Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Publication
Pyr (2007), Edition: Reprint, 536 pages
Description
The first novel in the First Law Trilogy and debut fantasy novel from New York Times bestseller, Joe Abercrombie. Logen Ninefingers, infamous barbarian, has finally run out of luck. Caught in one feud too many, he's on the verge of becoming a dead barbarian -- leaving nothing behind him but bad songs, dead friends, and a lot of happy enemies. Nobleman, dashing officer, and paragon of selfishness, Captain Jezal dan Luthar has nothing more dangerous in mind than fleecing his friends at cards and dreaming of glory in the fencing circle. But war is brewing, and on the battlefields of the frozen North they fight by altogether bloodier rules. Inquisitor Glokta, cripple turned torturer, would like nothing better than to see Jezal come home in a box. But then Glokta hates everyone: cutting treason out of the Union one confession at a time leaves little room for friendship. His latest trail of corpses may lead him right to the rotten heart of government, if he can stay alive long enough to follow it. Enter the wizard, Bayaz. A bald old man with a terrible temper and a pathetic assistant, he could be the First of the Magi, he could be a spectacular fraud, but whatever he is, he's about to make the lives of Logen, Jezal, and Glokta a whole lot more difficult. Murderous conspiracies rise to the surface, old scores are ready to be settled, and the line between hero and villain is sharp enough to draw blood. Unpredictable, compelling, wickedly funny, and packed with unforgettable characters, The Blade Itself is noir fantasy with a real cutting edge.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member MisterJJones
Curiously enough I find myself with three new fantasy books by three new authors this month. All published by Victor Gollancz publishers, and all praised to varying degrees by reviewers – at least in the SF/ Fantasy world, the mainstream press, as always, ignores this sort of thing. Three new
We begin with Joe Abercrombie's The Blade Itself, book one of The First Law (No indications yet as to how long the series will be). Praised on the cover as "upredictable, compelling, wickedly funny, and packed with unforgettable characters, The Blade Itself is noir fantasy with a real cutting edge." In fact it's a mildly amusing, competantly written start to what looks to be an Epic Quest. This book concerns itself almost entirely with set up for the rest of the series, bringing together a band of Mismatched Heroes, ready to Save The World from a Dire Threat. Well, there's a bit more to it than that, but not much.
Our Heroes are introduced and they make for an unexceptional bunch. Logen Ninefingers is the barbarian tiring of senseless slaughter, Bayaz the Magus is the suitably enigmatic wizard, Malacus Quai is his inept apprentice, Jezal dan Luthar is the young arrogant nobleman who will no doubt mature by the end of the series. Mild interest with Ferro Maljinn the Young Angry Woman, but the only really unique character in the book is Sand dan Glokta, a crippled Inquisitor–come–torturer with a heart of gold.
It'll be interesting to see what Abercrombie does with his characters in successive books, becuase in this one, he doesn't do much. What makes a book almost entirely devoted to setting the scene bareable is the tone and style of the book.
A note on style. There seem to me to be no other genres where bad writing is so tolerated as Fantasy. This is not to say that good writing doesn't exist, of course, merely that much of what is sold, read, and, more irritatingly, publicised, is literary tripe.
Different styles in fantasy obviously exist, but when one rules out the more "high" fantasy (i.e. Tolkien, Eddison, Wolfe, etc, and their pale immitators), the more "realistic" fantasy (yes, I know that's probably a contradiction) ranges from the embarrassingly bad (Robert Newcomb), through the merely very bad (Terry Goodkind), up to the ok (Robert Jordan), to the fairly good (George R. R. Martin), to the very good (Scott Bakker), but rarely do we see any differentiation among writing style and tone. It's difficult to explain this, probably because I lack the literary vocabulary, but The Blade Itself, while not being exceptionally good, had something extra in the author's voice that told of a different approach to the genre.
Oh, I don't know. If you've read anything by K. J. Parker and liked it, you'll probably like this. If you read K. J. Parker and didn't like it, you probably won't. For the vast majority of people who've never heard of K. J. Parker, here are a couple of quotes to at least try and illustrate what I'm talking about….
Our hero enters the city:
West had often told Jezal that the Northmen found in Adua, usually skulking dishevelled by the doccks or dirty drunk in gutters, were by no means typical of their people. Those that lived free in the far North, fighting, feuding, feasting, and doing whatever Northmen did, were of quite a different kind. A tall, fierce, handsome people, Jezal had always imagined, with a touch of romance about them. Strong, yet graceful. Wild, yet noble. Savage, yet cunning. The kind of men whose eyes are fixed always on the far horizon.
This was not one of those.
Never in his life had Jezel seen a more brutal–looking man. Even Fenris the Feared had seemed civilised by comparison. His face was like a whipped back, criss–crossed with ragged scars. His nose was bent, pointing off a little sideways. One ear had a big notch out of it, one eye seemed a touch higher than the other, surrounded by a crescent–shaped wound. His whole face, in fact, was slightly beaten, broken, lop–sided, like that of a prize fighter who has fought a few bouts too many. His expression, too, was that of one punch–drunk. He gawped up at the gatehouse, forehead furrowed, mouth hanging open, staring about him with a look of near animal stupidity.Bayaz stolled out of the tunnel an into the open air, looking smug as ever. 'So Inquisitor,' he said breezily. 'How did you find your trip into the House of the Maker?'
