The Blade Itself

The First Law: Book One

By: Joe Abercrombie

Narrated by: Steven Pacey

Length: 22 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's 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

Brilliant

I can't think of a better way to enjoy this dark fantasy novel. Joe Abercrombie is amazing and Steven Pacey is the perfect voice for this fantastic tale. Just pure genius!

If you like GRR Martin you will probably like this

Excellent first book of a 3 book series. Abercrombie's writing reminds me of GRR Martin. The characters are patiently constructed as such the first half of the book is a little slow going and patience is required but the payoff is worth it. Each of the main characters are complex individuals with good and bad qualities. No stereotypes or wooden characters. Many posses dark secrets and have dark gritty backgrounds which are gradually revealed. The dialogue and inner thoughts of each character are well written with a great deal of dry wit and humorous sarcasm which I find a great pleasure to read. Very few fantasy writers do this well. The story unravels slowly as many questions and mysteries are presented. Not all is revealed as this book is not a stand alone. Good news is the second book is even better.

There is a lot of blood and salty language but this story wouldn't be as good without it.

The narration is outstanding. Couldn't be better.

So, if you like GRR Martin, what are you waiting for? This is your next series to read.

Big 5 stars.

Perfect narration of a gripping novel.

What made the experience of listening to The Blade Itself the most enjoyable?

The narrator projected an understanding of the emotions portrayed in each scene.

What did you like best about this story?

This series is fantastic, by far the best medieval setting story I've read.

A good yarn Superbly told

Great yarn enjoyed, yet the ending is a bit unsatisfying - be prepared to lock in for the series....

Amazing Story

What did you love best about The Blade Itself?

The story, the way that Abercrombie tells the story is amazing.

Any additional comments?

This was among very few series that I listened to three times in the past year. Well worth the time and highly recommended.
I really enjoyed the plots, characters and how the story develops in general.I listen to lots of book from different genres and rarely give five-star to any story but the First Law story really stands out as one my favourite of all time.

Brilliant! Exciting!

Brilliant and entertaining! Nicely done, excellent story telling! Love how the author and the narrator describe fighting and struggle in such exciting fashion.

Fantastic

I really enjoyed this one 20 hours flew away fast. Good characters , plot is interesting and the flow is good

Gripped my heart and never let go

I keep coming back to this series and I get more out of it every time. This book is the one I like best though. The story drives forward consistently, and the characters have become so much a part of my life that I feel I’ve really known them in some alt universe. Some characters I love and others I hate, but for each one I feel like I’ve been inside their head. That’s something I rarely feel in other fantasy books, and it’s what makes Abercrombie one of the authors I value most.

Dark Fantasy

This is a novel not of high Fantasy, in Tolkienesque sense. It is a novel of dark Fantasy. It is brutal, crude, and bloody like the work of an axe murderer, but it is also refreshing. Even the most twisted characters are written so well you can't help but to be fascinated with them and the story draws you to its embrace with a knife to your throat and the excitement of the moment. This is not to be missed.

This could easily be the next HBO fantasy series

What made the experience of listening to The Blade Itself the most enjoyable?

I loved how the lives of the very different characters eventually came together. You also get a good mix of a little bit of everything from magic, to deception, to sword fighting, and even a little bit of romance (just a bit).

What did you like best about this story?

Inquisitor Glokta and Logen are such complex individuals that I couldn't get enough of.

What does Steven Pacey bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He brought this book to life. Pacey was able to capture the essence of each character and easily allowed me to visualize the entire story. I especially love his Inquisitor Glokta voice. Simply magnificent!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The most moving part of the story was when Ardee spoke about the men in her life. I don't want to give any spoilers!

Any additional comments?

Brilliant read! I can't wait to read the next book!