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A review by bookbelle5_17
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
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: Body horror, Gore, Misogyny, and Classism
Moderate: Domestic abuse