A twisted, strange and gorrible nightmare. I might even have preferred to return to the Emperor's prisons for a few hours. 'Something to do of a morning,' he snapped.
Anyway, The Blade itself is nothing amazing, but Abercrombie does show promise. And it's a hell of lot better than other stuff that's being published, believe me. It would be four stars, but as the plot's a bit weak to support 400 pages, three.
Show More
authors, three chances to either churn out yet another second rate cardboard cutout epic, or, with any luck, to make a mark in the fantasy world with something superior.We begin with Joe Abercrombie's The Blade Itself, book one of The First Law (No indications yet as to how long the series will be). Praised on the cover as "upredictable, compelling, wickedly funny, and packed with unforgettable characters, The Blade Itself is noir fantasy with a real cutting edge." In fact it's a mildly amusing, competantly written start to what looks to be an Epic Quest. This book concerns itself almost entirely with set up for the rest of the series, bringing together a band of Mismatched Heroes, ready to Save The World from a Dire Threat. Well, there's a bit more to it than that, but not much.
Our Heroes are introduced and they make for an unexceptional bunch. Logen Ninefingers is the barbarian tiring of senseless slaughter, Bayaz the Magus is the suitably enigmatic wizard, Malacus Quai is his inept apprentice, Jezal dan Luthar is the young arrogant nobleman who will no doubt mature by the end of the series. Mild interest with Ferro Maljinn the Young Angry Woman, but the only really unique character in the book is Sand dan Glokta, a crippled Inquisitor–come–torturer with a heart of gold.
It'll be interesting to see what Abercrombie does with his characters in successive books, becuase in this one, he doesn't do much. What makes a book almost entirely devoted to setting the scene bareable is the tone and style of the book.
A note on style. There seem to me to be no other genres where bad writing is so tolerated as Fantasy. This is not to say that good writing doesn't exist, of course, merely that much of what is sold, read, and, more irritatingly, publicised, is literary tripe.
Different styles in fantasy obviously exist, but when one rules out the more "high" fantasy (i.e. Tolkien, Eddison, Wolfe, etc, and their pale immitators), the more "realistic" fantasy (yes, I know that's probably a contradiction) ranges from the embarrassingly bad (Robert Newcomb), through the merely very bad (Terry Goodkind), up to the ok (Robert Jordan), to the fairly good (George R. R. Martin), to the very good (Scott Bakker), but rarely do we see any differentiation among writing style and tone. It's difficult to explain this, probably because I lack the literary vocabulary, but The Blade Itself, while not being exceptionally good, had something extra in the author's voice that told of a different approach to the genre.
Oh, I don't know. If you've read anything by K. J. Parker and liked it, you'll probably like this. If you read K. J. Parker and didn't like it, you probably won't. For the vast majority of people who've never heard of K. J. Parker, here are a couple of quotes to at least try and illustrate what I'm talking about….
Our hero enters the city:
West had often told Jezal that the Northmen found in Adua, usually skulking dishevelled by the doccks or dirty drunk in gutters, were by no means typical of their people. Those that lived free in the far North, fighting, feuding, feasting, and doing whatever Northmen did, were of quite a different kind. A tall, fierce, handsome people, Jezal had always imagined, with a touch of romance about them. Strong, yet graceful. Wild, yet noble. Savage, yet cunning. The kind of men whose eyes are fixed always on the far horizon.
This was not one of those.
Never in his life had Jezel seen a more brutal–looking man. Even Fenris the Feared had seemed civilised by comparison. His face was like a whipped back, criss–crossed with ragged scars. His nose was bent, pointing off a little sideways. One ear had a big notch out of it, one eye seemed a touch higher than the other, surrounded by a crescent–shaped wound. His whole face, in fact, was slightly beaten, broken, lop–sided, like that of a prize fighter who has fought a few bouts too many. His expression, too, was that of one punch–drunk. He gawped up at the gatehouse, forehead furrowed, mouth hanging open, staring about him with a look of near animal stupidity.Bayaz stolled out of the tunnel an into the open air, looking smug as ever. 'So Inquisitor,' he said breezily. 'How did you find your trip into the House of the Maker?'
A twisted, strange and gorrible nightmare. I might even have preferred to return to the Emperor's prisons for a few hours. 'Something to do of a morning,' he snapped.
Anyway, The Blade itself is nothing amazing, but Abercrombie does show promise. And it's a hell of lot better than other stuff that's being published, believe me. It would be four stars, but as the plot's a bit weak to support 400 pages, three.
