If there’s one thing Joe Abercrombie makes clear, whether in interviews, books, or Reddit AMAs, it’s that he refuses to be pinned down. He doesn’t chase the label of genius, he doesn’t worship his own work, and he certainly doesn’t play it safe.
Instead, he leans into the unpredictable. He embraces the messiness of storytelling, the tension between control and chaos, and the shifting nature of perspective. Whether he’s unpacking the ambiguity of a fan-favourite character like The Bloody-Nine or reflecting on his genre-hopping impulses, Abercrombie gives us a look into the mind of a writer who is always chasing momentum.
Across these reflections, what emerges is not just a portrait of an author, but a creative philosophy grounded in curiosity, variety, and a steady resistance to comfort zones. He’s writing as a craftsperson who genuinely enjoys the ride, even if it throws him off course.
Tropes and Execution
Abercrombie’s view on genre conventions is refreshingly unsentimental. When asked which fantasy tropes he would like to see more or less of, he replied:
Tropes are neither good or bad, it’s all about the execution.
It is a deceptively simple statement that reveals a great deal about his philosophy. He does not believe in purity tests for genre. He does not believe that originality comes from avoiding familiar shapes. Instead, he believes that the value of a trope lies in how it is handled, twisted, sharpened or subverted.
This perspective frees him from the anxiety of novelty for novelty’s sake. It allows him to use the bones of epic fantasy while filling them with flawed characters, moral ambiguity and humour so dry it could cut glass. His work proves that tropes are tools, not traps. They become stale only when treated as obligations rather than opportunities. Abercrombie’s confidence in this approach is part of what makes his writing feel both classic and contemporary.
The Long Game
Abercrombie’s reluctance to see any stage as truly finished echoes his approach to storytelling itself, where endings are never as final as they seem. His worlds resist finality.
He explains that with The First Law trilogy, he wanted to show a world
always developing, where the seeds of the next conflict are buried in the resolution of the last, where there’s not necessarily a big FINAL BATTLE that SETTLES STUFF and the new king comes and all is changed.
It’s a philosophy that rejects the tidy arcs of traditional fantasy in favour of something more organic and unsettling. He admits he doesn’t know when or if he’ll return to the series, and he’s refreshingly honest about the appeal of writing new things, selling film rights, and reaching new readers.
In this regard, he notes that his latest book, The Devils, became a number one hardcover bestseller, something he doubts he could have achieved by book ten in a series. Yet he also confesses that he already has projects in the works that will satisfy both new and longtime fans.
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All that said, I think there’s plenty more I could do in the world. I do in fact have an idea bubbling away for another standalone, and some ideas for another trilogy. So I very well might write more in The First Law world. But no promises. Certainly no promises when…
This tension between closure and continuation is central to his work. He doesn’t chase final battles or definitive endings. He chases momentum, curiosity, and the next story that feels worth the years it will demand.
Genre Boundaries
Abercrombie has never been afraid to wander across genres, but he is honest about the commercial gravity that pulls writers back toward what they are known for. He explains that if you have any level of success, there is pressure to write something that appeals to your existing readers. Yet he has already written a western, a war story and a gangster revenge tale within the same fantasy setting, proving that genre is more flexible than it appears.
He says he would not hesitate to explore new territory, but he would package it in a way that he could sell to publishers and readers. He also notes that the one book he truly wanted to write, his take on the fantasy epic, was The First Law itself. Now he works up ideas one at a time, guided partly by the question “will people like it.” He understands that writing is both art and livelihood, and he navigates that tension with clarity.
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Horror, Sci-Fi and the Heart
Abercrombie has dabbled in science fiction for the screen and acknowledges that some horror elements have crept into his fantasy, but he insists that “fantasy’s always got me in the heart.” It is a statement that feels both affectionate and grounded.
He enjoys other genres, reads them, watches them and respects them, yet fantasy remains the place where his imagination feels most at home. Fantasy gives him the freedom to explore politics, violence, humour and human frailty without the constraints of realism. It allows him to build worlds that reflect our own while bending them into sharper shapes.
