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Title: THE BLADE ITSELF |  |
Logen Ninefingers is a Named Man, also known as the Bloody Nine, a hard Northman, a fighter who has seen enough of death, but can't seem to see his way clear of it. Separated from his friends he can only assume have been killed by the Flatheads, he talks to the spirits who tell him that a Magi is looking for him.
Glokta was also a warrior, but his two years in the torture chambers of the south have left him a cripple, in both body and soul, fit only to inflict torture on others as Inquisitor. But Inquisitor is a perilous job, never knowing when your usefulness will be outlived. It doesn't help when he must counsel idiots like the flashy Jezal, who can't seem to see how good he has it, and how much the swordsman's upcoming Contest could mean to his future. But then Glokta was once a Contest winner himself, and as arrogant as Jezal.
Add a figure from legend, mix in attacks on the Union from both North and South, and life can get very interesting indeed.
THE BLADE ITSELF is the first book in THE FIRST LAW series and is an impressive work. While in some ways a classic quest, it is far more than this. Joe Abercrombie has mixed in a dark humour that lifts this from the ordinary into a read that is at once enjoyable and disturbing.
Strong characters fill out the plot, bringing the story to life. THE BLADE ITSELF is an easy read, with the pace never slacking and the plot twists more than sufficient to keep your interest.