Before They Are Hanged Summary: A Grimdark Fantasy Sequel by Joe Abercrombie
TL;DR: Three Bloody Fronts, One Broken Quest
Before They Are Hanged follows three separate campaigns as the Union faces collapse on multiple fronts.
In Angland, Colonel West must manage an incompetent prince and a battered army against Bethod’s Northmen. In Dagoska, Inquisitor Glokta tries to root out traitors while a Gurkish siege closes in.
In the Old Empire, Bayaz leads a mismatched band toward a legendary weapon, but the journey leaves every member scarred.
- Angland falls into chaos after a massive Union defeat, forcing West to hide a terrible crime.
- Dagoska’s defense reveals corruption, conspiracy, and the price of occupation.
- Bayaz’s quest across the decaying Old Empire ends in a shocking disappointment.
- Injuries, betrayals, and cold choices leave no character unchanged.
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Before They Are Hanged Summary: War, Siege, and a Broken Quest
SPOILER WARNING: This section recounts major events, including the ending.
The Northern Campaign: Black Well, a Prince’s Folly, and a Secret Command
The Northmen scouts led by Rudd Threetrees find the valley at Black Well littered with thousands of dead Union soldiers.
They offer their help at Ostenhorm but are mocked and turned away.
Lord Marshal Burr arrives, strips the broken Lord Governor Meed of effective command, and promotes Colonel West to manage the campaign alongside the feuding Generals Kroy and Poulder.
Prince Ladisla is given a defensive post behind the Cumnur River. After Threetrees’ crew joins the Union, the Dogman reports that Bethod’s army is marching south.
Ignoring orders, Ladisla crosses the river and leads his division into a flatbow ambush in the mist.
West escapes with Cathil and the prince. During the freezing retreat, Ladisla attempts to rape Cathil. West pushes the prince off a cliff and keeps the murder secret. Black Dow witnesses the act and approves.
Earlier, Shivers and forty Carls defect from Bethod to join Threetrees. They warn that Bethod now uses Shanka allies in his northern advance.
At Dunbrec, Burr collapses from his stomach ulcer. West hides the illness and takes covert command of the army, ordering a cavalry charge that stabilizes the line.
Cathil is killed by a Shanka arrow, and Threetrees is crushed by the Feared. The surviving Northmen choose the Dogman as their new chief.
The Siege of Dagoska: Corruption, Conspiracy, and a Falling City
In Dagoska, Sand dan Glokta assumes command of the Inquisition and military defenses. He finds the city divided between the wealthy Upper City and the native Lower City.
After punishing the corrupt Inquisitor Harker, Glokta gains the support of Haddish Kahdia and hires native workers to repair the walls.
Valint and Balk advances one million marks, giving Glokta funds to outbid Nicomo Cosca and expose the conspiracy. The Gurkish envoy is tortured and names Korsten dan Vurms and Carlot dan Eider. Korsten is executed, and Eider is secretly spared and smuggled out.
An Eater named Shickel attacks Glokta in his chambers and is captured. Ordered by Arch Lector Sult to abandon the city, Glokta leaves General Vissbruck in command. Dagoska falls, and Vissbruck cuts his own throat.
Back in Adua, Prince Raynault is murdered, and a Gurkish envoy is framed. Glokta proves the envoy innocent but is forced to torture a confession.
Valint and Balk later warn Glokta to drop the investigation, revealing the bank’s hidden power. Glokta is promoted to Superior of Adua but complies with the threat.
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The Quest to the Edge of the World: A Failed Weapon and Permanent Scars
Bayaz leads Jezal dan Luthar, Logen Ninefingers, Ferro Maljinn, Brother Longfoot, and Malacus Quai west. Ambushed by Finnius, Bayaz uses the High Art and falls into a coma. Logen takes temporary command.
In a later fight, Jezal’s jaw is shattered by a mace. Ferro stitches his face, leaving permanent scars. They meet Zacharus, who warns Ferro that the Seed is evil and radioactive.
Inside the ruins of Aulcus, a Shanka attack separates Logen and Ferro. They stumble into an underground forge. Logen enters his Bloody-Nine state and slaughters the Shanka. Their shared trauma leads to a brief sexual encounter in a ruined mill.
At the island of Shabulyan, the spirit drops the Seed into Ferro’s hand.
Bayaz discovers the stone is a fake. Kanedias switched the Seed centuries ago.
The quest ends in failure, and the company returns bitter and divided.
