Why You Should Read The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie | SPOILER-FREE

[@CapturedInWords]

Thank you to IntoTheAm for sponsoring this video! Get yourself some tee's here: intotheam.com/CAPTUREDINWORDS use the coupon code CAPTUREDINWORDS for 10% off! They have a 20% off sitewide 4th of July weekend sale going on right now! Which series/book should I make a 'Why You Should Read' video on next?

[@LimeymanZero]

Green Bone Saga, best series ever until Pat finishes Doors of Stone, kept me guessing the whole way through!

[@flamingpenny]

I realized that Steven Pacey was the greatest voice actor ever when it dawned on me that Glokta speaks with a lisp because he's missing teeth, but in his inner monologues he speaks as if he has a full set because that's how he imagines himself sounding. Same with Gorst.

[@CapturedInWords]

This is something that blew my mind when I realized it. It's a small detail, but such a good touch!

[@flamingpenny]

@@CapturedInWords I'm so jealous that you got to meet him haha.

[@garytuttle8753]

you just blew my mind

[@bjnwright]

Shit, you're right, great detail and I've read and listened to these books... ten times over atleast. Joe's absolutely brilliant, plus Steven Pacey narration makes for the absolute PERFECT story telling combination.

[@joemade7071]

When I listened to the preview I immediately though “damn he would be so good for the gentlemen bastards.”

[@GideonCyn]

The second book is a masterclass in character development. If you are an aspiring writer struggling with believable character arcs and interactions, then read Before They are Hanged.

[@CapturedInWords]

I agree with this!

[@GraniteShaker]

Been a while since I read them, is that the book with the Dagoska arc? If so, 100% agree. First book is a bit meh, but the second two are vast improvements.

[@TheDebu666]

It's the worst of the 3. Glokta carries the book on his back. The rest is a slog with a stupid adventure between a dismal party through places nobody cares about. Ferro is awful to read, the romance if you can call it that is worse than fanfic and new characters being present in that adventure is not fun. West is a very boring character in most cases except for the rare instances where he gets to hulk out. But the savior Glokta makes it a must read

[@GraniteShaker]

@@TheDebu666 I can't disagree about Ferro to be honest, although the Jezel stuff in book 2 I think works.

[@TheDebu666]

@@GraniteShaker yeah it's the Jaime Lannister thing where a horrible injury makes you a better person. That's admittedly the biggest redeeming factor of the journey however the journey itself for me was not fun. Ferro we both can agree was not enjoyable, I didn't enjoy the constant blathering of the navigator, Quai was creeping me out and not in a good way, the Logen-Ferro romance wasn't clicking with me and the places were not really drawing my attention. Also Bayaz's old friends coming, telling Bayaz he is doing wrong and disappearing never to be heard again wasn't interesting

[@Manreaux]

These books are like nothing else in the genre. Abercrombie is such a talented storyteller. To publish this many books and have them all hit a B level or more is amazing.

[@TheDejwid18]

After watching booktube for almost 2 years i can say without a doubt: you are the best Jay. Your style, choosing the topics of videos, editing skills, and scripts are unmatched. Congrats on 60k and wishing you a lot more, especially when we will (hopefully) get Doors of Stone.

[@fatefulryuk4886]

Glokta walking down stairs for a few pages was was great. By far my favorite character

[@adamtideman4953]

Just finished The Last Arguments of Kings. I usually prefer reading over listening to audiobooks but in this case, if you're not listening to the audiobook version of The First Law you're missing out. Steven Paceys narration is a treasure, I especially love his Yulwei voice: "Peace, Ferro".

[@G-Wrath]

I just added this trilogy to my Kindle a couple of days ago after watching a different one of your videos about must-read Fantasy series. You had me when you mentioned the strong character writing. Now to finish Feist’s Queen of Storms so I can start on this trilogy.

[@EpicTalez]

The first law. I loved this so much at the time I read it. It's the perfect gateway into Grimdark for anyone . The bloody nine 🩸POVs gave me goosebumps every time. Beneath the Ruins chapter in before they are hanged is still one of my favourite chapters ever. Insane fighting scenes.

