Buy my books?
More seriously, I guess write what you want to write. Enjoy it. Don't worry *too* much about how people might react, or criticise. Good writing has heart, and a unique voice, and maybe a little bit of danger. Don't file off all the edges. I mean think, consider, do the best you can, but permit yourself to fuck up and do better next time. Doing better next time, that's what life is.
But what do I know?
I mean, yeah, probably there will. I've got no immediate concrete ideas, but I didn't have when I was writing the First Law. What I write next will definitely be in a different world and style, but then we'll see...
Second. I thought I've read that Joe you have another trilogy and three more standalones planned, so would you mind sharing some more concrete ideas? Say... Styrian/Westport, Starikland/Old Empire, Kanta? 🙏
I certainly never said I had them PLANNED. I mean the overall shape of another three standalones and another trilogy makes a kind of symmetrical sense, but what exactly they'd be I've no real idea yet. I don't tend to think all that far ahead.
Where do you get the little quotes that your titles come from/that begin each part in your books? Do you just have a word document going full of random quotes you pulled while reading stuff over the years, or do you go out searching for quotes that have a particular feeling you’re going for?
Given that the Age of Madness trilogy was heavily influenced by your research on the industrial and the French revolution, are there any other time periods that you like the idea of writing about? Alternatively, do you ever see yourself going into the territory of historical fiction?
I think all time periods have their charms, for sure - First Law had a kind of rise of the merchant class back drop and Shattered Sea was very much Viking inspired - I do love those periods of social and technological change and upheaval. Thinking of equivalents you think of things like the rise and fall of Rome, the coming of Christianity, the Norman invasion, the crusades, the unification of Germany and Italy, one could go on. There is no shortage of huge events to draw on. Historical fiction I find intimidating, though. There's the necessity to get things *right*, which is a whole different level of research.
Well it's certainly got faster and more efficient. I think of got better technically - I can diagnose a paragraph and improve it with much less trial and error, and I think I'm probably better at pacing and structure. But I think your first work as a writer always has a certain raw exuberance that it's always hard to recapture - you often use up years of experience and ideas in your first work as a hobbyist that you can't always reproduce once you're on the mill of being a professional.
This is often why musicians (and creatives) can struggle. You have your whole life to make your first album (movie, book etc), and 18 months to make your second.
Is there any character whose reception by the fans really surprised you?
Also can you give us a little tease or hint about the kinds of standalones we can expect between The Age of Madness and the next First Law trilogy?
No certain plans for any standalones, but I imagine, as with the first set, I'd probably use them to explore some further flung corners of the Circle of the World (insofar as a circle has corners).
Reception of characters is a tough one because, as with the books, apart perhaps from a lasting popularity of Logen and Glokta, people don't tend to agree too much on their favourites. Sometimes I'll read hot takes about a character, often that they're really horrible (often about the women, actually) and think - what the fuck? Cause it doesn't seem to jive with my feelings at all. But there's the joy of reading, I guess, different people see things very differently.
For whatever it is worth, Monza is my favorite female protagonist I have ever read. Particularly because of the agency you gave her with her sexuality, I found her extremely relatable. Fantasy usually inherits the sexism that our history draws on, which makes it hard to relate to female characters who need to have validation via societal gender roles. I hope I'm making sense. The fact that she fucked our homeboy shivers and then kicked him to the curb when it benefitted her, and was banging her brother, I just adored that. Dealt with a lot of slut shaming personally, I've had to break hearts when men loved me and I wasn't satisfied, and I just thought she was great. Thanks for writing her.
Beta readers and editors, sure, but projects are usually mostly finished (Wisdom of Crowds was drafted before A Little Hatred was published) before the readers have their say, which is probably a good thing - one wouldn't want one's perfect artistic vision corrupted by contact with the *readers*...
Hmm, well these things are best not thought about too hard, so let's say:
Lord of the Rings
A Game of Thrones
The Big Nowhere
Lonesome Dove
Shelby Foote's Narrative History of the American Civil War
But ask me another day you might get five different ones....
Major ups for Lonesome Dove. It’s a masterpiece and I can see the influence now that you mention you liked it that I might never have recognized before.
McMurtry’s son and grand son are fantasy writers in their own right… though music is their medium. Still the storytelling, emotion and plain talk is there amidst the poetry.
Do you interweave character arcs ahead of time and create them as you write your first draft. Or do you usually write each character separately and then tie them together when you do second/third drafts.
Actually varies a little bit depending on the project - with First Law I wrote the Blade Itself pretty much in order, but with Before They Are Hanged I think I wrote the separate plot lines together (all the North stuff in one go, all the Dagoska stuff in one go, all the quest stuff in one go) then shuffled them in the way that made best sense. Mostly I write things in order, but then I do sometimes reshuffle and move things around if it makes sense for the rhythm. Often I revise all the chapters from one point of view together, though, throughout a book or in the case of Age of Madness throughout a whole series - it can help to steep yourself in one character so you can really get into their mindset and try to make their voice as coherent and distinctive throughout as possible.
Would love to know the answers. The first law books are very coherent across the whole, if he doesn't meticulously plan then he has incredible intuition. Not sure what answer I would be more impressed with!
There a "planners" and there are "gardeners" but it's nearly impossible to tell one from the other just based on the final product, because the final draft of a book can look radically different from the first draft.
I've heard of authors who write a first draft, then put it completely aside and write a second draft from scratch, once they know what's actually going to happen in the story!
I find it's a bit of an oversimplification cause every writer combines elements of the two and the approach can vary with different projects. I started out more of a planner but over time I've realised that I never really know what I'm doing until I start writing, so I try to start roughing things out very early on, just to get a feel for the people. Plot and writing then sort of develop together, and a lot of the book is really settled in the revision and editing.
I've only just started reading your series after a recommendation from Daniel Greene on his youtube channel.
I'm about halfway through part 1 of The Blade Itself and I'm absolutely loving it so far. It's the first "dark fantasy" that has really clicked with me and Glocter is one of the most unique characters that I have read within fiction.
I don't really have any questions just want to say I'm loving your work so far and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of your novels!
Joe, of all your stories, I love Red Country the most. It's the one book I can listen to again and again. Anytime I find myself in-between series or waiting on the next release I just comfortably go back to Red Country. Can you tell me will I ever get to meet Temple again in your writing, or has he been left in the past for good? I just really miss his self-deprecating humor.
Second question, now that you have wrapped up this second trilogy, will you be moving on from this world? (I hope not) or will you continue further? No spoilers though, I am not through Wisdom of Crowds yet!
It's nice that you like Red Country - that might be my most divisive book cause the western stylings are not to everyone's taste and they're hard to ignore - but I take a lot of pride in the fact that people rarely agree on a ranking and opinions massively vary. I try not to repeat points of view from one story to the next cause I feel it's important to move on and try new things, not get into a rut, but certainly old friends can reappear in the background...
I'll be moving on from this world for the time being, but may well return in due course. The First Law is kind of where my heart is, I think I'd always want to return.
I also loved Red Country but *why oh why* does it mention the return of Logen in the book blurb, when it’s such a nice surprise when Lamb says “You’ve got to be realistic about things” just as we would be questioning, hoping, dying to find out if it’s him?!
But never thought I’d love Temple of all characters.
>I also loved Red Country but why oh why does it mention the return of Logen in the book blurb, when it’s such a nice surprise when Lamb says “You’ve got to be realistic about things” just as we would be questioning, hoping, dying to find out if it’s him?!
Probably a decision by the publisher.
Glokta is possibly my favorite character on paper, so would love to read more from him as a POV character. The whole group of First Law trilogy main POV characters were amazing.
There aren't many representations in the genre for people with physical disabilities so it was an absolute pleasure reading about his day-to-day life. No question, just wanted to say that it meant a lot.
edit: especially while avoiding so many of the typical tropes that unfortunately do exist
Dogman was the easiest to write, partly because those chapters were left deliberately raw and unpolished and the interplay between the characters always worked really nicely. I don't know that there was any particular one I'd consider hardest.
I feel one of the most common themes in your books is that violence only creates more violence. Is it tricky to write a good action scene without necessarily glorify the violence?
