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bookbelle5_17's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Review of First Law: The Blade Itself
By: Joe Abercrombie
I’m new to Grim Dark fantasy and I loved this one. There are two sides, Northerners and Southerners, who are war with each other the once the new king Bethod has inherited the throne from his father. We have a handful of main characters who are brought together by the first Magi Bayaz and he has plans for these people who has brought together. Logen “Ninefingers’ is known as the “Bloody Nine” and is trying to run from his violent past, but it’s about to catch up to him. Jezal dan Luthar is arrogant and selfish made a captain in the army just because of his status. He desires glory and accolades, but will his ego be enough for him to be a good soldier. Glokta, the inquisitor can only find pleasure in doing the dirty of government, rooting out traitors, but his faith in his work is shaken and he starts question things.
The threat of war is a shadow looming over the characters as they go about with their lives. A slow building of tension happens throughout the novel though the characters are unaware and just want to meet their personal goals. The hatred between the Northerners and Southerners provides a look at prejudice. Both go by their narrow-minded beliefs The narrative spends most of the time having the reader learn about the main. We go back and forth between Logen, Jezal, and Glokta seeing how each think and what they’re experiencing. I enjoyed Glokta and Logen’s parts the best, especially since it is hard being in the head of Jezal. He is just such an ass believing he is so much better than everyone else. Glokta follows orders, but what he thinks is the opposite. He’s sarcastic and mocking of everyone but keeps to himself. I’m curious as to what lead to him getting to him losing all his teeth and why his leg was injured. The writing is blunt and doesn’t shy away from the gory details. It is very graphic with Glokta’s torture scenes and the fencing scenes with Jezal. Even though, I didn’t like being in Jezal’s head the fencing scenes were cool. Bayaz creates an intriguing dynamic, because I feel like you don’t know if he has good intentions. I don’t know if I trust him, but he’s charming. He’s also a character that you can sense is dangerous.
By: Joe Abercrombie
I’m new to Grim Dark fantasy and I loved this one. There are two sides, Northerners and Southerners, who are war with each other the once the new king Bethod has inherited the throne from his father. We have a handful of main characters who are brought together by the first Magi Bayaz and he has plans for these people who has brought together. Logen “Ninefingers’ is known as the “Bloody Nine” and is trying to run from his violent past, but it’s about to catch up to him. Jezal dan Luthar is arrogant and selfish made a captain in the army just because of his status. He desires glory and accolades, but will his ego be enough for him to be a good soldier. Glokta, the inquisitor can only find pleasure in doing the dirty of government, rooting out traitors, but his faith in his work is shaken and he starts question things.
The threat of war is a shadow looming over the characters as they go about with their lives. A slow building of tension happens throughout the novel though the characters are unaware and just want to meet their personal goals. The hatred between the Northerners and Southerners provides a look at prejudice. Both go by their narrow-minded beliefs The narrative spends most of the time having the reader learn about the main. We go back and forth between Logen, Jezal, and Glokta seeing how each think and what they’re experiencing. I enjoyed Glokta and Logen’s parts the best, especially since it is hard being in the head of Jezal. He is just such an ass believing he is so much better than everyone else. Glokta follows orders, but what he thinks is the opposite. He’s sarcastic and mocking of everyone but keeps to himself. I’m curious as to what lead to him getting to him losing all his teeth and why his leg was injured. The writing is blunt and doesn’t shy away from the gory details. It is very graphic with Glokta’s torture scenes and the fencing scenes with Jezal. Even though, I didn’t like being in Jezal’s head the fencing scenes were cool. Bayaz creates an intriguing dynamic, because I feel like you don’t know if he has good intentions. I don’t know if I trust him, but he’s charming. He’s also a character that you can sense is dangerous.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Misogyny, Body horror, and Gore
Moderate: Domestic abuse
thebookishdesigner's review
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“History is littered with dead good men.”
The Blade Itself was my first taste of Lord Grimdark. Having seen The First Law cited as the series you need to read if you loved Game of Thrones I thought it was going to be one for me, and although in some ways it wasn’t what I was expecting I still really enjoyed it.
The plot of the book is full of intrigue and conspiracy. It’s defiantly a page turner. The only thing that I wanted more of from this book was the violence. There was some grim fighting, but most of the sword play was fencing so there was little risk involved in these scenes. I was really in the mood for something with a lot of fighting, a lot war, and a lot of blood. Whilst I think it will be delivered in the next books it was missing here. Chapter 42 - The Bloody Nine, was an absolute standout in this book and was exactly what I was hoping for in this regard.
As good as the plot was it’s characters that make this book. Even the characters who you’re meant to dislike, you can’t help loving because of how well written every single one of them is. Logen and Glokta in particular are some of the best characters I’ve been introduced to in a very long time.
