Dark Fantasy Book Series Deserves TV Show More Than Game Of Thrones
It is still hard to believe that at this point, the Game of Thrones TV series is long done and yet George R.R. Martin is still nowhere even close to being finished with the book series. Had he finished sooner, it might have given the show creators stronger material to adapt to give the series a more satisfying finale. In retrospect, maybe HBO picked the wrong dark fantasy book series to adapt and should have gone with an author who can finish their books in a timely manner, like Joe Abercrombie, the author of The First Law series.
Dense Worldbuilding Like Game Of Thrones
Much like the Song of Ice and Fire books that Game of Thrones is based on, The First Law series is set in an alternative medieval world filled with many different point of view characters who are all morally gray people at best. At worst, the villains of The First Law could rival the likes of Joffrey Baratheon and Ramsay Snow.
If the brutality is what you liked best from Game of Thrones, The First Law series has characters like Sand dan Glokta, the disabled war veteran who became an inquisitor for the king. Inquisitor is just a fancy way of saying that Glokta captures the enemies of the king and then ruthlessly tortures them for information. Glokta is one of the original trilogy’s main characters, so we would see a lot of him if the series is ever adapted to the screen.
Joe Abercrombie Is Prolific, Unlike Some People
Speaking of trilogies, another huge point in favor of a The First Law series is that Joe Abercrombie is a much faster writer than George R.R. Martin. Since 2006, Abercrombie has written 11 books in his series, including two complete trilogy arcs. In that same time span, Martin has only published one actual Song of Ice and Fire novel and then a handful of short stories set in Westeros. Martin is a notoriously slow writer, leaving fans waiting for book six in his series since 2011.
Draws From Multiple Genres, Including Westerns
If The First Law books were to be adapted into a TV series, it already has tons of content available to draw upon to make as many seasons as an audience could want. It even has different genres set within the same world. The original trilogy is a typical dark fantasy, but it also has standalone books like Red Country that are more influenced by Westerns. The newest Age of Madness trilogy incorporates advancing technology to spur the series genre forward into the Industrial Revolution.
No White Walkers, But Plenty Of Demons
Best of all, just like Game of Thrones, Abercrombie’s work is highly praised for how well it subverts tropes and expectations. Many who appear to be heroes actually hide a dark side. Many who appear to be villains actually have noble reasoning behind their actions.
In place of the White Walkers, there are demons locked away in the world of The First Law series who are more dangerous than any political conflict happening. And the classic fairy tale ending often winds up turned on its head.
Give The First Law A Chance
While it is great to see House of the Dragon filling the void that Game of Thrones left, perhaps it is time to let another dark fantasy series step up to show audiences what else the genre has to offer. Abercrombie is known by fantasy fans as one of the most recommended authors currently writing in the genre. So it seems like a safe bet that TV audiences would probably love a The First Law series as well.
