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The Blade Itself
A Fantasy Novel by Joe Abercrombie
Book 1 of the The First Law Trilogy Series
Subgenres & Tropes:
- Grimdark,
- Noir Fantasy,
- Multiple POV
This book is for you if you're into...
- Grimdark fantasy where nobody is safe and morality is a joke
- Unforgettable antiheroes from a bloodthirsty barbarian to a bitter torturer
- Noir vibes with conspiracies, sharp humor, and shifting alliances
From Little Stack
Joe Abercrombie has earned himself the title Lord Grimdark because his books—and particularly The First Law series—squarely fits into and even partly defines the genre. The only “heroic” character in the series is a self-obsessed, petty swordsman. The rest of the characters, from the bloodthirsty barbarian to the professional torturer, don’t even bother with morality or goodness. They just do whatever they want and damn the consequences.
With The First Law series and all the books set in the same world, there’s a sense of “no one and nothing really matters” that makes you so very aware that your favorite characters could (and likely will) die at any moment. It’s one of my all-time most-recommended series!
The first novel in the First Law Trilogy and debut fantasy novel from New York Times bestseller, Joe Abercrombie.
Logen Ninefingers, infamous barbarian, has finally run out of luck. Caught in one feud too many, he's on the verge of becoming a dead barbarian -- leaving nothing behind him but bad songs, dead friends, and a lot of happy enemies.
Nobleman, dashing officer, and paragon of selfishness, Captain Jezal dan Luthar has nothing more dangerous in mind than fleecing his friends at cards and dreaming of glory in the fencing circle. But war is brewing, and on the battlefields of the frozen North they fight by altogether bloodier rules.
Inquisitor Glokta, cripple turned torturer, would like nothing better than to see Jezal come home in a box. But then Glokta hates everyone: cutting treason out of the Union one confession at a time leaves little room for friendship. His latest trail of corpses may lead him right to the rotten heart of government, if he can stay alive long enough to follow it.
Enter the wizard, Bayaz. 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 Logen, Jezal, and Glokta a whole lot more difficult.
Murderous conspiracies rise to the surface, old scores are ready to be settled, and the line between hero and villain is sharp enough to draw blood.
Unpredictable, compelling, wickedly funny, and packed with unforgettable characters, The Blade Itself is noir fantasy with a real cutting edge.
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