The First Law Trilogy is Joe Abercrombie's first work of published fiction. It comprises the novels The Blade Itself (2006), Before They Are Hanged (2007) and Last Argument of Kings (2008). The initial trilogy was followed by a series of stand-alone novels featuring many of the secondary characters featured in the first three books. These later novels include Best Served Cold (2009), The Heroes (2011), and Red Country (forthcoming).