Show Less
LibraryThing member fyrefly98
Summary: Logen Ninefingers is a war-battered barbarian whose only real goal is to stay alive. Jezal dan Luther, however, is a young nobleman and officer in the army, whose days consist of drinking, gambling, and training for the all-important fencing contest. Inquisitor Sand dan Glokta was once
Review: I'd heard from a number of sources, both on the internet and in real life, that this series was great, a fantastic new voice in high fantasy in the same vein as Scott Lynch and Patrick Rothfuss, and that I was absolutely going to love it. I was so sure I was going to love it that I actually bought all three books in the series right off the bat. And, unfortunately, and disappointinly.... not so much.
The story is certainly ambitious in its scope, with multiple well-drawn POV narrators, and the world that Abercrombie creates certainly does have potential. My problem was that, for the life of me, I just could not get into the story. As good as the characterization might have been, I never really cared about the characters, and so never got particularly invested in what happened to them. I'd pick this book up, meaning to read for half an hour before bed, and get three paragraphs in and decide I'd rather be sleeping. The story never really grabbed me until about a hundred pages from the end, and I'm sorry, but 440 pages in is not where you want your best hook.
A large part of the reason why this book was such a struggle for me was almost certainly the writing style. Abercrombie spends a lot of time focusing on elements that didn't seem that important to the overall plot, while skimming past descriptions and information that would have been useful to have. (Like, for instance, for a book about wars and territories and politics, it really needed but was sorely lacking a map.) Combine that with a seeming inability to properly use commas (seriously, what happened to his editor? I'm not talking about stylistic usage, either, but necessary grammatical commas.), and you've got a writing style that is clearly aiming for "gritty" but winds up landing on "unpolished".
The Blade Itself is the first part of The First Law trilogy, which was originally supposed to be published as one novel (but at 1500+ pages, it's clear to see why it was divided). The result is that this book reads like an extended introduction to the characters and to the world, which may have accounted for how slow I found it in parts. And, while the pace may pick up and the storylines may get more interesting in later books, this one didn't pique my interest enough to make me want to go find out. 2.5 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: There are plenty of people out there who really love this series, and if you like darker high fantasy that isn't all glowy elves and sparkly magic, you might be one of them. However, it just wasn't to my taste, despite how badly I wanted to like it.
Show More
like Jezal, but war and torture have left him crippled, broken, and bitter, and his occupation as torturer for the Union's Inquisition leaves little room for the niceities of court life. These three men may seem very different, but their lives are about to be thrown together. For their kingdom is on the brink of war, a war which has attracted the attention of Bayaz, a cheerfully brash but powerful old man who may or may not be the First of the Magi.Review: I'd heard from a number of sources, both on the internet and in real life, that this series was great, a fantastic new voice in high fantasy in the same vein as Scott Lynch and Patrick Rothfuss, and that I was absolutely going to love it. I was so sure I was going to love it that I actually bought all three books in the series right off the bat. And, unfortunately, and disappointinly.... not so much.
The story is certainly ambitious in its scope, with multiple well-drawn POV narrators, and the world that Abercrombie creates certainly does have potential. My problem was that, for the life of me, I just could not get into the story. As good as the characterization might have been, I never really cared about the characters, and so never got particularly invested in what happened to them. I'd pick this book up, meaning to read for half an hour before bed, and get three paragraphs in and decide I'd rather be sleeping. The story never really grabbed me until about a hundred pages from the end, and I'm sorry, but 440 pages in is not where you want your best hook.
A large part of the reason why this book was such a struggle for me was almost certainly the writing style. Abercrombie spends a lot of time focusing on elements that didn't seem that important to the overall plot, while skimming past descriptions and information that would have been useful to have. (Like, for instance, for a book about wars and territories and politics, it really needed but was sorely lacking a map.) Combine that with a seeming inability to properly use commas (seriously, what happened to his editor? I'm not talking about stylistic usage, either, but necessary grammatical commas.), and you've got a writing style that is clearly aiming for "gritty" but winds up landing on "unpolished".
The Blade Itself is the first part of The First Law trilogy, which was originally supposed to be published as one novel (but at 1500+ pages, it's clear to see why it was divided). The result is that this book reads like an extended introduction to the characters and to the world, which may have accounted for how slow I found it in parts. And, while the pace may pick up and the storylines may get more interesting in later books, this one didn't pique my interest enough to make me want to go find out. 2.5 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: There are plenty of people out there who really love this series, and if you like darker high fantasy that isn't all glowy elves and sparkly magic, you might be one of them. However, it just wasn't to my taste, despite how badly I wanted to like it.
Show Less
LibraryThing member majkia
Anti-heroes abound in The Blade Itself . But then, when the world is a place full of violence, where the Inquisition is used to torture anyone into confessing to anything, what exactly is a 'hero' anyway?
Joe Abercrombie creates a bloody and violent world, sadly, a totally believable one. Magic is
The characters are all flawed, and worn down and scarred by their lives, all but one self-centered privileged fellow who, despite himself, seems about to finally open his eyes to see what is going on around him. He won't like it.
Reminiscent of George RR Martin's series, A Song of Ice and Fire, you just never know who will step up or who will fall apart. Nor, are you likely to know exactly what is going on any time soon.
