The Blade Itself - Joe Abercrombie

[Moggle]

I'm not sure what is the point of your question since you bought the book already. Shouldn't you have posted this question beforehand? You already paid the money for it so you might as well read it for yourself and tell everyone else who hasn't read it what you think of it.

 

[Althain's Warden]

Just finished the whole trilogy and cannot adequately convey how brilliant it is ! You find yourself caring about some of the strangest characters, a very refreshing take on some well used plot lines and some great originality as well.
Looking forward to 'Best served Cold' which i believe comes out in June Yey!
Here's hoping Joe has a very very long career ahead of him and can influence the genre for the better.

 

[soulsinging]

Just finished the whole trilogy and cannot adequately convey how brilliant it is ! You find yourself caring about some of the strangest characters, a very refreshing take on some well used plot lines and some great originality as well.
Looking forward to 'Best served Cold' which i believe comes out in June Yey!
Here's hoping Joe has a very very long career ahead of him and can influence the genre for the better.

I didn't much care for the Blade Itself. I know it was kind of setting things up, but man was it boring... there was no plot as far as I could see. And Jezal was one of the lamest characters of all-time... his tongue-tied act with the ladies was written like a junior high short story.

But I'm halfway through Before They Are Hanged and it is excellent! Very exciting, Jezal has improved, the pacing is great. I'm loving this one!

 

[Althain's Warden]

@soulsinging Lol yes Jeazal was very lame in TBI and even later on he is not the kind of person i would personally like, hmm maybe by the very end i'd tolerate him.
I'm suprised you found the first book boring though?! I was hooked from pretty much the word go, even though Jeazal was an ass, the other characters around him were fine and Logen is simply ace
Still each to his own, glad your enjoying book number 2 ! Are you going to dive straight into 'Last argument of Kings as well'? I'd recommend doing so some very interesting turns of events.
Happy reading
A.W

 

[soulsinging]

@soulsinging Lol yes Jeazal was very lame in TBI and even later on he is not the kind of person i would personally like, hmm maybe by the very end i'd tolerate him.
I'm suprised you found the first book boring though?! I was hooked from pretty much the word go, even though Jeazal was an ass, the other characters around him were fine and Logen is simply ace
Still each to his own, glad your enjoying book number 2 ! Are you going to dive straight into 'Last argument of Kings as well'? I'd recommend doing so some very interesting turns of events.
Happy reading
A.W

Well, I read through the first one quick enough. They're very smooth reads. It wasn't a slog to get through. I just felt like there was nothing really necessary happening. I felt like it could have been condensed a couple hundres pages and tacked onto book 2 as little more than an intro.

Logen is awesome, and Bayaz is intriguing. I don't think I'll be diving right into book 3 just yet. I've got a lot on my to-read shelf and I'm moving soon, so I may just request it from the library and read it when it arrives. I keep hoping for a smaller, mass market paperback version. The current available copies are incredibly unwieldy.

 

[Althain's Warden]

Are they the UK versions or are you on a different version??
I really love the UK covers and didn't find them too big. They do bend the spine quite easily though which is a bit of a shame
Bayaz is intriguing and book 3 reveals quite a bit about him.
I'm sure you'll enjoy book 3 when you do read it !

 

[soulsinging]

Are they the UK versions or are you on a different version??
I really love the UK covers and didn't find them too big. They do bend the spine quite easily though which is a bit of a shame
Bayaz is intriguing and book 3 reveals quite a bit about him.
I'm sure you'll enjoy book 3 when you do read it !

Yeah, the UK versions. The US versions are almost worse... the size of a hardcover! But the UK versions remind me of Harry Potter. And I have small hands and am OCD about not bending the spine, so it is exhausting to read them

 

[Anomander]

I read this trilogy recently - earlier in the year. It was amusing and entertaining, but I felt there was too much emphasis on trying to "shock" his audience. Towards the end the book went a bit.... watery. All in all, I'll give the book a "way above average", but far, far from approaching epic proportions. He had all the ingredients to make a truly gritty novel, but in the end, the story lacks depth imo.

 

[Hypnos164]

I read this trilogy recently - earlier in the year. It was amusing and entertaining, but I felt there was too much emphasis on trying to "shock" his audience. Towards the end the book went a bit.... watery. All in all, I'll give the book a "way above average", but far, far from approaching epic proportions. He had all the ingredients to make a truly gritty novel, but in the end, the story lacks depth imo.

I'd agree - he writes some really memorable characters - but the events/plot they are part of is much less memorable. Still "Way above average" is a pretty fine place to start a career - early reviews of his new book often mention a clear maturing as a writer (its on pre-order ).

