Q] As much as I love Nine Fingers, for me Glotka was the standout character of the First Law trilogy. He reminded me a lot of Tyrion from ASOIAF as both of them don’t think of themselves as heroes and their actions are grey and their wit sharper. Who do you think amid both of them is the more morally conflicted character? 

JA: Tyrion is a fantastic character, very nuanced and also very unusual in fantasy at the time that I read A Game of Thrones, made a big impact on me and he’s probably a good part of the inspiration for Glokta, whether that was conscious or not. I guess they’re both outsiders, survivors, forced to live on their wits, willing to do some pretty unpleasant things to not be beaten. Who’s greyer? Does it matter? 

Q] Any chance you will ever write a solo Glotka story or short story/novella as with Red Country, Logan Ninefingers does get his own book so as to speak.

JA: It has been suggested… 

Q] A funny thing I noticed that you have been generous with blurbs to UK authors (S. Deas, MD Lachlan & C. Wooding). Why no blurb-love for your fellow wordsmiths across the pond? 

JA: I’m still sore about the whole Boston Tea Party thing. What a waste of good tea. Put simply, I’m British, live in Britain and my primary publisher is British, so the people I see a lot, know well, owe in one way or another, and who are therefore likely to prevail on me to read something are British too. 

Q] With Red Country, we get to finally see the return of Logan Ninefingers. Considering how you ended the First Law trilogy; many fans were left wondering what his final fate was. So with this book does he get the ending he wishes or the ending he deserves? 

JA: Hah. Well, I would never want to spoil an ending for anyone, so let’s just say that I hope the ending is fitting… 

Q] Back in 2008 you had written about A Game Of Thrones, you lavished fulsome praise on it but said as the series progressed, it lost its “apparent sense of focus”. The latter books couldn't match the narrative moment of their predecessor. Now that’s a very astute observation which goes against popular opinion, what do you think makes the latter books especially A Storm Of Swords to be of a lesser pedigree? 

JA: A Game of Thrones was a very important book for me – it came at a time when I’d largely stopped reading fantasy and felt that it tended to repeat the same patterns over and over, was hugely predictable. So it really made my jaw drop in all kinds of ways, and demonstrated that you could be dark, unpredictable, realistic, and adult in every sense of the word while still writing what was very recognizably commercial epic fantasy. It was a big inspiration in trying to write myself, so I think it was inevitable that later books   wouldn't   be able to sustain that impact, if only because the first had gone off like a flashbulb in the darkness for me.

But, with the disclaimer that I still write some pretty hefty books by most standards, I like things to be tightly focused, to have patterns and balance and a sense of tight structure, so I was always slightly disappointed that the number of viewpoint characters increased so sharply, and the story became wider and more diffuse. I’d have preferred more central thrust. But what do I know? I get the sense that GRRM is doing alright… 

Q] Your latter Gollancz book covers have stuck to a pattern especially with maps, considering you had once posted that you weren't too fond of them in fantasy books. What lead to the change in direction with the covers and what are your thoughts as you see them all together? 

JA: I absolutely love the look that Gollancz have given the books. I think the books look striking, different, establish a recognizable brand, and aren't off-putting to either fantasy fans or more mainstream readers, which is an extremely difficult balancing act. On maps, well, I’m a big fan of them, and spent a lot of my childhood drawing them, but I think they need to be used in the right way. I’d hate to have a childish daub on my fly-leaf just because you’re supposed to. The Heroes, say, has five maps inside, as well as the one round the outside, but I think they’re used in a slightly different way and add to the experience. Each case as it comes. 

Q] What would you say to readers who have complained that your work has become bleaker with each book and what was novel in its approach earlier, is now becoming a tad predictable with the latter books? 

JA: I would say, ‘pfft!’ 

Q] Lastly in all your books, you have thanked four Abercrombie brethren. Could you expound on their role in shaping your books and tell us a bit about them as well. 

JA: Those would be my parents, brother, and wife. They've been hugely helpful and influential throughout, especially in the early years before getting published. My mother was an English teacher and editor, my father was a sociologist, so they’re both widely read, erudite and, most importantly, ruthless in their criticism. After first gathering the courage to show my family what I was doing, about a quarter of the way through The Blade Itself, I really wrote mostly because I enjoyed discussing it with them so much. They've read everything I've done and commented ever since, although these days their comments tend to be more general, a lot of the detailed stuff I discuss first with my editor, with whom I also have an excellent working relationship. Very lucky in the people around me. 

Q] Thank you for taking the time to answer all the questions, any last words for your multitude of fans worldwide especially about what we can expect from you next? 

JA: Over the next few weeks you can expect me to be playing Dishonored and Borderlands 2. It’s rigorous brain work, don’t you know…

NOTE: First Law trilogy cover montage courtesy of Fantasy Faction and Joe Abercrombie standalone cover montage courtesy of Orbit Books.