Highly recommended.
Joe Abercrombie creates a bloody and violent world, sadly, a totally believable one. Magic is
Show More
there, but understated and not well understood. The privileged use and abuse the masses, and are astonished when revolution raises its head.The characters are all flawed, and worn down and scarred by their lives, all but one self-centered privileged fellow who, despite himself, seems about to finally open his eyes to see what is going on around him. He won't like it.
Reminiscent of George RR Martin's series, A Song of Ice and Fire, you just never know who will step up or who will fall apart. Nor, are you likely to know exactly what is going on any time soon.
Highly recommended.
Show Less
LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie is the first book in a epic fantasy trilogy, and it certainly managed to sweep me away. I was totally involved with this saga and I am looking forward to continuing on with the series. Chock full of interesting characters, this first volume was mostly about
I first met this author through one of his other books, Best Served Cold, and was totally captivated by his storytelling. The Blade Itself is set in the same world and is a page-turner of action, violence, magic and intrigue. The author relies on dark humor, and gritty action scenes to move the story forward. Nor for the faint-of-heart as both scenes of torture and blood-thirsty battles are frequent but overall the story is complex and the characters are well drawn. A couple of favorites are the barbarian Northman, Logen Ninefinger, called The Bloody Nine, a battle-weary veteran, and the very crippled Inquisitor Glokta, who specializes in “questioning” suspects and getting confessions, but knows what it’s like to be on the other end of torture himself.
This is the first book of the First Law trilogy and as such does have the feel of “setting the stage”, but I really appreciated that the author simply tells his story and world details of culture, history, and geography are revealed through the plot. I would add however, that a map would have helped me to visualize this world. While the book does not end with a huge cliff-hanger, which I appreciated, it is nevertheless just the beginning and leaves me eager to continue on with adventure.
Show More
meeting the characters, getting a little background on them, getting them together and setting up the story for the on-going adventure. I first met this author through one of his other books, Best Served Cold, and was totally captivated by his storytelling. The Blade Itself is set in the same world and is a page-turner of action, violence, magic and intrigue. The author relies on dark humor, and gritty action scenes to move the story forward. Nor for the faint-of-heart as both scenes of torture and blood-thirsty battles are frequent but overall the story is complex and the characters are well drawn. A couple of favorites are the barbarian Northman, Logen Ninefinger, called The Bloody Nine, a battle-weary veteran, and the very crippled Inquisitor Glokta, who specializes in “questioning” suspects and getting confessions, but knows what it’s like to be on the other end of torture himself.
This is the first book of the First Law trilogy and as such does have the feel of “setting the stage”, but I really appreciated that the author simply tells his story and world details of culture, history, and geography are revealed through the plot. I would add however, that a map would have helped me to visualize this world. While the book does not end with a huge cliff-hanger, which I appreciated, it is nevertheless just the beginning and leaves me eager to continue on with adventure.
Show Less
LibraryThing member RainbowsEnd
If there is one thing I can say for this series, it is that the character development is excellent. I picked up the first book with apprehension. The reviews I had read made me worry that this was a bloody and guts book, mainly geared towards guys. I was pleasantly surprised, however, to find a
Show More
truly unique reading experience. Other reviewers are correct in saying that you never *really* know who the good guys and bad guys are. The lines between the two are very blurred in this series, which is really great because it keeps you guessing! Show Less
LibraryThing member Tyllwin
The Blade Itself, as a book, invites comparisons with its "sword and treachery" brother Game of Thrones; and, as a series, The First Law invites comparisons to Song of Ice and Fire. Cynical, dark, High Fantasy with an ensemble cast and action spread across continents. Abercrombie, I think, is less
A crippled torturer, a drunken dandy and a moody berserker serve as the main viewpoint characters in a dark world where magic is fading, and a decadent empire is beset with barbarian invasions in the north and desert uprisings in the south. The characters, particularly Abercombie's ability to get the reader to engage with characters who are often not too likeable. His greatest weakness is some awkwardness in conveying the history and mythology of the world.
An engaging book, but one which is all setup for the following volumes, not remotely a standalone story.
Show More
polished a writer than Martin, but he improves noticably with each subsequent book. He brings a great deal more humor as well, though I'd stop short of calling it satire, as some do.A crippled torturer, a drunken dandy and a moody berserker serve as the main viewpoint characters in a dark world where magic is fading, and a decadent empire is beset with barbarian invasions in the north and desert uprisings in the south. The characters, particularly Abercombie's ability to get the reader to engage with characters who are often not too likeable. His greatest weakness is some awkwardness in conveying the history and mythology of the world.
An engaging book, but one which is all setup for the following volumes, not remotely a standalone story.
Show Less
LibraryThing member turpinhero
Words can hardly express how much I enjoyed this book. Abercrombie has a gift for creating disagreeable characters and making them so very likeable! Glokta, in particular is a wonderfully crafted character and I especially looked forward to the chapters concerning him. It seems to me that
The story was fantastic and kept me on the edge of my seat (quite literally at a couple of points)! The negative reviews I've read concerning this debut novel primarily focus on the fact that the ending did not satisfy them, while I can understand where they might be coming from; I do find this to be rather weak criticism. The novel is quite clearly a book which has been split into three parts, rather than being a trilogy of separate books. Would they rather be holding an 1800 word novel in the hands as they read in bed?