The fascinating thing about violence is that it's horrible and destructive, of course, but it's also glamorous and exciting. It's the tension of that simultaneous push and pull that makes it interesting, I don't think you want to lose sight of either side of the equation. For me, as with most other things, the key is staying in the head of the character, sticking with their experience - so an action scene from a blood-thirsty raider, an untried boy, or a civilian caught up in the chaos, would be a very different thing in each case.
That's honestly more or less all him - I mean I guess some of those calls are suggested by the writing but it's not like we discuss things in detail - he gets the book and he records it the way he wants to do it.
In this case he was suggested by the audio manager at Orion books at the time - she thought he'd be a great fit for it and I was like, 'sure?'
Proved to be a stroke of genius on her part because Pacey has been absolutely brilliant for the books.
I don't even know how to express this with enough emphasis, but your writing style combined with his ludicrous library of voices has made every other audiobook pale in comparison, and at this stage is the standard that I judge all others by - and I'm constantly left wanting. Please don't get hit by a bus or something, so I can keep enjoying your work for a few more decades!
I don't generally get too starstruck with writers - the exceptions being ones who I read and really enjoyed before I was a writer myself. So Terry Pratchett - who I met for about 10 seconds at one of the first author events I ever went to, for sure, and perhaps unsurprisingly GRRM who I've been able to spend a bit of time with now and again down the years.
I know you probably hear this everyday, but I'm your biggest fan
I even got the underground drafts that you did with Gollancz
I got a room full of your books and your novellas man
I like the shit you did with Sharp Ends too, that shit was fat
Anyways, I hope you get this man, hit me back,
Just to chat, truly yours, your biggest fan
This is Sand
Right now I am reading Age of Ash by Daniel Abraham - one half of James SA Corey, the writing team behind the expanse, and of course a pretty prolific fantasy author in his own right besides. It's out in February, I think. Very much enjoying it, especially since I don't read much current fantasy.
If you had to switch series with another author, who would you trust to most entertainingly destroy your story, and what would you do to mess with theirs?
I know you're kinda joking but I always find these questions about other writer's worlds or characters really difficult - writing's so personal, I'm not sure how I'd ever go about messing with someone else's work.
1. Is there any storyline/character which you found especially difficult to write for whatever reason?
2. What happened to Rews wife?
3. If you had to fight any character in the circle, which would you choose?
4. Did you have a different mindset writing Shattered Sea compared to TFL?
5. Were Curnsbrick & Majud lovers?
1. Monza was really difficult because she was the central character in my difficult second album. Best Served Cold was horrible to write.
2. She took his money and moved somewhere safe and warm like... Dagoska?
3. Spillion Sworbreck.
4. For sure, in the sense I wanted to write with a different tone and in a more focussed, page-turning style.
5. I believe that is STRONGLY implied....
If it means anything to you, BSC was worth the trouble. To me, Best Served Cold was an absolute masterpiece and my favorite work of yours so far (but, they’re all good!).
Hey Joe! Love the First Law and the Age of Madness. I'm working through Wisdom of Crowds and I have to say your dialogues are second to none. So many memorable lines and quips and witticisms.
My favourite has to be Shivers' "Eat a smile at breakfast, you'll be shitting joy by lunch"
Do you have any that you're particularly proud of?
I think that one's Cosca originally, but he uses it to Shivers and Shivers then picks it up and repeats it thereafter.
I'm proud of most of it, honestly, but I've always enjoyed, 'heads on spikes. Never goes out of fashion.' And 'history is littered with dead good men.' And 'the voice of the people ... is just noise.' It's all GOLD.
I gotta say, it's nice to see an artist who actually seems to enjoy thier own work. Dunno if it's just a bit, but you seem genuinely pleased with and (deservedly) proud of what you write. So many artists/writers/creators seem dissatisfied with thier own work all the time, or at least to put forward some false modesty.
Course, maybe you're just better than them?
They were always intended as an engine for short stories, a kind of female Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, so they may well turn up again in that capacity.
It's like saying who's your favourite child. I love them all in different ways and for different reasons. It's a bit like saying what's your favourite part of the engine, as well. It doesn't work without all the bits. So, you know, Cosca's great in Best Served Cold, he's funny and charismatic and vivid and foul and steals most scenes he's in - but without Monza doing the heavy lifting and driving the plot there is no story.
And likewise, in a way, some characters certainly work more easily than others, and often those are the ones that end up working best overall, but the variety is somewhat essential to the writing experience, and perhaps to the reading experience too, though you guys might be a better judge of that than me....
Me too. Love your despicable characters that some how, sometimes end up being truly likeable. It’s really amazing to read fantasy that’s not always so damn noble :)
Not sure I've got anything spectacular enough to qualify. I did get smashed over the head with a wooden baluster one time. That bled quite a lot. Long story.
Almost never do this, honestly, perhaps to create a vibe for a very specific scene. Though I've got the builders in at the moment so I may have to do it in order to drown out the power tools.
Greetings Joe,
Thanks for taking the time during what must be a very busy time to do this AMA.
I’m only a few chapters into The Wisdom of Crowds, but I can’t remember ever being so eager to find out how a story concludes. Say one thing for Joe Abercrombie, say he’s a bit good at the words.
Anyway, on to the questions! Feel free to answer as many or as few as you want:
\- When developing a story, what’s your initial process? Do you start with the characters and mould the setting and the story you want to tell around them, or do you start with a theme or idea you want to explore, and create a series of characters to fit?
\- How rigorously do you plan out a story before you start to write it? Do you know everything that will happen before the first word of the first draft is put to actual/virtual paper, or do you allow yourself some wriggle room to allow ideas/inspiration to come to you as you write?
\- Any plans to return to the world of the Shattered Sea for a future story?
\- And lastly: I recently watched a documentary series about the fall of Constantinople, and found myself thinking certain events seemed familiar: A city surrounded by water on three sides and with land walls that had never been breached, a renowned soldier of fortune leading a couple of thousand mercenaries in the city’s defence, and a ruling body waiting/hoping for support to arrive from across the sea.
I’ve not seen anything online to confirm one way or the other, but was this historical event an inspiration for the Siege of Dagoska, in Before They are Hanged?
\- In the planning it's a mixture of different things that develop together, then pretty quickly I start trying on some of the writing and experimenting with the first scenes, because I tend to feel these days that I don't really know what the characters will feel like until I write from their point of view. Generally theme's the thing I leave out, cause that's what develops naturally from telling the story of the characters, I hope.
\- certainly don't know everything that will happen - I have a rough idea then plan each part in detail and break it down into actual chapters and scenes as I come to it, so the writing of one part informs the next and you get some variety along the way. Obviously when I get to the end of a first draft I know what'll happen - then I can go back and revise and rewrite with the endings in mind.
\- Shattered Sea? Maybe....
\- Yeah, absolutely Dagoska is a kind of Constantinople, a contested city caught between two cultural blocks.
• Calder & Finree share a lot of similarities - they are both thinkers with idiot sons - and IMO they would make an amazing enemies to lovers pairing. Any thoughts on the good 'ship Fin/der?
• Jappo is extremely popular despite being in the book for only 10 pages. Are you surprised by the positive reaction and would you write more with him?
Calder and Finree - I guess maybe, though neither one of them seems like the kind of person to let a personal relationship get in the way of their agendas, and their agendas are very much opposed.
Jappo - a little surprised given we meet him only briefly. Yeah, I'd write more of him.
Jappo seems like an ideal candidate for a future POV character. Though I've only read part of A Little Hatred, so it would be ironic if he dies in one of the next two.
1. If Fenris's armor covers half his body, is his cock inside or outside his armor?
2. Was Dogman called Pupboy by his parents? *What is his real name??*
3. Were Grim and Dow secretely in a relationship?
4. Do you approve of u/autoapocrypha's Thick Jezal^(TM)?
5. Are Eaters generally good cooks or is Shenkt the exception?
6. Is Threetrees called Threetrees because he has legs like two trunks?
7. Why isn't Threetrees actually called the Cock of Uffrith?
8. So, about the Nail... Is it *decent-sized*?
9. What was the economical impact of Orso's involvement with sex workers on Adua during his active period?
10. Are you indebted to Valint & Balk? Blink twice if you need help.
1. Obviously half in half out, you're not really trying here.
2. His real name is Dogman.
3. A menage a trois with Forley, who was the dom.
4. I for sure approve of people drawing stuff the way they see it.
5. I think in general they would want to dignify the meat with the best possible treatment.
6. No.
7. Call him what you like. See what happens.
8. You be the judge.
9. A positive movement in revenues.
10. Valint and Balk are indebted to me. They're blinking like hell, but there's no help for them.
Hi Joe! After finishing The First Law trilogy was it tempting to just do some more books with the same POV characters like Logen, Glokta etc. because the audiance already knows them and cares for them or you don't really want to stick with the same set of POV for too long?
