The Calm Before the Storm

June 4th, 2013

Kinda quiet round here the last week or two, huh?

Partly that’s because some of the stuff I used to put up here is better suited to twitter, where I’m now reasonably active and even occasionally quite amusing, though I say so myself.  You can follow me there at @LordGrimdark.

Partly that’s because I haven’t recently drunk, watched or played anything that’s really stimulated a substantial response.

And partly it’s because a couple of things that have been a long time in the works are just now coming to a head, so there may be some significant announcements and discussion soon to appear…

In the meantime I’ve been writing some short stuff set in the First Law World:

Some Desperado is a Shy South story appearing in Martin & Dozois’ forthcoming cross-genre, multi-author anthology extravaganza Dangerous Women, further details of which GRRM has now announced, due to be published in the US December 3rd.

Tough Times all Over is a chunky 12,000 word story set in Sipani, the City of Fogs and Whispers, and featuring several familiar faces, due to appear in Martin and Dozois’ other forthcoming heavyweight cross-genre anthology Rogues, publication details for which we’re still awaiting.

Skipping Town is old school sword and sorcery for a forthcoming anthology of original stories in honour of David Gemmell, hopefully due later this year and featuring my hilarious odd couple pairing of Shev and Javre, Lioness of Hoskopp, the female Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser.  Kinda.

Then we’ve got three other stories more closely related to the First Law and due (possibly, maybe, probably) to appear in new editions of the trilogy.

A Beautiful Bastard is told from the point of view of Quartermaster Salem Rews, and focuses on that daring fencing champion, infamous romancer, and dashing hero of the Union, Colonel Sand dan Glokta, and his attempts to defend a certain bridge in dusty Gurkhul…

Hell documents the fall of Dagoska from the point of view of a young and idealistic acolyte by the name of Temple.

Made a Monster focuses on the attempts of Bethod to finally end his spiralling feuds, bring peace, and pass on something to be proud of to his sons.  The squabbling chieftains of the North are always hard to deal with, but the worst obstacle is on his own side – his terrifying champion, the Bloody-Nine…

Further details on where you can get hold of these as I have them.  But additionally there will at some stage be a collection of all my short stories set in the First Law world, including these six.  My rough guess on that (and it really is rough) is mid 2015.

Posted in news, progress by Joe Abercrombie on June 4th, 2013.

36 comments so far

  • ColinJ says:

    Young Glokta!?! Joy!

    ‘Tough Times All Over’. Hmmmm, who could this one be about? Perhaps the most rogueish rogue of them all, Nicomo Cosca? We live in hope.

    I love that you’re, in some way, filling in some gaps with these short stories, Joe. I would have loved a whole ‘Young Glokta’ novel at some point but I can’t wait to read him when he was young, charismatic and full of heroism.

  • DepressedRat says:

    More short stories only means that the moment you’re going to publish them in single Volume is getting closer !

    GO JOE GOOO!!!! WRITE MORE!!!!!

    p.s.:I couldn’t resist and ordered “the blade itself” in italian, but to be honest I’m really scared about the translator’s choice about names.We’ll see, we’ll see.

  • Lundgreen says:

    Looks impressive. Can’t wait to read it all.

    Thanks for sharing

  • Anne Lyle says:

    Damn you, Abercrombie! I already have two editions of First Law (paperback and ebook), and now I’m expected to buy it again just to get another Glokta fix? I shall be having words with Gillian 😉

  • Michael says:

    Mid 2015 – hey, just gives me time to catch up on my reading 🙂

  • ian morgan says:

    awesome news

    really looking forward to the book in honor of David Gemmell

    damn i miss him

  • Spockydog says:

    Significant announcements?

    Please, please, please, let it be a film/TV adaptation.

  • Sword1001 says:

    Ooooh, the final three on that list look particularly interesting, can’t wait.

    Not sure about the anthologies tbh, but that’s because I haven’t read most of those writers’ work. That’s okay for the stand-alone storys I guess, but those set in existing universe’s are a bit of a dilema . . . Do I read them, like them and risk getting a ‘spoiler’ for the novels? Or do I read the novels first (they don’t just let any old fool to contribute to such an anthology so bound to be half-decent), but have to wait years to catch up and read the anthologies . . ?

