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The Blade Itself

The First Law: Book One

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The Blade Itself

By: Joe Abercrombie
Narrated by: Steven Pacey
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About this listen

 'Delightfully twisted and evil' GUARDIAN

'Highly recommended ... seek it out' Joe Hill

Inquisitor Glokta, a crippled and increasingly bitter relic of the last war, former fencing champion turned torturer extraordinaire, 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, shallow, selfish and self-obsessed, 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 in a hole in the snow 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 really, really hard indeed...

...especially when Bayaz gets involved. A bald 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 Glotka, Jezal and Logen a whole lot more difficult...©2006 Joe Abercrombie Epic Fantasy Fiction Scary Thought-Provoking Emotionally Gripping Combat Sports

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Critic reviews

Highly recommended - a funny, finely-wrought, terrifically energetic work of high fantasy. Seek it out (Joe Hill)
Twisty plotting and gallows humour.
I might not end up marrying this book, but I'm certainly infatuated with it right at the moment. It's delicious, the characters sharply drawn and their motivations believable, the clash of cultures (always particularly difficult for an author to pull off) believable as well. (Lilith Saintcrow)
There is a gritty edge to his world and an awareness of the human cost of violence that is very contemporary
Delightfully twisted and evil
The Blade Itself is a page-turner powered by a combination of fast-paced action and juicy doses of cynicism. Perhaps more remarkable, however, is the way Abercrombie sets the scene
There's a fat vein of cynicism and dark humour throughout. The action scenes are fast-paced and the violence takes its toll both mentally and physically. A great start to a long journey
You'd never guess that The Blade Itself is Joe Abercrombie's debut novel. He writes like a natural. There are great characters, sparky dialogue, an action-packed plot, and from the very first words and an opening scene that is literally a cliff-hanger, you know you are in for a cheeky, vivid, exhilarating ride
An admirably hard, fast and unpretentious read from debut author Joe Abercrombie. Packs a mean punch in the bloodthirsty mayhem and mystery departments. Crammed full of torture, vengeance and bad behaviour, it's a lively tale of savagery vs. civilisation. The Blade Itself may not reinvent the wheel, but it does serve up a whole banquet of violent action and intrigue
The star of the show is doubtlessly Inquisitor Glotka for simply being one of the most wonderfully bitter and cynical characters I've come across. With a very funny and clever internal monologue going on during every conversation he has, Glotka's as miserable and nasty at the end as he was to start with and, especially in a heroic fantasy novel, it works perfectly
The books are good, really good. They pulled me in. Well-developed world. Unique, compelling characters. I like them so much that when I got to the end of the second book and found out the third book wasn't
going to be out in the US for another three months, I experienced a fit of rage, then a fit of depression, then I ate some lunch and had a bit of a lay down
Abercrombie writes dark, adult fantasy, by which I mean there's a lot of stabbing in it, and after people stab each other they sometimes have sex with each other. His tone is morbid and funny and hard-boiled, not wholly dissimilar to that of Iain Banks . . . And like George R.R. Martin Abercrombie has the will and the cruelty to actually kill and maim his characters . . . Volumetrically speaking, it's hard to think of another fantasy novel in which this much blood gets spilled
"Put together a terrific cast of characters ... add in magic, war, plots within plots and you have a positive feast for the ears." 20 August 2010 (Kati Nicholl)
All stars
Most relevant
Okay, let me presume you are here because you like fantasy and you are looking to start a new series. Perhaps you've heard some of your friends raving about Joe Abercrombie, or you have seen some glowing praise from the critics. However, you have been done this road before. There is so much of it out there. Is this really worth getting and using a precious credit?

Yes. Don't even hesitate my friend.

Everything you heard was right, and then some!

I am not going to detail here about the hysterically dark humour, or Crombie's gorgeous turn-of-phrase. I'm not going to bore you with recounting epic tales, with a myriad of twists and turns. Or even try to convince you that you will meet some of the best realised fantasy characters ever to grace the page. I am not going to patronise you by stating that on top of everything, the narrator is one of the very best voice artists. A man who can evoke a character perfectly with his voice.

Although all of this is true, I am not going to do a review. Simply because I am jealous of you. Yes, jealous that you are about to go on a journey which is most glorious taken on its maiden voyage. You are in for a very rare treat indeed.

Trust me on this, and get this book. You can thank me another day.

You are so lucky!

You are so lucky! Just a sec and I'll explain.....

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'The Blade Itself' is a top drawer fantasy novel which shows Joe Abercrombie's skill in story telling. It keeps the reader interested till the very last page and leaves you with hungering for more. The main characters are complex individuals, each with a past that has shaped and damaged them, each full of intrigue and depth. They are not the heroes you are falling for but they are fighters that you look up to.

Steven Pacey's narration is superb and it is only fair to give him a 5 star plus. Looking back I wish he narrated some of the other fantasy series, he is that good. It is satisfying to know that one person can become so many different characters and do it so well.
This book is full of charisma and I look forward to seeing how the action develops in the rest of the series.

Medieval fantasy in a superb yarn!

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Any additional comments?

The first in the series - if you don't want to read the next instalment - you are really hard to please - excellent book and narration. My only gripe - I've finished the whole saga and feel bereft! :(

Excellent!

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Steven paceys narration is just on another level. The way glokta has a lisp but when he is thinking it’s gone is just genius. And I found myself laughing out loud at his descriptions of battle , his timing and tone are just impeccable . The book too is just fantastic !

Best narration ever !!

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OK so this is a slow start to this series and for some that may be too slow. for me the absolute masterful way the author builds the characters make it more than worth it. they leap off the page as real as if they were sat there with you , with all their flaws and.good points laid bare. add the excellent narrator to this and you have a 5/5 all day long. you will hate some characters that haven't really done anything too bad and love people with the blackest of hearts.

slow but brilliant

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