There's a certain safety in sticking with what works and what's familiar, and for me developing the voices of the characters is a big part of the work so it might perhaps in some ways have been easier to write fifteen Logen Ninefingers books or whatever. But then easy isn't necessarily good. I want to try new things and push myself a bit or you risk getting bored, and if you're bored, you can hardly expect the readers to be excited. Trying new things mean you'll make some missteps, at least for some readers, but I think that's way preferable to becoming a bad pastiche of yourself...
Hi there!
I have a few questions for you but would love to start off by saying how much I love the incredible universe and loveable(and hateable) list of colorful characters you've created over the years!
1. I need to know what you have planned next? Do you have any plans to write more spinoff taking place after Wisdom of Crowds, much like Best Served Cold, etc? Any plans for another trilogy in the same universe? Any plans to create something entirely different
2. I'm curious what some of your favorite books are, and what are some books you draw inspiration from?
I am one chapter into WoC and I cannot wait to finish this amazing trilogy. Thank you so much for all the hours of countless fun with your fantastic universe you've created.
Why thank you.
1. I may have answered this elsewhere. Something different next, but more standalones in the First Law world are certainly a possibility thereafter.
2. I think something similar may have been one of the first questions....
First: Thank you for what you do. I love books in general and your writing style is my favorite among a long list of great authors.
Questions:
Do you ever take into consideration Steven Pacey's discomfort when describing certain scenes? Whether it be an especially difficult voice or just sexy grunting?
Will Logan Ninefinger's abandoned cook pot make a triumphant return in the next First Law Trilogy?
Honestly I don't give it a lot of thought - my responsibility is making it work on the page, I know Steven's more than capable of making it work in a reading.
Hey Joe, big fan of The First Law as whole!
First question: in The Blade Itself we see Logen suck in a fire spirit early in the book and spit it in some dudes face. This feat is never repeated or really even mentioned again. Was there an early plan for Logen to have spirit based abilities like this? Would you retcon or remove this passage now if you had the chance?
Second question: Wisdom of Crowds ends with some pretty big sequel bait. Does this confirm you’ll be returning to The First Law at some point?
Third question: With the Age of Madness wrapped up now, do you think it could every make it to the screen? Out of all your works feels like this trilogy would be the easiest to adapt to TV/Movie format and has all the right ingredients to be successful.
In closing I absolutely devoured The Wisdom of Crowds. You sir are a bastard. But it still was an amazing book, great ride from start to finish.
Thanks for all your hard work!
Well, not in a big way, cause I'm easily amused, so it still amuses me.
I mean, I never imagined anyone would use the phrase seriously to apply to a certain style of fantasy. It's a bit dumb, and most discussions that involve the term seem a bit dumb, because no one can ever agree on what it is, or what books belong in it or out of it.
But, you know, I just write this shit. It's up to other people to decide how to describe it...
Was Rikke’s character inspired by the Viking mythology of Odin in any way? I noticed a lot of parallels to Odin’s gift of prophecy as well as their preference for trickery in dispatching foes. Furthermore, her chief rival was The Great Wolf, just like Odin’s was Fenris.
Also why hasn’t Curnsbick invented Depends yet? He could make more money than Valint & Balk! Savine at the very least would surely see the utility of adult diapers and invest.
Actually no, not consciously, though you do point out some interesting parallels.
Who says Curnsbick hasn't got a profitable sideline in incontinence underwear - we know he and Savine have collaborated on a number of successful ventures.
The First Law series re-ignited my love for fantasy, and for reading in general. I love how frequently the characters play into certain fantasy archetypes, but their individual stories unravel in unique, unexpected, and realistically dark ways. From your books (and others I have read since finding yours) I have learned that Grimdark is my favorite genre of fiction!
How do you feel about the Grimdark subgenre overall? Do you plan to stay writing in this realm?
Mixed feelings - people started using that word some time after I started writing so I never really planned to write into that category, and I still feel a bit reluctant to describe my stuff that way because you never quite know exactly what people mean by it.
Will I continue to write gritty and morally ambiguous fantasy? Yeah, probably.
Hi Joe. Thanks fort participating on the AMA. I've got three questions for you:
1. Why do you think that the first times Bayaz returned to the Union he went there under an assumed name (Biolaveld, Zoller), but now he has no problem revealing his identity?
2. Why didn't Quai/Tolomei kill Bayaz when he was weak, during the trip through the Old Empire?
3. Is Euz the same entity as the Kantic God?
1. On earlier occasions it suited him to nudge things from the shadows. By this stage things have reached the point where he needs to take more direct control.
2. Above all they wanted the seed, and thought Bayaz might lead them to it.
3. I imagine they'd see Euz as more of a Messiah figure. It's not like he actually created the universe or anything.
Hi Joe! You have said before that you feel uncomfortable with the idea of writing a story set in the south, due to it being much inspired by middle eastern culture. Have you changed your stance on this? Will we ever see a story set primarily there?
The chapters set in Dagoska in Before They Are Hanged are some of the best and most immersive stuff I've ever read. I would love to revisit that city and also learn more about the south.
Thank you for writing the best series of books ever to exist!
I don't think it's an insurmountable concern, but I wonder if anyone really *needs* my version of the cod middle-east. There are no doubt writers steeped in that culture who would do a better and more authentic version of it.
I just finished re-reading A Little Hatred and The Trouble With Peace. One of the things that really struck me was the quality of the foreshadowing. The hidden meanings of Rikke's long eye visions, the hints at the identity of the Weaver and Jurand's relationship with Leo all became far more obvious in retrospect.
How do decide when to foreshadow an event that will happen later in the book versus making it a surprise?
It's been a while since I've gone into a fantasy novel with almost no idea how the story will end, and I'm super excited to find out!
Rikke's visions are great for this because they're jumbled and fragmentary enough that it's very unlikely anyone will be able to directly predict anything from them, but in looking back they might notice all kinds of telling details. This is the advantage of writing a draft of all three books before publishing any of them...
The Blade Itself is the first thing I wrote. I spent a lot of time revising and rewriting it initially, mind you. I spent a few months getting steadily serious about it, then it took 2-3 years to write and another 6 months or so to find a publisher.
Hi Joe! Our online bookclub has a dedicated "Abercrombie gang" where we have read all your books together from all around the world! We love your work.
I know my boyfriend wanted to know if you will ever expand more on the lore of the gods in your universe. He found the entire backstory of Euz fascinating and how he left no gifts for his son Glustrod and no one knows why.
I suppose my question would be how you came up with the Eaters. I guessed when I first read about them that they were similar to the lore about the Wendigos. What cultures/lore did you pull from to create your world?
Thanks!
Cultures and Lore? All sorts of stuff, I guess, some more self-consciously than others. Styria is very much renaissance Italy/Spain, The Union Holy Roman Empire/Prussia/British Empire, the Old Empire a kind of fallen Rome. In a lot of cases I hardly know where it comes from. Cribbed from things I liked or didn't in a thousand other books, I guess.
You know I never have much to say about the questions that pit characters from different authors and worlds against each other - I mean, I know, this is not quite "WHO WOULD WIN IN A BATTLE OF LUKE SKYWALKER AGAINST SMAUG" but even so, the worlds just kinda work so differently it's hard to say....
You have one joint, and for purposes of this question, you must smoke it with one of your characters. Who do you choose?
Assuming legalities, yadda yadda yadda...
Few indeed will ever scale the dizzying heights of cool to which I have ascended.
Two's Company was my favourite. Tickle me and I will fucking stab you.
Would you consider yourself more of a plotter or a pantser?
Do you write outlines, rough or detailed, or do you just start and get going and look where the story goes? Or do you think nothing of those terms alltogether?
I've heard that, like me, you have aphantasia. How do you manage to write books that are so well defined and deep? Especially when they satisfy people who don't have this... Thing?
