Words&Dirt

Summary:

The Blade Itself is the seductive and brutal opening act of Joe Abercrombie’s The First Law Trilogy. Set in a vast fantasy world of kingdoms vying for power in an ever-shifting geopolitical landscape, Abercrombie introduces a host of characters from different regions who appear to have nothing in common. He then proceeds to slowly draw them together, doling out delicious morsels of character development and worldbuilding along the way. Despite turning out to be 500 pages of mere exposition, The Blade Itself is neither boring nor disappointing, and will leave readers eager to pick up the trilogy’s next installment. 

Key Concepts and Notes:

• Abercrombie’s writing is nothing special from a structural standpoint, but he does have a nice way with words. This novel contains a lot of clever one-liners that I loved (see quotes below).
• The novel’s focus on character development rather than plot or worldbuilding is probably its greatest strength. The characters aren’t likable in the traditional sense, but despite their rough edges I was drawn to them instantly. My favorites so far are Logen and Glokta. Logen’s a fascinating combination of raw aggression, hard-won strategic intelligence, world-weariness, and compassionate stoicism. And Glokta…well, let’s just say that Glokta deserves little of the overwhelming love I instantly and inexplicably had for him. My best friend who recommended this book to me put it perfectly: “Even as he’s torturing people he knows are innocent, you can’t help but root for him. It’s weird.”
• As the story proceeds, we learn that our unlikely band of protagonists are caught in a web of epic historical events that are playing out over deep time. Abercrombie does a great job of making this narrative feel mysterious and huge, but risks disappointing readers if he can’t ultimately fill the gaps with substance. I’m told by lovers of this trilogy that I shouldn’t be worried about this.
• I had a couple noteworthy critiques of this book, the first of which was partially resolved in Part II. The novel opens with a distinct lack of female characters, and none who appear to be central to the story’s unfolding. In Part II, Abercrombie adds an intriguing female protagonist who will obviously be very important, but I still feel like, on the whole, The Blade Itself is a dude-fest. Which is fine, of course, but might turn off readers who like a better balance between masculine and feminine energies.
• My other complaint is that this novel is a bit too action-heavy for my personal taste. Abercrombie executes the action scenes very well––even for someone like me who struggles to construct physical fights in my mind’s eye. But too many times I found myself skimming action sequences that didn’t seem to move the story forward. This was not true, however, of all the actions scenes; I can think of two in particular that were especially fun to read and that influenced the storyline significantly.

Favorite Quotes:

You have to learn to love the small things in life. (70)

Hard words are for fools and cowards…If you mean to kill, you’re better getting right to it than talking about it. Talk only makes the other man ready, and that’s the last thing you want. (89)

Every man has his excuses, and the more vile the man becomes, the more touching the story has to be. (148)

You have to have fear to have courage. (162)

Vengeance can feel fine, but it’s a luxury. It doesn’t fill your belly, or keep the rain off. To fight my enemies I need friends behind me. (186-7)

The seeds of the past bear fruit in the present. (418)

Knowing your ignorance is the first step to enlightenment. (419)

If you’re going to travel with a man, and maybe fight alongside him, it’s best to talk, and laugh if you can. That way you can get an understanding, and then a trust. Trust is what binds a band together, and out there in the wild that can make the difference between living or dying. Building that kind of trust takes time, and effort. (469)

Rating: 8/10