diff --git a/executor.go b/executor.go
index 586e4468e..6536c17f6 100644
--- a/executor.go
+++ b/executor.go
@@ -2646,21 +2646,17 @@ func (g *groupCountSorter) Less(i, j int) bool {
 		fieldOrder := g.order[idx]
 		switch fieldIndex {
 		case -1: // Count
-			if gci.Count == gcj.Count {
-				continue
+			if gci.Count < gcj.Count {
+				return fieldOrder == asc
+			} else if gci.Count > gcj.Count {
+				return fieldOrder == desc
 			}
-			if fieldOrder == asc {
-				return gci.Count < gcj.Count
-			}
-			return gcj.Count < gci.Count
 		case -2: // aggregate/Sum
-			if gci.Sum == gcj.Sum {
-				continue
+			if gci.Sum < gcj.Sum {
+				return fieldOrder == asc
+			} else if gci.Sum > gcj.Sum {
+				return fieldOrder == desc
 			}
-			if fieldOrder == asc {
-				return gci.Sum < gcj.Sum
-			}
-			return gcj.Sum < gci.Sum
 		default:
 			panic("impossible")
 		}
@@ -2669,8 +2665,7 @@ func (g *groupCountSorter) Less(i, j int) bool {
 }
 
 // getSorter hackily parses the sortSpec and figures out how to sort
-// the GroupBy results. TODO Probably has about a billion edge case
-// bugs.
+// the GroupBy results.
 func getSorter(sortSpec string) (*groupCountSorter, error) {
 	gcs := &groupCountSorter{
 		fields: []int{},
@@ -2679,8 +2674,10 @@ func getSorter(sortSpec string) (*groupCountSorter, error) {
 	sortOn := strings.Split(sortSpec, ",")
 	for _, sortField := range sortOn {
 		sortField = strings.TrimSpace(sortField)
-		fieldDir := strings.Split(sortField, " ")
-		if fieldDir[0] == "count" {
+		fieldDir := strings.Fields(sortField)
+		if len(fieldDir) == 0 {
+			return nil, errors.Errorf("invalid sorting directive: '%s'", sortField)
+		} else if fieldDir[0] == "count" {
 			gcs.fields = append(gcs.fields, -1)
 		} else if fieldDir[0] == "aggregate" || fieldDir[0] == "sum" {
 			gcs.fields = append(gcs.fields, -2)
@@ -2690,8 +2687,9 @@ func getSorter(sortSpec string) (*groupCountSorter, error) {
 
 		if len(fieldDir) == 1 {
 			gcs.order = append(gcs.order, desc)
-		}
-		if fieldDir[1] == "asc" {
+		} else if len(fieldDir) > 2 {
+			return nil, errors.Errorf("parsing sort directive: '%s': too many elements", sortField)
+		} else if fieldDir[1] == "asc" {
 			gcs.order = append(gcs.order, asc)
 		} else if fieldDir[1] == "desc" {
 			gcs.order = append(gcs.order, desc)
diff --git a/executor_internal_test.go b/executor_internal_test.go
index 06e271fde..6de260293 100644
--- a/executor_internal_test.go
+++ b/executor_internal_test.go
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
+	"reflect"
 	"strconv"
 	"testing"
 
@@ -384,3 +385,93 @@ func TestToInt64(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+func TestGetSorter(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		sortSpec string
+		expGCS   *groupCountSorter
+		expErr   string
+	}{
+		{
+			sortSpec: "count asc",
+			expGCS:   &groupCountSorter{fields: []int{-1}, order: []order{asc}},
+		},
+		{
+			sortSpec: "count    asc",
+			expGCS:   &groupCountSorter{fields: []int{-1}, order: []order{asc}},
+		},
+		{
+			sortSpec: "  count asc",
+			expGCS:   &groupCountSorter{fields: []int{-1}, order: []order{asc}},
+		},
+		{
+			sortSpec: "  count asc    ",
+			expGCS:   &groupCountSorter{fields: []int{-1}, order: []order{asc}},
+		},
+		{
+			sortSpec: "count",
+			expGCS:   &groupCountSorter{fields: []int{-1}, order: []order{desc}},
+		},
+		{
+			sortSpec: "sum asc",
+			expGCS:   &groupCountSorter{fields: []int{-2}, order: []order{asc}},
+		},
+		{
+			sortSpec: "aggregate asc",
+			expGCS:   &groupCountSorter{fields: []int{-2}, order: []order{asc}},
+		},
+		{
+			sortSpec: "boondoggle asc",
+			expErr:   "sorting is only supported on count, aggregate, or sum, not 'boondoggle'",
+		},
+		{
+			sortSpec: "sum asc, count desc",
+			expGCS:   &groupCountSorter{fields: []int{-2, -1}, order: []order{asc, desc}},
+		},
+		{
+			sortSpec: "count asc, sum desc",
+			expGCS:   &groupCountSorter{fields: []int{-1, -2}, order: []order{asc, desc}},
+		},
+		{
+			sortSpec: " count  asc ,  sum  desc ",
+			expGCS:   &groupCountSorter{fields: []int{-1, -2}, order: []order{asc, desc}},
+		},
+		{
+			sortSpec: " count  asc ,  sum  desc blah",
+			expErr:   "parsing sort directive: 'sum  desc blah': too many elements",
+		},
+		{
+			sortSpec: "count asc, sum fesc",
+			expErr:   "unknown sort direction 'fesc'",
+		},
+		{
+			sortSpec: " , sum fesc",
+			expErr:   "invalid sorting directive: ''",
+		},
+		{
+			// weird and useless, but I guess fine?
+			sortSpec: "count  asc,count asc ",
+			expGCS:   &groupCountSorter{fields: []int{-1, -1}, order: []order{asc, asc}},
+		},
+	}
+
+	for i, tst := range tests {
+		t.Run(fmt.Sprintf("%s_%d", tst.sortSpec, i), func(t *testing.T) {
+			gcs, err := getSorter(tst.sortSpec)
+			if err != nil {
+				if tst.expErr == "" {
+					t.Errorf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+					return
+				}
+				if tst.expErr != err.Error() {
+					t.Errorf("mismatched errors got: '%v', exp: '%s'", err, tst.expErr)
+				}
+				return
+			}
+			if !reflect.DeepEqual(gcs, tst.expGCS) {
+				t.Errorf("exp:\n%+v\ngot:\n%v\n", tst.expGCS, gcs)
+			}
+
+		})
+	}
+}