Before They Are Hanged

The novel follows three principal storylines, including Inquisitor Glotka's investigation in the besieged city of Dagoska. It also covers the Union's military campaign against the self-proclaimed King Bethod in the North. Meanwhile, the mage Bayaz leads a diverse party on a dangerous quest to the edge of the world.

It is the second novel in Joe Abercrombie's *The First Law* trilogy, which begins with *The Blade Itself*. Published by Gollancz in 2007, it bridges the character introductions of the first book with the major conflicts of the third. The series concludes with the novel *Last Argument of Kings*.

Sand dan Glotka is the cynical and crippled Inquisitor tasked with investigating the defense of Dagoska. He is one of the most prominent point-of-view characters in the book. His storyline highlights the brutal and corrupt nature of the Union's political system.

The novel was originally published in the UK by Gollancz in 2007. In the United States, it was released by Pyr Books that same year. These publishers have continued to handle the distribution of Joe Abercrombie's *First Law* universe.