[@IndiaTides]

I read them 2 years ago and enjoyed them immensely but will watch your video on why I should read them.☺️

[@CapturedInWords]

Hahaha thank you for watching!

[@Daijinthetripod]

Your Vids always put me in a good mood! The First Law trilogy is very... human.

[@chachito51794]

I don't need to see the video, but I agree 100%. Joe's character work is in a world if his own sometimes, I cant think of a more quotable series just thinking of only 2 characters. Love your videos man, looking forward to watching it!

[@lenamontgomery2542]

Just was wanted to add to the statements that your videos are awesome. The work you put into all the details is amazing.

[@CapturedInWords]

Thanks so much! I put a lot of work into them so that means a lot

[@marshallfromarlingtonva4713]

Totally agree!! It's a great series. I'm almsot all the way through the whole thing. I've got the final book in the final trilogy left. And Ive experienced it all through audiobooks. Steven Pacey ROCKS!!! WHile I'm sure it's interesting to read, with Pacey's narration, you really do experience the stories in a more vivid way. It's lots of fun and very engaging!! Go for it.

[@outofthisworldreader1700]

I am in the middle of Before They are Hanged and I can't get enough! Joe Abercrombie has gone from an author that I had no idea about a year ago to one of my all-time favorites!

[@landscapesofink]

I've just finished First Law and I had no idea of any of it going in. I'm glad I didn't know beforehand that it was a character-driven story, and I can't wait to get to some plot in book 2 haha. I also love how you find all the fanart, it's so exciting!

[@matthewwoolley4131]

Man I've heard nothing but good things about First Law. It's definitely on my TBR radar now!

[@jaysonganzon15]

I just read the blade itself and it was one of the books ive really loved because of the characters! Cant wait to continue with the rest of the series

[@soggynode]

I started the First Law trilogy right after reading WOT and it was quite a transition. I loved WOT but after 460 hours of farm-boys-save-the-world, I was ready for characters like Glokta and Logan. Abercrombie quickly became one of my favorite authors and Steven Pacey one of my favorite voice talents. Great content as always, thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[@metalmarten3478]

What's WOT

[@soggynode]

Wheel Of Time. I sometimes forget I can't make up acronyms and expect the whole world to know what I'm saying. Also, I purposely left off "The" from the title. TWOT looked a bit off after I typed it :)@@metalmarten3478

[@dontdoit6986]

@@metalmarten3478wheel of time

[@metalmarten3478]

@@dontdoit6986 thanks

[@teksnotdead902]

Im reading The Wisdom of Crowds now and can confirm these are probably my favorite fantasy books Ive ever read. The writing is filled with this twisted wisdom that feels both insightful and humorous. The battle sequences are some of the best Ive ever read. The character work is untouchable.

[@JackyZee]

I can't believe you're posting this literally hours after I started The Blade Itself. That's some crazy timing my guy.

[@darren806]

Excellent shout regarding Abercrombie being a good candidate to finish ASOIAF. His mastery of different POV characters would lend itself really well

[@reghardc22]

The thumbnail really grabbed my attention, GOOD JOB!!!

[@CapturedInWords]

Thanks!!

[@elsonvictarion7101]

I have been struggling to find something knew to sink my brain into since I first read the KKC a few years ago,, your KKC video's are what brought me to your channel. So I decided to start watching some of the video's on other series and I have to say I am really glad I watched this one. I picked up the audio books for this series and you pretty much nailed it with your description. I have been absolutely enthralled with this series so far (OMG that Narrator is amazing), and I just wanted to say thank you for recommending this too us as I don't think I ever would have found it otherwise. Love your work man!

[@djdenton6153]

Just finished the first and I see what you mean ! I think that’s why it took me so long to finish the first one cause I couldn’t see where I was going but man . Those last chapters were crazy and the humor was a nice touch !