In conclusion, I haven't stopped thinking about this novel since I finished it last week. I’m immensely looking forward to starting the next part.
Show More
Abercrombie has taken the classic archetypes of fantasy, but turned them on their head to make them new and exciting. Almost every character in this book has a depth I've rarely seen in most fantasy novels. The story was fantastic and kept me on the edge of my seat (quite literally at a couple of points)! The negative reviews I've read concerning this debut novel primarily focus on the fact that the ending did not satisfy them, while I can understand where they might be coming from; I do find this to be rather weak criticism. The novel is quite clearly a book which has been split into three parts, rather than being a trilogy of separate books. Would they rather be holding an 1800 word novel in the hands as they read in bed?
In conclusion, I haven't stopped thinking about this novel since I finished it last week. I’m immensely looking forward to starting the next part.
Show Less
LibraryThing member graspingforthewind
“You have to be realistic about these things.” says Logen Ninefingers. Being realistic is a difficult thing to do for The Blade Itself, Joe Abercrombie’s debut novel. From the smooth storytelling, to the intrepid and intriguing characters, to the magnificent world building, nothing about this
Full review of The Blade Itself
Show More
novel is realistic. But then, that’s the point of fantasy right?Full review of The Blade Itself
Show Less
LibraryThing member stellarexplorer
An ugly book. Unlikable, sadistic characters; gratuitous violence; overly long. I resist populating my precious reading realm -- and time -- with the unpleasant people in this bitter world.
LibraryThing member pstotts
"The Blade Itself” is a worthwhile debut full of hard-edged, brutal dialogue and worldbuilding, nasty and anti-heroic characters and an overall gritty and stark tone. I admit I have a taste for this type of dark fantasy and gallows humor, so the book really works for me in a refreshing new way.
Logen Ninefingers is a Northman who has worn out his welcome in his homeland due to his bloody, corpse-littered past. He now finds himself escaping from the new King of the North, an old acquaintance who no longer wishes to keep the Bloody Nine around. Logen's only recourse is to travel to the south to the empire called the Union. Inquisitor Glokta is a Union torturer of extraordinary abilities working in the House of Questions. Glokta, who once was a dashing, skilled warrior before he was captured by the Gurkish and tortured, is now a shell of a man, in constant excruciating pain and crippled. Captain Jezal dan Luthar is a young, arrogant swordsman and debutante who basks in his nobility, and strives to make an even greater name for himself in a highly publicized fencing contest. Logen, Glokta and Jezal are probably the most important of the major characters int the novel, and the majority of the story is told through their perspectives.
Abercrombie successfully writes a style for each of his characters. Glotka, for instance, is much more cerebral in his chapters, his thinking process alway in overdrive as he works out the political angles and consequences of his situation. Refreshingly, he thinks the smartass things people would love to say, but don't have the courage to. However, much of this subject matter is dark and brutal considering it revolves around his occupation as Union torturer. On the other hand, Jezal doesn't exhibit much in the way of cerebral gymnastics, and this adds greatly to the perception of his character as mindless twit.
Into the lives of these disparate characters, the wizard Bayaz is injected, a man who embodies mystery and appears to have his own agenda. If anything, "The Blade Itself" is a setup novel. We get an introduction to the characters, get a familiarity with the situation, tone and worldbuilding, and by the end the pieces finally seem to have been placed on the chessboard for the real story to begin. Therefore, not many questions are answered in this novel, and the story is far from self-contained, so if you dislike books without some sense of completeness to them, you may wish to wait until Abercrombie finishes the trilogy.
Abercrombie's writing is simple and not heavy on detail or description. It is straightforward and a hard-boiled type of prose, almost a fantasy noir, that is used effectively to move the story along. As far as technical writing chops, "The Blade Itself" appears very much to be a debut novel which seems more focus on story than prose. There is a good amount of profanity and explicit, brutal violence and torture in the book, so if those things bother you, you've been warned.
Last Word:
If you enjoy a gritty and brutal type of dark fantasy loaded with a plethora of nasty characters, then look no further than Joe Abercrombie's "The Blade Itself", a crackling debut novel that holds a vast amount of promise for the ongoing series.
Show More
These are not your normal epic fantasy type of characters. That said, I imagine some more traditional epic fantasy readers may be turned off by the hard-edged nature of the storytelling.Logen Ninefingers is a Northman who has worn out his welcome in his homeland due to his bloody, corpse-littered past. He now finds himself escaping from the new King of the North, an old acquaintance who no longer wishes to keep the Bloody Nine around. Logen's only recourse is to travel to the south to the empire called the Union. Inquisitor Glokta is a Union torturer of extraordinary abilities working in the House of Questions. Glokta, who once was a dashing, skilled warrior before he was captured by the Gurkish and tortured, is now a shell of a man, in constant excruciating pain and crippled. Captain Jezal dan Luthar is a young, arrogant swordsman and debutante who basks in his nobility, and strives to make an even greater name for himself in a highly publicized fencing contest. Logen, Glokta and Jezal are probably the most important of the major characters int the novel, and the majority of the story is told through their perspectives.
