TBI: Hate zombies? Read this!

[Veronica, Supreme Sword]

I decided that since so many of you were vehemently opposed to zombies, we'd have a second, ancillary book for the month! It's The Blade Itself!

If you've been waiting for a good sword pick, this is the one for you. Enjoy!

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Woohoo!

(Just a friendly librarian sort of tip - make sure you get the one written by Abercrombie and not Sakey).

[terpkristin]

Sounds good to me, I'll grab it for Kindle when I get home!

[Noel]

I might be against Zombies but the blade itself is a terrific book.

[William]

This is one of the best fantasies I have read in a long time.

[Nathan Blevins]

I am actually reading them both! lol... If given the chance, I would STRONGLY suggest listening to this on audio book. I started this book on my iPad and enjoyed it. After switching to World War Z, I threw this on my Audible account and was amazed. The voice actor really does a great job in bringing out the characters.

Also, as a TN resident, I have struggled a bit to read books written by a UK authors as I don't pace the wording in an appropriate manner or always follow the "cadence" of the writing (I know, I'm probably weird here). However, the audio book helps me appreciate the wit + humor in the book as I easily recognize the asides w/o having to think much on it.

On a side note, I also found this to be true for Terry Pratchett. :)

[David]

When this book first came up in the discussions, probably around the "Windup Girl", I went out and picked it up. I'd gotten pretty tired of alll of the Fantasy tropes, but this book was great. The author put a really good twist on a standard fantasy story, the character development took its time but was really well done.

[Sandi]

I really enjoyed this book and the second one in the trilogy. However, I was pretty disappointed by the way the third book progressed and ended. It kind of felt like Abercrombie ran out of steam and started pulling things out of his hat to wrap everything up.

[Keith]

Oh good. I wanted to get in on the action, but I find Zombies mostly boring. :)

(I do love The Walking Dead books though.)

Will start "The Blade Itself" tonight... unless I just have to start reading "Throne of Jade" having just finished "His Majesty's Dragon" and really, really enjoyed it.

[Mnchur]

Gonna start this soon. In the last 50 pages or so of anathem right now.

[Philip]

This was just released on Audible a couple of weeks ago, and the member price is only $9.76. I'll probably just buy it instead of burning a credit I paid $14.95 for.

[Curt]

Will start "The Blade Itself" tonight... unless I just have to start rea..."

Picked up The Blade Itself as I had already read WWZ. Cannot put this book down. I can't remember being so into a sword and sorcerer genre like I am getting into this book. Almost halfway through...just gets better.

[Veronica, Supreme Sword]

Keith wrote: "Oh good. I wanted to get in on the action, but I find Zombies mostly boring. :)

(I do love The Walking Dead books though.)

Will start "The Blade Itself" tonight... unless I just have to start rea..."

Yay for dragons! The story slows down a little bit around book 4... I need to finish it up though.

[Rick]

Just started today, and can't put it down! Pretty compelling reading so far, and I can't wait to find out what happens next.

[Matty Van]

am almost done with world war z, and will be reading this next, it will be the first sword book I have read in a long long time as being currently unemployed has given me more time to read then I could have ever wanted

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Matty Van wrote: "am almost done with world war z, and will be reading this next, it will be the first sword book I have read in a long long time as being currently unemployed has given me more time to read then I c..."

Silver lining, I suppose. I hope you soon find yourself with less time to read!

[Micah]

I went to the library today to find The Blade Itself. It has been staring at me on every trip for 2 months now. And this time somebody had checked it out....maybe another S&L member that lives in my small town? I was very distraught...

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Oooh, maybe you'll make a connection!

[Micah]

Jenny wrote: "Oooh, maybe you'll make a connection!"

maybe. If anybody lives in a small town east of Dallas TX let me know! I really wanted to get my hands on that book because I just read World War Z last fall, and missed out on Bitter Seeds due to the newness of the book. (i.e I'm cheap and didn't want to pay $20 for it) Maybe I will be able to get it in the next couple of weeks.

[Jon]

Micah wrote: "I'm cheap and didn't want to pay $20 for it"

Every tried BookMooch or PaperBackSwap?

Or a local library? Most libraries let you search their catalog online, place the book on hold and all you have to do is waltz in and pick it up off the hold shelf when it comes in.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

My local library didn't have it, and I had to request it interlibrary loan, which I can do for free where I work.