 

[NoneSuch]

The books were always character driven so there's no surprise that they overshadowed the events/plots. With so many characters though there's bound to be a few people dislike. I found ferro to be boring compared to the others. Every other line was "I hate this, I hate that." I understand the reason for her hatred but she was very one-dimensional even when she got a bit softer towards the other characters.
Jezal was okay as he was supposed to come across as an arragont jerk. I despised him when I first read it but after rereading the first book after completing the rest I've gained more of an understanding. He had to be that arragont prick or else he wouldn't of been half as likable when he got some real world experience. It really did show the progression of the character and the story. My favourite character was West. Yea.. Sucks for me considering.
I'm half way through the second book again and I'm amazed how much I forgot since last time I read it about a year ago. I've just bought Best served cold but I'm going to wait until I finish the 3rd. Even though it's not a real sequel it just doesn't seem right to not finish the series again before reading it.

 

[Rosemary]

I read the complete trilogy and enjoyed each book. Many good characters, especially Glokta and I thought the story line was very good! Certainly will be re-reading them. I have the TPB editions, with very imaginative covers.

I have already placed my order for Best Served Cold, due out in July over here.

 

[harvb]

There's a new thread up for BSC...

Loved Blade Itself, I really did. I finished BSC recently and have gone back to TBI so I could refresh my memory (as they're set in the same universe, just different places).

I love the way you're drawn into TBI by thinking it will be another mainstream fantasy series... Only it very much isn't

 

[redjako]

So, I enjoy Ferro the most myself...the writing will mature as it goes along, but the bitter spite and rage that flows out of the psycho mess is great.

Some things "bound about" with weird plot progression..like Bayaz, coming to claim his seat, but just grabs his little box.

Some things really just make me laugh my ass off though. Two of them specifically, ok 3.


1) Glotka dreaming he was a young man nobleman again, slaying Lebaz to steal away Ardee, stating "HA! JUST SO!" with Lebaz's stupid look on his face.

2) Glotka nearly killing himself via suffocation LAUGHING his ass off while Lebaz was bonked around in his Contest.


3) Ferro telling the Navigator "Shut your **** face."


Logen theory on "Bloody Nine" something to do with spirits, as it really worked with the natural earth and animals, how his hits, like his headbutting Stone Splitter to death "wood pecker Tap. Tap. Taptatppata." He would "drift as a leaf" (or close to it) missing swords, etc.

Very possesed land-spirit esque, plus he talks to the weirdo's.

He bound the other Named Men through subjugating them as the champion...methinks.

Looking forward to the second book.

 

[Jon Sprunk]

Loved the entire First Law series. Abercrombie gives us an excellent cast of characters.

 

[Connavar]

I stay away from most of the posts in this thread because i have read only 250 of the first book. I just wanted to say that i'm enjoying the book despite its slow story because of memorable characters like Glokta.

Now the story is getting good but early on the tragic but cunning Glokta saved me from the slow pace. I find him so interesting despite he doesnt do anything good. He doesnt seem like a torturer. Usually there are few things i dislike more than political intrigue in a fantasy but his side of the story i like reading most.

Logen is less original of a character but i like the setting of the wild north,Bayaz. I like Logen's old crew,The Northmen themselves are not generic barbarians culture.

The only thing i dont like is Abercrombie writing ****,*******. It takes me out of the world, make characters go away in thin air....

Its a bad mistake that one. You can make the story gritty,bleak without that....

 

[thesoothsayer]

The only thing i dont like is Abercrombie writing ****,*******. It takes me out of the world, make characters go away in thin air....

Its a bad mistake that one. You can make the story gritty,bleak without that....

Have to agree with that. I hated that, and almost didn't continue with it because the usage seemed a bit childish. It gets better though, and is hardly used at all later, IIRC.

 

[Connavar]

Have to agree with that. I hated that, and almost didn't continue with it because the usage seemed a bit childish. It gets better though, and is hardly used at all later, IIRC.

I hope so. Story wise not much happens despite i have read 90% of the book but i like his writing style,his characters,his action.

Not many current writers of this kind of fantasy i liked enough to read their hole series. Paul Kearney,Brandson Sanderson before him.

 

[williamjm]

I hope so. Story wise not much happens despite i have read 90% of the book but i like his writing style,his characters,his action.

The pacing of the second and third books in the series does pick up. I did also feel that The Blade Itself, while an entertaining read, was perhaps a bit lacking in terms of things actually happening in it but I thought the Before They Were Hanged and Last Argument of Kings had much more happening in them, and were therefore significantly better than the first book in the series.

 

[Connavar]

That is promising because i kept wondering what will happen next in the series. How did the fans think of the pacing of the story in the other books.

I think its a bit shame that in a 3 books series he almost wasted the first book storywise. Great characters but nothing really happened until the end....

Very promising writer but if it was not for some of the characters i wouldnt read the hole series after the first book.

 

[GOLLUM]

It was one of the very best debut series I've come across Conn....it does improve plot wise.