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  • The Blade Itself

  • The First Law: Book One
  • Written by: Joe Abercrombie
  • Narrated by: Steven Pacey
  • Length: 22 hrs and 15 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (1,273 ratings)

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The Blade Itself

Written by: Joe Abercrombie
Narrated by: Steven Pacey
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Publisher's Summary

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....

©2010 Joe Abercrombie (P)2010 Orion Publishing Group

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What listeners say about The Blade Itself

Average Customer Ratings
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Best audible

Was the best audible I've listened to.
the narrator was amazing and the story was entertaining.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great book, Amazing narrator

The narrator was absolutely amazing, sucked me into the story entirely. the story was good.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Fantastic performance for a great story

Thoroughly enjoyed the performance of the reader. The story is well written and kept me coming back for more.

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  • Overall
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Definitely read, wonderfully entertaining.

Amazing, and I generally don’t prefer the genre. The author’s ability to develop a character is second to none, and the narrator is quite possibly the best I’ve heard to date. Highly recommend.

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  • Overall
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Great storytelling

It is amazing! The characters become relatable, and passages made me laugh a few times

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Wow

Good narrators can make a book great. Great narrators can make one excellent. Steven Pacey is in a tier of his own. This is hands down the best book I’ve ever listened to.

Joe Abercrombie has taken the fantasy genre to a new level of excellence with his writing. The character development was exceptional and the plot well thought out. I’m starting the next book right away!

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Captivating

the story is told by different perspectives throughout the story, interweaving the distinct characters narratives between the chapters. very cool, I especially like when the same scene is told a 2nd time. Cheers to the Author, the thematics of the reader's voice, and the background sounds.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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F*** is book awesome!

This is my favorite fantasy novel series ever. I've read got's five times. This is just as good if not better and Joe is consistently putting out new books! I'm so excited for you to come into this series with fresh eyes.. I'm jealous in fact. I cant say how much enjoyment I've gotten out of these books and recommend it to anyone who will listen. just... great .. that is all.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Cliché isn't necessarily a bad thing

The overall plot of this first book is a little bit cliché but is carried very well by fun and interesting characters who grow on you quickly. The author is descriptive with scenes and character introductions which would be hard to read but the narrator does a great job at bringing life to the world and moving slower scenes along.
Would recommend

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Solid

Only gave it four stars because it doesn’t live up to the quality of the later books, but it’s well worth a read to get to them.

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