Abercrombie successfully writes a style for each of his characters. Glotka, for instance, is much more cerebral in his chapters, his thinking process alway in overdrive as he works out the political angles and consequences of his situation. Refreshingly, he thinks the smartass things people would love to say, but don't have the courage to. However, much of this subject matter is dark and brutal considering it revolves around his occupation as Union torturer. On the other hand, Jezal doesn't exhibit much in the way of cerebral gymnastics, and this adds greatly to the perception of his character as mindless twit.
Into the lives of these disparate characters, the wizard Bayaz is injected, a man who embodies mystery and appears to have his own agenda. If anything, "The Blade Itself" is a setup novel. We get an introduction to the characters, get a familiarity with the situation, tone and worldbuilding, and by the end the pieces finally seem to have been placed on the chessboard for the real story to begin. Therefore, not many questions are answered in this novel, and the story is far from self-contained, so if you dislike books without some sense of completeness to them, you may wish to wait until Abercrombie finishes the trilogy.
Abercrombie's writing is simple and not heavy on detail or description. It is straightforward and a hard-boiled type of prose, almost a fantasy noir, that is used effectively to move the story along. As far as technical writing chops, "The Blade Itself" appears very much to be a debut novel which seems more focus on story than prose. There is a good amount of profanity and explicit, brutal violence and torture in the book, so if those things bother you, you've been warned.
Last Word:
If you enjoy a gritty and brutal type of dark fantasy loaded with a plethora of nasty characters, then look no further than Joe Abercrombie's "The Blade Itself", a crackling debut novel that holds a vast amount of promise for the ongoing series.
Show Less
LibraryThing member TheMadmanX
Long talked about amongst fantasy enthusiasts from across the pond Joe Abercrombie proves he is a name to watch. Combine top notch action with entertaining, engaging characterization and you get one fine read. The plot is a little lacking but with enough hints to leave hope that the following book
Show More
will develop it a little more. Well paced with a clean narrative style Abercrombie paints vivid characters on a noticibly hazy background. While fantasy nowadays tends to be tauted for its 'world builing' Abercrombie bucks this trend and focuses instead on the people of his world. In the hands of lesser author this might not have worked but here Abercrombie makes it shine. Show Less
LibraryThing member 5hrdrive
A lot of fun when the action heats up, unfortunately that doesn't happen very often. Really enjoyed when the story turned to Logan's band up north and I liked Glokta (he kinda reminds me of Tyrion from A Song of Ice and Fire), but way too much time spent on characters that I really didn't care
Show More
about. May move on to the next book, then again I may not. One thing in favor of continuing, the author really has a knack for a well-turned phrase. Show Less
LibraryThing member Clurb
A book told in a disparate number of voices, full of big, distinct characters all given a most generous depth of history and range of emotion. Abercrombie's true talent lies in his ability to make all his characters truly likeable, from the murderous barbarian, Logan, to the arrogant young soldier
Show More
Jezal, and the disfigured torturer, Glokta. A real gem; humourous, subtle and full of bloody and brutal action. Show Less
LibraryThing member amf0001
I'm always so happy when I find a really good fantasy series. The last one was George RR Martin's fire and ice series. While I wouldn't place this one quite that high, it was a rolicking enjoyable ride and I went and quickly ordered the next two books. Well written with good characters and enough
Show More
twists to play with the now familiar roles and characters. We meet the tortured man who becomes a torturer, the Bloody killer who speaks to spirits and knows 'you have to be practical' but is losing that hard edge to tiredness and compassion. You meet the wizard who is both more and less than he seems. and you follow all these characters as they twist and twine. This is the first of a 3 part series and has good world building and a very accomplished feel for a debut book! A happy find and I'm sure that Joe Abercrombie will only get better... he's going to be an automatic buy for me. A. Show Less
LibraryThing member lpg3d
This is a very well-written book, but it just didn't grab me. I came away not caring about any of the characters and with no desire to read the sequels.
LibraryThing member fengor
Welcome to a world of contempt and petty squabbles. In this rather dark fantasy world everyone seems to be fighting for themselves alone. Be it in the cold north were the barbaric northmen wage endless feuds against each other till one rises above all and takes the war south or in the union where
It's a a refreshingly realistic and brutal approach to fantasy that shows off many of the darker sides of men and what he is capable of. Machiavelli would probably have loved this.
Show More
the closed council members vie over power while the king becomes more and more senile.It's a a refreshingly realistic and brutal approach to fantasy that shows off many of the darker sides of men and what he is capable of. Machiavelli would probably have loved this.
Show Less
LibraryThing member kendosam
I dug this book quite thoroughly. Abercrombie's characters are very engrossing and funny. He has a dark sense of humor and a brilliant sense of adventure. I can't wait to see what happens next.