[@RedFuryBooks]

Thanks for the shout out! I’m really excited to read the Age of Madness trilogy next month. Abercrombie has such a unique voice that I can’t wait to get back into his world.

[@Glokta4]

Sharing this with my friends so they can understand why this is my all time favorite series.

[@CapturedInWords]

Thanks for sharing! More people need to be introduced to this series!

[@johntencate4781]

The Last Argument of Kings is one of the best fantasy books ever written.

[@gregoryamato8693]

I just finished Before They Are Hanged and I'm more excited to finish the series than ever.

[@0-0_oOo_0-0]

You’ve got to be realistic. Got to be

[@wizza1343]

Man keep these videos up they are so well put together and entertaining to watch. Never ceases to sell me on getting the book.

[@TheJirator]

Fun fact. I'm in the middle of book 2 :-) Started it based on your recommendation and I'm having great time. Thanks for the tip Jay!

[@amandamathews4516]

You have convinced me. I started reading it today. I feel Glokta will be a favorite of mine. His inner monologue of stairs.. amazing.

[@CapturedInWords]

Wooo! I'm glad you're already liking Glokta!

[@snirkeshet394]

Just came here to say that I finished LAOK last week and started BSC a few days ago. And I gotta thank you for introducing me to this AMAZING masterpiece.

[@Old_Man_LoganIII]

I don’t listen to audiobooks until after I have read the book first. If you say really brings the book to life during/before you have read the the book, then you are not reading the book you are listening to an adaptation just the same as watching a movie or a play based on that book. My enjoyment of reading any book is it is my interpretation of any character, whether I think they are lovable/shady/evil/corrupt etc etc. That’s my joy of reading, it doesn’t matter if I’m right or wrong it is my journey which is my joy from reading.

[@Windraesa]

maybe just let people do what they want? Cheers.

[@ExtremeNeoclassical]

When is the Goblin going to guest review a book on your channel for all the times you have helped the fantasy news flow?

[@marlaluna1926]

Thanks for your thorough and enthusiastic work !!!

[@CapturedInWords]

Thanks for watching! :)

[@chrism9191]

I've just started on the audio book of the blade itself as per your recommendation video for fantasy a couple of weeks ago, after just finishing kingkiller chronicles for a 2nd time. Must admit I'm struggling with it compared to KKC, but will persevere :) thanks for the video

[@dallenpowell2745]

I bought the first book on audible a while ago but never got around to it. You just convinced me to download it and give it a shot. Let's go!

[@CapturedInWords]

Awesome!!! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

[@pimentel.eliezer]

The graphic design that you use in books review, is awesome! Great!

[@AmeiWasHere]

Already doing so! :D I'm currently on Book 2! Great video!

[@LimeymanZero]

Because it's God damn amazing! Glokta is one of the best characters I have ever come across in a story! Absolutely a must-read series, wish the Wheel of Time show had been this instead!

[@TheDebu666]

Facts

[@danielfranya4138]

When I finished the trilogy I thought to myself that was good, but not my favorite and the more and more I think about it I can't find a single thing that I didn't love. Very good set of books. Just never considered them "finished" because there's so much more to his world

[@dakvitamin]

I read the first book, then I use Steven Pacey audiobook for Before They Are Hanged yesterday. Took me 4 days to get through the first book but I'm on Chapter 31 today by using the audiobook. So good.🥰

[@xTheNameisEthan]

Recently started on the 2nd book and this is already threatening to be my favorite series of all time

[@CapturedInWords]

Happy to hear you're enjoying it! Sooo freakin good

[@tawnyman]

Jezal was my favorite character in the trilogy and I was really surprised to find out how hated he is. I agree about wanting to punch him in the face. 😅 Would love to see a character analysis of him in the future, there is so much to unpack!

[@amandamathews4516]

Okay.. I am almost done with the first book and had to come searching for a comment like this! At first I thought Glokta would be my favorite but the more I read, the less I like. Maybe that’ll change in book two. But I am LOVING Jezal! Obviously he’s flawed but I can’t help but to root for him and love him. It looks like no one really likes him though and that’s surprising!

