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The Blade Itself

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The Blade Itself

By: Joe Abercrombie
Narrated by: Steven Pacey
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The first novel in the First Law Trilogy from New York Times bestseller, Joe Abercrombie.

Logen Ninefingers, infamous barbarian, has finally run out of luck. Caught in one feud too many, he's on the verge of becoming a dead barbarian—leaving nothing behind him but bad songs, dead friends, and a lot of happy enemies. Nobleman, dashing officer, and paragon of selfishness, Captain Jezal dan Luthar has nothing more dangerous in mind than fleecing his friends at cards and dreaming of glory in the fencing circle.

But war is brewing, and on the battlefields of the frozen North they fight by altogether bloodier rules. Inquisitor Glokta, cripple turned torturer, would like nothing better than to see Jezal come home in a box. But then Glokta hates everyone: cutting treason out of the Union one confession at a time leaves little room for friendship. His latest trail of corpses may lead him right to the rotten heart of government, if he can stay alive long enough to follow it.

Enter the wizard, Bayaz. A bald old man with a terrible temper and a pathetic assistant, he could be the First of the Magi, he could be a spectacular fraud, but whatever he is, he's about to make the lives of Logen, Jezal, and Glokta a whole lot more difficult.

Murderous conspiracies rise to the surface, old scores are ready to be settled, and the line between hero and villain is sharp enough to draw blood.

Unpredictable, compelling, wickedly funny, and packed with unforgettable characters, The Blade Itself is noir fantasy with a real cutting edge.

Accolades & Awards

Fantasy Essentials
Fantasy Fantasy Essentials Suspenseful War & Military War Fiction Action & Adventure Magic Users Epic Genre Fiction Wizardry Magic Epic Fantasy Historical Scary First Law English

Critic reviews

"Pointed, driven, and sharp."—Locus on Red Country
"Magnificent, richly entertaining"—Time on The Heroes
"Imagine The Lord of the Rings as directed by Kurosawa."—Lev Grossman, Wall Street Journal on The Heroes
"[Abercrombie has] begun breaking his own rules. And succeeding wildly at it. ... [R]arely has Abercrombie had so much fun while rollicking through his colorful cast's foibles and witty dialogue - and rarely has he dished out so much straight-for-the-heart poignancy."—The A.V. Club
"New, fresh, and exciting."—The Independent (UK)
"Exhilarating... Abercrombie's knack for wit and grit holds your attention throughout, and his eye for character means that there's heart as well as muscle."—SFX (UK)
"Abercrombie writes fantasy like no one else."—Guardian (UK)

Featured Article: The top 100 fantasy listens of all time


When compiling our list of the best fantasy listening out there, we immediately came up against the age-old question: Is this fantasy or science fiction? The distinction is not as clear as you may think. Dragons, elves, and wizards are definitely fantasy, but what about wizards that also fly space ships? (Looking at you, Star Wars.) For the sake of fantasy purity, the top 100 fantasy listens include the best audio works in all manner of fantasy subgenres.

Featured Article The top 100 fantasy listens of all time
Complex Characters • Morally Ambiguous Protagonists • Dark Humor • Realistic Dialogue • Subversive Fantasy

Highly rated for:

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Grit, humor, blood, wit, originality, excellent characters, hints of sexy romance, believable pain both physical and emotional. Can't wait for 2 and 3!

Effing fantastic

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I listen to books probably 60% of the day, so I'd like to think I know a good one when I hear it. Abercrombie Delivers. if you are as hesitant as I was to start this one, please share in my regret. Regret of waiting too long to begin it.

exceptionally Fenomimal

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The best series I've read in years. Giving it my second listen-through. I can wait to "meet" all the characters for the first time, again.

Great narration brings the characters to life!

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couldn't get it into my brain fast enough! every character seems fleshed out, has very human motivations and very human flaws. good action, believable combat, not over the top use of magic (refreshing in the genre today) and the tempo of the plot never gets bogged down and slow like in other big hits like the storm light archive.

Narrator did good voice work, accents were always understandable and felt true to the source material and to the character. all in all, good good book.

great book and narration

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The Blade Itself isn't about magic, elves, coming of age, dragons, or a quest to save a kingdom. It's a dark world on the edge of impending war. It's about a brutal swordsman whose nickname has the word "bloody" in it, a vain nobleman who's a playboy drunkard, and a former military officer who was once a well respected leader into battle...but now is a broken and handicapped interrogator for the Empire. These men are brought together in a larger plot, but it isn't the plot that drives Book 1 of The First Law series - it's the characters. Ambercrombie is one of those rare authors that can write characters so well you think they were real in another time and place.

Do yourself a favor and don't miss out on this gem of Grimdark fantasy. There's a reason this series is near the top of fantasy book lists; it draws you in and doesn't let go. You will laugh, be shocked, cheer, and condemn while reading this, it's outstanding storytelling. To top it off, Steven Pacey makes the best even better, bringing to life some of the most unique characters in fantasy.

Fantastic Characters Brought to Life! Outstanding!

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