It it worth nothing that while I read this I also listened to the audiobook narrated by Steven Pacey. What a fantastic job he did! Pacey really brought the characters to life, I don’t think they could have picked a more perfect narrator for this series. As I continue on I will defiantly be listening to the audio as I read the physical edition too.
The Blade Itself was my first taste of Lord Grimdark. Having seen The First Law cited as the series you need to read if you loved Game of Thrones I thought it was going to be one for me, and although in some ways it wasn’t what I was expecting I still really enjoyed it.
The plot of the book is full of intrigue and conspiracy. It’s defiantly a page turner. The only thing that I wanted more of from this book was the violence. There was some grim fighting, but most of the sword play was fencing so there was little risk involved in these scenes. I was really in the mood for something with a lot of fighting, a lot war, and a lot of blood. Whilst I think it will be delivered in the next books it was missing here. Chapter 42 - The Bloody Nine, was an absolute standout in this book and was exactly what I was hoping for in this regard.
As good as the plot was it’s characters that make this book. Even the characters who you’re meant to dislike, you can’t help loving because of how well written every single one of them is. Logen and Glokta in particular are some of the best characters I’ve been introduced to in a very long time.
It it worth nothing that while I read this I also listened to the audiobook narrated by Steven Pacey. What a fantastic job he did! Pacey really brought the characters to life, I don’t think they could have picked a more perfect narrator for this series. As I continue on I will defiantly be listening to the audio as I read the physical edition too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Torture, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Sexism, Physical abuse, Misogyny, and Classism
Minor: Slavery and War
13octopus's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and War
Moderate: Ableism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexism, Torture, and Xenophobia
Minor: Cannibalism, Death of parent, Excrement, Infidelity, Rape, and Trafficking
tinyelfarcanist's review
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I found myself oddly engrossed by this book where nothing happens.
Well-developed characters kept me wanting to read, but for the most part I wasn't sure where the story was going. ("spoilers": Nowhere.)
The main POVs are by these characters:
Logen Ninefingers has just lost everything. He doesn't have time to mourn, just to survive.He didn't mourn even when he finally has some time to rest and it bothered me that his loss might just be a cheap tool.
Sand dan Glokta is a horrible human being. He has suffered enough to still inspire some sympathy.
Jezal dan Luthar is an arrogant and narcissist noble. His story was the one I found the most engaging.I guess I've got a soft-spot for assholes in love
It fails the Bechdel test as the only two (relevant) female characters never meet. One of them was my favorite and I can't wait to read more about her.
I loved and loved to hate the characters. This book is just the setting up of the world and characters, but I'm definitely invested in The First Law world.
The Blade Itself is, as the inquisitors would say:
'Excellent,' said Glokta brightly.
'Excellent,' said Severard.
'Etherer,' said Practical Frost.
Well-developed characters kept me wanting to read, but for the most part I wasn't sure where the story was going. ("spoilers": Nowhere.)
The main POVs are by these characters:
Logen Ninefingers has just lost everything. He doesn't have time to mourn, just to survive.
Sand dan Glokta is a horrible human being. He has suffered enough to still inspire some sympathy.
Jezal dan Luthar is an arrogant and narcissist noble. His story was the one I found the most engaging.
It fails the Bechdel test as the only two (relevant) female characters never meet. One of them was my favorite and I can't wait to read more about her.
I loved and loved to hate the characters. This book is just the setting up of the world and characters, but I'm definitely invested in The First Law world.
The Blade Itself is, as the inquisitors would say:
'Excellent,' said Glokta brightly.
'Excellent,' said Severard.
'Etherer,' said Practical Frost.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Gore, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Ableism, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, and Slavery
Minor: Cannibalism and Vomit
podanotherjessi's review
challenging
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This is not nearly as devoid of plot as so many claim, which is definitely a point in the book's favor. But it's still primarily character driven for the first 2/3 or more of the book, so when you don't really latch onto the characters, it's hard to be invested. There was really only one plot line that kept me interested, so until the rest of the stories started converging with that one, I was really uncertain how I felt. Now that I've finished, I know I liked it, but I'm not sure of much beyond that. I will definitely be continuing the series though because I am very curious to see where it all leads.
Characters: 8
Plot: 6
Setting: 7
General Appeal: 7
Writing Style: 9
Originality: 8
Ending: 7
Characters: 8
Plot: 6
Setting: 7
General Appeal: 7
Writing Style: 9
Originality: 8
Ending: 7
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Cannibalism
maiagaia's review
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
(There’s a tl;dr at the bottom of the review, if you are so inclined.)
“History is littered with dead, good men.”
