The Blade Itself
Book One
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4.5 • 135 Ratings
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- $3.99
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- $3.99
Publisher Description
'Delightfully twisted and evil' GUARDIAN
'Highly recommended ... seek it out' Joe Hill
Inquisitor Glokta, a crippled and increasingly bitter relic of the last war, former fencing champion turned torturer extraordinaire, 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, shallow, selfish and self-obsessed, 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 in a hole in the snow 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 really, really hard indeed...
...especially when Bayaz gets involved. 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 Glotka, Jezal and Logen a whole lot more difficult...
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
British newcomer Abercrombie fills his muddled sword-and-sorcery series opener with black humor and reluctant heroes. Logen Ninefingers, a barbarian on the run from an ex-employer who's now king of the North, finds his loyalties complicated when he switches sides and becomes a valuable source of intel to the beleaguered Union. Glokta, a torture victim turned torturer, gets roped into securing the Union's position against both the invading Northmen and the incompetent Union king and council, and ruthlessly wields his skills in attempts to weed out traitors. Foppish Jezal, a preternaturally excellent swordsman, manages to win the contest to become the Union champion, thanks to a little help from Bayaz, a mage with his own agenda. The workmanlike plot, marred by repetitive writing and an excess of torture and pain, is given over to introducing the mostly unlikable characters, only to send them off on separate paths in preparation for the next volume's adventures.
Customer Reviews
Great Read.
I really enjoyed this book. It does take a while to get the plot going but it actually Surprised me very much when it started picking up and the plot really unfolded. I don’t know why people keep saying this is a lot like Game of Thrones when it’s a completely different story. I’ve read reviews criticizing it just because there’s a conflict in the “north”. There’s actually conflicts all over the stories world. I highly recommend the book and I look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy.
Seems a bit counter productive
I may not have that firm of a grasp on this whole capitalism thing, but regardless of how many times I try to throw my money at this book nothing happens.
Blown away!
Everything in this book is top notch. Great world building, interesting and diverse characters, dark humor, a compelling and complex story, and vividly detailed fight scenes and action.
So many things in this book completely blew me away. I didn’t want to put it down, and I can’t wait to read the rest of the trilogy!