Last Argument of Kings

The end is coming. Logen Ninefingers might only have one more fight in him – but it’s going to be a big one. Battle rages across the North, the King of the Northmen still stands firm, and there’s only one man who can stop him. His oldest friend, and his oldest enemy: it’s time for the Bloody-Nine to come home. With too many masters and too little time, Superior Glokta is fighting a different kind of war. A secret struggle in which no-one is safe, and no-one can be trusted. As his days with a sword are far behind him, it’s fortunate that he’s deadly with his remaining weapons: blackmail, threats, and torture. Jezal dan Luthar has decided that winning glory is too painful an undertaking, and turned his back on soldering for a simple life with the woman he loves. But love can be painful too – and glory has a nasty habit of creeping up on a man when he least expects it. The King of the Union lies on his deathbed, the peasants revolt, and the nobles scramble to steal his crown. No-one believes that the shadow of war is about to fall across the heart of the Union. Only the First of the Magi can save the world – but there are risks. There is no risk more terrible, than to break the First Law…

Lit Escalates' first special edition, created with Orbit and funded through Kickstarter. Blood-red hardcovers with gold foil stamping on the boards and spine, a full-colour wrap-around dust jacket painted by Joel Daniel Phillips, illustrated endpapers carrying six more of his paintings, and a fold-out map of the First Law world. This copy carries Joe Abercrombie's signature on a full-colour illuminated bookplate; it was offered through the campaign's Long Steel tier ($200), which included all three signed First Law books.