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The Blade Itself

The First Law: Book One

De : Joe Abercrombie

Lu par : Steven Pacey

Durée : 22 h et 15 min

5 out of 5 stars (8 notations)

Prix : 15,33 €

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Description

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....

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Global

5 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars
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Histoire

4.5 out of 5 stars
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Global

5 out of 5 stars
Performance

5 out of 5 stars
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4 out of 5 stars

Jefferson
30/01/2013

Violent, Ironic, and Absorbing Epic Fantasy Noir

In Joe Abercrombie's The Blade Itself (2006), swords, knives, axes, maces, spears, staves, bows, crossbows, tongs, chisels, lumber, fists, feet, arms, legs, teeth, and magical force all are put to bloody use during scenes of cinematic graphic violence ranging in scale from arrests and interrogations to ambushes and skirmishes (full scale battles are sure to come in the second or third novels in Abercrombie's epic fantasy noir First Law trilogy). But good as Abercrombie is with a blade, he really excels at character development, irony, and humor.

The Blade Itself focuses on the troubles of the Union: the king is senile, his callow sons are unfit to lead after him, squabbling factions weaken the government, the over-taxed peasants are restive, the Northmen have invaded from the north, and the Gurkhul Empire is preparing to attack from the south. Into this situation Joe Abercrombie introduces three main point of view characters, each of whom is darkly delightful to follow.

--Logen Ninefingers, the most feared warrior of the North, is a killer who has come to regret his bloodthirsty youthful exploits. Surprisingly for a "barbarian," he is philosophical and open-minded--but look out if his Mr. Hyde berserker alter-ego the Bloody Nine surfaces! Acting on advice from spirits, Logen heads south to meet a mage who's seeking him. What will he make of civilization and it of him?

--Sand dan Glokta sourly remembers his glory days as the champion swordsman and star noble of the Union, which ended during the last war against the Gurkhul Empire when he was captured and tortured for two years. Now thirty-five, he is an ostracized, cynical cripple, limping around in constant pain as an Inquisitor for the Inquisition. Glokta regularly asks himself why he's doing what he does, even as he tortures confessions out of small fry "traitors" like plump merchants. Will he ever uncover the true enemies of the state?

--And Captain Jezal dan Luthar is a vain, snobbish, and lazily ambitious nobleman, expert in winning his fellow officers' money in cards and leading them in drunken debauchery. Does he have the desire required to train seriously enough to win the Union's annual swordsmanship competition? Will he ever fall in love or mature?

Abercrombie writes interesting supporting characters, too, among them Major Callem West, a farmer's son who rose through the ranks by dint of hard work and courage; Ardee West, Callem's intelligent and frustrated sister, who chafes at being limited to a woman's role; the Dogman, the scout for a band of Northern outlaws who believe their chief, Logen, is dead; Ferro, a black-skinned, yellow-eyed, snarling female ex-slave criminal warrior who lives for revenge; and Bayaz, the centuries-old, legendary First of the Magi who thinks that world affairs could use a little wizardly aid again. The Blade Itself is great fun when its characters--each with different cultures, backgrounds, personalities, prejudices, and agendas--spend time together.

With rich irony, Luthar and Glokta see the powerful mage Bayaz as an "old lunatic" or an "old fraud." The caustic thoughts of Luthar and Glokta often hilariously contradict what they say, especially when kowtowing to superiors. Logen has some great lines, too, as when Bayaz explains to him that civilized people enjoy the theater, and he says, "Stories? Some people have too much time on their hands." There are plenty of funny similes, as when Bayaz sends an obnoxious Northern prince packing with "a face as red as a slapped arse." There are plenty of pointedly comical situations, too, as when Bayaz leads his gormless apprentice and Logen into a theatrical supply shop to buy gaudy costumes with which to convincingly play their real roles. Even the action scenes have funny touches, as when Ferro and Logen are being chased over city roof tops by persistent Inquisition "Practicals," and they crash through a roof and land in a bed in a room and Logen thinks, "In bed with a woman again, at last."