[@tawnyman]

@@amandamathews4516 I am really glad to hear that! Yeah, he’s very flawed but so are all the other characters and the hate towards him seems a bit unfair. I hope you enjoy the rest of the trilogy!

[@amandamathews4516]

@@tawnyman I’m loving it so far!!

[@currangill430]

If there is anyone who I want to review my book it's you. Your editing skills are INSANE. I loved this video. Say one thing about Captured In Words, say his videos are great.

[@starkazing7817]

I've just read The Blade Itself last week and I enjoyed it a lot. It's definitely character driven and they are so much fun to read about. Especially Glokta is fascinating! I can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy and see how these characters develop.

[@MrCian47]

First Law is absolutely unparalleled within fantasy for me; in terms of the character work, dialogue, prose and atmosphere. The action scenes are also easily the best I’ve read in the genre too.

[@CapturedInWords]

It really is brilliant, I haven't read any other series that does all of the things you mentioned and does them all incredibly! I plan on reading pretty much anything Abercrombie puts out now as I'm sure all of it will be high quality

[@martinosoriobenitez5539]

Thanks for your recomendation, came back only to say i've just finished the first trilogy :D and I love it

[@adamjones1075]

Just bought "The Blade Itself" based on this video. Hoping I enjoy it as much as you did. Here's to hoping some of the authors you encourage people to read help promote your novel when you are ready to publish.

[@CapturedInWords]

Awesome to hear, I hope you enjoy the book! And thank you, I really hope so!

[@samueldusenko1309]

Next to Sapkowski, Joe is the best storyteller there is... an incredible gift he has, and the Lamb, along with Glokta, Threetrees, Craw and Shenkt.... are one of the best fictional characters I ve ever encountered.... incredible writing

[@hhumca]

Better to deal with it than to live with the fear of it. Bloody Nine🎉🎉

[@elswagmaster6992]

bought a hard copy just to support the author, one of my favorite reads

[@llindberg194]

Definitely some of the best books I've ever read.

[@aaatt268]

Glokta to me, was the main protagonist of the first trilogy from the get go. Out of everyone, I rooted for him the most, in almost all of his endeavors. Not to mention I love his character and can relate to his cynical thoughts too.

[@redheadbandanna1973]

This is the best non spoiler review I've seen so far.

[@Koshak87]

A few days ago I’ve finished WMF. Today I’ve started The Blade Itself. And here I stumble upon this lovely channel. Instasub. Thanks for the great work.

[@shadowmist4111]

I saw this review and was looking for a new book series. I'm 2/3 way though the first book and love it. Way different than Kingkiller, which is my favorite, but my god Sand dan Glokta is one of the best characters I have ever read. I just can't wait to see this characters interactions with the other major characters and his perceptions of them. This character fits somewhere between lawful evil and neutral evil, yet I love this character.

[@CapturedInWords]

Awesome, I'm happy you're enjoying it! Glokta is such an incredible character, I love his inner monologue

[@vajs6312]

A great and compelling summary. As much as I’ve become sort of a “mood reader” (I guess it’s a common theme among fantasy readers while reading Wheel of Time 😅 ), as soon as I finish it (and a few Discworld books), I plan on binging the entire First Law + Age of Madness. I became fascinated by First Law whilst reading excerpts from character monologues and I was amazed at how relateable and phylosophical they felt, especially for a fantasy series. Can’t wait to dive in.

[@who_the_fuck_is_riley5813]

Age of Madness is brutal. As someone who loved the original trilogy and standalones, I had to put down A Little Hatred halfway through to read it later. I still haven't gotten around to it

[@lmholland3630]

been listening to these while i knit each night; my husband comes in and is amazed by the truly weird stuff i listen to! he is not a fan, but i am enjoying it.

