It’s been almost twenty years since The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie was first published. I had seen it on the shelves of my local Barnes & Noble for years but only got around to reading it this past December. I found it to be an odd yet entertaining entrée into his First Law Trilogy, which I’m very much enjoying right now.
Why was it a bit odd? This book barely has a ghost of a plot, and even its outlines are only faintly apparent two-thirds of the way in. You could argue the entire novel is merely setting the stage for a more sweeping story to come (and one with a much clearer plot now that I’m deep into Book Two). So, you might ask, with barely any plot and a ton of setup, why does it work? The answer lies in its characters.
This is one of the most character-driven (as opposed to plot-driven) stories I’ve read in a long time. There are at least six viewpoint characters, each with their own subplots, some of which are connected to others by the thinnest of threads. Three of those characters receive the most focus, and two of them—along with one particularly compelling non-viewpoint character—are the main reasons I’m enjoying this series.
The first is Sand dan Glokta, a crippled inquisitor (part detective, part torturer) who I initially assumed would be the story’s antagonist. Boy, was I wrong. Though painted in shades of gray, Glokta is one of the wittiest, most amusing, most thoughtful, and—dare I say—most honest characters in the book. He’s no hero (at least not yet), and he’s given some of the more unsavory jobs in the novel by his villainous superior, Arch Lector Sult, who runs the King’s Inquisition.
Next is Logen Ninefingers, known as the “Bloody Nine,” an infamous warrior with the underutilized power to speak to spirits. Logen believes his companions have all been killed by the Flatheads or Shanka (a not-quite-human enemy that may be akin to orcs or something else—the author’s description here is somewhat lacking). Logen’s fate changes when he encounters an apprentice to Bayaz, the First of the Magi, who seeks his employment. With seemingly nothing else to live for, Logen ends up joining Bayaz on his quest.
That brings us to Bayaz, a non-viewpoint character who might be the most interesting of them all. Apparently hundreds of years old, Bayaz has a fascinating backstory that ties into the history of this fantasy world and the trilogy’s main plot—most of which remains unrevealed until Book Two. Bayaz is on a mission, one that connects all the main characters, including Glokta. The true purpose of that mission is subtly woven throughout The Blade Itself, and Bayaz’s history is revealed in drips and drabs. The more you learn about him, the more you want to know, making his backstory some of the most compelling parts of the novel. We also receive hints about the true enemy driving Bayaz’s actions, which I won’t spoil. It’s an unexpected yet familiar one—though one rarely explored in fantasy novels outside of the urban fantasy genre.
If you love the characters as much as I did, you may not mind that the book feels like setup for a broader tale. Having read much of the second book, I can confidently say the setup is worth it. Abercrombie’s world and its inhabitants only grow richer, proving that oftentimes, it’s the characters—not the plot—that make a story unforgettable.