Helpful Score: 2
This was my first read by this author and his first book. I liked the time he spent on character development. It does not drag and the reader certainly begins to know these individuals. Characters are both likable and not! Some readers thought the plot was not as well developed as it could have been. That did not bother me. There are so many individuals to follow that it's fascinating to see what will come next. I enjoyed the interaction among all of them along with their feelings, thoughts and actions as well as the action scenes. Certainly, I felt like I knew the characters we when I finished.
Yes, the book ended at a point that the reader knows that there is much more to come. I look forward to reading the next in this series. I believe that Abercrombie is a fantasy writer that many readers will want to read. Indeed, I recommended the series to a young member of our family based on comments from other readers and before I had even read Blade. He loved the writing and the series. It is my hope that the author can continue to do so well in all the books he give us.
Yes, the book ended at a point that the reader knows that there is much more to come. I look forward to reading the next in this series. I believe that Abercrombie is a fantasy writer that many readers will want to read. Indeed, I recommended the series to a young member of our family based on comments from other readers and before I had even read Blade. He loved the writing and the series. It is my hope that the author can continue to do so well in all the books he give us.
Enjoyable book. Not perfect, but it's the type of book that would be easy to read in one sitting without realizing how much time has passed (and I came close to doing so).
This book sucked me in immediately, and I'm talking hooked by the second page. The "heroes" are gritty, realistic and flawed. The action is fast and furious. There's betrayal, plotting, the beginning of a quest, and a pending invasion. It all made for one of the best fantasy books I've read in years, and I can't wait to get stuck into the rest of the series.
Abercrombie's debut novel is the first in a fantasy trilogy. The Blade Itself is well written but is clearly a book that sets up the final two books in the trilogy. Not a whole lot happens as far as plot advancement goes but the author does a good job of "setting the tee" for the remainder of the series. If you like fantasy, you'll like The First Law Trilogy.
This is book 1 of The First Law trilogy.
It is common for the first book of a series to be heavy on character development and short on plot, and this was certainly no exception. The character development itself was actually quite good. The main players are dirty, gritty, bloody, and fierce. Every single one of them is flawed. Even though almost every character is essentially unlikable, you still find yourself at least moderately sympathetic towards them, rooting for them in spite of their many faults.
As for plot, this was a set-up book all the way. There is more than enough politics, scheming, and intrigue to go around, but the book seemed terribly unfocused. The geography is confusing (an illustrated map would have been nice), the internal and external conflicts are not fully realized, and it has that feeling of "a lot is going on but nothing actually happens."
This was Abercrombie's first book, and there were elements of his writing style that were distracting. Every character seems to be "sucking their teeth" when thinking. Every surface with a hint of sheen to it has been "polished mirror bright." And the frequent use of modern-day profanity strikes me as being distinctly out of place within this supposed medieval-fantasy setting.
Overall, there was much in this book that was good but as a whole it was not great. For me, it falls on the scale slightly above RA Salvatore (fantasy fast food) and well below Robin Hobb (5 star restaurant). It is a good middle ground (a sports bar with surprisingly good food), and is therefore enjoyable enough and not a total waste of your time.
It is common for the first book of a series to be heavy on character development and short on plot, and this was certainly no exception. The character development itself was actually quite good. The main players are dirty, gritty, bloody, and fierce. Every single one of them is flawed. Even though almost every character is essentially unlikable, you still find yourself at least moderately sympathetic towards them, rooting for them in spite of their many faults.
As for plot, this was a set-up book all the way. There is more than enough politics, scheming, and intrigue to go around, but the book seemed terribly unfocused. The geography is confusing (an illustrated map would have been nice), the internal and external conflicts are not fully realized, and it has that feeling of "a lot is going on but nothing actually happens."
This was Abercrombie's first book, and there were elements of his writing style that were distracting. Every character seems to be "sucking their teeth" when thinking. Every surface with a hint of sheen to it has been "polished mirror bright." And the frequent use of modern-day profanity strikes me as being distinctly out of place within this supposed medieval-fantasy setting.