LibraryThing member stubbyfingers
This book was a lot of fun. The author has a deadpan sense of humor very similar to mine, so I definitely enjoyed this. The best part of this book is the characters. They are very fully developed and very interesting. Each chapter is told from a different character's point of view and it's possible
Show More
to tell who's point of view it is just from the writing style. There's lots of action and the setting is very interesting. However, this book feels like it is written entirely as an introduction to another book. Absolutely nothing is resolved and it leaves us on a cliffhanger for each and every main character. This is the first book in a trilogy. If you want to know what's going to happen next, the second book is set to be released in March and the third book probably hasn't been written yet. If you enjoy reading an adventure with a bit of fantasy mixed in, I definitely recommend this, as long as you can get over the fact that this book will leave you hanging. Show Less
LibraryThing member Power_to_the_J
I picked up this book expecting good things, and the book met and surpassed all of my expectations. Great book. Here's a breakdown:
Plot: (10/10) Fantastic. An engrossing story that keeps you reading until your done, and then you want more.
Characters: (9.5/10) Very detailed and rich. When I put
Style: (10/10) Great. With more bits of funny put into the prose, the book actually seems to come alive. The pacing couldn't have been better, with medium-length chapters that jump from character to character at a pace that demands you keep reading.
This is an amazing book. I recommend it to anybody who likes anything, and I'm confident that you'll enjoy it. Some say that the hype is misplaced, but I really disagree with that, and believe that every word of praise is earned.
Plot: (10/10) Fantastic. An engrossing story that keeps you reading until your done, and then you want more.
Characters: (9.5/10) Very detailed and rich. When I put
Show More
this book down, I felt like the characters were actual people in my life. They are many-layered and flawed, and are all unique from one another. The dialog that goes with this is great as well, with certain lines that actually made my laugh out loud. There was only one character that I didn't like, which subtracted the half-point, because she is a secondary character: Ardee is paper thin and obnoxious. Other than that, though, all of the characters were magnificent. Style: (10/10) Great. With more bits of funny put into the prose, the book actually seems to come alive. The pacing couldn't have been better, with medium-length chapters that jump from character to character at a pace that demands you keep reading.
This is an amazing book. I recommend it to anybody who likes anything, and I'm confident that you'll enjoy it. Some say that the hype is misplaced, but I really disagree with that, and believe that every word of praise is earned.
Show Less
LibraryThing member surreality
Gave up 200 pages into the book, when the plot still wasn't going anywhere and the characters still hadn't achieved any depth whatsoever.
LibraryThing member MarkCWallace
Lives up to the buzz.
The strongest point is the characters - each of whom is more real and more memorable than your average sword & sorcery archetype. Everyone remembers & mentions the inquisitor, but the barbarian and the rake are equally well drawn. Mr. Abercrombie has the courage to write
The language is also quite strong; I wound up reading page sized segments aloud to my girlfriend so she could share my delight in the wit. This is strongest in the beginning of the book when Mr. Abercrombie is sketching the outlines of the characters; once the plot starts rolling, there is less wit.
The weakest point of the book is the narrative drive. Sometimes scenes & interactions are drawn out further, and the book isn't always going somewhere. The journey is more important than the destination; I wish that the author would put a bit more emphasis on the destination and why the characters are going there. At the end of the first book, that information is held only by one of the protagonist characters, and I'm afraid of the "Harry Potter Problem" (Books in which the plot relies on one character concealing information from others - information that if revealed would enable a quick resolution of the problem.) But in the end, Mr. Abercrombie's characters are interesting enough that I'm willing to go along for a ride.
One other dissapointment - part of the buzz for the book was an early release in pdf format of the early chapters of the book - (the stuff that contains the best writing in the book). So why isn't there an electronic release of the book? I would have bought the book based on the advance chapters. Because it wasn't released electronically, I waited and borrowed the book from the library. Take note publishers, you lost a sale.
The strongest point is the characters - each of whom is more real and more memorable than your average sword & sorcery archetype. Everyone remembers & mentions the inquisitor, but the barbarian and the rake are equally well drawn. Mr. Abercrombie has the courage to write
Show More
characters whom you may not like, but with whom you may sympathize. The language is also quite strong; I wound up reading page sized segments aloud to my girlfriend so she could share my delight in the wit. This is strongest in the beginning of the book when Mr. Abercrombie is sketching the outlines of the characters; once the plot starts rolling, there is less wit.
The weakest point of the book is the narrative drive. Sometimes scenes & interactions are drawn out further, and the book isn't always going somewhere. The journey is more important than the destination; I wish that the author would put a bit more emphasis on the destination and why the characters are going there. At the end of the first book, that information is held only by one of the protagonist characters, and I'm afraid of the "Harry Potter Problem" (Books in which the plot relies on one character concealing information from others - information that if revealed would enable a quick resolution of the problem.) But in the end, Mr. Abercrombie's characters are interesting enough that I'm willing to go along for a ride.
