Book review
Written by Joe Abercrombie
Gollancz hardback
Release date Out now

In the south the Gukish Empire rises up to re-take the city of Dagoska from the Union, urged on by the prophet Kalul. Meanwhile, in the north the self-proclaimed ‘King of the Northmen’, Bethod, leads a fractious gathering of barbarians, further adding to the Union’s problems…

In book one of the The First Law series (The Blade Itself) Joe Abercrombie showed a real flair for sizzling dialogue; it was a traditional fantasy that avoided a lot of the well-worn archetypes that we are familiar with.

In the second book we return to Abercrombie’s protagonists and the beleaguered Union. Inquisitor Glokta, the sour, cynical cripple has much to deal with and spends most of the book steeped in intrigue and a heartbeat away from a grizzly end. Meanwhile the stoic and stalwart Colonel West has to contend with matters of home as well as war, and finds some unlikely allies along the way.

Jezal, Ninefingers, Bayaz and the rest all reappear in this epically proportioned fantasy, helping to make Before They Are Hanged another great romp. The story is by turns darkly humorous and incredibly well observed. The sheer number of brilliantly drawn characters is a joy to read and Abercrombie once again proves he is deft at changing voice as he changes point of view. Den Patrick

VERDICT: 8/10

Building on the foundation established in The Blade Itself, Abercrombie delivers a great character-driven story set against a backdrop of war and intrigue.