    Hmmmmm . . .

  • Scassonio says:

    Oi, how about YOUR OWN anthology of short stories? Me? I’d be all over it in a heartbeat.

  • Scassonio says:

    “Further details on where you can get hold of these as I have them. But additionally there will at some stage be a collection of all my short stories set in the First Law world, including these six.”

    Ok, ace. Pretend you haven’t even seen my last comment.

  • Kreso says:

    Great news, and yes, we want the short stories in one Joe book, we’d be all over that. 😀

  • Thore says:

    Awesome, looking forward to that!

  • dakk0n says:

    bloody hell!!! my prayers have been answered! im now able to read the accounts of bloody nine fighting against Threetrees and others!!

    happy times!

  • Roger says:

    It’s great how the stories (specially the final three) complement the trilogy and even help connecting it with the standalones.

    I have hopes for “A though times all over” reveals something about Shenkt. “Made a Monster” should put some more light on whether the final rant from Bethod was a fair accusation. And “Beatiful Bastard” will certainly be interesting, with the young versions of pre-torture Glokta and Pyke.

  • Jacob says:

    The Bethod story intrigues me the most, given the nature of the scene prior to his death. Nonetheless…

    Rogues, swords, battle, perspectives…

    Fun times are coming!

  • Sarah says:

    I need more jezal and ardee

  • Anders says:

    Hey Joe
    How about a littel peek at one off the stories- just a littel taste ???

  • Michael says:

    Mid-2015? Better be in time for the new Star Wars. I’m gonna need something to read in line.

  • David says:

    Will your short stories be compiled into an anthology of your own anytime soon?

    Cheers,

  • Mab says:

    Great news! However I freely admit that patience is not one of my virtues. 2015? Gah! You must be experiencing a warm sense of schadenfreude after this announcement – methinks I hear an evil laugh somewhere in the background?

  • Thile says:

    Now we just need some background stories on Whirrun!

    But can’t wait! I will probably pick up the anthologies too… Some other notable authors will appear in them from what I saw.

  • JDA says:

    I second the Whirrun idea.

  • Truly In Awe says:

    Are there previous short stories set in TFL universe that are released today?
    Holler!

  • Hawkeye says:

    Looking forward to the Bethod story the most. I think he could have been a good man and king if he hadn’t been derailed by the bloody nine!

  • Geoff says:

    It’s about time you got off your arse, and got back to work after your whiskey binge. Ha! Great news! Btw, you almost have me signing on to the twitter-verse just to follow your rants…

    All the best. Keep at it good Sir!

  • matt says:

    Shut up and take my money.

  • nick says:

    2015? I dont know how im going to last till then! We’re going to have to lock you into a room and see if you can write it faster. I dont know how you write evil characters to be so likable but i cant wait to read more of them. So type type type!

  • Thile says:

    What is a “Hoskopp”?

  • Dan says:

    Very exciting news! Thanks for the heads up, I’ll be getting all of these.

  • AntMac says:

    Why don’t we have a “drooling in anticipation” font?. It would seem like one often called for.

    The story Hell is already making me cringe, and I only read a single line synopsis of it.

  • Adam A. says:

    Holy shit!

  • Yulwei says:

    Pretty good selection but no Ferro makes it bitter sweet

  • ColinJ says:

    @Yulwei: Very good point, Sir. I think we all want to know what happened to Ferro.

    Maybe in one of these stories we will.

  • Felix O. says:

    I can’t wait for this anthology! JA, you need to write a lot faster. After your books, I find everything else extremely boring.

  • R. says:

    Sorry for the necro posting, but do we have any news on bundling up the short stories set in the First Law world? I mean, it is mid-2015 😉

  • […] as good as guaranteed to feature in the forthcoming collection, according to a blog post by the author called The Calm Before the Storm, we have ‘Some Desperado,’ the Shy South story […]

Add Your Comment

Your email is never published nor shared. Required fields are marked *