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Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
British newcomer Abercrombie fills his muddled sword-and-sorcery series opener with black humor and reluctant heroes. Logen Ninefingers, a barbarian on the run from an ex-employer who's now king of the North, finds his loyalties complicated when he switches sides and becomes a valuable source of intel to the beleaguered Union. Glokta, a torture victim turned torturer, gets roped into securing the Union's position against both the invading Northmen and the incompetent Union king and council, and ruthlessly wields his skills in attempts to weed out traitors. Foppish Jezal, a preternaturally excellent swordsman, manages to win the contest to become the Union champion, thanks to a little help from Bayaz, a mage with his own agenda. The workmanlike plot, marred by repetitive writing and an excess of torture and pain, is given over to introducing the mostly unlikable characters, only to send them off on separate paths in preparation for the next volume's adventures. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Review
I might not end up marrying this book, but I'm certainly infatuated with it right at the moment. It's delicious, the characters sharply drawn and their motivations believable, the clash of cultures (always particularly difficult for an author to pull off) believable as well. -- Lilith Saintcrow There is a gritty edge to his world and an awareness of the human cost of violence that is very contemporary -- The Times Delightfully twisted and evil -- The Guardian The Blade Itself is a page-turner powered by a combination of fast-paced action and juicy doses of cynicism. Perhaps more remarkable, however, is the way Abercrombie sets the scene -- Edge Magazine There's a fat vein of cynicism and dark humour throughout. The action scenes are fast-paced and the violence takes its toll both mentally and physically. A great start to a long journey' -- Dreamwatch You'd never guess that The Blade Itself is Joe Abercrombie's debut novel. He writes like a natural. There are great characters, sparky dialogue, an action-packed plot, and from the very first words and an opening scene that is literally a cliff-hanger, you know you are in for a cheeky, vivid, exhilarating ride -- Starburst An admirably hard, fast and unpretentious read from debut author Joe Abercrombie. Packs a mean punch in the bloodthirsty mayhem and mystery departments. Crammed full of torture, vengeance and bad behaviour, it's a lively tale of savagery vs. civilisation. The Blade Itself may not reinvent the wheel, but it does serve up a whole banquet of violent action and intrigue' -- Sfx The star of the show is doubtlessly Inquisitor Glotka for simply being one of the most wonderfully bitter and cynical characters I've come across. With a very funny and clever internal monologue going on during every conversation he has, Glotka's as miserable and nasty at the end as he was to start with and, especially in a heroic fantasy novel, it works perfectly -- Sf Crowsnest
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very good debut,
By
This review is from: Blade Itself (First Law 1) (Hardcover)
Joe Abercrombie's debut is making some noise all over the internet. Understandably, little more was needed to pique my curiosity! I wish to thank Joe for sending me signed copies of both The Blade Itself and Before They Are Hanged when I could not get through with his publicist.The Blade Itself is a throwback to what used to dominate the genre during the 80s before doorstopper fantasy epics took over. As such, it is reminiscent of David Eddings and Raymond E. Feist in their heydays. What does that mean, exactly? Well, The Blade Itself is a character-driven tale that is not comprised of countless storylines. The First Law is a trilogy, so the author has no choice but to keep this story under tight rein. There is also a certain sense of adventure throughout, something that was popularized by the sword and sorcery sub-genre during the 80s. There is a lot to like about Joe Abercrombie's debut. As a throwback fantasy novel, I found it refreshing. It's nice to see the" a The Blade Itself will please some fans, it will fall short with other readers. As he stated in a recent interview, Joe Abercrombie doesn't attach that much importance to worldbuilding. He prefers to let the readers discover his universe and its inhabitants through the eyes of his characters. Don't expect a level of details similiar to what you'd find in a Jordan, Erikson, Martin, or Bakker book. Still, the author provides enough background info to keep things interesting. Characters always make or break a book/series. And nowhere is it more evident than in a self-described character-driven novel. The characterizations found in The Blade Itself are at times very good, but some also leave a little to be desired. Characters like Inquisitor Gokta and Logen Ninefingers are well-done, and they literally carry this tale on their shoulders. Others, like Bayaz and Jezal dan Luthar, are clichéd and somewhat of caricatures. A few are barely introduced, like Ferro and Yulwei, yet are intriguing. One of this book's main facet -- and this is where it might alienate some readers -- is how humorous in tone the story is told. À la David Eddings, the narrative is always written in droll style, making it all but impossible to reach the emotional impact necessary to create powerful scenes. Very similar to J. V. Jones' The Book of Words trilogy and, to a lesser extent, to Brandon Sanderson's Elantris. As I said, I found this approach refreshing. But it's obvious that some readers will be put off by this. Don't let the beginning fool you. As you read on, you realize that, beyond that humorous tone, there is a lot more depth to those plotlines than meets the eye. As a very accessible novel that can potentially please many disparate fantasy fans, I'm persuaded that The Blade Itself will be a success. Much like Sanderson's Elantris was last year. And with Pyr set to release it in North America in 2007, Abercrombie's debut will get an even bigger readership. The author will probably never win any awards. In all likelihood he'll never be held in high esteem by aficionados. What he'll do, however, is sell books. What we have here is another bright new voice in the fantasy genre. And there can never be too many of those! The Blade Itself is a solid debut. I'm curious to see where Abercrombie will be taking this story in the sequel. . . [...]
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sick, twisted, and utterly brilliant!,
By
This review is from: The Blade Itself (The First Law: Book One) (Paperback)
Before I start, this book not for everyone. Fans of books from GRR Martin will absolutely love this one. However, people who much rather prefer reading classical fantasy consisting of elves, wizards and orcs will not find that here. Sure there are wizards, but not in any way similar to Dumbledore.When reading this, there was so much from it that came from the Song from Ice and Fire series. But Abercrombie developped his own style and it is distinct from many other authors. His prose is short and to the point which makes for a very easy read, and I use that term loosely because the story is quite heavy. The three characters are well thought out and heroes in different ways. Great job for the first installment of the series.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A fresh look at an old genre,
By
This review is from: Blade Itself (First Law 1) (Hardcover)
Fabulous book.The fantasy genre is glutted with tons and tons of the "same ol' same ol'". That is why it is so refreshing to come across a unique voice with a new slant on things. This book is filled with dark humour, unique characters and was a thoroughly enjoyable read. It is the kind of book that makes you take note of the author and keeps your eyes open for more of their writing. I am a big fan of characters and characterization, and there are plenty of those here. In particular the inquisitor Sand dan Glokta and the barbarian Logen Ninefingers ("the Bloody Nine") are delightful, and there are lots more greats in addition to those two. The barbarian archetype has always been one of my faves, and Logen is fantastic. Imagine a barbarian who's really quite sick of being one. Logen Ninefingers and Naiur ur Skiotha fromt the 'Prince of Nothing' series are two of my top recent additions to 'barbarian lore'. In any case, this book is well worth your time if you enjoy the genre and would like to read something a little different and fresh.
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