The Blade Itself pdf Book Summary by Joe Abercrombie
The Blade Itself pdf Book is a fantasy novel by the British author Joe Abercrombie. The blade itself is the first book in the The First Law series. The First Law is the title of the original trilogy in the series, but is also used to refer to the series as a whole.
The full series consists of a trilogy, three stand-alone novels, a number of short stories, and a second trilogy, titled The Age of Madness, of which the third book was published in September 2021.
The title of the first book “The Blade Itself” is taken from a quote by Homer in The Odyssey: “The blade itself incites to deeds of violence.”
The Blade Itself pdf book introduces the three main characters of the trilogy and three secondary ones. Logen Ninefingers is a warrior who earned a fearsome reputation helping bring Bethod to power in the North, but has since fallen out with him. Logen and his small crew of friends flee after being attacked by Shanka creatures. Logen is separated from his crew, and sets off on his own path. He meets Bayaz, a powerful centuries-old Magus, who enlists Logen’s help in accompanying him to Adua. Sand dan Glokta leads an Inquisition investigation into a bribery case, which leads to him uncovering a wider corruption among the merchants. His superiors divert him into investigating Bayaz. Jezal, a vain young nobleman who has become a Union army officer due to his connections, trains for a prestigious swordfighting tournament. He falls in love with Ardee, the sister of his superior Collem, and wins the tournament with help from Bayaz. At a celebration banquet, Bayaz is challenged to prove who he is by entering the House of the Maker. The main characters of the book converge in accompanying Bayaz into the building. Bayaz retrieves an artifact and announces his plan to retrieve the Seed, a powerful magical artifact that can help him take on Khalul and the Gurkish Empire. The book also follows the journey of Logen’s companions, led by Dogman, to warn Bethod about the Shanka, and Ferro, an escaped Gurkish slave who travels with another Magus to find Bayaz.
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The Blade itself Author, (The First Law Trilogy, 1) – Joe Abercrombie
Joe Abercrombie the author of the blade itself pdf book was educated at Lancaster Royal Grammar School and Manchester University, where he studied psychology. He moved into television production before taking up a career as a freelance film editor. During a break between jobs he began writing The Blade Itself in 2002, completing it in 2004. It was published by Gollancz in 2006 and was followed by two other books in The First Law trilogy, Before They Are Hanged and Last Argument of Kings. He currently lives and works in London with his wife and daughter. In early 2008 Joe Abercrombie was one of the contributors to the BBC Worlds of Fantasy series, alongside other contributors such as Michael Moorcock, Terry Pratchett and China Mieville.
The Blade itself pdf Book Information
- Publisher : Orbit; Reprint edition (September 8, 2015)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 560 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0316387312
- ISBN-13 : 978-0316387316
- Item Weight : 1.25 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 1.5 x 9.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #19,867 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #139 in Military Fantasy (Books)
- #425 in Historical Fantasy (Books)
- #454 in War Fiction (Books)
- Customer Reviews: 4.5 out of 5 stars 6,823 ratings
The Blade Itself pdf Book Reviews
Editorial Reviews
“Bloody and relentless.”―George R. R. Martin on Best Served Cold
“Bold and authentically original.”―Jeff VanderMeer
“Abercrombie has written the finest epic fantasy trilogy in recent memory. He’s one writer that no one should miss.”―Junot Diaz
“If you’re fond of bloodless, turgid fantasy with characters as thin as newspaper and as boring as plaster saints, Joe Abercrombie is really going to ruin your day. A long career for this guy would be a gift to our genre.”―Scott Lynch, author of The Lies of Locke Lamora
“Compelling characters, a complex plot, and style to burn.”―Strange Horizons
“Pointed, driven, and sharp.”―Locus on Red Country
“Magnificent, richly entertaining”―Time on The Heroes
“There is a gritty edge to his world and an awareness of the human cost of violence that is very contemporary.”―The Times
“Imagine The Lord of the Rings as directed by Kurosawa.”―Lev Grossman, Wall Street Journal on The Heroes
“[Abercrombie has] begun breaking his own rules. And succeeding wildly at it. … [R]arely has Abercrombie had so much fun while rollicking through his colorful cast’s foibles and witty dialogue – and rarely has he dished out so much straight-for-the-heart poignancy.”―The A.V. Club
“New, fresh, and exciting.”―The Independent (UK)
“Exhilarating… Abercrombie’s knack for wit and grit holds your attention throughout, and his eye for character means that there’s heart as well as muscle.”―SFX (UK)
“Abercrombie writes fantasy like no one else.”―Guardian (UK)
“Heroic fantasy without conventional heroes . . . Full of cynicism and wit.”―RT Book Reviews
Reviews from Amazon Verified Buyers
5.0 out of 5 stars Think George RR Martin with a bit more humor and the barest hint of hope
Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2016
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There’s little way to read The Blade Itself pdf book and not think of Game of Thrones. I hate to say that, but it’s true. Abercrombie’s rich fantasy world owes a lot of debt to Martin’s. After all, both series are ones in which magic is largely pushed to the background and minimized; both focus on anti-heroes (at best) and misfits; both juxtapose court intrigues and political scheming against much larger threats that could unravel the world as the characters know it. But more than anything else, there’s the sense of cynicism towards the genre that underlies both series. These are worlds in which traditional heroism barely matters, where old school honor and chivalry are a way to death – if you’re lucky.
