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A review by rg9400
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The Blade Itself is a book I only picked up based on its reputation in the fantasy community. To be honest, if it weren't for that reputation, I probably would not read the sequels. It's not a bad book by any means, but there are some significant issues with it.
First, there is no female character up until like Chapter 12. I don't mean female main character POVs, not even just a female side character, not even just a named female character. I just literally mean a female person on page. And this introduction itself is a male character lusting over her and being grateful that she isn't fat. I think this improves in the second half with more female characters including a female POV, but it still decidedly feels like a male-driven book, and probably the most skewed in that regard that I've read in a while. I have heard that Abercrombie took criticism on this aspect to heart and improved a lot in books past the first trilogy, so I can overlook it even though I'm not a huge fan.
Second is probably a common complaint, but this book doesn't really have a plot. There is no driving narrative thrust, and mostly characters are just living their lives for half of it. The second half starts to introduce some more mystery and direction, but it feels like a very long prologue. A lot of people say this is because it's a character-driven story, but I think that it's more just a novice writer's earlier work. I fully expect this area to improve in subsequent books.
I did enjoy *some* of the characters. Namely Glokta and Ferro. Jezal annoyed me a ton. Logen didn't really have enough things happening for me to feel anything specific about him. West and Dog Man just did not have a lot of page time. I definitely am intrigued enough to see where they go though, so these characters are at least compelling.
I also found the lore and mystery/horror elements very interesting. A lot more than the world politics for sure. I am interested in learning more about these elements as well.
Overall, I don't particularly have strong feelings towards this book in either direction. In some ways, after Sun Eater, I think that's a good sign since a lot of my issues are things I believe can easily improve (and have been told do improve). Because of that, I might pick up the sequel after reading a few other things.
First, there is no female character up until like Chapter 12. I don't mean female main character POVs, not even just a female side character, not even just a named female character. I just literally mean a female person on page. And this introduction itself is a male character lusting over her and being grateful that she isn't fat. I think this improves in the second half with more female characters including a female POV, but it still decidedly feels like a male-driven book, and probably the most skewed in that regard that I've read in a while. I have heard that Abercrombie took criticism on this aspect to heart and improved a lot in books past the first trilogy, so I can overlook it even though I'm not a huge fan.
Second is probably a common complaint, but this book doesn't really have a plot. There is no driving narrative thrust, and mostly characters are just living their lives for half of it. The second half starts to introduce some more mystery and direction, but it feels like a very long prologue. A lot of people say this is because it's a character-driven story, but I think that it's more just a novice writer's earlier work. I fully expect this area to improve in subsequent books.
I did enjoy *some* of the characters. Namely Glokta and Ferro. Jezal annoyed me a ton. Logen didn't really have enough things happening for me to feel anything specific about him. West and Dog Man just did not have a lot of page time. I definitely am intrigued enough to see where they go though, so these characters are at least compelling.
I also found the lore and mystery/horror elements very interesting. A lot more than the world politics for sure. I am interested in learning more about these elements as well.
Overall, I don't particularly have strong feelings towards this book in either direction. In some ways, after Sun Eater, I think that's a good sign since a lot of my issues are things I believe can easily improve (and have been told do improve). Because of that, I might pick up the sequel after reading a few other things.