The Heroes
core novel 2011 First Law World
Record
| First published | 2011 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.35 (81,816 ratings, collected 2026-09-11) |
| Page count | 581 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780316193566 |
Synopsis
Set in the First Law world, The Heroes unfolds over three days centered on a brutal battle fought at a hill called the Heroes, in the Valley of Osrung, as the Northmen and the Union army clash for control of the ground. The story is told through multiple perspectives, including a disgraced swordsman trying to redeem himself, an aging Northman warrior weary of fighting, a scheming prince maneuvering for advantage, and ordinary Union soldiers caught in the chaos of the front lines. As the fighting escalates across the valley, each viewpoint character is drawn deeper into the battle's shifting fortunes, with the hill itself changing hands repeatedly as both armies press for an advantage neither can quite secure.
Where it sits
- Universe: First Law World
- Series: not part of a registered series (standalone work within its universe)
- Author: Joe Abercrombie
Awards (verified)
- David Gemmell Legend Award (Best Novel), 2012: nominated; Abercrombie never won the Legend Award (4 shortlistings); the associated Gemmell wins were Ravenheart cover-art awards.
Notes
- Standalone.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings and are never conflated: a book's place in one says nothing about its place in the other.
- Publication order, within First Law World (standalone work): position 5 of 11: previous Best Served Cold (2009) · next Red Country (2012)
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Abercrombie
- https://joeabercrombie.com/books/the-heroes/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Gemmell_Awards_for_Fantasy
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