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  • The Blade Itself

  • The First Law: Book One
  • By: Joe Abercrombie
  • Narrated by: Steven Pacey
  • Length: 22 hrs and 15 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (8,532 ratings)
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The Blade Itself cover art

The Blade Itself

By: Joe Abercrombie
Narrated by: Steven Pacey
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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....

©2010 Joe Abercrombie (P)2010 Orion Publishing Group

What listeners say about The Blade Itself

Average customer ratings
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    1,359
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  • 2 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
    34

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Absolutely brilliant

The perfect plot, perfect characters, and perfect narration. If there is ten stars it wouldn't be enough

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great story but narration drove me mad

The narrator kept changing the volume of his voice - I could barely hear at times and at others had to rapidly turn down the volume.

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  • Overall
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Excellent

The best narrative story telling i have heard. The characters in the story are the best

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing

I really struggled in the beginning. I'm not going to lie, but oh my lord! This book, the writing, the way the story and characters develop... I am hooked.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

BEST Audiobook (I was glued) Bloody Brilliant

10/10 Story and IMMENSE performance. An incredible marriage of magic storytelling and outstanding theatrical narration.

Humour, blood/guts and the best characters I’ve come across for a long time.

Straight to the next!

One negative - I bought a credit as I couldn’t wait for my monthly 😅

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

One of the best books I've ever read/listened to

Amazing, original and S Pacey is amazing.
if you don't like it... well.. you don't like adult fantasy!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Brilliant

Second time of listening to this and it’s a fantastic story with an excellent (probably the best) narrator.
Joe Abercrombie + Steven Pacey = Brilliant

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A bloody cut or nine above most fantasy novels.

My introduction to Joe Abercrombie’s writing. Good pacing and enjoyable characters make this book an entertaining read. Looking forward to reading the remainder of the series.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Just the beginning

It took me around 2/3 of the book to get into it. I almost gave up because I was finding it slow.

I am so glad I didn’t.

This book is really just an intro. Stick with it! I have now been through all of the First Law World books and it is probably my favourite series since first reading LOTR as a kid 30 something years ago!

Stephen Pacey is superb!

Finishing this series is like moving to another country. Excited for the next adventure, but boy will I miss the First Law World!

Oh and if you find yourself feeling lost afterwards like nothing will ever be good enough again. The Name of The Wind by Patrick Rothfus will get you over the withdrawal symptoms. Enjoy!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

If Steven Pacey read the phone listing I would buy

Am engrossed in the story but what draws me into the book apart from the story is the great narration, lets me drift away into the fantasy !!

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