I began Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie as soon as I finished the first book in his First Law Trilogy, The Blade Itself. Book 2 picks up shortly after the events of the first and offers much more insight into the fascinating history of Abercrombie’s world.
Before They Are Hanged has a more concrete plot than The Blade Itself, though it leaves the resolution of almost every storyline for Book 3. That said, the series’ central conflicts begin to crystallize here, in what remains a highly character-driven tale.
All the major characters from Book 1 return, now divided into three distinct subplots that don’t overlap this time. Without giving too much away, there’s a lot to unpack.
Bayaz’s Quest
The most compelling subplot follows Bayaz, the First of the Magi, and the misfit fellowship he has assembled to retrieve a mysterious relic from the edge of the world. This team includes Book 1’s so-called “hero,” Logen Ninefingers; the fierce southern warrior Ferro, whose yellow eyes hint at something otherworldly; and Jezal dan Luthar, an arrogant and lazy nobleman whose presence in this group is puzzling at first. That said, it all makes sense by Book 3. Bayaz is keeping Jezal around for a reason, and the dangers they face on their journey bring about a surprising transformation in his character.
Bayaz remains the most manipulative—and yet mysterious—character in the novel, and his stated mission ties deeply into the world’s fascinating backstory. Long ago, demons roamed freely, siring half-demon offspring, including Euz, who delivered humanity from their tyranny by separating this world from the Other Side, where the demons were banished. Euz also created the “First Law,” the trilogy’s namesake, which forbids humans from touching the Other Side or speaking with devils.
Euz’s own sons, part-demons themselves, included Bayaz’s master, Juvens, and his brother, Kanedias, known as the Maker. After Kanedias supposedly murdered Juvens—though one character in the book offers a very different perspective on who the real murderer was—Juvens’s disciples, including Bayaz, led a revolt against him. Bayaz may have killed Kanedias—or maybe not. Some time later, a new schism arose among the Magi between Bayaz and Khalul, the so-called “prophet” who now rules the Gurkish Empire. Khalul broke the Second Law by consuming the flesh of men and creating a race of vampiric servants known as Eaters. Bayaz’s stated goal is to stop Khalul and his monstrous creations by finding an ancient weapon that can destroy them.
This is a lot of backstory, but it provides crucial context for the events unfolding in this book and the series as a whole.
Sand dan Glokta
The second subplot follows Sand dan Glokta, the former swordsman turned inquisitor, who has been appointed Superior of the city of Dagoska. His first job is to discover what happened to his predecessor, who mysteriously disappeared. His second is to prevent the city from falling to the Gurkish—and figure out who among Dagoska’s nobility is secretly working with the enemy.
Glokta remains one of my favorite characters, and as in the previous book, he has plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, thanks to his dry wit and hilarious internal monologues. Abercrombie paints Glokta in perfect shades of gray—not quite a hero, but far from a villain. He’s also one of the novel’s cleverest characters, often the first to uncover hidden truths or see through political scheming, though that doesn’t always save him from getting caught up in them himself.
The Battle Against Bethod
The final subplot follows Major Collem West, who played only a minor role in Book 1 but takes center stage here as he joins the Union army in Angland to battle the invading Northmen, led by King Bethod. Bethod was one of the first real villains introduced in Book 1, and his threat looms large over this storyline.
West finds allies in Logen Ninefingers’s old crew, led by the Dogman and Threetrees, who have decided to side with the Union. However, West’s biggest problem is Crown Prince Ladisla, a pampered drunk with plenty of sycophants but no sense of military strategy. West truly comes into his own in this book, and the entire Angland storyline sets up a major conflict for Book 3.
Final Thoughts
As I said, almost no storyline is resolved in this book, but it lays the groundwork for what promises to be an exciting conclusion in Book 3. I’m already halfway through The Last Argument of Kings and can’t wait to see how it all ends.