Book Review
Title: The Blade Itself (The First Law Book 1) by Joe Abercrombie
Genre: Dark, Fantasy
Rating: 5 Stars
This is my first Joe Abercrombie books and his books come highly recommended by many trusted reviewers so I couldn’t wait to jump into this new dark fantasy world. The first character we are introduced is Logen Ninefingers, an infamous barbarian who seems to be running for his life from a race called the Shanka abandoning his travelling companions and heading into the mountains with only his pack as that is the only safe place for him right now. We then switch to the perspective of Inquisitor Glokta, a man crippled after being a prisoner of war for two years, who now works obtaining confessions for the Inquisition. However, Glokta isn’t the good books of his superiors after bringing a particular man in for questioning but when he is faced with the Arch Lector he is given the job of arresting and obtaining a confession from the Master of the Mint for high treason and Glokta doesn’t have a good feeling about this job but does it anyway. I immediately liked Glokta as he was funny, insightful and more than a little self-deprecating which really endures you to him despite his profession and merciless nature. Logen is being tracked down by a Magus whose apprentice has come looking for him but the purpose of this is unknown and they first have to survive the harsh condition, low good supplies and bandits before they can worry about that. We are also introduced to Captain Jezal dan Luthar, who sole purpose in life seems to be pissing off the higher up officers. It seems Jezal has been entered into a competition and there is a lot of money on his opponent but the winner wins the favour of the King which Jezal wants but he doesn’t want to put the effort in to get it. We learn through him that his commanding officer, West has a connection to Glokta as they served in the war together and I can tell there is some bad blood there but West’s sister, Ardee seems almost sweet on Glokta which makes me think that there might have been something between them before Glokta was crippled but right now I don’t know that much.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, we to know these characters more as we progress through the first major part of the novel. There does seem to be tension building possibly towards a war with the North, which would be repeated the recent past as both Major West and Glokta served in the previous war against the North which the Union won but those in power seem to be down playing this. However, we see major players like the Magus preparing for this war as he sends an envoy to the King informing of his imminent return as he claimed he would do when he left and we know he is possibly bringing Logen with him. We also see Glokta is caught up in a possibly leak within the Inquisition as they go after some more key players within the Guilds to find them already dead, most likely the work of an assassin which means he now has to hunt down a professional assassin to confirm whether or not there is a leak from higher up in the Inquisition which might just be life threatening for him. We also get to see more of Jezal who is crushing hard on Ardee West but his preparation aren’t going well for the competition as his heart isn’t really in it but he wants to win for the rewards without really putting in the effort leading his coach to seek out Glokta who was an amazing swordsman in his prime to speak to him which Glokta has no intention of doing. So far, I am still pretty confused about what is supposed to be driving the plot as we are still only getting to know the characters at the moment but I am hoping that something a bit more substantial happens soon which I think it will as an envoy from the North has appeared basically threatening the King of the Union with destruction unless he can put forth a champion to fight his and win which would result in peace.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, I was hoping for something a little more action packed from this hyped series but I know with a lot of high fantasy especially dark fantasy there is a lot of world-building and character development that comes before the action so I was willing to wait for it. As we continue to follow these characters there seems to be something slowly together, we see Bayaz and Logen meeting with eh so-called King of the Northmen, Bethod as he is trying to recruit Bayaz but Bayaz is having none of it and Bethod reinforces the threats of war with the Union but no one believes that the Northmen will follow through and even if they do, no one believes that they would win because the Union have defeated the North before. However, through Glokta we can see that something is happening inside the Union as they are now investigating high ranking members of the Guilds and there connections with powerful people within the Union that might weaken its position should war come about. In between this we see Jezal who after speaking with Glokta and being severely insulted by Ardee decides to truly dedicate himself to fencing which might come in very handy if war does break out. We also learn that Logen’s band is still alive and well and heading south once more as they believe Logen died when he went over the cliff and he believes that they were killed by the Shanka. Through them we see that they believe that the Shanka will also be heading south which isn’t a good thing as these savages like to kill whatever they come across. Despite getting close to the halfway mark, it still feels like we are still being introduced to the world and characters but I have a feeling that it might change after we cross the halfway point in the novel.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, I realised I was right about the action picking up here. However, before it does we are introduced to two new characters which means to me that they are going to be important as so far Abercrombie has only introduced characters who are important to the story. The characters we are introduced to are Ferro Maljinn, an escaped slave and Yulwei, a Magus who has come to save her although we have no idea why yet. Back in the Union we see the trial of the traitors who Glokta has made confess as well as the fall of the Guild of Mercers. However, as they head to arrest the Head of the Guild they realise he is going to commit suicide but before he does he tells Glokta to look inside the Closed Council, The House of Questions, The University and the Banks for the real criminals which sparks something in Glokta as it is a mystery for him to solve. We also see Jezal developing in his fighting abilities but the person we are really focusing on is Major West who has learnt that war has begun in the North even if the people in power are choosing to remain ignorant of it as one of their defences has already fallen and the Northmen are running loose in Angland. West has been chosen because of his military experience and bravery to lead in the fight to come but I have a feeling that all the characters we have met so far are going to be dragged into these coming battles and honestly the one I am looking forward to seeing is Glokta and how he will overcome his disability as he was a famed swordsman and a respected solider in his prime with the rank of Colonel. Glokta also have the callousness and ruthlessness required in times of war and Logen also seems to have it although he is coming to hate this and has realised despite his desire to change his nature that he can’t as he always falls back into those old patterns as we see when Bethod sends men to hunt him and Bayaz down.
