And finally, Red Country (2012) is set in the Far Country about thirteen years after the original trilogy. The Heroes (2011) is set in the North seven years after the trilogy, and centres on another war between The Union and The North, culminating in the three-day battle over a ring of stones called The Heroes.

After being thrown down a mountain by her employer, she sets out for revenge with a motley crew of misfits. Best Served Cold (2009) is set in Styria, a land of warring city-states, and follows mercenary-general Monza Murcatto. The series is followed by the three standalone novels in which some minor characters from the trilogy play important roles. Each is drawn in the plan of Bayaz, a wizard of the Older Time, whose his magical skill is only outstripped by his political savvy. The story follows the interweaving fortunes and misfortunes of six viewpoint characters Logen Ninefingers, Jezal dan Luthar, Sand dan Glokta, Ferro Maljinn, The Dogman, and Collem West. The original trilogy comprises the novels The Blade Itself (2006), Before They Are Hanged (2007) and Last Argument of Kings (2008). Survival is no mean feat, and at the end of the day, dumb luck might be more of an asset than any amount of planning, skill, or noble intention. The story follows the fortunes and misfortunes of bad people who do the right thing, good people who do the wrong thing, stupid people who do the stupid thing and, well, pretty much any combination of the above. In the heat-ravaged south, the Union and Gurkish Empire are in a conflict over control of the city of Dagoska. In the frigid north, it rumbles towards an inevitable war with the Northmen, a rough alliance of barbarous, warmongering tribes.

The Union appears to be in a state of near-perpetual war, constantly maneuvered into seemingly useless conflicts by a dysfunctional government and an uncompromisingly proud foreign policy. The action, for the most part, takes place in or regards people from the central realm known as the Union. Magic was once a force in this world, but now seems to be fading, to the point that most people don’t believe in it. The series is set in an epic fantasy world called the Circle of the World, that is reminiscent of medieval Europe.

The blade itself series order