[@thebrothersgwynne]

I love The First Law! Great video :). If I hadn't read it already, you would have convinced me! Will

[@raffitorres1714]

My favourite fantasy series of all time without a doubt.

[@SuperDoctor9]

This series has been on my list for a while, I want to get to it soon, it sounds right up my street. His books always have such good titles. So many books to read, so little time.

[@teksnotdead902]

I read The Blade Itself back in winter of 2020 and it was one of those books that made me want to read all the related novels, by the time I got to Best Served Cold I knew I was addicted and I put off reading the Age of Madness trilogy for as long as I could just because I didn't want to finish.

[@connoriquada5429]

I’m currently half way through Before They Are Hanged and oh my god the characters are soooooo good. When I saw this video I thought the first book would develop them enough and then book two would be more of an adventure and then book three the epic conclusion. Oh boy was I wrong. Sure there’s more of an adventure in book two but the character development is almost better than the blade itself. Made me love Jezel, and not groan when I’d turn a page to see a ferro chapter.

[@jnbfilm56]

I am definately checking this. Finally found a box set here in Colombia with the trilogy. Might get it along with In search for lost time. Same editorial, similar prices. Got to hurry

[@CapturedInWords]

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

[@Jourdan0311]

Yes this is my favorite trilogy outside the king killer chronicles

[@zenrand688]

I really enjoyed reading these books and the characters are truly great to read (Glokta in particular) - very realistic and consistent in their actions and none of the traditional fantasy tropes. That said, I felt the story and character development was not very satisfying in the end. There’s a reason that fantasy tropes are so prevalent and popular - they are very satisfying to the reader. And while yes, these characters are very realistic, there’s a reason it’s called “Fantasy” - we want to see characters and stories that are greater than life. I think at the very least some redemption arcs for some of these characters would have made the series a lot more satisfying to me.

[@TheGooner128]

Abercrombie is the only ‘mainstream’ fantasy author I’ve been able to get into - never been able to put my finger on why, just not quite for me I guess. Completely agree on the audiobooks, though, I loved the performance despite not loving the story 😅

[@ethanking9003]

Your videos are top of class. Thanks!

[@CapturedInWords]

Thanks! Happy you enjoy them!

[@maxwellkjr]

NGL, you deserve a million subscribers!

[@CapturedInWords]

I wish! Haha thank you so much!!

[@BAMCIS2841]

One of the best overall series which includes TFL / Standalones / AoM. I love me some Shivers.

[@andreareadstoomuch]

Great review! I’m picking it up now 😊

[@daniellehinton9607]

I need to pick this series back up again!

[@andreevvalle3761]

I readed it last month and I liked it but it is for me some quality levels below stormlight archive and The witcher. Plus, I expected it to have and ending more closed. It kind of feels like it the first arc of a whole story than just a story by itself

[@lucasbertsche3710]

Such a good series. I’m due for a reread soon!

[@tripp24642]

You’ve definitely convinced me to check out this series, especially if the audiobook is great like you say. I’m always looking for a good book to listen to on my commute to work. I wish more people would mention the audiobooks in reviews like this. I’ve been disappointed many times by terrible narration of great books.

[@CapturedInWords]

I'm happy I could convince you to check it out! Steven pacey is the perfect narrator for this series! I know what you mean, as the narrator usually will make or break an audio book for me. Always nice to find a narrator that you really enjoy, so when I do I like to mention them!

[@ladyfox6705]

I've never read any of Joe's work, & have just started reading Brandon Sanderson, so it's such a lovely feeling to have two new authors to get stuck into! My other favourite fantasy authors are GRRM, Rothfuss, Tolkien & Sapkowski, so am looking forward to adding more to this list XD PS - I spy a Vault Boy on your shelf! Nice :-)

[@nicoheinrich8264]

Just finished Before They're Hanged and i can't wait to start the final book ! This series is truly amazing you're right, have you read the standalones yet ?

[@vegpwrshlominator1873]

Listened to the audio version of the First Law Trilogy probably 4 times now.