Characters
As many before me have said, and as many after me will doubtless say as well, Joe Abercrombie’s handling of character in this book is flawless. Every character, from the biggest to the smallest, is as complex and well-wrought as other authors hope their main character might be.
The main characters are not loveable thieves or charismatic cads. They are murderers and torturers and painfully human. (Except for Jezal, who is an insufferable twit, but even he has flashes of being a real human with real emotions.) One character in particular, who will remain nameless for the sake of possible spoilers, lulled me into believing that I had found The One Truly Good Character, and that illusion was shattered in a terrible way.
World-building
Abercrombie’s world-building is a distant second to his characterization. He throws around country and city names, mythic and historical figures, and geographic information that I’m sure will become relevant in later books in the trilogy, but on a first read-through, they were mostly meaningless.
As for the uniqueness of the world, that is also a bust. This is another medieval Europe-inspired fantasy world with “Northmen” who live in tribes, love fighting and violence, and are viewed as savages by citizens of “The Union.” (Vikings, they’re Vikings.) There’s a country called “Angland,” for god’s sake.
As harsh as that might sound, I really didn’t mind it. It was clear to me within the first quarter of the book that this was going to be about the characters and little else. That doesn’t bother me, but it might bother other readers. I wasn’t thrilled by the world, but that’s not a deal-breaker for me. If you are looking for a unique or fleshed-out world, this is neither of those things.
Plot
This is setup for the rest of the trilogy, and as such, it’s a lot of getting characters where they need to be for the next book. While reading, I had someone ask me what the book was about, and I honestly couldn’t tell them because there is very little in the way of plot. If you are a reader who needs a cogent plot, this is probably not the book for you.
Writing Style
Abercrombie’s style is nothing to write home about. It is economical and to-the-point. It makes for a relatively quick read, considering the book taps out at 501 pages (in my edition). Despite that, I still found myself dog-earing and underlining quite a few lines and passages.
He doesn’t use simplicity as a cop-out. Rather, his style allows certain lines to pack even more of a punch because they stand out against the straight-forwardness of the prose. He uses this in a couple of ways.
Repetition is the first one I noticed. Each character has certain things, mantras almost, which they repeat to themselves. The first time you read these thoughts, they reveal something about the character. By the end of the book, those phrases were breaking my heart on sight. Of course, they are used judiciously, so don’t worry about them becoming TOO repetitive.
The other way Abercrombie utilizes his prose to its fullest extent is including only a few flowery descriptions. It makes those descriptions pack more of a punch because you’re not expecting a break from the more straight-foward style. The best example I can give is near the end of the book. Early in the chapter, an action is described as being “slow as the sun rising,” and then at the end of that chapter, which is very eventful, another action is described as being “slow as the light fading at sunset.” I’m not kidding when I say that brought tears to my eyes. The simplicity of his prose allowed me to find that connection, which in the context of the events of the chapter, ratcheted up my feelings and my investment in what happened. And all it took was a handful of extra words.
Another bonus: I have the sense of humor of a dry sponge, but Abercrombie was able to pull a few laughs from me, which is more than most authors can say.
Conclusion
All in all, this was a great read for me. I enjoyed it all the way through, and I can’t recommend it enough to anyone who is interested in grimdark character-driven fantasy. The closest (and most obvious) comparison I can make is to George RR Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire. If you liked one, I imagine you’ll like the other. Keep in mind that this is a grimdark series, so please tread carefully and take note of trigger warnings if you are at all concerned about that sort of thing.
“The sort of place that might make a man nervous, if he was prone to nervousness. He might imagine unpleasant things in these chambers, just beyond the lamplight, and horrible acts taking place in the darkness… But we are not prone to nervousness. Perhaps we are the unpleasant things. Perhaps the acts are ours.”
TL;DR
Character: Some of the best I’ve ever read. Full fleshed out. Morally gray in the truest sense of the term.
World-building: Unoriginal and sparse but functional. Not something that bothered me because the characters make up for it.
Plot: Very little going on. This is set-up for the rest of trilogy, so we mostly follow characters to where they will need to be for the second book. Once again, it didn't bother me because the characters carry it.
Writing style: Simple and straightforward but still packs a punch emotionally.
In short, a great read if you’re looking for more character-driven stories and don’t need a rigid magic system or wholly unique world. Warning: do not take the grimdark label lightly. I’ll include trigger warnings below. Be careful.
Reread #1: This is even stronger on a reread probably because it's not plot-focused. The characters I thought were suspicious by the end of my first read were even more suspicious this time around. The characters my heart broke for broke my heart again.
Reread #1: This is even stronger on a reread probably because it's not plot-focused. The characters I thought were suspicious by the end of my first read were even more suspicious this time around. The characters my heart broke for broke my heart again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Slavery, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, and Dementia
Minor: Misogyny, Rape, and Vomit
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