Thinking man’s barbarian Logen Ninefingers struggles to escape his bloody past, war hero turned torturer Inquisitor Glokta struggles to control the treacherous present, and self-obsessed young nobleman Jezal dan Luthar struggles to snatch a golden future without doing any work at all. All three are drawn into the machinations of Bayaz, the legendary First of the Magi. But does he really want to save the world? Or are things more complicated than they appear?