THE BLADE ITSELF*: The First Law: Book One by Joe Abercrombie

Narrated by Stephen Pacey

* Incites to deeds of violence

Continuing my foray into contemporary fantasy I found this book to have nearly the same feel as that of The Riyria Revelations by Michael J. Sullivan. This is not the High Fantasy of Tolkein populated with noble races of Men and Elves, filled with grandiloquent speech or even, a quest to save the world, but a modern take on a low-tech world populated by mercenary soldiers, noble dolts and snappy dialog. To me that is the hallmark of contemporary fantasy. I must say that I most liked Inquisitor Glokta best of all the characters. The unspoken dialog that runs in his head just before he speaks is quite cynical and so well suited to his character that he becomes likeable despite his loathsome appearance as described I the novel.  This book has other fine characters. Another is that of Logan, the Bloody Nine, a barbarian from the north: brutal in combat, but subtle in the art of leadership. As a first book, this one does everything right: Characters get introduced. We get to know the main political players. And it manages to do it all in an entertaining fashion. I don’t expect the series to plumb the depths of the human psyche, but even that potential is there.

Stephen Pacey is fantastic in this book. He is, perhaps, why I found THE BLADE ITSELF to be so entertaining. He takes the characters Abercrombie has given him and assigns them with voices so suitable that it makes you wonder if the characters were written with his range in mind.