The Recurring Cast
Character guide · 13 books · 2006 to 2025

Joe Abercrombie

FantasyYoung adultEpic and high fantasyGrimdarkHistorical and mythic fantasyYA fantasy

Joe Abercrombie's First Law world is grim and darkly funny: the torturer Glokta, the barbarian Logen Ninefingers and the vain nobleman Jezal are pushed into a war by the wizard Bayaz, and their children's generation lives with the results.

Best estimate, compiled from series guides, publisher descriptions and reviews where available, and from memory otherwise. Book level only, not chapter level. Minor includes cameos and brief references. Each book carries a confidence rating in its tooltip. The young adult Shattered Sea trilogy is in a separate world.

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Who appears in which book

Click a name to follow that character from book to book, or a book title to see its cast.

LLeadMMajor·MinorHas a note
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Joe Abercrombie books in order

Each series in publication order, with its lead characters. Where the story runs in a different order, switch to Story order. Crossover books are marked and listed under their main series. Use My books to track what you have read.

First Law

3 books · Set in the Circle of the WorldGrimdarkEpic and high fantasy
  1. 1The Blade Itself2006With Logen Ninefingers and Sand dan GloktaBuy on Amazon
  2. 2Before They Are Hanged2007With Logen Ninefingers and Sand dan GloktaBuy on Amazon
  3. 3Last Argument of Kings2008With Logen Ninefingers and Sand dan GloktaBuy on Amazon

First Law standalones

3 books · Set in the Circle of the WorldGrimdark
  1. 1Best Served Cold2009With Monza MurcattoBuy on Amazon
  2. 2The Heroes2011With Bremer dan Gorst and Curnden CrawBuy on Amazon
  3. 3Red Country2012With Shy SouthBuy on Amazon

Age of Madness

3 books · Set in the Circle of the WorldGrimdarkEpic and high fantasy
  1. 1A Little Hatred2019With Savine dan Glokta and Leo dan BrockBuy on Amazon
  2. 2The Trouble with Peace2020With Savine dan Glokta and Leo dan BrockBuy on Amazon
  3. 3The Wisdom of Crowds2021With Savine dan Glokta and Leo dan BrockBuy on Amazon

Shattered Sea

3 books · Set in the Shattered SeaYA fantasyGrimdark
  1. 1Half a King2014With YarviBuy on Amazon
  2. 2Half the World2015With Thorn BathuBuy on Amazon
  3. 3Half a War2015Buy on Amazon

The Devils

1 book · Set in Alternate medieval EuropeGrimdarkHistorical and mythic fantasy
  1. 1The Devils2025With Brother DiazBuy on Amazon

Characters

18 recurring and key characters, with the book each one first appears in.

The First Law

The Shattered Sea

The Devils