Reading Challenge – 96% complete – near the End.

So here we all our!  Early December, cold weather has kicked in, Christmas is looming large and social gatherings are taking place.  We also find reading challenges fast approaching the finishing line, and I think this is going to be close.

For my regular followers you will know my target is 50 books in a year.  An amount I managed last year.  This year, well, it’s going to be close.  I’ve just finished reading my 48th book.  Two to go.  Three weeks to get them in.  Plenty of festive distraction including an eight year son.

Anyway.  What two books have I managed since my last blog?

 

Book #47 – The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie

Well I’ve continued by visits to the local library and found this, long awaited book The Blade itself.

Wow. I’m going to start of this review by saying, Wow. And I’m not apologising for that.

This is a fantastic start to a series of books I am about to order! The story, the characters, especially the characters, the world building and mainly the author are amazing! I love this book, it has really rejuvenated my enjoyment of reading again, which was dwindling but this and Mark Lawarence’s book ‘The Prince of Thorns’ has got me back buzzing and reading.

In this book, and something I love, we kind of have three main characters. Maybe more, but I’ll stick with the three I’m going to mention. And all are interesting. We have possibly my favourite, Logen Ninefingers, a world famous warrior and leader of a group of not-so-merry men, Rogues! No doubt about it. Rogues. Loveable though. We have the harder-to-like and a character I suspect has a lot coming his way in the future series, Jezal. A spoilt, selfish type and future sword champion and all round hero. He hopes. And then, an almost anti-hero, who I possibly like the most now I come to think of it is Glokta. Crippled inquisitor and torturer, with a slight chip on his shoulder, who was once a great hero and warrior, now a broken, in pain, suffering servant to the upper classes.

This is an epic fantasy story with clever twists and turns, It’s smart, horrific, inventive and grand in its vision. I absolutely loved it. Lord of the rings meets Game of Thrones, with grit sprinkled on top.

5 out of 5 stars!!!