The First Law: Book Two
Striking, character-driven, and cynical noir fantasy

A bitter and relentless war approaches in the frozen North. It is bloody and dangerous, and the Union troops, divided by politics and hampered by incompetence, are completely unprepared for the impending slaughter. Lacking experience, training, and in some cases even weapons, the army is barely able to fend off Bethod's scouts, let alone his elite troops. In the heat-stricken South, the Gurkish are gathering to attack the city of Dagoska, defended by Inquisitor Glokta. The city is bracing for the inevitable defeat and the forthcoming massacre; preparations are being made to hold the Gurkish accountable for every inch of land. However, a conspiracy brews to surrender the city to the besiegers without a fight, and the former Inquisitor of Dagoska has vanished without a trace. Threatened from within and without, Glokta needs answers, and he needs them soon. In the East, a small group of villains travels to the edge of the world to retrieve a historical device - a seed that has been hidden for generations - with enormous destructive potential. A device that could end the war, the army of the Eaters in the South, and the invasion of the Shanka from the North - but only if it is found and only if its power can be controlled.