Review: The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie

Filed Under BBT Magazine, Fantasy, Reviews, the blade itself, joe abercrombie, pyr, lucienspelman, novels

 

The Blade Itself

By Joe Abercrombie

432 pp ISBN: 978-1-59102-594-8
September 2007 by Pyr
Cover Illustration: © Laura Brett

 
 

 

Do you like your fantasy to taste a little bitter?

Do want an author who tweaks the nipples of the oh-so-revered Fantasy Formula?

Desperately in need of some genre fiction with character driven plot, plenty of violence, and strong anti-hero protagonists, but tired of waiting for George R. R. Martin to finish his epic Game of Thrones series?

Then step this way I got somethin’ for ya -

The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie is a fantasy novel full of enough ironic and slightly self-deprecating humor and Scorcese-esque violence to make the average hipper than thou non-fantasy reader want to learn more about the genre (my favorite kind to convert), yet filled with enough touchstones to make your average Tolkien weaned fantasy reader quite happy indeed.

Oh, sure, you have your Barbarian and your Wizard, your Swashbuckler and your Torturer – SCRREEEECH –

Torturer?

Ah, you see? I thought you’d like this.

Just one of the great characters in a rogues gallery of fantasy archetypes with a twist,  Inquisitor Glokta is one of the finest examples of a sympathetically drawn antagonist I have seen in a very long time, in a book of any genre, and some of his inner dialogue is absolutely quote-worthy. I can’t wait for my next drunken D&D game.

An “Inquisitor” for a corrupt union and a former hero, now unbearably crippled, Glokta becomes gradually aware of just how deep the corruption is in the government he represents, as he tries to root “the truth” from treasonous citizens. He is a truly unforgettable character, and like the rest of this book, just a bit off.

The first in the series, The Blade Itself isn’t much more than character & plot development for a larger three-part storyline as a whole, and is in fact a set up for the two books that follow - Before They Are Hanged, & Argument Of Kings. Not to say the first book is slow - in fact there’s plenty to get excited about - if the rest of the series is as much fun as the first bit, Pyr can gladly have my $10.

Come for Glokta, Stay for the rest!

This book is highly recommended by BBT Magazine!

Joe Abercrombie is a man to watch.

Here’s a bit more about the plot from the book Description:

 

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 Glotka 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.

 

 - Lucien Spelman

 

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Comments

2 Responses to “Review: The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie”

  1. Pete Tzinski on August 27th, 2007 11:56 am

    The Inquisitor character reminded me, at least in origin, as the main character from Gene Wolfe’s “Shadow of the Torturer” book, from back in his New Sun cycle.

    But otherwise, I agree. I thought it was a pretty good book.

  2. J Hill on September 3rd, 2007 8:22 am

    This book was a blast!
    Can’t wait to see it released in the US.