Overall, there was much in this book that was good but as a whole it was not great. For me, it falls on the scale slightly above RA Salvatore (fantasy fast food) and well below Robin Hobb (5 star restaurant). It is a good middle ground (a sports bar with surprisingly good food), and is therefore enjoyable enough and not a total waste of your time.
Loved this book, especially the excellent character development. No cookie-cutter characters here. Everyone has good qualities and bad, but they are all quite interesting. I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next in the series.
This'll be a short review since I have to head off to work soon but WOW!
An amazing tale,full of interest characters and a rich world. Mystery, drama, secrets, fighting and some conspiracy thrown in :)
The battle scenes and violence were done well, violent and bloody but more character driven than gore-driven (and did not make me want to puke), each one served a purpose to what was happening in the narrative each time. I hate when gore is done just for gore's sake, glad to see this stayed away from that :).
There are quite a few characters in play, a couple times I had to stop and think who was who but once I got used to everyone and got further along in the story I had no trouble keeping everyone straight.
Everyone is fleshed out well, they feel like real people instead of just pieces on the pages... even the villains I was invested in. Arch Lector Sult is a slippery bastard, but is he the ultimate bad guy?
There any many layers to this story, and each one gets peeled back a bit as the story goes on.. only to find more underneath. We get some answers but never enough for the full complete picture but teases of a sort to keep us invested in what is going on and to give us some insight.
It is a steady-paced novel, not a whole lot happens but also at the same time it does... make sense?
Jezal, I went back and forth between loving him and wanting to push him into the mud. I only hope he's up for the journey that lays ahead.
Ferro, is fascinating... I still don't like her a whole lot but Bayaz seems to think she has value so I guess we'll see.
Bayaz, also a slippery bastard.. not quite the same as Sult but he also has secrets of his own. He wears many masks and sometimes your not quite sure if you can trust him.
Logen was my favorite, he's a survivor with quite a reputation behind but he's also weary of it at the same time. I don't think it'll ever really leave him.
The last part of the novel is intense and the ending is ominous in its own way, leaving you wondering how this is all gonna come together and what the cost will be.
Highly recommend, well worth time and money :)
excuse any typos for the moment haha *waves* happy reading!
An amazing tale,full of interest characters and a rich world. Mystery, drama, secrets, fighting and some conspiracy thrown in :)
The battle scenes and violence were done well, violent and bloody but more character driven than gore-driven (and did not make me want to puke), each one served a purpose to what was happening in the narrative each time. I hate when gore is done just for gore's sake, glad to see this stayed away from that :).
There are quite a few characters in play, a couple times I had to stop and think who was who but once I got used to everyone and got further along in the story I had no trouble keeping everyone straight.
Everyone is fleshed out well, they feel like real people instead of just pieces on the pages... even the villains I was invested in. Arch Lector Sult is a slippery bastard, but is he the ultimate bad guy?
There any many layers to this story, and each one gets peeled back a bit as the story goes on.. only to find more underneath. We get some answers but never enough for the full complete picture but teases of a sort to keep us invested in what is going on and to give us some insight.
It is a steady-paced novel, not a whole lot happens but also at the same time it does... make sense?
Jezal, I went back and forth between loving him and wanting to push him into the mud. I only hope he's up for the journey that lays ahead.
Ferro, is fascinating... I still don't like her a whole lot but Bayaz seems to think she has value so I guess we'll see.
Bayaz, also a slippery bastard.. not quite the same as Sult but he also has secrets of his own. He wears many masks and sometimes your not quite sure if you can trust him.
Logen was my favorite, he's a survivor with quite a reputation behind but he's also weary of it at the same time. I don't think it'll ever really leave him.
The last part of the novel is intense and the ending is ominous in its own way, leaving you wondering how this is all gonna come together and what the cost will be.
Highly recommend, well worth time and money :)
excuse any typos for the moment haha *waves* happy reading!
