Photo: Lou Abercrombie

A decade after he wrapped up the First Law trilogy with Last Argument of Kings, Joe Abercrombie is writing a new trilogy, described as “Les Miserables meets Game of Thrones,” set in the First Law world. A Little Hatred, the first installment in the as-yet-untitled trilogy, will be published by Orbit Books and Gollancz in September 2019.

Orbit Books describes the new epic fantasy novel in their official announcement:

A Little Hatred marks Abercrombie’s much anticipated return to the world of the First Law. The novel features exciting new characters, along with the return of some memorable faces for longtime Abercrombie fans. Written and told in a way that only Abercrombie can, the new trilogy is a visceral story of bloody revolution.

A spokesperson for The Orion Publishing Group shares some more details with The Bookseller:

A return to his bestselling First Law universe, the trilogy combines sharp new characters with familiar faces from the original trilogy, which has sold more than five million copies to date. Written with flair and originality, this new series offers a gripping take on the industrial revolution, the power of money and the visceral dangers of politics when being stabbed in the back is a far from metaphorical experience.

“Often in publishing there’s a pressure to push out the next book as soon as possible,” Abercrombie said in the latter announcement. “With a series that can mean a lot of compromises. Gollancz have given me the time and support to draft a whole trilogy in one go, to write the end along with the start, which means the whole thing is as tight and cohesive as I can make it. It means a wait for the first book, but then regular, well-planned releases of the other two on the timetable that best suits them. The aim with this trilogy was to take the recipe for fantasy I’ve been developing over the twelve years since The Blade Itself was published—a tight focus on vivid characters caught up in crunching action, twisty plotting, and a dark and gritty world with plenty of gallows humour along the way—and push it in a more original, more industrial direction.”

In addition to the First Law trilogy (The Blade Itself, Before They Are Hanged, and Last Argument of Kings), Abercrombie’s subsequent standalone novels Best Served Cold, The Heroes, and Red Country are also set in the same world.

A Little Hatred will be available September 2019 from Orbit Books (in the US) and Gollancz (in the UK).