecessor’s disappearance and helping defend a city threatened by the Gurkish. His authority offers little comfort when the people around him have their own interests to protect.

In the North, the Union faces Bethod’s forces, and military ambition collides with the practical demands of war. Meanwhile, Bayaz leads a party including Logen Ninefingers, Jezal dan Luthar and Ferro Maljinn on a dangerous journey tied to the world’s past.

Each storyline creates a different kind of pressure: a city’s fragile defenses, an army’s uncertain leadership and a group whose members have little reason to trust one another.

A Sequel That Gives Its Characters Room to Grow

One of the best things about Before They Are Hanged is that character development rarely feels neat. People can become more sympathetic without becoming admirable. They can learn something important and still struggle to act on it.

Jezal benefits especially from being removed from the surroundings that support his vanity. Status and good looks count for less when the people beside him have more immediate concerns. His perspective becomes more interesting as the distance between his self-image and his circumstances grows harder to ignore.

Logen’s appeal comes from a different tension. His practical manner and attempts at human connection exist alongside a capacity for violence that cannot simply be brushed aside. Abercrombie allows both sides to remain present. That makes Logen compelling even when trusting him completely would be difficult.

The journey gives these personalities time to rub against one another. Small shifts in how they speak, listen and respond make the relationships feel earned. Those changes provide an emotional reason to keep reading beyond the question of where the party is going.

Glokta Makes Every Conversation Feel Dangerous

Glokta remains one of the trilogy’s greatest strengths. His intelligence and bitter humor make his chapters absorbing, while his willingness to inflict suffering prevents that appeal from becoming comfortable.

His situation in Dagoska is particularly effective because it tests what his power actually means. A title can command obedience, but it cannot guarantee loyalty or make limited resources stretch indefinitely. He has to weigh motives, threats and possible consequences with incomplete information.

That gives his storyline a tense investigative quality. Conversations become contests over what can be concealed, admitted or used against someone else. Even routine decisions carry an uneasy sense that the available choices may all be damaging.

The writing also refuses to let Glokta’s physical suffering disappear when it becomes inconvenient. Pain shapes his movements and his patience. It gives his perspective a persistent bodily reality without excusing his cruelty.

The Battles Have Weight Beyond the Action

Abercrombie writes action with a strong awareness that plans and experience are unevenly distributed. The people most certain of their own judgment are not always the people best equipped to lead.

The northern storyline makes that gap especially compelling. Reputation and rank matter, but so do fear, fatigue and the ability to respond when events stop following expectations. Violence feels consequential because it exposes character as well as determining who wins ground.

The shifting viewpoints strengthen this effect. A battlefield means something different to someone issuing orders than it does to someone trying to survive them. The novel finds drama in that difference without losing the immediate tension of the fighting.

Dark Humor Keeps the Story Sharp

For such a brutal novel, Before They Are Hanged can be wonderfully funny. Its humor grows from personality: wounded pride, impatience, mutual irritation and the private commentary people would never say aloud.

That humor gives the cast texture. A character can be dangerous in one moment and petty in the next, and both can feel entirely believable. The jokes also make companionship possible in a world where easy trust would be difficult to accept.

Readers curious about the book’s broader approach can explore our guide to grimdark fantasy and what defines it. Abercrombie’s ability to make bleak situations entertaining is a major part of the appeal here.

Is Before They Are Hanged Better Than The Blade Itself?

Before They Are Hanged is the stronger book for readers who want the established cast tested more fully. The first novel introduces the personalities and their competing interests; the sequel gains energy from placing them in situations where those traits have immediate costs.

The difference is particularly noticeable in the relationships. Familiarity allows a small gesture or a surprising response to carry more weight. There is also a stronger contrast between the three storylines, which helps the larger world feel varied without making it feel disconnected.

That does not make the opening novel dispensable. Much of the sequel’s impact depends on knowing where these people started. Our The Blade Itself review discusses the foundation this book builds upon.

What to Know Before Reading

The main reservation is its position within the trilogy. Several major questions remain open, so readers expecting a fully resolved standalone adventure should adjust their expectations. The journey also makes time for friction and conversation rather than delivering an uninterrupted sequence of action scenes.

For this story, that space is valuable. It makes the characters’ changing relationships persuasive and gives the violent passages greater impact. The book is strongest when its quieter and more explosive moments work together.

Expect graphic violence, torture and frequent strong language. These elements fit the novel’s harsh setting, but they are useful considerations for readers choosing their next fantasy series.

Final Verdict: Is Before They Are Hanged Worth Reading?

Yes. Before They Are Hanged is an excellent sequel and a strong reason to continue the First Law trilogy. Its combination of character development, military conflict and political tension makes the world more absorbing, while the humor keeps even its grimmest situations lively.

Its most impressive achievement is making a difficult cast increasingly engaging without smoothing away what makes them difficult. Their relationships give the story warmth, friction and uncertainty, and their weaknesses remain capable of causing real harm.

If The Blade Itself left you interested in these characters, the second book gives that interest a substantial reward—and plenty of reason to pick up the concluding volume.

Continue the trilogy: Find Before They Are Hanged on Amazon.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you read Before They Are Hanged first?

It is best to read The Blade Itself first. Before They Are Hanged continues its characters and conflicts rather than introducing an independent story.

What book comes after Before They Are Hanged?

Last Argument of Kings is the third and final book in the original First Law trilogy.

Is Before They Are Hanged a standalone novel?

No. It is the middle book of a continuing trilogy. Its individual storylines develop significantly, but the larger narrative continues into the next volume.

Is Before They Are Hanged worth reading if the first book felt slow?

It is a promising continuation if you liked the characters but wanted more momentum. The sequel places greater pressure on the cast and develops its military and political conflicts, while retaining substantial space for dialogue and characterization.

Where can you start or continue the trilogy?

Read the original trilogy in this order:

1. Start with The Blade Itself on Amazon.
2. Continue with Before They Are Hanged on Amazon.
3. Finish with Last Argument of Kings on Amazon.

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