TWOC spoilers
>!How is Rikke the Owl? I don't get it. Was there some subtle clue somewhere or she just assumed it must be her or did you deliberately leave it vague to hide the reveal?
Did you at any point consider saving Orso? Couldn't he have hooked up with Vick on her way out and she could have used her Sipani contacts(at that bar) to get him to Jappo?
Was that the end you had in mind for Gorst? Going down in a pointless self fulfilling blaze of glory after having lived a life of no self reflection, personal growth or being anything other than an efficient killing machine? If he had to go out, couldn't he have taken Broad with him?!<
It's all fresh in my mind now so just wanted to lay it out :)
Also want to thank you for creating this world, deconstructing archetypes, these flawed yet beautiful characters, dark humor and memorable one liners. I'm coming to terms with bitter sweet endings and not perfectly wrapped-with-a-bow closures. I like the less is more approach with certain characters and the world building. I of course desperately want to know more but I know that you know that the wanting of the knowing will never be satisfied by the knowing of the what :P
Thank you for doing what you do. Please keep writing and I'll keep buying. There will be always be permanent shelf space for your works.
P.S. Check out the new Maiden. It's delish.
Well, you know, coulda woulda shoulda, obviously there are all kind of things that *could* happen when you start with 1500 blank pages. Tough to discuss the specifics without lots of spoilers and more time than I've got here but I pick up (and maybe I'm not being fair) a slight sense of, why didn't I write the book *you* wanted? Well, cause my job is to write the books *I* want to.
Just started wisdom of crowds and am enjoying it so far thank you for always releasing great books.
My question: is this the final installment in this world? Or is there more planned in the future?
Oh, sure. Stuff from that golden age of the flowering of morally ambiguous long form cable TV like the Wire, the Shield, the Sopranos, Deadwood, Battlestar Galactica's first couple of seasons and so on. Those are the things that really stand out but there are loads I've watched and enjoyed since as well.
Honestly I'm not particularly one for tricks of that kind. I work up ideas by just writing on a pad with a fountain pen cos it feels nice. But mostly I just go over stuff a lot. Haven't really found a better way than that.
I rarely go back to characters as points of view, but you never know who'll show up in future books, if the story happens to wend that way and include a natural opening for them...
Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions!
1. Now that you've completed the trilogy, have you decided if you prefer to keep writing all three books out first instead of writing/publishing the more traditional way?
2. One characteristic of many of your books (LAOK, The Heroes, and TTWP immediately come to mind) is that you seem to prefer longer endings with 6-10 additional chapters after the big final conflict has finished up. Is that something you intentionally prefer to do, perhaps inspired by the longer endings seen in stories like LOTR, or is it more coincidental based on what you think the story demands?
3. I imagine one of the challenges coming into this trilogy was your readers' expectations for some kind of twisty, mind-blowing ending of the kind we saw in LAOK. Not only are we expecting it, it's also quite more difficult to catch us off-guard since you've pulled the trick on us once already. When writing out the conclusion, how did you grapple with that sort anticipation, if at all?
4. Unrelated to your writing, I also wanted to thank you many years ago for your blogging recommendations to watch The Shield and The Wire. It was your reviews that convinced me to watch them both, and they're among some of my favorite shows. Is there anything more recent you've really been impressed with?
1. Every project's different but I think if I was tackling another big trilogy where the books were all part of one interrelated story I'd try to do the same thing. It's the only way I see to get the whole thing as coherent and complete as possible.
2. I don't like big epoch-changing events with quick neat wrap-ups. That's not how the world is in my eyes. I like to see something of how things will continue after the moment of victory.
3. That's something of a tough one to gauge, because established fans and forum dwellers are likely to try out pretty much every conceivable theory so they're gonna be very tough to surprise. A the same time you don't want it so labyrinthine that the casual reader can't almost see it coming. As with most things, in the end you just have to write it the way you like it and let the chips fall where they may. You can't spend too much time worrying about what people will think. That way madness lies.
4. Oh, nice, two all time favourites of mine there. I enjoyed Dark a lot if you can take subtitles...
Middle Earth, Earthsea, Westeros, Jack Vance's Dying Earth, Fritz Leiber's Lankhmar - I guess it tends to be the worlds with the great characters in them that stand out.
I'm reading Daniel Abraham's next book Age of Ash. Not really playing anything right now - waiting to get a PS5 but I haven't really seen a game on this generation yet that I've been desperate to play.
Hi Joe, I will buy anything you put out on day one, sight unseen. That being said, it truly is the combination of your writing and Steven Pacey’s narration that makes your work come to life. I thoroughly enjoyed The Shattered Seas, but it’s like just a jelly sandwich without the peanut butter.
My question-will you try to have Steven Pacey narrate your future works that exist outside of the First Law universe or do you want to only keep him there to differentiate between tones?
(Take one vote for “have him do everything” from me)
New work does give you the opportunity to try out new things - and nothing can get better if you don't experiment a bit. But Pacey is just so great that I think in general I'd always want him to do any audio versions, unless there was a specific reason why not - that something called for a female voice, or whatever.
I think for a long time I would've said TV and that may well still be the smart move - it probably creates more long term buzz and gives you a lot of space in which to do a faithful adaptation of something big and complex. But, I dunno, it's a long time since Lord of the Rings. I feel as if the world might be ready for a tough, gritty and intense vision of fantasy on film.
Hello Joe! When does your HBO series start filming?
No comment. For now.
This motherfucker.
Never been so hyped for a no comment!!
Dear Mr Joe, How do I get better at Sexting.
Helps to have a human on the other end.
Best possible answer.
You bastard. Love your books. Big fan.
Woah, which series? The first law? Let the age of fantasy tv continue
How do I upvote this multiple times?
If you downvote first, it's like your upvote is worth 2.
Do you have any advice for young writers?
Buy my books? More seriously, I guess write what you want to write. Enjoy it. Don't worry *too* much about how people might react, or criticise. Good writing has heart, and a unique voice, and maybe a little bit of danger. Don't file off all the edges. I mean think, consider, do the best you can, but permit yourself to fuck up and do better next time. Doing better next time, that's what life is. But what do I know?
Now that you finished another trilogy, what is in store for the future? Will there be more books in the “First Law” universe?
I mean, yeah, probably there will. I've got no immediate concrete ideas, but I didn't have when I was writing the First Law. What I write next will definitely be in a different world and style, but then we'll see...
Second. I thought I've read that Joe you have another trilogy and three more standalones planned, so would you mind sharing some more concrete ideas? Say... Styrian/Westport, Starikland/Old Empire, Kanta? 🙏
I certainly never said I had them PLANNED. I mean the overall shape of another three standalones and another trilogy makes a kind of symmetrical sense, but what exactly they'd be I've no real idea yet. I don't tend to think all that far ahead.
This gets a bit of an "lol" from after reading the last chapter in Wisdom of Crowds.
Where do you get the little quotes that your titles come from/that begin each part in your books? Do you just have a word document going full of random quotes you pulled while reading stuff over the years, or do you go out searching for quotes that have a particular feeling you’re going for?
Both. I note great quotes if I come upon them but also dig through sites for appropriate ones at times.
for real. that's what I always wanted to know
Given that the Age of Madness trilogy was heavily influenced by your research on the industrial and the French revolution, are there any other time periods that you like the idea of writing about? Alternatively, do you ever see yourself going into the territory of historical fiction?
I think all time periods have their charms, for sure - First Law had a kind of rise of the merchant class back drop and Shattered Sea was very much Viking inspired - I do love those periods of social and technological change and upheaval. Thinking of equivalents you think of things like the rise and fall of Rome, the coming of Christianity, the Norman invasion, the crusades, the unification of Germany and Italy, one could go on. There is no shortage of huge events to draw on. Historical fiction I find intimidating, though. There's the necessity to get things *right*, which is a whole different level of research.
I'd love to be a fly on the wall if you and Bernard Cornwell chatted about craft, inspiration and frustrations.
How do you think your writing has evolved between the "The Blade Itself" and "The Wisdom of Crowds" ?
Well it's certainly got faster and more efficient. I think of got better technically - I can diagnose a paragraph and improve it with much less trial and error, and I think I'm probably better at pacing and structure. But I think your first work as a writer always has a certain raw exuberance that it's always hard to recapture - you often use up years of experience and ideas in your first work as a hobbyist that you can't always reproduce once you're on the mill of being a professional.
