The Blade Itself (The First Law, #1) in Sword & Sorcery: "An earthier sort of fantasy"

Jun 23, 2019 Markus rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

"Every man has his excuses, and the more vile the man becomes, the more touching the story has to be. What is my story now, I wonder?"

Solid stuff. A real page-turner at times.

Aside from such splendidly enjoyable characters as Logen Ninefingers, Inquisitor Glokta and Major West, I especially enjoyed the musings about history, politics and urban life. Suffice it to say I completely share Logen’s aversion to the annoying crowds to be found in cities.

The book clearly deserves considerable praise, an ...more

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Nov 13, 2014 Francesco Manno rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: grimdark-fantasy, fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, low-fantasy

http://panopticonitalia.blogspot.it/2...

The Blade Itself is a fantasy novel grimdark Joe Abercrombie, the first volume in the saga of The First Law, published in 2006 on the UK market in 2013 and in Italy by Gargoyle. The book was nominated for the Campbell Award for 2008 and the Tähtifantasia Award for 2010.
The term grimdark fantasy (coined by Jack) indicates that line of fantastic fiction in which the story is represented with extreme realism, making use of countless scenes of violence, sex an http://panopticonitalia.blogspot.it/2...

The Blade Itself is a fantasy novel grimdark Joe Abercrombie, the first volume in the saga of The First Law, published in 2006 on the UK market in 2013 and in Italy by Gargoyle. The book was nominated for the Campbell Award for 2008 and the Tähtifantasia Award for 2010.
The term grimdark fantasy (coined by Jack) indicates that line of fantastic fiction in which the story is represented with extreme realism, making use of countless scenes of violence, sex and foul language. This has upset not just critics worldwide, causing a real Copernican revolution, since no author before Joe Abercrombie, had ventured much into fantasy.
At any rate, the author takes us on an imaginary world similar to ours in the medieval era, which defines the World Circular, in which three great states clash for supremacy: the Union, the North and the Empire Gurkish . The first recall the European kingdoms of the Renaissance period, the seconds the barbarian peoples of northern Europe and the third Arabs.
Despite what stated just now, the geopolitical situation of the World Circular merely a backdrop to the main part of the novel, which concerns the adventures of three characters: Logen Novedita, Jezal dan Luthar and Glokta. And through the third-person narrative and according to these three fundamental pov that Abercrombie enhances his skills as a writer; probing the worst aspects of human psychology and having the courage to describe a world filthy, rotting, fraught with danger, violence, lust, hatred, envy and therefore extremely real.
We Logen (also called the Bloody and known throughout the world for its ferocity Circular), a mighty barbarian of the north who fled south, since King Bethod intends to kill him. Jezal, an arrogant and lazy captain Union, member of a noble family of nobility, unaccustomed to duty and addicted to alcohol and the good life. Glokta, a former Army officer and Union fencing champion, crippled by torture in the prisons of the Empire Gurkish and now in force as Inquisitor.
In addition to these there are a myriad of characters who participate actively to each other, sometimes even with their particular point of view. None of them is driven by good intentions. None of them is trying to help other people. This arouses indignation, right?
Let's be honest.
In the life of every day a few people are moved by high ideals and most people try to circumvent the other, only to achieve their interests.
But back to us.
As for the action, you have no way to get bored. Abercrombie is adept at keeping vivid the reader's attention, submerging of twists, fights, revelations and information still succulent to the economy of the story.
The magic is present, although very limited.
In conclusion, I have to recognize that The Blade Itself is a milestone in the landscape of fantasy literature, since it was one of the first fantasy books to break with traditional patterns of fiction of this kind, presenting events characterized by extreme realism; with the addition of a good dose of black humor. ...more

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