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The Blade Itself: The First Law: Book One: Book One of The First Law (Gollancz S.F.)
 
 

The Blade Itself: The First Law: Book One: Book One of The First Law (Gollancz S.F.) (Paperback)

by Joe Abercrombie (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (112 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 432 pages
  • Publisher: Gollancz (4 May 2006)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0575077867
  • ISBN-13: 978-0575077867
  • Product Dimensions: 22.8 x 15.4 x 3.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (112 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 364,625 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Product Description

EDGE Magazine

"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."

Review

"There is a gritty edge to his world and an awareness of the human cost of violence that is very contemporary." (Lisa Tuttle THE TIMES )

"Comes close to living up to its publishers hype." (Jon Courtenay Grimwood 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 )

"The Blade Itself is therefore an extremely impressive debut, the first in a series subtitled The First Law, and in Joe Abercrombie it brings us a writer who oozes promise. This is surely a novel as sharp as its title." (John Berlyne SF REVU )

"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." (Barbara Davies 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." (Saxon Bullock SFX )

"The Blade Itself is in many respects another reprisal of the classic formula. It will be fascinating to see where Abercrombie take his plot and how he develops these characters." (Roz Kaveney TIME OUT )

"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 )

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Customer Reviews

112 Reviews
5 star:
 (68)
4 star:
 (27)
3 star:
 (9)
2 star:
 (5)
1 star:
 (3)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (112 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
101 of 107 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent debut novel., 3 Sep 2007
By A. Whitehead "Werthead" (Colchester, Essex United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
At first glance The Blade Itself is pretty old-school: it's book one of a trilogy (entitled The First Law; the second volume, Before They Are Hanged, is out now, to be followed by The Last Argument of Kings in March 2008), it features an old wizard mentor character and a barbarian hero as well as an untried youth, a feisty young woman and an army of nasty barbarians on the march in the north, whilst a resurgent desert empire threatens our heroes' homeland - the Midderland Union - from the south. There's also the threat of a non-human species gathering its forces beyond the northern-most reach of humankind's lands (isn't there always?).

Yet Abercrombie invests these storylines with vigour and energy. None of our heroes are quite what they first appear to be and the author expertly deconstructs them throughout the book, revealing their true motivations when you last expect it. Abercrombie is also a dab hand are writing excellent battle scenes and swordfights. There is also a hint of otherwordly alieness in this book, such as the scenes set in the House of the Maker which are quite memorable. The only major complaint I had about the book is the lack of a map. Most fantasy novels with a map don't really need them, but with military campaigns getting underway it would be nice to tell exactly where Adua is in relation to the Northlands, and where both are in relation to Dagoska, for example. But this is a minor complaint at best.

By the end of the book the pace has been ramped up to a compelling level, as our heroes depart in different directions to face their various destinies and full-scale war seems about to erupt on all sides. The Blade Itself is a tremendously enjoyable novel and I count myself fortunate to have read it late enough in the day to only have a brief wait for the second book.
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41 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars An absolute must-read!, 18 Mar 2007
By Ms. L. M. Green (Kent, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I admit it - I bought this book purely because I liked the cover. It's a bad habit I have, and it doesn't often pay off, but this time it really, truely did. I was stunned to discover I'd just bought one of the finest fantasy novels I've read to date. Abercrombie's prose is deceptively simplistic, but under the surface is an elegance of style that makes it not only easy to read, but pure fun as well.

The Blade Itself boasts the most interesting cast of characters I have come across in a long time. Despite fitting into familiar stereotypes, Logen Ninefingers, Bayaz, and Luthar are still fascinating and fun, but it's inquisitor Sand dan Glokta who really steals the show with his dry cynicism and refreshing honesty. Some of his chapters are startlingly grusome, but I challenge anyone to put the book down in the middle of a hair-raising torture scene. The secondary characters - including Major West and his sister, and Logen's band of barbarians - all have their own stories and voices that make for an addictive tale of swords, sourcery and cynicism.

I'm giving The Blade Itself four stars because, despite its brilliance, it only tells a fraction of the story, and it is impossible to judge the entire saga from the first installment. I look forward to finishing Before They Are Hanged, but I've no idea how I'll wait another year to find out what happens next!
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37 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A gripping story with brilliantly developed characters, 23 July 2007
By Ms. S. Sage (bridgend, mid glam Wales) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
As an avid fantasy reader I am sick to death with some same old fantasy novels that all seem to go down the same line, however this book is different. The characters are some of the best developed in fantasy They are not 2 dimensional like a lot of books that I have read and there is not one character that is the normal hero of fantasy. Every character is deeply flawed in one way or another given them depth and making them appear real. In most fantasy bookS the plot depends on good vs. evil, however in this book the boundaries between these are blurred, there are things you hate about every character but there are also things you love about them. This again moves from the norm of fantasy books. Its hilariously funny at times and at others cruel and cynical. It's nice to read something new and refreshing, so I recommend this to anyone who is bored with the same old stories and anyone else who likes a good book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Pulp Fantasy
Having just ploughed through, and greatly enjoyed, Steven Erikson's epic series The 'Malazan Book of the Fallen', up to 'Toll the Hounds' (and being too mean to continue by... Read more
Published 25 days ago by Mark Christopher Jones

4.0 out of 5 stars The thinking reader's barbarian...
...that's how Joe Abercrombie describes Logen Ninefingers, one of the central characters to this first book in 'The First Law' series and I'm inclined to agree. Read more
Published 1 month ago by MsPolitix

5.0 out of 5 stars Late to the party but I'm glad I came
Joe Abercrombie has a couple of books in publication by now and as my title suggests it's taken me a bit of time to get around to reading this debut. Read more
Published 2 months ago by D. Malcolm

5.0 out of 5 stars More, please.
It's taken me ages to read this book - not in any way due to the content or way in which it is written, purely down to time and my availability. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Darck

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing characters
AHH I loved this book so much! I ended up absolutely falling for the characters...Logen is my favourite. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Squelsh

4.0 out of 5 stars Book with a Difference
This is the first in a trilogy of books. I found that the author wrote a book with some very interesting characters, none of whom are your average everday heroes. Read more
Published 3 months ago by A. M. Horton

5.0 out of 5 stars The Blade Itself
Brilliant book, have read all three and have just begun the 4th. Have thoroughly enjoyed all of them, characters are personable, feasible and the book is beautifully and... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Lucky Girl

5.0 out of 5 stars Soap opera fantasy... Fantastic!


'Say one thing... Say this book is not for the squeamish!'

The book had a very british feel to it, partly because everyone is full of self doubt and... Read more
Published 4 months ago by T. B. Conroy-stocker

5.0 out of 5 stars Gritty, Touching, well written and a real page turner.
Most discerning writers who read this genre (In my humble opinion) seem jaded and rather despairing of modern fantasy. It always seems its been done before. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Damon Doyle

4.0 out of 5 stars Dark and gritty fantasy
I've heard amazing things about the First Law trilogy. It's dark and gritty and there is very little magic in the world; what's left is fading. Read more
Published 4 months ago by M. K. Burton

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