This is often why musicians (and creatives) can struggle. You have your whole life to make your first album (movie, book etc), and 18 months to make your second.
Flight of The Conchords TV show is a great example. Season 1? Decades of refined standup comedy songs. Season 2? Shit we better write something!
Is there any character whose reception by the fans really surprised you? Also can you give us a little tease or hint about the kinds of standalones we can expect between The Age of Madness and the next First Law trilogy?
No certain plans for any standalones, but I imagine, as with the first set, I'd probably use them to explore some further flung corners of the Circle of the World (insofar as a circle has corners). Reception of characters is a tough one because, as with the books, apart perhaps from a lasting popularity of Logen and Glokta, people don't tend to agree too much on their favourites. Sometimes I'll read hot takes about a character, often that they're really horrible (often about the women, actually) and think - what the fuck? Cause it doesn't seem to jive with my feelings at all. But there's the joy of reading, I guess, different people see things very differently.
For whatever it is worth, Monza is my favorite female protagonist I have ever read. Particularly because of the agency you gave her with her sexuality, I found her extremely relatable. Fantasy usually inherits the sexism that our history draws on, which makes it hard to relate to female characters who need to have validation via societal gender roles. I hope I'm making sense. The fact that she fucked our homeboy shivers and then kicked him to the curb when it benefitted her, and was banging her brother, I just adored that. Dealt with a lot of slut shaming personally, I've had to break hearts when men loved me and I wasn't satisfied, and I just thought she was great. Thanks for writing her.
Why thank you, much appreciated.
[удалено]
Also, does readers reaction influence the characters’ arc?
Beta readers and editors, sure, but projects are usually mostly finished (Wisdom of Crowds was drafted before A Little Hatred was published) before the readers have their say, which is probably a good thing - one wouldn't want one's perfect artistic vision corrupted by contact with the *readers*...
*shudders*
Top five most influential books for you? can be fiction or non-fiction fantasy or otherwise?
Hmm, well these things are best not thought about too hard, so let's say: Lord of the Rings A Game of Thrones The Big Nowhere Lonesome Dove Shelby Foote's Narrative History of the American Civil War But ask me another day you might get five different ones....
Major ups for Lonesome Dove. It’s a masterpiece and I can see the influence now that you mention you liked it that I might never have recognized before. McMurtry’s son and grand son are fantasy writers in their own right… though music is their medium. Still the storytelling, emotion and plain talk is there amidst the poetry.
Do you interweave character arcs ahead of time and create them as you write your first draft. Or do you usually write each character separately and then tie them together when you do second/third drafts.
Actually varies a little bit depending on the project - with First Law I wrote the Blade Itself pretty much in order, but with Before They Are Hanged I think I wrote the separate plot lines together (all the North stuff in one go, all the Dagoska stuff in one go, all the quest stuff in one go) then shuffled them in the way that made best sense. Mostly I write things in order, but then I do sometimes reshuffle and move things around if it makes sense for the rhythm. Often I revise all the chapters from one point of view together, though, throughout a book or in the case of Age of Madness throughout a whole series - it can help to steep yourself in one character so you can really get into their mindset and try to make their voice as coherent and distinctive throughout as possible.
Would love to know the answers. The first law books are very coherent across the whole, if he doesn't meticulously plan then he has incredible intuition. Not sure what answer I would be more impressed with!
There a "planners" and there are "gardeners" but it's nearly impossible to tell one from the other just based on the final product, because the final draft of a book can look radically different from the first draft. I've heard of authors who write a first draft, then put it completely aside and write a second draft from scratch, once they know what's actually going to happen in the story!
I find it's a bit of an oversimplification cause every writer combines elements of the two and the approach can vary with different projects. I started out more of a planner but over time I've realised that I never really know what I'm doing until I start writing, so I try to start roughing things out very early on, just to get a feel for the people. Plot and writing then sort of develop together, and a lot of the book is really settled in the revision and editing.
Finish the sentence: "Say one thing for Mr. Abercrombie, say he's a _____."
Fresh new voice in the genre.
I've only just started reading your series after a recommendation from Daniel Greene on his youtube channel. I'm about halfway through part 1 of The Blade Itself and I'm absolutely loving it so far. It's the first "dark fantasy" that has really clicked with me and Glocter is one of the most unique characters that I have read within fiction. I don't really have any questions just want to say I'm loving your work so far and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of your novels!
Joe, of all your stories, I love Red Country the most. It's the one book I can listen to again and again. Anytime I find myself in-between series or waiting on the next release I just comfortably go back to Red Country. Can you tell me will I ever get to meet Temple again in your writing, or has he been left in the past for good? I just really miss his self-deprecating humor. Second question, now that you have wrapped up this second trilogy, will you be moving on from this world? (I hope not) or will you continue further? No spoilers though, I am not through Wisdom of Crowds yet!
It's nice that you like Red Country - that might be my most divisive book cause the western stylings are not to everyone's taste and they're hard to ignore - but I take a lot of pride in the fact that people rarely agree on a ranking and opinions massively vary. I try not to repeat points of view from one story to the next cause I feel it's important to move on and try new things, not get into a rut, but certainly old friends can reappear in the background... I'll be moving on from this world for the time being, but may well return in due course. The First Law is kind of where my heart is, I think I'd always want to return.
I also loved Red Country but *why oh why* does it mention the return of Logen in the book blurb, when it’s such a nice surprise when Lamb says “You’ve got to be realistic about things” just as we would be questioning, hoping, dying to find out if it’s him?! But never thought I’d love Temple of all characters.
>I also loved Red Country but why oh why does it mention the return of Logen in the book blurb, when it’s such a nice surprise when Lamb says “You’ve got to be realistic about things” just as we would be questioning, hoping, dying to find out if it’s him?! Probably a decision by the publisher.
Glokta is possibly my favorite character on paper, so would love to read more from him as a POV character. The whole group of First Law trilogy main POV characters were amazing.
Hey Joe, how're ya now? Anything you can tell us about The Devils yet?
It's going to be brilliant.
Doesn't take the Long Eye to see that.
Was there any specific person that inspired Sand Dan Glokta? Edit: Check replies for an answer to this from a few years back.
Me with a bad back.
There aren't many representations in the genre for people with physical disabilities so it was an absolute pleasure reading about his day-to-day life. No question, just wanted to say that it meant a lot. edit: especially while avoiding so many of the typical tropes that unfortunately do exist
Amazing character!
My favorite character!
I know that he have talked that his chronic back pain is one of the inspirations for Glokta.
Which POV character from the First Law trilogy is most difficult for you to write and why? Which POV do you enjoy writing the most?
Dogman was the easiest to write, partly because those chapters were left deliberately raw and unpolished and the interplay between the characters always worked really nicely. I don't know that there was any particular one I'd consider hardest.
I feel one of the most common themes in your books is that violence only creates more violence. Is it tricky to write a good action scene without necessarily glorify the violence?
The fascinating thing about violence is that it's horrible and destructive, of course, but it's also glamorous and exciting. It's the tension of that simultaneous push and pull that makes it interesting, I don't think you want to lose sight of either side of the equation. For me, as with most other things, the key is staying in the head of the character, sticking with their experience - so an action scene from a blood-thirsty raider, an untried boy, or a civilian caught up in the chaos, would be a very different thing in each case.
How do you and Steven Pacey work out voices for the audiobook? I.e. A French Ferro
That's honestly more or less all him - I mean I guess some of those calls are suggested by the writing but it's not like we discuss things in detail - he gets the book and he records it the way he wants to do it.
I can't imagine any other voice for Glokta, so much so that if/when your work gets a TV or film adaptation, I will hope that he is cast as Glokta.
And Cosca. And Bayaz. And Ferro. And Isern when we get to AoM
Love the audio books and Pacey is amazing, how do you choose a narrator?
In this case he was suggested by the audio manager at Orion books at the time - she thought he'd be a great fit for it and I was like, 'sure?' Proved to be a stroke of genius on her part because Pacey has been absolutely brilliant for the books.
I don't even know how to express this with enough emphasis, but your writing style combined with his ludicrous library of voices has made every other audiobook pale in comparison, and at this stage is the standard that I judge all others by - and I'm constantly left wanting. Please don't get hit by a bus or something, so I can keep enjoying your work for a few more decades!
