The Blade Itself (The First Law Trilogy, 1) Paperback – September 8, 2015

*audiobook review*This book starts off in the epic fantasy vibe - vigniettes of different characters that all come together by the end of the book into a finely-woven tale. One thread is that of Logen Nine-Fingers, a barbarian from the north - we meet him as he narrowly avoids his own death at the hand of raiders. Another thread spins from the tale of Inquistor Glockta - a former fighter held captive for two years, who had turned his broken body and skills to ferreting out whatever truth he needs to find. The last major thread comes from Jezal dan Luthar, a spoiled brat of a gentleman who thinks it may just be cool for his career if he becomes a fencing master for his country.There's a huge cast of characters, but it's no problem at ALL for the audio listener because Steven Pacey is an absolute artist at narration. The combination of Abercrombie's clean text and the skilled voice work of Pacey brings every character alive from the very beginning - you hear the fear and resignation in Logen's voice as he falls off a cliff, the pain and life-long effects of torture in Glokta's voice, and the subtle spoiled tones in Luthar as he decides what kind of man he's going to be.These people and the rest of the cast meet in the story of Bayez, first of the magi, who is headed to the Union capitol to gather resources and equipment for an expedition that is meant to save the world. It's going to be hard with Bethod's Northmen attacking from the northern part of the Union, and the barely peaceable Gurkish Empire agitating to take over parts of the southern Union. The king is barely coherent, the ruling council is corrupt, the nation is woefully underprepared for war, and the scene is set for a fantastic audiobook experience.I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a compelling audiobook experience - Pacey's narration skill may even make the book easier to understand because each character has a unique voice. This is my favorite book I've read this year!

I really enjoyed reading The First Law trilogy and getting to know the characters created by Joe Abercromie. I admit that when I began to read The Blade Itself, it took a couple of chapters for me to become absorbed by the story, but I appreciated JA's writing style and wit and found the Bloody Nine to be as interesting a barbarian as I had ever encountered. Logen is a hero... for the most part. He is feared by many, he is practical and amusing, he is intuitive and he is a relatively decent man. He is also deeply flawed and at war with himself, as many of us are, so one may relate to him as he experiences both triumphs and tragedies.The story itself provided enough action and intrigue to keep me entertained and interested in what might come next. I found myself cheering for and supporting different characters at various times, disliking most of them at one point or another, then resuming my cheering at a later point. I appreciated the fact that not every story arc was obvious and easily predicted, and that the main characters weren't perfect, but they each showed growth throughout the series. I liked that most of the characters were alternately fascinating or repulsive. I loved Glokta's sarcasm and sadism, West's intelligence and noble attitude towards' things HE felt were noble, Ferro's ferocity and Bayaz's twisted and manipulative nature.Of course, there were a few things I didn't like. For example, I wasn't a big fan of the Logen/Ferro "romance". It seemed bizarre and awkward, at best. I liked them individually, but when they were together in any way besides as warriors, I found it annoying. I didn't like that at the beginning of the series I had no idea what the heck was going on and couldn't read comfortably for around 100 pages. I wasn't impressed with some aspects of the story that seemed to drag, ie: The Contest, wherein Jezal and other swordsmen compete for a title. However, I really don't feel that these issues detracted much, if at all, from the trilogy as a whole.I definitely liked the way in which the series ended, as there are many directions that JA can take the story if he chooses to continue writing about these characters. I'm glad that he didn't write himself into a corner when ending the trilogy.All in all, I thought that the First Law was enjoyable and creative. It is not fantasy a la Jordan or GRRM (as well it shouldn't be); it is unique and gives the genre a little push in an interesting direction. I recommend all three books.

I don't even like fantasy, but I liked this trilogy much, and believe me, that's something. I've tried many best selling authors labeled as 'the best' in the genre, and I swear I enjoyed none. This one is the first typical modern fantasy book I encountered that truly feels as written for adults. No Mary Sues and Gary Stus, no black and white characters, no banal moralizing, no cheesy pompousness, no soap opera-like storylines, no easy answers, no 'from zero to hero and he is so awesome' trope. Finally!It's low fantasy. Magic exists in this world, but hardly anyone believes in it. The plot is mostly about the military conflict, the intrigue that underlies it and, last but not least, the relationships between characters. And these are SO good! At first they all seem pretty cliched: you get a scary, sadistic Inquisitior, a handsome, dashing young knight, a husky barbarian, a tough female warrior wanting her revenge, a wise mage and his clumsy apprentice, a sassy, fearless lass... And in the end it turns out that NOTHING is as simple as it initially seemed. The characters are so well fleshed out, their struggles feel real, they evoke real emotions, and the relationships between them are just delightful.And the content is, yeah, adult. There is lots of violence, pain, gore, sarcasm, lost hopes, failures, fake victories and disappointments. It's captivating and entertaining to the last sentence of the third book.Definitely worth trying. Please expect nothing special like I did and let yourself be positively surprised, if not in love.