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Quick answer: If you liked Best Served Cold, read Joe Abercrombie's The Heroes and Red Country, then The Count of Monte Cristo, The Lies of Locke Lamora and The Black Company. All are dark, witty tales of revenge, violence and flawed people in grim worlds.
Joe Abercrombie's 2009 standalone follows Monza Murcatto, a mercenary captain who survives betrayal and sets out to kill the seven people responsible. It is brutal, funny and fast. The books below offer similar revenge stories, grimdark fantasy and morally grey heroes.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Blade Itself | Joe Abercrombie | Adult | the First Law start |
| The Heroes | Joe Abercrombie | Adult | one battle |
| Red Country | Joe Abercrombie | Adult | fantasy Western |
| The Count of Monte Cristo | Alexandre Dumas | Adult | the great revenge |
| The Lies of Locke Lamora | Scott Lynch | Adult | clever heists |
| A Game of Thrones | George R. R. Martin | Adult | political epic |
| Prince of Thorns | Mark Lawrence | Adult | dark antihero |
| The Black Company | Glen Cook | Adult | mercenary classic |
| The Steel Remains | Richard K. Morgan | Adult | gritty fantasy |
| The Winter King | Bernard Cornwell | Adult | Arthurian realism |
| True Grit | Charles Portis | Adult | revenge Western |
| The Way of Shadows | Brent Weeks | Adult | assassin story |
| Gardens of the Moon | Steven Erikson | Adult | complex military fantasy |
| The Poppy War | R. F. Kuang | Adult | grimdark military fantasy |
| Shogun | James Clavell | Adult | feudal Japan |
1. The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
A barbarian, a torturer and a vain officer are drawn into a conflict. Dark and funny.
Best for: the First Law start.
2. The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie
A battle in the North told from several viewpoints. Gritty and sharp.
Best for: one battle.
3. Red Country by Joe Abercrombie
A woman follows kidnappers across a frontier land. Dark and funny.
Best for: fantasy Western.
4. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
A wrongly imprisoned man escapes and takes revenge. The model for all revenge stories.
Best for: the great revenge.
5. The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
A group of thieves in a fantasy city run elaborate cons. Witty and fast.
Best for: clever heists.
6. A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
Noble families fight for a throne in a brutal world. Intricate and gripping.
Best for: political epic.
7. Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
A young prince is a brutal warlord. Grim and sharp.
Best for: dark antihero.
8. The Black Company by Glen Cook
A company of mercenaries serves a dark empire. Short, hard and influential.
Best for: mercenary classic.
9. The Steel Remains by Richard K. Morgan
A war veteran returns to a world that has moved on. Violent and frank.
Best for: gritty fantasy.
10. The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell
Arthur's story told as a gritty historical epic. Fast and vivid.
Best for: Arthurian realism.
11. True Grit by Charles Portis
A girl hires a lawman to find her father's killer. Dry, funny and classic.
Best for: revenge Western.
12. The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks
A street boy becomes an assassin's apprentice. Dark and action-packed.
Best for: assassin story.
13. Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson
The Malazan empire fights a war across continents. Dense and rewarding.
Best for: complex military fantasy.
14. The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang
An orphan wins a place at an elite military school and discovers shamanic power. Harsh and gripping.
Best for: grimdark military fantasy.
15. Shogun by James Clavell
An English pilot is stranded in Japan and caught in power struggles. Immersive and sweeping.
Best for: feudal Japan.
How to Choose
For more Abercrombie read The Blade Itself, The Heroes or Red Country. For classic revenge choose The Count of Monte Cristo or True Grit. For grimdark pick Prince of Thorns, The Black Company or The Steel Remains. For witty heists read The Lies of Locke Lamora. For epic politics try A Game of Thrones. Best Served Cold is violent, so it suits readers comfortable with grim fantasy. Best Served Cold is a standalone set in the world of the First Law, so you can read it without the trilogy. Readers who enjoy it often return to The Blade Itself for the rest of the world. Abercrombie is often recommended for readers who want fantasy without heroes. If you like the humour, Lawrence and Cook offer grim comedy. If you like the revenge plot, The Count of Monte Cristo is the original. If you like the world, the First Law books are a natural next step. Audiobooks read by Steven Pacey are widely loved.
Related: 15 Books Like In Cold Blood You’ll Love: True Crime That Reads Like a Novel · 15 Books Like Before the Coffee Gets Cold You’ll Love: Cozy Time Travel and Gentle Magic
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Best Served Cold about?
A mercenary seeks revenge on those who betrayed her.
Who wrote it?
Joe Abercrombie.
When was it published?
2009.
Is it a standalone?
Yes, though it shares a world with the First Law.
Is it violent?
Yes, with graphic scenes.
Is it funny?
Yes, with dark humour.
Is it a good starting point for Abercrombie?
Many readers prefer to start with The Blade Itself, but it also works as an entry.
What should I read next?
Try The Heroes or The Blade Itself.
Does the book have a satisfying ending?
It is dark, but many readers find it fitting.
Is there a Best Served Cold sequel?
No, but characters from the book appear in later Abercrombie novels.