His affection for the genre is not nostalgic. It is practical. It is where his voice resonates most clearly. And even when he experiments elsewhere, he always returns to the place where the work feels most alive.
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Biggest Fantasy Inspirations
Invited to reveal his favourite fantasy author, Abercrombie responded with such sly, surgical timing that the Reddit AMA briefly turned into stand‑up comedy:
Once you take me out of contention really who else is there
The line works because it is both a joke and a tiny window into how he thinks about the genre. He does not see fantasy as a hierarchy to climb or a lineage to inherit. He sees it as a landscape of voices, each distinct, each shaped by its own obsessions.
When pressed about non-fantasy authors, he listed Dickens, George Eliot, Tolstoy, Solzhenitsyn, Bulgakov, James Ellroy, Elmore Leonard, Larry McMurtry and Shelby Foote. It is a list that reveals a writer who reads for texture rather than allegiance. He is drawn to voices that cut through their worlds with clarity, writers who understand people at their most flawed and fascinating. It is no wonder his own work feels like a collision of grit, humour and human truth.
Biggest Non-Fantasy Inspirations
When asked about his biggest non-fantasy inspiration, Abercrombie answered with a single name: “Sebastian Chabal.” It is a delightfully unexpected response, and it reveals something about the way he draws influence.
Chabal, the French rugby icon known for his ferocity and presence, is not a literary figure. He is a force of personality. The choice suggests that Abercrombie is inspired not only by books but by people who embody intensity, resilience and a kind of mythic physicality.
It aligns with the energy of his characters, many of whom feel larger than life without ever becoming caricatures. His inspirations are not confined to the page. They come from the world, from figures who move through it with unmistakable impact. It is a reminder that creativity thrives on unexpected connections and that the best influences are often the ones that surprise you.
Favourites and Variety
Abercrombie resists the idea of favourites because he believes “the joy of life is its variety.” It is a sentiment that fits his entire body of work. He does not cling to one tone, one structure or one type of character. He shifts between cynicism and humour, brutality and tenderness, chaos and control.
He says some characters “burn off the page from the moment you start writing them,” and Cosca is his example of that rare magic. Yet he does not elevate these moments into mythology. He treats them as unpredictable gifts rather than signs of genius.
He is drawn to whatever feels alive in the moment, whatever sparks curiosity, whatever challenges him to write differently. It is why his books never feel like repetitions. They are variations, experiments and evolutions.
The Ambiguity of The Bloody-Nine
Abercrombie’s explanation of The Bloody-Nine, the furious, uncontrollable version of Logen Ninefingers, one of the main characters in Joe Abercrombie’s The First Law series, is one of the most thoughtful parts of the Reddit AMA. He says he wanted the ambiguity to remain and that he dislikes commenting too much after the fact because reading is “a collaboration between writer and reader.”
He emphasises the importance of point of view, noting that Logen can seem like a monster from the outside, but from the inside, “it all makes sense.” His line “Everyone’s the hero of their own story” captures the core of his narrative philosophy.
He is not interested in definitive interpretations. He is interested in how perspective shapes truth. The Bloody-Nine is not a fixed entity. It is a myth, a rumour, a psychological fracture, a legend shaped by whoever is telling the story. Abercrombie’s refusal to pin it down is not evasive. It is deliberate. It preserves the tension that makes the character compelling and honours the reader’s role in completing the picture.
In the end, what sticks with us is Abercrombie’s refusal to flatten his work into formulas or his characters into clichés. He isn’t trying to build a legacy through repetition or by staying in his lane. He’s drawn to what feels alive, what hasn’t yet been done, what might go wrong in an interesting way.
His insights about genre, execution, influence, and ambiguity aren’t just sharp; they’re lived-in. He knows the industry, he knows the pressure to produce what sells, and he knows how to navigate that without losing the spark that got him writing in the first place.
Whether he returns to The First Law or veers off into something totally unexpected, we trust he’ll do it on his own terms. Because that’s what defines his work: not predictability, but perspective, honesty, and just enough mischief to keep us all guessing.
