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The Blade Itself
- The First Law: Book One
- Narrated by: Steven Pacey
- Length: 22 hrs and 15 mins
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The Blade Itself
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Summary
Inquisitor Glokta, a crippled and bitter relic of the last war, former fencing champion turned torturer, is trapped in a twisted and broken body - not that he allows it to distract him from his daily routine of torturing smugglers.
Nobleman, dashing officer and would-be fencing champion Captain Jezal dan Luthar is living a life of ease by cheating his friends at cards. Vain and shallow, the biggest blot on his horizon is having to get out of bed in the morning to train with obsessive and boring old men. And Logen Ninefingers, an infamous warrior with a bloody past, is about to wake up with plans to settle a blood feud with Bethod, the new King of the Northmen, once and for all - ideally by running away from it.
But as he's discovering, old habits die hard....especially when Bayaz gets involved. An old man with a terrible temper and a pathetic assistant, he could be the First of the Magi, he could be a spectacular fraud, but whatever he is, he's about to make the lives of Glokta, Jezal, and Logen a whole lot more difficult....
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What listeners say about The Blade Itself
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Paul
- 26-12-20
Even better on Audible
I read this in print when it came out and avidly consumed all Abercrombie's books since. However, I listened to the last two on Audible and was completely blown away by Pacey's narration, so I have gone back and started the whole series again on Audible.
I have not been disappointed. I loved the books in print, but love them even more with Pacey's narration. How he flits from one character and accent to another is an act of wizardry worthy of the First of the Maji himself. I doubt if there is a better narrator out there.
I have also really appreciated the writing even more than the first time through. There is so much more to Abercrombie's books than violence and battles. Every character is complex and nuanced - don't expect to find perfect heroes or purely despicable villains. There's a lot of philosophy here, just not dressed up with impenetrable language. The writing is superb and I have now binged the First Law series in a couple of weeks, Highly recommended.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 11-06-19
absolutely fantastic
loved it, great performance by Steven Pacey. Glokta is my new homeboy, what a guy
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 30-05-19
An interesting book
This was an interesting book, i'm sure that the next books will be better and better. The characters are amazing, full of flaws, humans in a word. The only inconvenient will be the world, i'm not fully involved in it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jessemw
- 05-11-20
You'll love hating them
The best characters are those that are morally questionable and that covers everyone here. The story is read beautifully and the crippled and bitter Inquisitor Glokta was by far my favourite
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- dan
- 13-11-20
Incredible, unique, hilarious narrating
Pacey gives this story a level of depth, hilarity and entertainment that's impossible to match
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- G
- 25-09-20
The best audiobook series Ive ever listened to
These abercrombie first law world books are the best audiobooks Ive listened to on Audible, narration is incredible, and the world thats built is brilliant, also probably the best characters Ive come across in any books.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 10-11-20
Best narration I've heard
I'd heard a lot of good things both about this book and about the narration, and bluntly it lives up to the hype. The book is not plot-heavy, but it is thoroughly entertaining and it's left me invested in many characters. I understand this book is a standard bearer for grimdark, but I want to point it the fact it made me laugh out loud more than once. It's very much a dark comedy, especially with Mr Pacey's wonderful delivery.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Stevie B
- 17-11-18
Excellent. Colourful.
Had me completely hooked from first to last page. Cant wait to get book 2.
The audible version is fantastic.Steven Pacey is brilliant.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 17-12-19
Intruiging story and excellent narration
A diverse and strangely likable cast of characters, masterfully brought to life through Pacey's narration.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- dinks
- 14-05-20
Good listen
At first I thought the reader sounded like a news reader which I hated, I persevered and soon forgot about it whilst enjoying the character development. I like history, fantasy & adventure so enjoyed the story and was happy to have a distraction from the kids! I would happily get another Joe Abercrombie book.
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