As we cross into the second half of the novel, we see Bayaz, Quai and Logen coming to Adua for the first time and Logen’s childlike wonder at seeing a place so different from the North was delightful and quite funny at the same time especially when he sees a fountain for the first time. During this time, we see that the knowledge of the war in the North is spreading although many still seem unconcerned with this knowledge but it does mean that Logen sticks out and not in a good way considering that he might play a key role in the war to come. We also get to see Glokta running the final words of the Mercer’s leader in his mind and seeing pieces come together that would fit what he is saying but Glokta is a curious person and when he wants to know something he will do just about anything to acquire that knowledge which I think is going to come into play soon. I have a feeling this might end up being a situation where there is a war going on outside Adua and a war going on within as well but I honestly have no idea what is going to come or how the characters are going to play into it. The tensions really begin to rise as Bayaz is being considered a fraud and Glokta has been tasked with uncovering whether or not he is after he is removed from the case involving the Mercers but he is still secretly looking into it despite the fact he could be killed for it. However, there are Eaters after the trio and from what I can gather so far Eaters are people who have broken the Second Law about consuming the flesh of men and this one decides to take the form of Logen’s dead wife before Bayaz destroys half of the room driving it off. Meanwhile, the Contest Jezal has been training for has begun and while he wins his first bout he has to win three more before he is considered a Champion but they only have a month before he is being deployed to Angland to fight in the war alongside West but the synopsis specifically references Glokta being there and being charged with protecting Jezal and I can’t wait to see how that comes about. I also really enjoyed the cat and mouse relationship between Ardee and Jezal especially since we know that Glokta holds some measure of affection for Ardee and I want to see how that plays out. Abercrombie really has a way of building tension slowly and then ramping up the pace in the second half of the novel and I still honestly have no idea what is going to happen especially since we know Ferro and Yulwei are coming to Adua, but Ferro doesn’t want to cross the see as she has a score to settle with the Emperor there.
As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, we are starting to see the individual character storylines being drawn together and I don’t know what is going to happen when they finally collide especially since there are two more books in the First Law trilogy and a ton more books in the First Law universe. Bayaz and the others are being treated as prisoners as Glokta investigates whether or not it is the true Bayaz which leads us to learn about the little of the history surrounding Adua and Bayaz and an ancient scroll claims that Bayaz has the key to the House of the Maker which he kept after killing the Maker but no key is known to exist and Glokta believes this will be enough evidence to seal their fate. Meanwhile, Bayaz is preparing for a trip to the End of the World within the month but claims they are waiting for one more person to arrive since the Navigator, Master Longfoot has arrived and I have a feeling this might be Yulwei who is brining Ferro with him. However, we also get to see from Logen’s band who have come to realise that the North is at war with the Union and that Bethod has crowned himself King meaning their journey to inform the others of the threat Bethod posed isn’t important any longer. This leaves them in a strange position as they either have to side with Bethod or flee to the Union and neither are attractive options for them but they decide to inform Bethod of the Shanka threat and the Weakest volunteers to go as there is no reason for Bethod to fear him. We switch back to watch Jezal faces his final match against Gorst and for most of the fight he is on the backfoot until Logen makes a bet with Bayaz that Gorst is going to win. The old Magus uses his power to help Jezal win although he doesn’t know it although Glokta does clock on that Jezal cheated somehow but he doesn’t know the exact means. It becomes clear at the end of the bout that the King isn’t in the best health and this is even further shown at a feast in Jezal’s honour. However, Glokta is there for a different reason as Arch Lector Sult is planning on capturing the imposter Bayaz here but after a play depicting how Bayaz came to get the key to the House of Maker, Bayaz pulls out the key and declares he plans to open the House of Maker and names Jezal and Glokta as the witnesses for this historical event and he also breaks the Arch Lecter’s chair to pieces as a display of his magic. Everyone is now waiting with their breath held until the following morning when it will become clear whether Bayaz is the real deal or not. However, throughout the feast Logen has been talking with West mainly about how he fought for Bethod and his fighting tactics which might help both West and Jezal when they go to fight in Angland.
As we cross into the final section of the novel, there hasn’t been a lot of action in this book but I have a feeling that the next two are going to be filled with action. Now, is the time for Bayaz to prove himself and for the true course of the series to be revealed since this book has been mainly character introductions and development. With all the build-up this novel presented I was expecting an explosive ending and Joe Abercrombie certainly delivered in that aspect. I don’t want to say much about the ending of the novel as it is worth reading this book for but we do see all storylines of all the character converge which I presume will be continued in the sequel which I can’t wait to get into. All I can say is a major thank you to everyone that recommended me the First Law series and that I am sorry it took me so long to pick it up.
Buy it here:
Paperback/Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
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