Once you’ve got a task to do, its better to do it than to live with the fear of it.
Logen Ninefingers
Joe Abercrombie The Blade Itself: The First Law Book One
So I usually like to begin these reviews with a little detail about the plot of the story as to me it is one of the most important parts of good book, I like to be pulled into the story by the plot and use this as a means to get to know the characters. If the plot is too slow or unbelievable then I struggle to engage with book. This book has almost no plot, so you would assume then that I would struggle to get into it.
Not at all.
This was one of (if not the) best book I have read in a long time and that comes down to one thing, the characterization.
This book is full of the best characters I have come across. I could take any one, two, three, heck any character in the book and do a full review on just them. Each of the main characters, are fully realized, unique and best of all, bloody interesting to follow.
The book opens with Logen Ninefingers, feared barbarian of the North whose name brings fear to anyone who hears it, then there is a dashing noble who was caught in the war and tortured beyond recognition, a selfish vain soldier training for a fencing tournament and an ex-slave on a revenge mission.
To say there is no plot is probably a disservice to Joe Abercrombie. What I actually mean is that each character feels like they are on their own subplot when the main plot, an impending war between the Union and its neighbours, builds slowly in the background. Abercrombie touches on this impending war just enough to keep you hooked and when the books ends leaves you wanting more.
Joe Abercrombie has rightly got a lot of praise for his character building in this book but that doesn’t mean that other aspects of the books are any weaker. The world building is fantastic, he gives the reader just enough background and history to the world to how it impacts the characters without overloading on pages and pages of world-building. The Union is fully realised with its own politics and history.
The Blade Itself also contains some fantastic fight scenes, that are vicious, violent and described beautifully so that the reader can always follow what’s going on. Abercrombie also does well in showing both the emotional and physical cost of fight scenes. Characters get injured and stay injured and are usually left battered and bruised, and needing to pee.
This book is truly amazing, a wonderful start to a series I cannot wait to continue and a book I can not stop raving about and recommending to anyone who happens to say that they like to read.