And yet, to rely too heavily on that comparison is to miss out on all the ways in which The Blade Itself absolutely soars and stands on its own two feet. Over the course of this first novel of The First Law trilogy, Abercrombie sets up a fascinating world, but more than that, he dives deeply into their psyches, giving us a sense of these broken people. Our three main characters – Logen Ninefingers, Sand dan Glokta, Jezal dan Luthar – Abercrombie brings them to rich, detailed life, letting us see their scars, their psychic baggage, their complex motivations. But more than that, rather than embracing the nihilism and selfishness of the men, Abercrombie pushes them farther than that, finding an inner core of decency. It may be small, it may be only a piece of their cruelty or motivations, but it’s there. And that alone makes The First Law stand apart from Martin’s bleak, hopeless world where nothing – and no one – good can last.
More than that, though, Abercrombie brings a sometimes dry, sometimes dark, but sometimes genuinely funny sense of humor to the story, allowing his characters to be more than just another grim, broken-down soul. That’s maybe most true of Bayaz, the wizard figure around whom much of the book orbits. Bayaz is no one’s idea of a typical wizard, and that jarring inability to fit expectations pays off wonderfully again and again in the book, as Bayaz demonstrates both his ability and his willingness to use them as he sees fit. In other words, it’s all of Martin’s knack for turning the genre on its head, but done with a little more heart, a bit more humor, and every bit the imagination and talent.
If there’s a knock on The Blade Itself pdf book, it’s the sense that it’s an intentionally shapeless story at times, one where the lack of predictability makes it hard to make sense of at times. Is this the story of an impending war between the nations? Are the Flatheads a sort of White Walker analog – a monstrous “other” that lurks nearby? How does Ferro and her story tie in with everything going on around Adua? It’s hard to tell until near the end of the book, and even then, it’s a bit hard to get a sense of the bigger picture and how this will come together. But given how engaging, deep, and complex the characters are, how fascinating the world is, and how deep and layered the story is, I’m okay with that. I’m on board to see how this all fits together, and to see what else Abercrombie has going
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read
Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2017
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I’m a suspicious reader, when I see good reviews on a Sci-Fi or Fantasy book I never quite trust them. I’m always wondering if the book is going to be juvenile, poorly written, or shallow. I came off a Game of Thrones/Hyperion bender and wanted another fix, but couldn’t decide what was worth getting. I finally decided to trust all the reviews on this book (found it on a few “top fantasy books” posts on Reddit…which I also didn’t really trust) and give it a shot. It is excellent!
The storytelling seems to me to be a mix of Robert Jordan, David Farland, and maybe a touch of George RR Martin (although that could be because I just read a bunch of his books before this). Don’t get me wrong, the storytelling is original and the author has his own voice. Just trying to give you a sense of what to expect. The story is well written and very much a page-turner.
If you’re like me you probably won’t trust this review, but hopefully you’ll give it a read anyway because it’s definitely worth it.
Bryan DesmondTop Contributor: Dragon Ball Z (TV Show)
5.0 out of 5 stars The writing is sharp, the dialogue flows, the world is detailed and easily imagined, and the characters are phenomenal.
Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2017
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It’s funny. I have started reading this book four times, and only finished it once. I couldn’t tell you why I stopped those first three times. The ingredients were all there, I just wasn’t hungry. Now, reading it for the fourth time, spending nearly all my free time doing so and finishing up in six days, well I just can’t see why the hell I stopped in the first place.
The Blade Itself is an immensely promising start to a trilogy that I have decide to read straight through without breaking for other books (something I’ve shied away from doing in the past year or so). The writing is sharp, the dialogue flows, the world is detailed and easily imagined, but what really sets this book apart for me is the characters. Abercrombie writes some damn good characters. Interesting and dynamic, even characters that I was sure I liked, my opinion of them could be turned completely around with one action, one thought. That makes for a fun reading experience, keeps you on your toes.
As fun and fast-paced as The Blade Itself pdf book was at times, I still have the feeling that it was largely set-up for what is to come in this trilogy. I purchased Before They Are Hanged immediately upon finishing last night, and I’m excited to see where it takes me.
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