Jezal hopes to return to Ardee, while Logen and Ferro part with cold silence.
Characters in Before They Are Hanged
| Character | Role |
|---|---|
| Colonel Collem West | Union officer promoted to Colonel, tasked with supervising Prince Ladisla and later secretly commanding at Dunbrec. |
| Sand dan Glokta | Superior of the Inquisition in Dagoska and later Adua who investigates the conspiracy and is forced to drop his investigation under bank threat. |
| Bayaz | First of the Magi who leads the quest to retrieve the Seed. |
| Logen Ninefingers | Northern warrior with nine fingers who joins Bayaz’s quest and has a dissociative Bloody-Nine state. |
| Jezal dan Luthar | Captain in the King’s Own who suffers a shattered jaw and permanent facial scars during the quest. |
| Ferro Maljinn | Former slave with devil-blood who is immune to the Seed’s sickness. |
| Brother Longfoot | Navigator who guides the quest group. |
| Malacus Quai | Bayaz’s apprentice. |
| Rudd Threetrees | Northern warrior and scout leader who is killed by the Feared at Dunbrec. |
| The Dogman | Northern scout who becomes chief of the Northmen after Threetrees’ death. |
| Black Dow | Northern Named Man. |
| Tul Duru Thunderhead | Northern Named Man. |
| Harding Grim | Northern archer. |
| Crown Prince Ladisla | Heir to the Union throne who is killed by West after attempting to rape Cathil. |
| Lord Marshal Burr | Union commander in Angland who collapses during the Battle of Dunbrec. |
| Carlot dan Eider | Magister of the Spicers in Dagoska who conspires and is secretly spared by Glokta. |
| Korsten dan Vurms | Son of Dagoska’s governor who conspires and is executed. |
| General Vissbruck | Military commander of Dagoska who commits suicide when the city falls. |
| Haddish Kahdia | Native Dagoskan priest who supports the city’s defense. |
| Nicomo Cosca | Mercenary leader who betrays Eider for more gold. |
| Practical Frost | Albino Practical under Glokta. |
| Practical Severard | Lanky Practical under Glokta. |
| Practical Vitari | Red-haired Practical under Glokta. |
| Inquisitor Harker | Corrupt senior Inquisitor in Dagoska who is tortured by Glokta. |
| Lord Governor Meed | Governor of Angland who lost his three sons at Black Well. |
| General Kroy | Union General who bickers with Poulder. |
| General Poulder | Union General who bickers with Kroy. |
| Inquisitor Lorsen | Commandant of the penal foundry in Angland. |
| Pike | Disfigured convict metalworker who becomes loyal to West. |
| Cathil | Female convict who saves West and is killed by a Shanka arrow. |
| Shickel | Eater spy disguised as a servant who is captured and burned. |
| Yulwei | Magus who warns Glokta of the Gurkish host and Eaters. |
| Emperor Uthman-ul-Dosht | Ruler of the Gurkish Empire. |
| Prophet Khalul | Rogue Magus who breaks the Second Law and builds an army of Eaters. |
| Zacharus | Magus who warns Ferro that the Seed is evil and corrupting. |
| Shivers | Northern Named Man who defects from Bethod with forty Carls. |
| Tulkis | Gurkish envoy framed for Prince Raynault’s murder and killed. |
| Crown Prince Raynault | Second heir to the throne who is murdered in Adua. |
| Ardee West | Collem West’s sister who becomes Glokta’s close companion. |
Similar Books
The Blade Itself — Joe Abercrombie’s first entry in The First Law Trilogy introduces the core characters and the conflicts continued in this book.
Last Argument of Kings — The direct sequel resolves the war in Angland, the political succession in Adua, and the Magi’s conflict.
The Lies of Locke Lamora — Scott Lynch’s gritty fantasy features dark conspiracies, clever schemes, and dry humor similar to the Dagoska plotline.
The Way of Kings — Brandon Sanderson’s epic fantasy uses multiple distant viewpoints, military campaigns, and ancient magical secrets, though with a different tone.
A Game of Thrones — George R.R. Martin’s grimdark classic shares multiple POV characters, political intrigue, brutal warfare, and a cynical view of leadership.
The Black Company — Glen Cook’s military fantasy about a mercenary company heavily influenced Abercrombie’s take on soldiering, dark magic, and grey morality.
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Have you read Before They Are Hanged? Share your thoughts about the Northern war, the siege, or the failed quest in the comments below.
