The Blade Itself

The First Law: Book One

By: Joe Abercrombie

Narrated by: Steven Pacey

Length: 22 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

Inquisitor Glokta, a crippled and bitter relic of the last war, former fencing champion turned torturer, is trapped in a twisted and broken body - not that he allows it to distract him from his daily routine of torturing smugglers.

Nobleman, dashing officer and would-be fencing champion Captain Jezal dan Luthar is living a life of ease by cheating his friends at cards. Vain and shallow, the biggest blot on his horizon is having to get out of bed in the morning to train with obsessive and boring old men. And Logen Ninefingers, an infamous warrior with a bloody past, is about to wake up with plans to settle a blood feud with Bethod, the new King of the Northmen, once and for all - ideally by running away from it.

But as he's discovering, old habits die hard....especially when Bayaz gets involved. An 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 Glokta, Jezal, and Logen a whole lot more difficult....

©2010 Joe Abercrombie (P)2010 Orion Publishing Group

Not a game changer, but a good book anyways

Any additional comments?

A good book, not one that I think will change fantasy as we know of. It's no Name of the Wind, The Hobbit, or The Game of Thrown. Yet only a few books are. Over all it was fun to read. I enjoyed the book and it's characters. Yes so were whining. Some were unlikeable, but I think that was the intent of the writer and there for I liked it. I would recommend it to fantasy fans.

Engrossing!

A tinge of dark, but with characters you care about! Good story line with a slight genre bending twist. Achieves both character development and an interesting story arc. Read all 3 books and really enjoyed them.

A Stellar Series

Say one thing about this series, it has great and memorable characters.

The narration adds extra depth to the fantastic spectrum of characters

Fantastic!

What made the experience of listening to The Blade Itself the most enjoyable?

Steven Pacey.

Who was your favorite character and why?

All the characters are interesting and well written with (mostly) good character arcs. If I'd have to pick a favorite from this book, then I'd have to go with Sand dan Glockta. From the series Logan Nine Fingers.

What does Steven Pacey bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His voice acting is insanely good. You know instantly which character is speaking, and even which character is thinking. Mr Pacey is outstanding in every second of the book(s). He's by far my favorite narrator of all time.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

Well, with the perfect narrator, this book and the series as a whole at the top of my list for enjoyable listening experiences. 5 stars on all fronts!

Well writen book without a good plot

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The book is an introduction to the characters and settings for the first law series. The book is well written, the characters interesting but there are no "goal" in the plot. Alone, The blade itself, is therefore not the best read.

What did you like best about this story?

One of the characters. Inquisitor Glokte. And the dark humor.

What about Steven Pacey’s performance did you like?

Very good. Especially his voice of Logan and Glokte. Female voices not so good.

Did The Blade Itself inspire you to do anything?

Yes. I've brought the second book in the series.

Just get it

This series has some of the most memorable and likable characters. Great narration, great story to boot. Just get it. It's my new favourite fantasy series.

Grim-Aced

I’m not sure about the UK, but we tend to say Grim-essed in my part of the US. grimACED was highly distracting.

Outstanding!

Better than George R.R. Martin. Great story. Excellent narration. I'm ready for book two!

Epic buildup

Great character development - the characters are not black and white as in most fantasy series. A most epic buildup. Can't wait for what's to come.

Fantastic Book, Even more FANTASTIC Performance!!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
This is a great, great story. It is gripping from beginning to end. One of the best audio books I've ever heard.

Which character – as performed by Steven Pacey – was your favorite?
Steven Pacey is THE best reader I've heard, and I have listened to some truly great ones (Scott Brick, Tom Weiner, Nadia May, etc).
Steve brings the book to life like no other. He understands the nuances of the dialogue. It is as if he we putting on a top notch stage production. His reading of the book is incredible. He deserves an award.
So, my favorite character is Glokta. The way Steve Pacey reads Glokta's thoughts, in the way that Glokta would have spoken if had not been so mutilated, and then the way Steve Pacey reads Glokta's spoken words with the effects of his missing teeth coming into play is brilliant.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
There were quite a few times where I would laugh or chuckle or even just smile as I was listening to it.

Any additional comments?
Awesome Book, AWESOME reader. Steve Pacey...You are THE BEST! Well done!!!