Stephen Pacey reads the novel masterfully, turning a four star work into a five star one through his use of different voices and accents for the characters from different cultures and backgrounds. He gives Glokta a gap-toothed lisp, Bayaz a John Geilgud-esque sly grandeur, Logen a Northern England accent, Ferro a feral attitude, and so on, each choice entertainingly enhancing Abercrombie's characterizations.

The Blade Itself does have plenty of typical features of the epic fantasy genre, such as the identity-less, Orc-like Shanka overrunning the far north, the evil Prophet sending evil cannibal mages on evil missions, and the varied group of people preparing to go on a vital and dangerous quest led by an old wizard. But Abercrombie gives the genre a fresh spin with his anti-hero heroes, unpredictable plot developments, irony, and entertaining imagination.

36 sur 38 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Global

5 out of 5 stars

Steven
17/09/2010

Steven Pacey is magnificient.

I've listened to many audio books and in my opinion Steven Pacey is in a league of his own. The characters come to life in his voice. But even a good narrator must have something with which to work. The Blade Itself lends a wonderful story to a magnificient voice. If one loves fantasy one must own this title.

32 sur 35 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Global

5 out of 5 stars

Eugene
05/08/2010

Great Book

I have listened to a ton of Fantasy based novels from George RR Martian to Jim Butcher. This author in this series is as good as any of them. You will not be disappointed with this book! The reader is great and the story line is well thought out. I have to say that I am especially impressed with the characters as each one of them has there positive as well as negative attributes.

42 sur 47 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Global

5 out of 5 stars
Performance

5 out of 5 stars
Histoire

5 out of 5 stars

David
09/11/2010

Thrilling ordeal

Abercrombie uses this book to assemble his cast of characters, and a fascinating and irresistible crew they are. Flawed, idiosyncratic, dangerous and often quite funny when they least mean to be, they have been dragged kicking and screaming into his tale and, by the end of the book, he has them all moving reluctantly in the same direction. The wonder is that, while we know the "real" story has not even begun yet, he has already ushered us through a harrowing and thrilling ordeal filled with brilliant detail. Simultaneously, along the way, he has introduced us to a fully imagined world which is remarkably convincing. And as several other reviewers have remarked, not the least of the attraction is that the characters we meet are complex and unlikely heroes.
I bought this audiobook because I so enjoyed "Best Served Cold," by the same author. I was slightly apprehensive because a part of the attraction of that book was the narrator, Michael Page, who did a superb job. I was a bit sad that he was not the narrator for this one as well. To my amazement I found that Steven Pacey was at least Page's equal and perhaps even a demi-shade better. This is a wonderful marriage of great writing and great reading.
I am going to have to delay reading the second and third books in this series because I am loathe to have the whole thing end. Anticipation will heighten the experience, I think. In any event, Abercrombie is now among my very favorite authors of this genre.

24 sur 27 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Global

4 out of 5 stars

Lauri
05/09/2010

Great Potential, but Book One Doesn't Stand Alone

Book one is well written, has interesting characters and is very well read. It serves to build the characters, twine them together and set the stage for a great epic resolution. Just as the reader is prepared for great battles and great twists of fate that will surely bring all the characters together again - book one ends leaving only questions and no resolutions.

This book is not a waste of your time or your credit, but you'll be disappointed if you don't have book two and possibly book three to step into.

28 sur 32 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Global

5 out of 5 stars

Tom
12/08/2010

Great Listen!!

What a Great book!. The Story is very smooth. The Characters are well developed and likable. Its got all you want in a fantasy book. Blood, guts, magic, heroes and villains. its got alot of action and some good humor blended in. The narrator does a great job. cant wait to listen to the next two books. And im sure if your a Geaorge RR Martain fan..you will enjoy this too.

28 sur 32 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Global

5 out of 5 stars

Lawrence
02/09/2010

Just a great a book....

This is just a great book and an excellent begining to a promising triology. All the elements are here...excellently written, superb narration, multidimensional characters, a large world, magic, violence, romance, war, and politics. Sometimes funny, always engaging and thoroughly enjoyable…sucks you in and pins you there as you ride along with the story. Easily on par with Mistborn, A Song of Fire and Ice and The Wheel of Time. Can't wait to hear books 2 and 3.