[Kevin]

I have loved the last couple of selections - new less well known authors! Nothing against the Frank Herberts of the world but I've read most of that stuff. It's been great finding some new voices. I got my copy of The Blade Itself in the mail today and can't wait to get started!

[Micah]

Jon wrote: "Ever tried BookMooch or PaperBackSwap?

Or a local library? Most libraries let you search their catalog online, place the book on hol..."

I haven't tried BookMooch or PaperBackSwap but my post referenced an earlier one about my visit to the library. I didn't think about putting a hold on it. I have done that for books before, don't know why it didn't occur to me this time. I will do it tomorrow! Thanks for the reminder

[Philip]

Jenny wrote: "My local library didn't have it, and I had to request it interlibrary loan, which I can do for free where I work."

Interlibrary loans rock. Back when I listened to audiobooks on cassettes I was able to search Worldcat online and if I found a library in the system that had a certain book I could have it sent to my local library. I would get audiobooks from all over, even outside CONUS.

@Micah- If you're ever down in the Houston area, you should stop by a Houston Public Library and a Harris County Library. Houston PL will issue a card with a TX State ID showing residence, and I think Harris County will do the same. Their downloadable selection of audiobooks is pretty awesome. Links here: http://www.hcpl.net/
http://www.hpl.lib.tx.us/

[Micah]

Philip wrote:Micah- If you're ever down in the Houston area, you should stop by a Houston Public Library and a Harris County Library. Houston PL will issue a card with a TX State ID showing residence..."

I should look into that. i wonder if those sites will let me download with my local library card? HMMMM...

on the interlibrary loan front, that was how I was able to read The Windup Girl. I tried to get the same thing for Bitter Seeds but it was "to popular" sigh...nobody wanted to give one up for a loan....

[Matty Van]

I have had good luck with the greater Rochester,NY library system, they have almost everything I am looking for, and the 30 or so total librarys loan to each other so it does not take too long to get the most popular books.

I did just get the girl with the dragon tattoo, and seeing how I have been waiting for it the blade it self gets bumped down in my to read queue

[Svend]

Just wanted to pop in and say that this book is awesome and the trilogy is even better. Promise me that you wont stop with the first book!

I might be fairly new to the fantasy genre, but this First Law trilogy had me by my balls and didn't let go until I had read all three books. Brilliant storytelling with an edge :)

Just to make a point, cause he says it so well, I'll like to copy/paste from Abercrombies own website:

"Epic fantasy. Its all the same, no?

There’s a grumpy wizard, a deadly barbarian, a jumped-up nobleman and some feisty girl, more than likely. They’re all engaged in a mysterious quest to bring that from there, and they’re all made out of cardboard. Probably there’s a dark lord of some kind involved. They talk like extras from a bad soap opera. They fight like extras from a bad cop show. Probably there’s a prophecy, and a farmboy with mysterious parentage, and if not a magic tower, then certainly a strange tall building of some kind. There’ll be battles, there’ll be intrigue, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if a magic sword came up somewhere along the way.

I don’t need to read that again.

I want to read a fantasy with all the grit, and cruelty, and humour of real life. Where good and evil are a matter of where you stand, just like in the real world. I want dialogue that actually sounds like people talking, and action that actually feels like people fighting. I want magic and adventure, sure, but I want it to hurt. I want blood, sweat, and tears, and plenty of them. I want to read about characters as selfish, as flawed, as complicated, and as unpredictable as real people. I want a fantasy that can shock and surprise, amuse and horrify, delight and excite me, all at once.

I spent a long time looking, and I couldn’t find a set of books quite like that. So I thought I’d write some.

You like your fantasy with the edges left on?

Try The First Law."

[Noel]

Svend wrote: "Just wanted to pop in and say that this book is awesome and the trilogy is even better. Promise me that you wont stop with the first book!

I might be fairly new to the fantasy genre, but this Fir..."

If you loved this you'd also love ' The lies of Locke Lamora,' by Scott Lynch I think. Really Really good in a similar vein.

[Svend]

Just bought them a few months back, so they are lined up :)

[Noel]

Great! You'll love them.

[Peleken]

I for one HATE zombies. They are disgusting, loathsome creatures. Which is why I must read all I can about them. So that I can more effectively KILL them!