Which Novellas Connect To The First Law Trilogy Chronologically?

Counting chronology in this setting means thinking in two layers: the main novels and the scattershot shorts. The concrete, chronological sequence I follow for full narrative progression is to treat the original three books — 'The Blade Itself', 'Before They Are Hanged', and 'Last Argument of Kings' — as the central trunk. After those, the standalone novels that continue in the same universe are 'Best Served Cold', 'The Heroes', and 'Red Country', and they should be read in roughly that order to follow the shifting political and personal fallout.

Then there’s 'Sharp Ends', which collects a set of novellas and short stories that plug into different moments across that continuum. Some stories in 'Sharp Ends' function like prequels to characters you meet in the trilogy; others feel like epilogues or side-quests that happen during or after the larger events. If you want a spoiler-minimizing route, finish the trilogy first, read the standalones next, and then dive into 'Sharp Ends' to catch the smaller, sometimes darker snapshots. For a more piecemeal, immersive experience, slip individual shorts in between novels where they seem to fit by theme — but be warned, some tiny revelations can land differently depending on your order. I usually end up savoring the collection last, which makes the world feel rich and slightly cruel in the best way.

If you want the quick, tidy chronological connection to the original First Law trilogy, here’s how I mentally stack things: read 'The Blade Itself', 'Before They Are Hanged', and 'Last Argument of Kings' first. After those, the next major entries that are chronologically connected are the standalone novels 'Best Served Cold', then 'The Heroes', and then 'Red Country'. All three are set in the fallout and reshuffling that follows the trilogy’s events.

Don’t forget 'Sharp Ends' — that collection of short stories and novellas. It doesn’t sit at one point in the timeline; its pieces pop up before, during, and after the trilogy, so it’s great for filling in character crumbs or enjoying side-episodes once you know the main cast. Later works like 'A Little Hatred' and 'The Trouble With Peace' are set much further forward in time and feel more like a new chapter built on the same world rather than direct continuations of the trilogy’s immediate plot.

My reading ritual is trilogy, then the post-trilogy standalones, then 'Sharp Ends' for flavor — it keeps the momentum while letting the world expand around the characters I already care about.

Can't stop telling people how well Joe Abercrombie layers his smaller pieces into the big tapestry — if you want the clean chronological spine, start with the original trilogy: 'The Blade Itself', 'Before They Are Hanged', and 'Last Argument of Kings'. Those three are the core timeline. After that the world keeps going in three standalone novels that slot chronologically after the trilogy: 'Best Served Cold', then 'The Heroes', and then 'Red Country'. Those three expand the aftermath, show how the political fallout reshapes lives, and introduce new corners of the Union while revisiting echoes of the trilogy's events.

Beyond those novels, the real connective tissue comes in the short-story collection 'Sharp Ends'. The stories in 'Sharp Ends' are not a single novella that neatly sits between books; instead they scatter across the timeline — some are prequels, some run parallel to moments in the trilogy, and some are clear sequels to events in the standalones. Reading them after the trilogy and the standalones gives you the best mix of context and surprise, because you’ll recognize character cameos and small consequences without getting spoiled for big reveals. I always find the shorts act like postcards from characters' pasts and futures, and they make the world feel lived-in in a way the main novels sometimes can’t on their own. I love how they scratch those little curiosities I always have about side characters and odd corners of the world.

I've got a straightforward checklist I give friends who ask what to read around the trilogy: first, the trilogy proper — 'The Blade Itself', 'Before They Are Hanged', 'Last Argument of Kings'. After you’ve finished that arc, move on to the three standalones set later in the same world: 'Best Served Cold', then 'The Heroes', then 'Red Country'.

If you love bits and pieces of continuity, grab 'Sharp Ends', which is a collection of short stories and novellas that slot into various points before, during and after the trilogy. They’re great for filling gaps: some are origin-ish pieces, others are aftermath snapshots. Personally I usually read the trilogy, then the standalones, then 'Sharp Ends' — it keeps the big twists intact while letting me savor the smaller character moments afterward. It’s a satisfying way to see the world at different scales and times.

Quick, cheerful take: the things that directly connect to the First Law trilogy are the trilogy itself — 'The Blade Itself', 'Before They Are Hanged', 'Last Argument of Kings' — followed by three standalone novels that come after: 'Best Served Cold', 'The Heroes', and 'Red Country'. Those are the long-form continuations of the world.

The shorter works that tie into the trilogy come bundled in 'Sharp Ends', a collection of novellas and short stories that sit at various points before, during, and after the main books. They aren’t a single linear bridge but rather a set of vignettes that plug into the timeline and flesh out characters and events. My favorite way to read is trilogy, standalones, then 'Sharp Ends' — that way those tiny stories land like bonus scenes, and I finish feeling like I’ve poked into every corner of the world. I always come away glad I read them.

I've always enjoyed tracing timelines through messy, lived-in worlds, and The First Law universe is prime territory for that. If you want a clean chronological map around the original trilogy, think of it like a core trilogy with a handful of immediate follow-ons and a wider net of short stories that slip before, during, and after those central events. Start with the trilogy itself: 'The Blade Itself', 'Before They Are Hanged', and 'Last Argument of Kings' are the heart of the narrative and anchor everything that follows.

Right after the trilogy, the most directly connected works are the standalone novels that follow the immediate aftermath of those events. 'Best Served Cold' is the first big follow-up and takes place not long after the end of the trilogy, exploring the political and personal fallout in the Union and Styria. After that, 'The Heroes' picks up in the same general post-war period and gives you another slice of the Union-on-Northern conflict with a very different focus and tone. 'Red Country' comes later and moves the setting westward, reflecting the world’s slow drift from the trilogy’s central theaters of action. Chronologically these three novels slot in as successive snapshots of the world as it recalibrates after the trilogy.

Then there’s 'Sharp Ends', which is a collection of short stories and novellas scattered across the timeline. These aren’t a single bridge but more like little timestamps: some tales are set before the trilogy, some run concurrently with it, and others are after. If you’re trying to read in chronological order, the safe approach is to read the trilogy first, then the post-trilogy novels ('Best Served Cold', 'The Heroes', 'Red Country'), and then dive into 'Sharp Ends' knowing you’ll encounter characters and moments that illuminate bits of the trilogy-era world. A few later novels like 'A Little Hatred' and 'The Trouble With Peace' are set a generation on and don’t directly tie into the original trio’s immediate timeline, but they’re part of the same world’s ongoing saga. Personally I like experiencing the trilogy first and then wandering through the standalones and short stories — it feels like poking around behind the scenes after the main show’s finished, and I always come away with new small pleasures and grim smiles.