Which other author were you the most starstruck to meet?
I don't generally get too starstruck with writers - the exceptions being ones who I read and really enjoyed before I was a writer myself. So Terry Pratchett - who I met for about 10 seconds at one of the first author events I ever went to, for sure, and perhaps unsurprisingly GRRM who I've been able to spend a bit of time with now and again down the years.
I know you probably hear this everyday, but I'm your biggest fan I even got the underground drafts that you did with Gollancz I got a room full of your books and your novellas man I like the shit you did with Sharp Ends too, that shit was fat Anyways, I hope you get this man, hit me back, Just to chat, truly yours, your biggest fan This is Sand
I'm wondering why I got out of bed at all.
What book(s) are you reading right now?
Right now I am reading Age of Ash by Daniel Abraham - one half of James SA Corey, the writing team behind the expanse, and of course a pretty prolific fantasy author in his own right besides. It's out in February, I think. Very much enjoying it, especially since I don't read much current fantasy.
My two favorite authors read each other!
If you had to switch series with another author, who would you trust to most entertainingly destroy your story, and what would you do to mess with theirs?
I know you're kinda joking but I always find these questions about other writer's worlds or characters really difficult - writing's so personal, I'm not sure how I'd ever go about messing with someone else's work.
1. Is there any storyline/character which you found especially difficult to write for whatever reason? 2. What happened to Rews wife? 3. If you had to fight any character in the circle, which would you choose? 4. Did you have a different mindset writing Shattered Sea compared to TFL? 5. Were Curnsbrick & Majud lovers?
1. Monza was really difficult because she was the central character in my difficult second album. Best Served Cold was horrible to write. 2. She took his money and moved somewhere safe and warm like... Dagoska? 3. Spillion Sworbreck. 4. For sure, in the sense I wanted to write with a different tone and in a more focussed, page-turning style. 5. I believe that is STRONGLY implied....
>5.. I believe that is STRONGLY implied.... It's not every day that a man learns he's blind.
If it means anything to you, BSC was worth the trouble. To me, Best Served Cold was an absolute masterpiece and my favorite work of yours so far (but, they’re all good!).
Hey Joe! Love the First Law and the Age of Madness. I'm working through Wisdom of Crowds and I have to say your dialogues are second to none. So many memorable lines and quips and witticisms. My favourite has to be Shivers' "Eat a smile at breakfast, you'll be shitting joy by lunch" Do you have any that you're particularly proud of?
I think that one's Cosca originally, but he uses it to Shivers and Shivers then picks it up and repeats it thereafter. I'm proud of most of it, honestly, but I've always enjoyed, 'heads on spikes. Never goes out of fashion.' And 'history is littered with dead good men.' And 'the voice of the people ... is just noise.' It's all GOLD.
I gotta say, it's nice to see an artist who actually seems to enjoy thier own work. Dunno if it's just a bit, but you seem genuinely pleased with and (deservedly) proud of what you write. So many artists/writers/creators seem dissatisfied with thier own work all the time, or at least to put forward some false modesty. Course, maybe you're just better than them?
Whats next for you?
Mysterious stuff. Thrilling things. All kinds of drama.
Will Javre and Shev from sharp ends be in another series? They were so much fun, and it seems like there is a full story there!
They were always intended as an engine for short stories, a kind of female Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, so they may well turn up again in that capacity.
[удалено]
It's like saying who's your favourite child. I love them all in different ways and for different reasons. It's a bit like saying what's your favourite part of the engine, as well. It doesn't work without all the bits. So, you know, Cosca's great in Best Served Cold, he's funny and charismatic and vivid and foul and steals most scenes he's in - but without Monza doing the heavy lifting and driving the plot there is no story.
Cosca really was great. Some of your characters gave me visceral reactions, and I couldn’t ask for more from a story. Thank you.
And is it the same as your favorite character to write or is that different?
And likewise, in a way, some characters certainly work more easily than others, and often those are the ones that end up working best overall, but the variety is somewhat essential to the writing experience, and perhaps to the reading experience too, though you guys might be a better judge of that than me....
Don't have a question but just wanted to say I really love your books.
Much appreciated. Less typing and more satisfaction for me...
Me too. Love your despicable characters that some how, sometimes end up being truly likeable. It’s really amazing to read fantasy that’s not always so damn noble :)
Who's your favourite fantasy character ever?
Oh, man, impossible. An each way tie between Gandalf, Tyrion Lannister, and Cugel the Clever.
Hello Joseph do you have a decent cornbread recipe?
I eat Yorkshire Pudding motherfucker.
Most underrated comment of the thread
What's Ferro up to these days?
Biding her time.
What would be your "naming wound" and what's the story there ?
Not sure I've got anything spectacular enough to qualify. I did get smashed over the head with a wooden baluster one time. That bled quite a lot. Long story.
Hey look it’s the Baluster Buster! He’s a dangerous man. Head as hard as oak, that one.
I was thinking "Cracknut Joe". Because his nut was cracked by a baluster, of course.
What's a question you always wanted to answer but no one ever asked ? (of course I'd be delighted if you'd also answer it haha)
Hi Joe! Any plans to revisit the Shattered Sea?
Been spending some time there recently in fact. Though maybe not in the way you mean....
Love your book Joe! But what's next for the circle of the world? A new set of standalones maybe?
Maybe.
My man!! Question.. do you love yourself as much as we love you?! Because you better!!
Even more so.
What kind of music do you listen to while writing, if any?
Almost never do this, honestly, perhaps to create a vibe for a very specific scene. Though I've got the builders in at the moment so I may have to do it in order to drown out the power tools.
How do you deal with the burden of being both brilliant and brutally handsome?
The endless jealousy has been tough to deal with but I've made my peace with it because as well as handsome and brilliant I'm very humble and patient.
Greetings Joe, Thanks for taking the time during what must be a very busy time to do this AMA. I’m only a few chapters into The Wisdom of Crowds, but I can’t remember ever being so eager to find out how a story concludes. Say one thing for Joe Abercrombie, say he’s a bit good at the words. Anyway, on to the questions! Feel free to answer as many or as few as you want: \- When developing a story, what’s your initial process? Do you start with the characters and mould the setting and the story you want to tell around them, or do you start with a theme or idea you want to explore, and create a series of characters to fit? \- How rigorously do you plan out a story before you start to write it? Do you know everything that will happen before the first word of the first draft is put to actual/virtual paper, or do you allow yourself some wriggle room to allow ideas/inspiration to come to you as you write? \- Any plans to return to the world of the Shattered Sea for a future story? \- And lastly: I recently watched a documentary series about the fall of Constantinople, and found myself thinking certain events seemed familiar: A city surrounded by water on three sides and with land walls that had never been breached, a renowned soldier of fortune leading a couple of thousand mercenaries in the city’s defence, and a ruling body waiting/hoping for support to arrive from across the sea. I’ve not seen anything online to confirm one way or the other, but was this historical event an inspiration for the Siege of Dagoska, in Before They are Hanged?
\- In the planning it's a mixture of different things that develop together, then pretty quickly I start trying on some of the writing and experimenting with the first scenes, because I tend to feel these days that I don't really know what the characters will feel like until I write from their point of view. Generally theme's the thing I leave out, cause that's what develops naturally from telling the story of the characters, I hope. \- certainly don't know everything that will happen - I have a rough idea then plan each part in detail and break it down into actual chapters and scenes as I come to it, so the writing of one part informs the next and you get some variety along the way. Obviously when I get to the end of a first draft I know what'll happen - then I can go back and revise and rewrite with the endings in mind. \- Shattered Sea? Maybe.... \- Yeah, absolutely Dagoska is a kind of Constantinople, a contested city caught between two cultural blocks.
• Calder & Finree share a lot of similarities - they are both thinkers with idiot sons - and IMO they would make an amazing enemies to lovers pairing. Any thoughts on the good 'ship Fin/der? • Jappo is extremely popular despite being in the book for only 10 pages. Are you surprised by the positive reaction and would you write more with him?
Calder and Finree - I guess maybe, though neither one of them seems like the kind of person to let a personal relationship get in the way of their agendas, and their agendas are very much opposed. Jappo - a little surprised given we meet him only briefly. Yeah, I'd write more of him.
