lo_the_wren 's review for:

The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie

4.0

adventurous funny medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Alright, so I went into this book with SUPER high expectations. In a nutshell, this is a boy book. It’s gritty, it’s smelly, it’s testosterone-fueled. Gratuitous gore and violence. Classic DND-esque adventure tale turned on its head by being character-driven. Buckle up! 

Characters 10/10: This book is ALL about the characters! It’s a really unique book. We have: 

·       The Barbarian, Logen 

·       The Torturer/Cripple, Glokta 

·       The Mage, Bayaz 

·       The Fighter, Jezal 

·       The Assassin, Ferro 

·       The Scribe/Apprentice, Malacus 

·       The Hot Girl, Ardee

I’m giving the character section perfect marks because it’s really hard to execute a third person book where you are CONSTANTLY in different characters’ heads. Somehow, it worked. This was incredibly well done, reminiscent of Sanderson, but the characters are much more approachable and believable. 
 
 

Atmosphere 6/10: Everything is dirty, rough, hard, and most things are miserable, whether its camping with no food and almost dying at every turn, to constantly being rained on, or baking alive in a desert. There’s a lot of exposure to the elements. I really felt like I was along for the ride, for better or worse. If there were in the rain, I wanted a blanket and a cup of tea. Logen was hungry and starving? It’s time for a snack… oh are we suddenly going through a treacherous desert? Better grab my water bottle. 

Writing 10/10: Super interesting writing style! I love third person!! I like how casual and banter-y Abercrombie is with the reader – it’s so fun. Excellent character writing!!! I don’t know how someone can make essentially nothing happening over the span of a whole book so vibrant. Kudos to Abercrombie!! 

 

Plot 5/10: This is basically the classic “how does your adventuring party meet” but played out over an entire novel. As my friend said, this is NOT meant to be a stand-alone book. It just sets the stage for the rest of the series. The plot is “a bunch of people who will eventually be companions on a journey travel to a big city, encountering danger and adventure along the way. Meanwhile the world has a looming threat of war and invasion from scary undead things (??)” 

Intrigue 9/10 : What is with the House of the Maker??? They spend a long time walking around in it and it’s SUPER CREEPY and I was on edge the whole time and still nothing happened. And I definitely have some burning questions about the ashanka/flatheads (orc things) and the undead people who are really dangerous. 

Logic/Relationships 6/10: Abercrombie did a great job with the logic. Everything made sense; no critiques there. Relationships were tricky because we are still so early on in the series, but I bet it will get stronger over time. I liked the dynamic between Logen and Bayaz and Logen and Malacus. Jezal was the worst character but somehow I still enjoyed reading his storyline with Ardee. 

 

Enjoyment 9/10: It took a little while to get into it, but once I did, I really enjoyed this book. I didn’t enjoy the constant grit/smelliness/suffering, but I have to give it to Abercrombie for still writing a really interesting character-driven story. I loved being able to experience the POV of multiple characters. This book taught me how much I enjoy varied character writing. I love how wildly different each character is. I definitely want to read the next books in the series! Perfect summer romp.