An enjoyable fantasy romp, swords, sorcery and all.

Product Description
Review
'I might not end up marrying this book, but I'm certainly infatuated with it right at the moment. It's delicious, the characters sharply drawn and their motivations believable, the clash of cultures (always particularly difficult for an author to pull off) believable as well.' (Lilith Saintcrow )

'There is a gritty edge to his world and an awareness of the human cost of violence that is very contemporary' (The Times )

'Delightfully twisted and evil' (The Guardian )

'The Blade Itself is a page-turner powered by a combination of fast-paced action and juicy doses of cynicism. Perhaps more remarkable, however, is the way Abercrombie sets the scene' (Edge Magazine )

There's a fat vein of cynicism and dark humour throughout. The action scenes are fast-paced and the violence takes its toll both mentally and physically. A great start to a long journey' (Dreamwatch )

'You'd never guess that The Blade Itself is Joe Abercrombie's debut novel. He writes like a natural. There are great characters, sparky dialogue, an action-packed plot, and from the very first words and an opening scene that is literally a cliff-hanger, you know you are in for a cheeky, vivid, exhilarating ride' (Starburst )

An admirably hard, fast and unpretentious read from debut author Joe Abercrombie. Packs a mean punch in the bloodthirsty mayhem and mystery departments. Crammed full of torture, vengeance and bad behaviour, it's a lively tale of savagery vs. civilisation. The Blade Itself may not reinvent the wheel, but it does serve up a whole banquet of violent action and intrigue' (SFX )

'The star of the show is doubtlessly Inquisitor Glotka for simply being one of the most wonderfully bitter and cynical characters I've come across. With a very funny and clever internal monologue going on during every conversation he has, Glotka's as miserable and nasty at the end as he was to start with and, especially in a heroic fantasy novel, it works perfectly' (SF Crowsnest )

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

at meetup.

Recommended to me by my good bookcrossing friend Semtiocghost. I wasn't too struck with the last book she pushed on me but this looks like it is more my bag so maybe she is redeeming herself! I'm putting this on top of my TBR box.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it has everything I want from a new fantasy author. This book has everything from well drawn individual characters with interesting personal storylines to a global plot involving a brewing war on tweo fronts for The Union. All the characters have interesting personality flaws but none of them seem to be beyond our sympathy, even Glotka who at first seemed thoroughly repugnant.

Considering the number of major characters the author did an excellent job of introducing them gradually and allowing them grow in the readers mind. The story moves regularly from one setting to another depending upon which character is the focus of the chapter. Despite this I was never confused about where I was or what was going on.

My only complaint is that this is the first of a series and so now I want to get hold of the next book to see what happens. I do find it slightly frustrating that some authors don't seem to look at their books as being a story in their own right, just part of an ongoing series. I recently read a book by Bernard Cornwell which was part of a series. I would like to read the rest but the one book I did read was a great story in it's own right. If I don't read the rest of The First Law series I will feel that 'The Blade Itself' left too many loose ends to stand on it's own right.

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

Taking this to the Ipswich meet this morning. If no-one picks it up it will be left on the shelves at the back of Coffee Link.

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

Moved to Cafe Nero, to restock the windowsill.