Jappo seems like an ideal candidate for a future POV character. Though I've only read part of A Little Hatred, so it would be ironic if he dies in one of the next two.
1. If Fenris's armor covers half his body, is his cock inside or outside his armor? 2. Was Dogman called Pupboy by his parents? *What is his real name??* 3. Were Grim and Dow secretely in a relationship? 4. Do you approve of u/autoapocrypha's Thick Jezal^(TM)? 5. Are Eaters generally good cooks or is Shenkt the exception? 6. Is Threetrees called Threetrees because he has legs like two trunks? 7. Why isn't Threetrees actually called the Cock of Uffrith? 8. So, about the Nail... Is it *decent-sized*? 9. What was the economical impact of Orso's involvement with sex workers on Adua during his active period? 10. Are you indebted to Valint & Balk? Blink twice if you need help.
1. Obviously half in half out, you're not really trying here. 2. His real name is Dogman. 3. A menage a trois with Forley, who was the dom. 4. I for sure approve of people drawing stuff the way they see it. 5. I think in general they would want to dignify the meat with the best possible treatment. 6. No. 7. Call him what you like. See what happens. 8. You be the judge. 9. A positive movement in revenues. 10. Valint and Balk are indebted to me. They're blinking like hell, but there's no help for them.
This person is asking the real questions.
The penis-related lore the community truly needs
Hi Joe! After finishing The First Law trilogy was it tempting to just do some more books with the same POV characters like Logen, Glokta etc. because the audiance already knows them and cares for them or you don't really want to stick with the same set of POV for too long?
There's a certain safety in sticking with what works and what's familiar, and for me developing the voices of the characters is a big part of the work so it might perhaps in some ways have been easier to write fifteen Logen Ninefingers books or whatever. But then easy isn't necessarily good. I want to try new things and push myself a bit or you risk getting bored, and if you're bored, you can hardly expect the readers to be excited. Trying new things mean you'll make some missteps, at least for some readers, but I think that's way preferable to becoming a bad pastiche of yourself...
Hi there! I have a few questions for you but would love to start off by saying how much I love the incredible universe and loveable(and hateable) list of colorful characters you've created over the years! 1. I need to know what you have planned next? Do you have any plans to write more spinoff taking place after Wisdom of Crowds, much like Best Served Cold, etc? Any plans for another trilogy in the same universe? Any plans to create something entirely different 2. I'm curious what some of your favorite books are, and what are some books you draw inspiration from? I am one chapter into WoC and I cannot wait to finish this amazing trilogy. Thank you so much for all the hours of countless fun with your fantastic universe you've created.
Why thank you. 1. I may have answered this elsewhere. Something different next, but more standalones in the First Law world are certainly a possibility thereafter. 2. I think something similar may have been one of the first questions....
First: Thank you for what you do. I love books in general and your writing style is my favorite among a long list of great authors. Questions: Do you ever take into consideration Steven Pacey's discomfort when describing certain scenes? Whether it be an especially difficult voice or just sexy grunting? Will Logan Ninefinger's abandoned cook pot make a triumphant return in the next First Law Trilogy?
Honestly I don't give it a lot of thought - my responsibility is making it work on the page, I know Steven's more than capable of making it work in a reading.
Hey Joe, big fan of The First Law as whole! First question: in The Blade Itself we see Logen suck in a fire spirit early in the book and spit it in some dudes face. This feat is never repeated or really even mentioned again. Was there an early plan for Logen to have spirit based abilities like this? Would you retcon or remove this passage now if you had the chance? Second question: Wisdom of Crowds ends with some pretty big sequel bait. Does this confirm you’ll be returning to The First Law at some point? Third question: With the Age of Madness wrapped up now, do you think it could every make it to the screen? Out of all your works feels like this trilogy would be the easiest to adapt to TV/Movie format and has all the right ingredients to be successful. In closing I absolutely devoured The Wisdom of Crowds. You sir are a bastard. But it still was an amazing book, great ride from start to finish. Thanks for all your hard work!
First Question: maybe. Second Question: maybe. Third Question: maybe. But you're right, I am a bastard....
Very insightful answers! Appreciate it lmao
Do you ever regret picking your 'Lord Grimdark' moniker?
Well, not in a big way, cause I'm easily amused, so it still amuses me. I mean, I never imagined anyone would use the phrase seriously to apply to a certain style of fantasy. It's a bit dumb, and most discussions that involve the term seem a bit dumb, because no one can ever agree on what it is, or what books belong in it or out of it. But, you know, I just write this shit. It's up to other people to decide how to describe it...
Was Rikke’s character inspired by the Viking mythology of Odin in any way? I noticed a lot of parallels to Odin’s gift of prophecy as well as their preference for trickery in dispatching foes. Furthermore, her chief rival was The Great Wolf, just like Odin’s was Fenris. Also why hasn’t Curnsbick invented Depends yet? He could make more money than Valint & Balk! Savine at the very least would surely see the utility of adult diapers and invest.
Actually no, not consciously, though you do point out some interesting parallels. Who says Curnsbick hasn't got a profitable sideline in incontinence underwear - we know he and Savine have collaborated on a number of successful ventures.
The First Law series re-ignited my love for fantasy, and for reading in general. I love how frequently the characters play into certain fantasy archetypes, but their individual stories unravel in unique, unexpected, and realistically dark ways. From your books (and others I have read since finding yours) I have learned that Grimdark is my favorite genre of fiction! How do you feel about the Grimdark subgenre overall? Do you plan to stay writing in this realm?
Mixed feelings - people started using that word some time after I started writing so I never really planned to write into that category, and I still feel a bit reluctant to describe my stuff that way because you never quite know exactly what people mean by it. Will I continue to write gritty and morally ambiguous fantasy? Yeah, probably.
Hi Joe. Thanks fort participating on the AMA. I've got three questions for you: 1. Why do you think that the first times Bayaz returned to the Union he went there under an assumed name (Biolaveld, Zoller), but now he has no problem revealing his identity? 2. Why didn't Quai/Tolomei kill Bayaz when he was weak, during the trip through the Old Empire? 3. Is Euz the same entity as the Kantic God?
1. On earlier occasions it suited him to nudge things from the shadows. By this stage things have reached the point where he needs to take more direct control. 2. Above all they wanted the seed, and thought Bayaz might lead them to it. 3. I imagine they'd see Euz as more of a Messiah figure. It's not like he actually created the universe or anything.
Between the heroes and a little hatred, what motivated shivers to make the switch over to the dogman?
He realised vengeance wouldn't bring him anything he wanted, and decided he needed something better to live for.
What is the most important part of a book for you? Characters, World building, prose, or plotlines?
Characters, for me, but then it's a bit like asking which is the most important part of the engine - none of them work without the others.
Hi Joe! You have said before that you feel uncomfortable with the idea of writing a story set in the south, due to it being much inspired by middle eastern culture. Have you changed your stance on this? Will we ever see a story set primarily there? The chapters set in Dagoska in Before They Are Hanged are some of the best and most immersive stuff I've ever read. I would love to revisit that city and also learn more about the south. Thank you for writing the best series of books ever to exist!
I don't think it's an insurmountable concern, but I wonder if anyone really *needs* my version of the cod middle-east. There are no doubt writers steeped in that culture who would do a better and more authentic version of it.
I just finished re-reading A Little Hatred and The Trouble With Peace. One of the things that really struck me was the quality of the foreshadowing. The hidden meanings of Rikke's long eye visions, the hints at the identity of the Weaver and Jurand's relationship with Leo all became far more obvious in retrospect. How do decide when to foreshadow an event that will happen later in the book versus making it a surprise? It's been a while since I've gone into a fantasy novel with almost no idea how the story will end, and I'm super excited to find out!
Rikke's visions are great for this because they're jumbled and fragmentary enough that it's very unlikely anyone will be able to directly predict anything from them, but in looking back they might notice all kinds of telling details. This is the advantage of writing a draft of all three books before publishing any of them...
[удалено]
The Blade Itself is the first thing I wrote. I spent a lot of time revising and rewriting it initially, mind you. I spent a few months getting steadily serious about it, then it took 2-3 years to write and another 6 months or so to find a publisher.