One other dissapointment - part of the buzz for the book was an early release in pdf format of the early chapters of the book - (the stuff that contains the best writing in the book). So why isn't there an electronic release of the book? I would have bought the book based on the advance chapters. Because it wasn't released electronically, I waited and borrowed the book from the library. Take note publishers, you lost a sale.
Show Less
LibraryThing member inkyshines
The start of a new series that when I read it a couple of months ago I immediately sought out two and three, which I now have sitting at home waiting to be read. Excellent characterisation. Makes you feel sympathy for a torturer. Takes a while to introduce you to all the characters but one to
Show More
persevere with. Show Less
LibraryThing member King_Bonez_Xx
It was pretty hard to ignore THE BLADE ITSELF and the hype around this title, but I was still hesitant to start reading it. I picked it up, glanced at the title, thinking it was about a magic sword, and would put it back down. Then, one rainy Saturday afternoon, I finally decided to just give it a
The book is filled with all you could want: great characters; fresh plot; excellent language; and, thankfully, a good amount of humor. I found myself laughing out loud several times during the reading of this book, but when the gears shifted and it became serious, it didn’t feel stressed or odd.
As with my favorite books, it seems, clearly synopsizing this book is very difficult. For the most part, it’s about a bunch of people living awesome lives. This is their awesome story, written in an awesome manner. ’Nuff said.
Pacing is a big deal in books, especially the epic-fantasy-first-book-in-a-trilogy-telephone-book-sized-novel type. Luckily, Joe Abercrombie doesn’t bog us down with useless infodumps or lengthy descriptions of clothes. And yet, the world feels very real, along with its inhabitants.
Some of the things that people may not like in this book are the violence, language, and lack of a clear, A-to-Z plot. These weren’t problems at all for me, but some readers may be turned off by this.
THE BLADE ITSELF is the start to a trilogy that’ll hopefully follow suit, and is a nonstop thrill ride. Highly recommended.
Show More
shot, and was done Sunday night.The book is filled with all you could want: great characters; fresh plot; excellent language; and, thankfully, a good amount of humor. I found myself laughing out loud several times during the reading of this book, but when the gears shifted and it became serious, it didn’t feel stressed or odd.
As with my favorite books, it seems, clearly synopsizing this book is very difficult. For the most part, it’s about a bunch of people living awesome lives. This is their awesome story, written in an awesome manner. ’Nuff said.
Pacing is a big deal in books, especially the epic-fantasy-first-book-in-a-trilogy-telephone-book-sized-novel type. Luckily, Joe Abercrombie doesn’t bog us down with useless infodumps or lengthy descriptions of clothes. And yet, the world feels very real, along with its inhabitants.
Some of the things that people may not like in this book are the violence, language, and lack of a clear, A-to-Z plot. These weren’t problems at all for me, but some readers may be turned off by this.
THE BLADE ITSELF is the start to a trilogy that’ll hopefully follow suit, and is a nonstop thrill ride. Highly recommended.
Show Less
LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
It's a book that's sometimes hard to read due to the torture scenes but I really did like the cynical and older Logen Ninefingers. A man who has been working at being a mercenary so long that he really doesn't make friends, he just goes through the motions.
Jezal dan Luthar wants nothing more than
Inquisitor Glokta used to be a great fencer he's now a torturer, having learned lessons about torture from the men who tortured him. He's trying to find out who is plotting against the government, a trail that's very involved and very strange.
It's interesting but I felt that sometimes it was trying a bit too hard to be clever. The characters were well drawn and felt realistic.
Jezal dan Luthar wants nothing more than
Show More
to be a famous fencer but he has to deal with battlefield and it's a place that doesn't really have the same rules.Inquisitor Glokta used to be a great fencer he's now a torturer, having learned lessons about torture from the men who tortured him. He's trying to find out who is plotting against the government, a trail that's very involved and very strange.
It's interesting but I felt that sometimes it was trying a bit too hard to be clever. The characters were well drawn and felt realistic.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Caragen87
This one is not easily categorized. It is fantasy-- but it reads like a historical novel about a different world. It's about war and politics and Inquisition. Magic and power happens in little side threads. SO it's not because of the occasional Zap-Boom-Pow, that you will read this series-- it's
Unloveable, Unpleasant, Ugly, Ill-used and Vengeful. He is still the most Principled of all the players in this saga. You will be amazed at how deeply you will care how this ugly, unpleasant husk of a man picks his way between Kings, Nobles, Warriors and Mages as the world changes around him.
Show More
about the Inquisitor: Glokta. Unloveable, Unpleasant, Ugly, Ill-used and Vengeful. He is still the most Principled of all the players in this saga. You will be amazed at how deeply you will care how this ugly, unpleasant husk of a man picks his way between Kings, Nobles, Warriors and Mages as the world changes around him.
Show Less
Subjects
Awards
Compton Crook Award (Nominee — 2008)
Locus Recommended Reading (First Novel — 2006)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2006-05-04
Physical description
536 p.; 6 inches
ISBN
159102594X / 9781591025948