Comments (24)

What did you think about this title?
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Jun 06, 2023tjdickey rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Gritty, with a plot driven by well-developed characters, and full of both magic and violence - neither of which are celebrated or glorified, but just are part of the dangers of a brutal life.
May 05, 2023
"IT'S TOTALLY AWESOME! Seriously, best fantasy I've read in years. Give it a shot, you won't be disappointed!" - Steve A.
Jan 14, 2023papposilenus rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
A skillfully-written, fast-reading, character-driven example of the genre. Each chapter has a title, and for good reason: they can each be read as (almost) standalone short stories. I particularly liked intertwined journeys of the major…
Sep 23, 2022Gareldb rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I think this series is going to grow on me. This is definitely a character-driven book. There were lots of important characters and all seemed quite fully developed, except for maybe Ferro, who came along later so we will probably hear…
Sep 23, 2022AMARGARETBENKERT rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
The beginning of The First Law trilogy. This book is a grim dark fantasy novel, so if that is not something you enjoy you’ll have a hard time with this novel. I personally loved it. The best part of this book are the characters. They are…
Dec 28, 2021napoj600 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
It meets my fix of proper fantasy medieval and has great world building through the characters. By the end of the book I feel like I was born in the world and could talk about different places with someone in the setting. There are really…
Jul 16, 2018louislampe rated this title 0.5 out of 5 stars
Halfway through the 500 page book I paused. Too many major characters to keep track of with too many separate stories all unrelated. But the book came highly recommended so I finished the book. A Mistake. in the end there is still too…
Feb 23, 2017comics_on_craigslist rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
It’s no Game of Thrones but at least each of the characters has their own motivations and personalities; they are not just archetypes. The story is engaging and pulse-pounding at times. The only drawback, for me, is that each of the…
Dec 13, 2016isaachar rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
When I started 'The Blade Itself', I thought that it was a good substitution for George R.R. Martin's 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series. Wow was I wrong! The 'First Law' series, in my opinion, is equal to or better than Martin's more…
Sarah1984
May 06, 2016Sarah1984 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
27/6 - Even after 103 pages I'm still not sure what I think about this book. I feel like I'm waiting for something fantastic and amazing to happen, but there's no telling when that might come to pass. Logen's chapters are definitely more…
Mar 23, 2016fantasybkaddict rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
For a more detailed review check out this book on my blog! https://readfantasybooks.wordpress.com/2015/12/21/the-blade-itself-first-law-trilogy-1-by-joe-abercrombie/ I really enjoyed this book and loved that it was different than…
Kereesa
Jan 29, 2016Kereesa rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Slogging, but not bad.
Aug 05, 2015DevilStateDan rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I am new to Joe Abercrombie but am fast becoming a huge fan of his writing. His characters are beautifully flawed & his action sequences are well paced & gruesomely real. This is a great start to a fantasy trilogy of the sort that I love…
Jun 02, 2015JCLHebahA rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Nice quick read with engaging characters and bits of sly dark humor.
Aug 26, 2014BBurnett rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
the first law: book one a great first book, in a series, an epic fantasy, my favourite kind of story. A bit slow in getting going, and finding out how all these diverse characters and plots connect, but interesting, and well written.…
Jul 11, 2014Omadahl rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Good beginning to what seems to be a promising series. Begins quite slow but as characters are added, the story picks up.
Apr 09, 2014DENNIS HENLEY rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I listened to this on my daily commute and was never disappointed. It's a violent, bloody and, surprisingly, darkly humorous tale. Abercrombie doesn't create a world with the same flair as George R.R. Martin, but I didn't think his vision…
Jul 07, 2013sal222 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
The Blade Itself was a great read since it doesn't follow the traditional fantasy model. It's dark and gritty, and the characters are all realistic in their strengths and flaws. I'd definitely recommend this book to fans of fantasy.
Jan 18, 2013GuyN rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
In spite of my being indifferent to or disliking most of the key characters, I found myself drawn into this story and enjoying the contrasts of these same characters. Eventually I will probably read the next book in the series. Warnings:…
unbalancedbutfair
Dec 05, 2012unbalancedbutfair rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This book was oddly awesome. Not awesome but odd, no, it was awesome in a unique, odd and fulfilling way. This book is about characters more than anything else. There is a story, probably a deep story, beginning to be told. But it is the…
lasertravis
Jun 26, 2012lasertravis rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Very good fantasy book. Very character driven with a great little cast of anti-heroes. The scenes of violence are graphic and bloody. The dialogue, including inner dialogue, is well written and at times darkly humorous. The book moved…
Jul 20, 2011digiri rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
You cannot beat a book where the villian is the hero and the hero is a villian. Read this book if you are tired of the usual fantasy pap where all heros are shining paragons and the damsels are always in distress.
Jan 20, 2011sairen42 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I agree with a previous commenter that the characters are masterfully realized, and for them alone, the book is worth a read. None of the characters are particularly likable, but over the first book, you see a seed of decency and…
Nov 03, 2010kwsmith rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Logen Ninefingers, Glokta, and a handful of others form the unique cast of misfits in this dark fantasy novel. Each of these characters is masterfully realized. In particular, first-time author Joel Abercrombie excels at portraying brutal…