[@frankiepb]

So glad you agree with me Joe would be the perfect author to complete ASOIAF, if for some reason GRRM can't do so :)

[@StoryLoreStudio]

I stopped at 4:58 because I need to know. Is there a magic in this Series Can someone in the commons? Let me know

[@Mawlivander]

Because it's dastardly delicious and leads to the age of madness ( which i finished LITERALLY an hour ago) and the whole is friggen frantically fantastic. The character arcs, up or down, are second to none in their abundant realism. #BodyFoundFloatingByTheDocks

[@CapturedInWords]

Abercrombie is brilliant! All the books in the First Law world are just amazing

[@kamarassakka9922]

This reminded to pick up "Last Argument of Kings" again

[@matguerra333]

Couldn't have said any of it better myself. I've never lol'd so much as I do in Abercrombies books. This is my kind of dark british "cheeky" humor i guess. But dude kills it...Stephen Pacey reading these? Forget about it. May as well be a movie in your mind.

[@daniellabonte474]

thanks for this recommendation!

[@Karma7711]

I saw two of the books in this series for 50p each at a hospital today

[@FreakyGremlinDK]

Say one thing for Logan ninefingers. Say he's one badass bastard. You gotta be realistic about these things. A character I also really loved was Rudd Threetrees And later on Whirrun of Blight

[@MetalGildarts]

Gonna reread this series next year.

[@Exaar]

I honestly think Abercrombie only gets better with time. While The First Law trilogy is great, all his books that come after are even better, sometimes by a considerable degree. I recently finished the Age of Madness sequel trilogy, but honestly I think Red Country might be my favorite book of his. Either that or The Heroes.

[@alimansoor5580]

Already finished, though I will still watch your video...🙃

[@jacobgordon2906]

Happy 4th everyone.

[@anis_hadji]

I'm confused about which series to read next: Mistborn or The First Law, which one is better?

[@kungfu31]

I think they both have their pros but Personally I love First Law more. Though Abercrombie is my favorite Author of all time so I’m biased. It really just depends on what you want. The Plot of Mistborn is more easy to piece together and understand from the beginning but the characters can be kinda bland. while in First Law the plot is really gray and hard to pinpoint but the Characters are so incredible that it doesn’t matter. You can jump into right into Mistborn and know there will be plenty of things that happen while the first book in First Law just feels like its 450 pages of character set up so for the rest of the series and beyond you understand fully of who each person is and why they do what they do.

[@FadiAntwan]

Mistborn if you’re looking for a very epic plot. First Law if you care more about characters and want something darker.

[@Sabondemont]

The First Law, for Glokta alone. He’s a character who will stay with you. One of the best characters of all time in my opinion.

[@leonardrozier7277]

id like to see a light binger by brent weeks video. have you checked that book out yet?

[@Lee-vp8vs]

I love these books but thought he could have done with a better editor as some of the later chapters were a bit if a grind and really slowed down the pace unnecessarily.

[@Emroczart]

Great trilogy …I’m trying to figure out whether I should read wheel of time or start reading some Sanderson

[@Emroczart]

Ended up going to tad Williams lol dragon bone chair

[@turtleanton6539]

Great series ☺️👍👍

[@topsydiditagain]

I’m reading ‘the blade itself’ right now but it seems to start off really slow. I am someone who prefers gripping books. Do you think I should continue the series?

[@Dani_77709]

Guys I need to know that intro music, please. I also heard it on Critical Role.

[@Daniel-fu9zt]

Hey I have read a small amount of adult fantasy however I read a preview of the blade itself on my Kindle and really enjoyed it. Is it a series that's too complex for a beginner or could I jump in?? thank you

[@CapturedInWords]

I would say it's a good series for a beginner! It's not too complex and it's easy to follow

[@Daniel-fu9zt]

Great Thanx👍

[@liberTvalance]

The stand alones after are even better than the trilogy. Some of the characters get their own story in a different place or way.

[@dudejuice]

Wow thanks for to this video I'm sure my money was well spent on the book trilogy