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The Blade Itself

Published
Sep 2007
Main Genre
Fantasy Fantasy
Rating
Pages
536
Series

About This Book

The first novel in the First Law Trilogy and debut fantasy novel from New York Times bestseller, Joe Abercrombie.

Logen Ninefingers, infamous barbarian, has finally run out of luck. Caught in one feud too many, he's on the verge of becoming a dead barbarian -- leaving nothing behind him but bad songs, dead friends, and a lot of happy enemies.

Nobleman, dashing officer, and paragon of selfishness, Captain Jezal dan Luthar has nothing more dangerous in mind than fleecing his friends at cards and dreaming of glory in the fencing circle. But war is brewing, and on the battlefields of the frozen North they fight by altogether bloodier rules.

Inquisitor Glokta, cripple turned torturer, would like nothing better than to see Jezal come home in a box. But then Glokta hates everyone: cutting treason out of the Union one confession at a time leaves little room for friendship. His latest trail of corpses may lead him right to the rotten heart of government, if he can stay alive long enough to follow it.

Enter the wizard, Bayaz. A bald 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 Logen, Jezal, and Glokta a whole lot more difficult.

Murderous conspiracies rise to the surface, old scores are ready to be settled, and the line between hero and villain is sharp enough to draw blood.

Unpredictable, compelling, wickedly funny, and packed with unforgettable characters, The Blade Itself is noir fantasy with a real cutting edge.

Series Placement

Book 1
🔴 Must Read in Order

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Paperback

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First Edition Sep 2007 Pyr ISBN 159102594X
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Orbit ISBN 0594722357
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Orbit ISBN 0594682819
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Jun 2007 Gollancz (UK) ISBN 0575079797
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Sep 2009 Gollancz (UK) ISBN 0575091088
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Sep 2015 Orbit ISBN 0316387312
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Hardcover

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Dec 2010 Subterranean Press ISBN 1596063009
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Sep 2016 Orion (UK) ISBN 1473216788
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Jun 2022 Orion (UK) ISBN 1399604309
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Jul 2026 Orbit ISBN 031660982X
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eBook

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Jun 2009 Orion (UK) ISBN 0575091509
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Jun 2009 Gollancz (UK) ISBN B002VHI8FE
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Sep 2015 Orbit ISBN B00TOT9LDK
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Sep 2015 Orbit ISBN 0316387339
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Audio

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Jun 2010 Orion Publishing Group Limited ISBN B003PCYEE8
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Sep 2015 Hachette Audio ISBN B014LLTNGK
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Sep 2015 Little, Brown ISBN 1478935790
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Sep 2015 Little, Brown ISBN 1478935766
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Sep 2015 Little, Brown ISBN 1478935790
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Sep 2015 Little, Brown ISBN 1478935766
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Nov 2015 Blackstone Audiobooks ISBN 1478935782
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