22 sur 25 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Global

5 out of 5 stars

Gary Godman
23/09/2010

Great Adult Book

I'm not sure what the negative review was about, this book is certainly gritty and dark but the characters are interesting and much more believable than the norm for a fiction book. I have read fiction from everyone for many years now running the gambit from sci-fi/fantasy to thrillers and this is an entertaining story how ever definitely for adults not young readers. If you like a good story with engaging characters then you will probably like this book. If you are offended by harsh language or violence this book is not for you. The greatest endorsement I can give it is that I bought the second book instead of waiting for credits for three more days! Enough said!

10 sur 11 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Global

5 out of 5 stars

Christopher
18/09/2010

One of the best fantasy epics ever!

Steven Pacey really makes the story and especially the characters come alive with his many voices. Joe Abercrombie is definitely a talented writer having created memorable and personally engaging people that would make me curse but also laugh out loud. I highly recommend this series. Having also just finished George R.R. Martin's master work, I was left with a fantasy-epic void, but alas, it was solidly and immensely satisfied with Abercrombie's First Law series.

10 sur 11 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Global

5 out of 5 stars
Performance

5 out of 5 stars
Histoire

5 out of 5 stars

Lanfear
02/03/2011

Finally,more adult fantasy!

I cannot say enough about this series...except I want more! I am a big fan of Robert Jordan and GRRM and was beginning to despair that the rest were all for "young adults." Joe Abercrombie doesn't hold back. I was swept up in a world that was realistic and fantastic at the same time. Some people complain about the language but the use of "foul language" keeps you rooted in the world. This is a dark and gritty tale meant for adults. This is a must read for GRRM fans! You'll find yourself loving and hating characters at the same time much like you do in A Song of Ice and Fire! Narration was excellent!

24 sur 28 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

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Global

3 out of 5 stars
Performance

3 out of 5 stars
Histoire

3 out of 5 stars

Allan Jensen
15/05/2015

Great series but not so great start

This book begins a great series. Unfortunately the book itself is not that good. It takes half the book over 10 hours, before you even get the first hints of anything resembling a plot, and more than two thirds through the book before even one of the main characters get anything resembling motivations for any of the things they do. By the end of it though, things are going great, there is a plot, and characters have motivations for what they do, and you can not wait to the get the next part.

The narrator is doing a good job. He misses few a paragraph pauses making scene-changes confusing, but he is still well above average.

3 sur 3 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Global

5 out of 5 stars
Performance

5 out of 5 stars
Histoire

4 out of 5 stars

Lauritz
Dresden, Deutschland
03/03/2014

Amazing characters and a brilliant narrator

Story:
What seems like a decent fantasy-story quickly becomes one of the best you will ever hear - not because it has a fancy story with twists and turns, but because every single character has a some kind of an extremely big quirk. There are no shiny heroes you can rely upon, no knights on white horses, no typical moralizers, but likeable and at the same time hateable anti heroes. And that's what this book is mainly build around.
Narrator:
Though at the beginning Steven Pacey seems hard to listen to (a bit too monotone and fast when he is "just" narrating), he excels later on, when he develops the characters. Almost always you know which person is talking, because each one is impersonated brilliantly by him and this is - so far - the best narrator I've experienced.

3 sur 3 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Global

5 out of 5 stars

Herr B.
~ München
04/11/2012

Hörvergnügen!

Die Handlung dieses Hörbuchs... ist irgendwie zweitrangig, zumindest für mich. Was diese Geschichte vorantreibt, sind die vielschichtigen Charaktere.

Allein der verkrüppelte Inquisitor Glokta, sein trocken sarkastischer Umgang mit seinem Zustand, sein fast schlangenartiges Winden durch die engen Pfade, die die Umstände und die Mächtigen ihm vorgeben, ist das reinste Hörvergnügen.

Und hier setzt die Brillanz von Steven Pacey an, der den Figuren akustisch viel Leben einhaucht. Er nimmt sich Zeit für die Personen, lässt jeden sehr eigen und ausdrucksvoll sprechen und die Handlung innerlich kommentieren.
Sein Inquisitor Glokta, klar und messerscharf in Gedanken einerseits, nach aussen zahnlos lispelnd, scheinbar buckelnd, aber durchtrieben und immer wieder für eine Überraschung bereit... macht einfach Spass.

