The Review Itself
Sep. 9th, 2007 03:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bluegargantuaHi,
So I just finished reading The Blade Itself (The First Law: Book One) by Joe Abercrombie (sadly the book is not illustrated by a guy named Fitch). This had gotten a lot of buzz as one of the best fantasy novels published in Britain in 2006 and were it not for The Lies of Locke Lamora it probably would've walked away with the honor hands down. So I was very curious to check it out. My usual channels to get British books in my hands prior to their US street date failed miserably, so I couldn't get a sneak peek, but at least you can pick it up in your local books store.
So, first off, the book is clearly part of a trilogy and loses points for not reaching a stopping point where you could just walk away from the series more or less happy. This book is basically the "get the heroes together and get them going on their quest" book. What makes the book interesting is the fact that all of the heroes pretty much hate each other. You've got Logen Nine-Fingers, the barbarian from the North who's getting tired of the constant violence in his life, but it just keeps drawing it towards himself. You've got Jezal dan Luthar, an egotistical nobleman who hopes to win a major fencing tournament, maybe serve with distinction in a gallant war and then settle down to a nice cushy job. And you've got Ferro Maljin, ex-slave who hopes to destroy the empire that enslaved her
These three get brought together by Bayaz the wizard. He's got the Gandalf routine down pat, but as you go through the book, you realize that his confidence may be a bit excessive. Certainly, he doesn't wonder how these three will get along, nor does he much seem to care.
Finally, flirting around the edges, we have Inquisitor Glokta, once a vaunted hero of the Union, he was broken and crippled in a foreign dungeon. Now, shunned by everyone who once knew him, he is a dutiful servant of the Union and works hard to root out corruption and treachery.
So pretty much everyone is an anti-hero, most of them are violent, none of them can stand each other. Gettin them together tears down half the city. Sending them out beyond the edge of the world should be even more fun.
It's an interesting start. I happened to snag the second book in the series, so if you want to hold off until I get through the next one, that might be wise. There's definitely some promise here, but it'll probably take a bit more plotting before that promise can be realized.
later
Tom
So I just finished reading The Blade Itself (The First Law: Book One) by Joe Abercrombie (sadly the book is not illustrated by a guy named Fitch). This had gotten a lot of buzz as one of the best fantasy novels published in Britain in 2006 and were it not for The Lies of Locke Lamora it probably would've walked away with the honor hands down. So I was very curious to check it out. My usual channels to get British books in my hands prior to their US street date failed miserably, so I couldn't get a sneak peek, but at least you can pick it up in your local books store.
So, first off, the book is clearly part of a trilogy and loses points for not reaching a stopping point where you could just walk away from the series more or less happy. This book is basically the "get the heroes together and get them going on their quest" book. What makes the book interesting is the fact that all of the heroes pretty much hate each other. You've got Logen Nine-Fingers, the barbarian from the North who's getting tired of the constant violence in his life, but it just keeps drawing it towards himself. You've got Jezal dan Luthar, an egotistical nobleman who hopes to win a major fencing tournament, maybe serve with distinction in a gallant war and then settle down to a nice cushy job. And you've got Ferro Maljin, ex-slave who hopes to destroy the empire that enslaved her
These three get brought together by Bayaz the wizard. He's got the Gandalf routine down pat, but as you go through the book, you realize that his confidence may be a bit excessive. Certainly, he doesn't wonder how these three will get along, nor does he much seem to care.
Finally, flirting around the edges, we have Inquisitor Glokta, once a vaunted hero of the Union, he was broken and crippled in a foreign dungeon. Now, shunned by everyone who once knew him, he is a dutiful servant of the Union and works hard to root out corruption and treachery.
So pretty much everyone is an anti-hero, most of them are violent, none of them can stand each other. Gettin them together tears down half the city. Sending them out beyond the edge of the world should be even more fun.
It's an interesting start. I happened to snag the second book in the series, so if you want to hold off until I get through the next one, that might be wise. There's definitely some promise here, but it'll probably take a bit more plotting before that promise can be realized.
later
Tom
