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The First Law / Standalone Trilogy / Age of Madness by Joe Abercrombie reading order

Posted on 2/14/24 at 8:12 am
Posted by Loup
Ferriday
Member since Apr 2019
11398 posts
Posted on 2/14/24 at 8:12 am
I just finished the audio version of the First Law trilogy and loved it. My local library doesn't have any of the standalones on audio format so I picked up the print versions and am about to start. Would I be missing anything if I listened to the Age of Madness trilogy on audio? I drive a lot and A Little Hatred just became available on audio.

Posted by SUG
Member since Nov 2015
498 posts
Posted on 2/14/24 at 8:54 am to
i've only read first law trilogy(loved it) and best served cold(just ok)
I intend to get to the other standalones and then age of madness. i regret missing out on the Curious King special edition as I am somewhat of a collector
Posted by iwyLSUiwy
I'm your huckleberry
Member since Apr 2008
34439 posts
Posted on 2/14/24 at 10:23 am to
I've read and listened to The Age of Madness. Stephen Pacey reads for the AoM trilogy as well so the audio book is great. It's harder for me to pay attention with an audio book while driving so I enjoyed reading it better, but if you don't have a problem with that, I wouldn't say you'd be missing out on anything. I just prefer reading over listening in general though.

If you have Spotify premium it now has 15 hours of free audio books every month now and the Age of Madness trilogy is included for free on there. Tons of free audio books on Spotify and they are the same as the audible versions, not some bootleg narrator versions.

Great trilogy overall though. I'm on my re-read right of it right now. The standalones are great too. I personally LOVED Best Served Cold and Red Country. The Heroes wasn't the best to me but plenty of people view it as their favorite standalone.

Abercrombie has passed up GRRM as the best modern fantasy writer to me. My hatred for GRRM as a person has a little t do with that but man Abercrombie is an amazing writer.
Posted by Loup
Ferriday
Member since Apr 2019
11398 posts
Posted on 2/14/24 at 10:37 am to
quote:

Stephen Pacey reads for the AoM trilogy as well so the audio book is great. It's harder for me to pay attention with an audio book while driving so I enjoyed reading it better, but if you don't have a problem with that, I wouldn't say you'd be missing out on anything.



I meant would I miss anything if I skipped the standalone trilogy and went straight to Age of Madness.

Thanks for the spotify tip, I'll check it out. Never checked for audiobooks there.
Posted by hogfly
Fayetteville, AR
Member since May 2014
4654 posts
Posted on 2/14/24 at 10:41 am to
quote:


I meant would I miss anything if I skipped the standalone trilogy and went straight to Age of Madness.

Thanks for the spotify tip, I'll check it out. Never checked for audiobooks there.


I mean.... you might have a deeper knowledge of some events or characters, but they can all be read separately. I was all over the place with my reading order on this series. You're fine rolling into Age of Madness.

Posted by iwyLSUiwy
I'm your huckleberry
Member since Apr 2008
34439 posts
Posted on 2/14/24 at 12:05 pm to
quote:

I meant would I miss anything if I skipped the standalone trilogy and went straight to Age of Madness.



O

The Heroes would be the one that would tie into AoM the most. I personally would recommend reading it first, but it's not essential.
Posted by Loup
Ferriday
Member since Apr 2019
11398 posts
Posted on 2/14/24 at 1:00 pm to
quote:

The Heroes would be the one that would tie into AoM the most. I personally would recommend reading it first, but it's not essential.


Thanks, I'm still going to read it, just not in publication order.
Posted by auyushu
Surprise, AZ
Member since Jan 2011
8600 posts
Posted on 2/14/24 at 11:11 pm to
quote:

The Heroes would be the one that would tie into AoM the most. I personally would recommend reading it first, but it's not essential.


Yeah, I'd really suggest reading The Heroes before AoM, it would add a good bit. The other two aren't really necessary, though Red Country is the best book in the series.
Posted by boxcarbarney
Above all things, be a man
Member since Jul 2007
22758 posts
Posted on 2/19/24 at 1:58 pm to
quote:

I meant would I miss anything if I skipped the standalone trilogy and went straight to Age of Madness.



I read Age of Madness before the stand alone books. There are characters introduced in the stand alones who appear in AoM. I'd suggest reading the stand alones first, but really it isn't all that important. Though you'll want to read Best Served Cold ASAP to get the backstory on Caul Shivers.
Posted by spehog
Little Rock
Member since Mar 2011
1010 posts
Posted on 2/22/24 at 10:29 pm to
Just finished the last one and I need more. Hell thought this was a finished series, or at least it seems there is more to tell…
Posted by Loup
Ferriday
Member since Apr 2019
11398 posts
Posted on 2/23/24 at 7:15 am to
quote:

Though you'll want to read Best Served Cold ASAP to get the backstory on Caul Shivers.


Currently reading that one and listening to the Heroes. Kind of thinking I should put Heroes on hold until I finish Best Served Cold.
Posted by auyushu
Surprise, AZ
Member since Jan 2011
8600 posts
Posted on 2/23/24 at 9:20 pm to
quote:

Kind of thinking I should put Heroes on hold until I finish Best Served Cold


Actually probably a good move, you don't really really need best served cold for age if madness, but it will add a ton to the heroes. It's a great book anyway, and you'll be prepared for the TV show once it gets made anyway.

I honestly prefer the stand alones to either trilogy myself.
This post was edited on 2/23/24 at 9:21 pm
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