Ähnlich wie bei Steven Fry, hat man auch bei Pacey nie das Gefühl, das er vorliest; er erzählt die Geschichte. Bei anderen Erzählern passiert es mir schon mal, dass ich gedanklich abschweife und evtl. zurückspulen muss; bei diesem Audiobook kein einziges mal.

2 sur 2 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Global

4 out of 5 stars
Performance

5 out of 5 stars
Histoire

4 out of 5 stars

BikerJoe
03/10/2014

Solid Epic Phantasy

The Blade itself is the first novel of the trilogy 'The First Law'. Abercrombie's style and narrative is the closest I could find so far to R.R. Martin's 'A Song of Ice and Fire'. It does not have the complexity and depth, but it has its own value.
5 characters dominate the scene:
Logan Ninefingers, a fierce fighter from the North, who struggles with the demons of his past, running away from violence, but attracting it nonetheless.
Inquisitor Glokta, a former war hero and dashing swordsman, but a crippled bitter man now. He has a lot in common with Tyrion Lannister, outwardly cruel and cynic, he often enough seems to be more human than most of the noblemen and leaders around him.
Jezal dan Luthar, a vane, arrogant and superficial young officer, whom fate pulls out of his comfortable shell and throws into the midst of adventure and peril.
Bayaz, the first of the Magi, a powerful and intriguing old wizard. Dangerous and unpredictable in his wrath, he sets out with his small group of compagnions to save the world.
Ferro Maljinn, the most bizarre character of the group, vicious and incredibly violent, constantly on the look out for a fight.
Bayaz, Logan, Jezal and Ferro prepare for an epic journey to the end of the world to find the ultimate weapon, which would save the empire, while Glotka plays his game of intrigue, corruption and lies to keep the powers within the empire in balance.
Fast moving story, action packed scenes, some surprising twists and turns, all in all a great read

1 sur 1 personne(s) ont trouvé cet avis utile.

Global

4 out of 5 stars
Performance

5 out of 5 stars
Histoire

4 out of 5 stars

Sniggaz
21/09/2018

Gut aber unvollendet

das erste Buch der Trilogie ist zwar sehr spannend und unterhaltsam geschrieben, aber es beginnt nur eine sehr große Geschichte, von vielen Seiten und lässt einen ohne einen einzigen Abschluss stehen. Ich kann die ganzen 3 Bücher nur empfehlen. Der Autor hat sich wirklich Mühe gegeben, jeder Hauptperson einen vielschichtigen Charakter zu geben und das macht sich eindeutig bezahlt.

Global

4 out of 5 stars
Performance

5 out of 5 stars
Histoire

3 out of 5 stars

Anonymer Hörer
20/08/2018

Toller Sprecher, tolle Stimmvariation

Die Geschichte braucht nur mal wieder ein bisschen um ins Rollen zu kommen. I guess you have to build them up to break them down

Global

5 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars
Histoire

5 out of 5 stars

Amazon Customer
05/07/2018

Great audio book

Absolutely amazing voice acting. The story is interesting and I can not wait to hear the other books.

Global

5 out of 5 stars
Performance

5 out of 5 stars
Histoire

5 out of 5 stars

D. W.
02/05/2018

One have to be realistic

The best I’ve heard the last 20 years or so. And Pacey a giant of storytelling

Global

5 out of 5 stars
Performance

5 out of 5 stars
Histoire

4 out of 5 stars

H.E. Ewert
Scherpenzeel, Gelderland Netherlands
15/02/2017

Good book, great voice

Brilliantly read!
All the different characters

The story is okay but the way it is read brings it to a new level!!!

Global

5 out of 5 stars
Performance

5 out of 5 stars
Histoire

5 out of 5 stars

T.Heermann
Isernhagen, Deutschland
23/05/2016

Dirty, funny and cruel

The Book is nicely written. The charactes spring to life. A vivid, cruel world. - Brilliant

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