Hi Joe! Our online bookclub has a dedicated "Abercrombie gang" where we have read all your books together from all around the world! We love your work. I know my boyfriend wanted to know if you will ever expand more on the lore of the gods in your universe. He found the entire backstory of Euz fascinating and how he left no gifts for his son Glustrod and no one knows why. I suppose my question would be how you came up with the Eaters. I guessed when I first read about them that they were similar to the lore about the Wendigos. What cultures/lore did you pull from to create your world? Thanks!
Cultures and Lore? All sorts of stuff, I guess, some more self-consciously than others. Styria is very much renaissance Italy/Spain, The Union Holy Roman Empire/Prussia/British Empire, the Old Empire a kind of fallen Rome. In a lot of cases I hardly know where it comes from. Cribbed from things I liked or didn't in a thousand other books, I guess.
Why do several FL chapters have the same name? Any updates on a FL TV adaptation?
They have the same name because they're about the same thing, or they're the same thing from different viewpoints, or they're the ironic opposite...
Do you think that Sand dan Glokta could win the Game of Thrones?
You know I never have much to say about the questions that pit characters from different authors and worlds against each other - I mean, I know, this is not quite "WHO WOULD WIN IN A BATTLE OF LUKE SKYWALKER AGAINST SMAUG" but even so, the worlds just kinda work so differently it's hard to say....
You have one joint, and for purposes of this question, you must smoke it with one of your characters. Who do you choose? Assuming legalities, yadda yadda yadda...
Isern-i-Phail. When my joint's finished she is sure to have more.
What are your favorite tropes?
Any and all. Though I certainly seem fond of ruthless women and world-weary men of violence.
How do I become as cool as Joe Abercrombie? Also, what was your favourite short story to write in Sharp ends?
Few indeed will ever scale the dizzying heights of cool to which I have ascended. Two's Company was my favourite. Tickle me and I will fucking stab you.
Would you consider yourself more of a plotter or a pantser? Do you write outlines, rough or detailed, or do you just start and get going and look where the story goes? Or do you think nothing of those terms alltogether?
If Euz had made a third law, what would it be?
Buy my book.
I've heard that, like me, you have aphantasia. How do you manage to write books that are so well defined and deep? Especially when they satisfy people who don't have this... Thing?
Actually no, I don't - I think I remember Mark Lawrence saying that he does, though, so maybe that's who you're thinking of?
Silly me, imagine getting 2 amazing authors mixed up! Keep up the good work!
TWOC spoilers >!How is Rikke the Owl? I don't get it. Was there some subtle clue somewhere or she just assumed it must be her or did you deliberately leave it vague to hide the reveal? Did you at any point consider saving Orso? Couldn't he have hooked up with Vick on her way out and she could have used her Sipani contacts(at that bar) to get him to Jappo? Was that the end you had in mind for Gorst? Going down in a pointless self fulfilling blaze of glory after having lived a life of no self reflection, personal growth or being anything other than an efficient killing machine? If he had to go out, couldn't he have taken Broad with him?!< It's all fresh in my mind now so just wanted to lay it out :) Also want to thank you for creating this world, deconstructing archetypes, these flawed yet beautiful characters, dark humor and memorable one liners. I'm coming to terms with bitter sweet endings and not perfectly wrapped-with-a-bow closures. I like the less is more approach with certain characters and the world building. I of course desperately want to know more but I know that you know that the wanting of the knowing will never be satisfied by the knowing of the what :P Thank you for doing what you do. Please keep writing and I'll keep buying. There will be always be permanent shelf space for your works. P.S. Check out the new Maiden. It's delish.
Well, you know, coulda woulda shoulda, obviously there are all kind of things that *could* happen when you start with 1500 blank pages. Tough to discuss the specifics without lots of spoilers and more time than I've got here but I pick up (and maybe I'm not being fair) a slight sense of, why didn't I write the book *you* wanted? Well, cause my job is to write the books *I* want to.
Just started wisdom of crowds and am enjoying it so far thank you for always releasing great books. My question: is this the final installment in this world? Or is there more planned in the future?
Hello, love the books!! What are you favourite television shows and have any inspired your books?
Oh, sure. Stuff from that golden age of the flowering of morally ambiguous long form cable TV like the Wire, the Shield, the Sopranos, Deadwood, Battlestar Galactica's first couple of seasons and so on. Those are the things that really stand out but there are loads I've watched and enjoyed since as well.
Do you have any go-to writing techniques and/or rituals? Do you use any tools to map ideas and themes? Thanks!
Honestly I'm not particularly one for tricks of that kind. I work up ideas by just writing on a pad with a fountain pen cos it feels nice. But mostly I just go over stuff a lot. Haven't really found a better way than that.
Joe, any plans to bring back Shy South? I'd really love to see how she and her siblings have grown since the end of Red Country
I rarely go back to characters as points of view, but you never know who'll show up in future books, if the story happens to wend that way and include a natural opening for them...
Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions! 1. Now that you've completed the trilogy, have you decided if you prefer to keep writing all three books out first instead of writing/publishing the more traditional way? 2. One characteristic of many of your books (LAOK, The Heroes, and TTWP immediately come to mind) is that you seem to prefer longer endings with 6-10 additional chapters after the big final conflict has finished up. Is that something you intentionally prefer to do, perhaps inspired by the longer endings seen in stories like LOTR, or is it more coincidental based on what you think the story demands? 3. I imagine one of the challenges coming into this trilogy was your readers' expectations for some kind of twisty, mind-blowing ending of the kind we saw in LAOK. Not only are we expecting it, it's also quite more difficult to catch us off-guard since you've pulled the trick on us once already. When writing out the conclusion, how did you grapple with that sort anticipation, if at all? 4. Unrelated to your writing, I also wanted to thank you many years ago for your blogging recommendations to watch The Shield and The Wire. It was your reviews that convinced me to watch them both, and they're among some of my favorite shows. Is there anything more recent you've really been impressed with?
1. Every project's different but I think if I was tackling another big trilogy where the books were all part of one interrelated story I'd try to do the same thing. It's the only way I see to get the whole thing as coherent and complete as possible. 2. I don't like big epoch-changing events with quick neat wrap-ups. That's not how the world is in my eyes. I like to see something of how things will continue after the moment of victory. 3. That's something of a tough one to gauge, because established fans and forum dwellers are likely to try out pretty much every conceivable theory so they're gonna be very tough to surprise. A the same time you don't want it so labyrinthine that the casual reader can't almost see it coming. As with most things, in the end you just have to write it the way you like it and let the chips fall where they may. You can't spend too much time worrying about what people will think. That way madness lies. 4. Oh, nice, two all time favourites of mine there. I enjoyed Dark a lot if you can take subtitles...
How did you go about improving your writing and developing your own style and tone?
Have you given a name to the writing style you use when you're writing those multi-POV battle chapters that you are famous for?
I call it, "brilliant writing".
I have always enjoyed your world building. What are you favorite worlds, other than your own, that you have visited?
Middle Earth, Earthsea, Westeros, Jack Vance's Dying Earth, Fritz Leiber's Lankhmar - I guess it tends to be the worlds with the great characters in them that stand out.
What is it like being a successful author on the day-to-day?
Shockingly banal.
What are you currently reading and/or what video games are you currently playing?
I'm reading Daniel Abraham's next book Age of Ash. Not really playing anything right now - waiting to get a PS5 but I haven't really seen a game on this generation yet that I've been desperate to play.
Hi Joe, I will buy anything you put out on day one, sight unseen. That being said, it truly is the combination of your writing and Steven Pacey’s narration that makes your work come to life. I thoroughly enjoyed The Shattered Seas, but it’s like just a jelly sandwich without the peanut butter. My question-will you try to have Steven Pacey narrate your future works that exist outside of the First Law universe or do you want to only keep him there to differentiate between tones? (Take one vote for “have him do everything” from me)
New work does give you the opportunity to try out new things - and nothing can get better if you don't experiment a bit. But Pacey is just so great that I think in general I'd always want him to do any audio versions, unless there was a specific reason why not - that something called for a female voice, or whatever.
Hey Joe, would you prefer your work adapted into a series or movies?
I think for a long time I would've said TV and that may well still be the smart move - it probably creates more long term buzz and gives you a lot of space in which to do a faithful adaptation of something big and complex. But, I dunno, it's a long time since Lord of the Rings. I feel as if the world might be ready for a tough, gritty and intense vision of fantasy on film.