Comments on: Book Review: The Blade Itself http://www.petervbrett.com/2010/02/21/book-review-the-blade-itself/ Official Site of Peter V Brett, Author Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:30:08 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.3 By: stryder http://www.petervbrett.com/2010/02/21/book-review-the-blade-itself/comment-page-1/#comment-8447 stryder Wed, 07 Sep 2011 06:13:51 +0000 http://www.petervbrett.com/?p=2800#comment-8447 While The Blade Itself was okay, the overall series sucked. Personally, I like reading stories with a good plot, interesting characters who develop through a series and some sort of ending to the story. With Abercrombie, I got some interesting characters with zero character development and nothing else. The story takes mindless twists and turns and when it's all done you're left wondering why you bothered reading because nothing really happened. The Blade Itself sets you up to believe it will be a good story but fails to deliver. While The Blade Itself was okay, the overall series sucked. Personally, I like reading stories with a good plot, interesting characters who develop through a series and some sort of ending to the story. With Abercrombie, I got some interesting characters with zero character development and nothing else. The story takes mindless twists and turns and when it’s all done you’re left wondering why you bothered reading because nothing really happened. The Blade Itself sets you up to believe it will be a good story but fails to deliver.

]]> By: Vanzer http://www.petervbrett.com/2010/02/21/book-review-the-blade-itself/comment-page-1/#comment-8265 Vanzer Sat, 02 Jul 2011 23:45:37 +0000 http://www.petervbrett.com/?p=2800#comment-8265 The Blade itself is the weakest Abercrombie book by far. The Blade itself is the weakest Abercrombie book by far.

]]> By: Narayan http://www.petervbrett.com/2010/02/21/book-review-the-blade-itself/comment-page-1/#comment-7347 Narayan Wed, 15 Dec 2010 01:24:32 +0000 http://www.petervbrett.com/?p=2800#comment-7347 Try Bakker for something bordering on inaccessible but worth reading...the first couple book anyway. Try Bakker for something bordering on inaccessible but worth reading…the first couple book anyway.

]]> By: Kwinten http://www.petervbrett.com/2010/02/21/book-review-the-blade-itself/comment-page-1/#comment-6033 Kwinten Fri, 07 May 2010 01:59:42 +0000 http://www.petervbrett.com/?p=2800#comment-6033 I've read the books in succession after reading great reviews about it. Maybe it's not my type of book, but while fun, wasn't as epic as reviewers said. Some characters just seem too secretive, you know they have an agenda, they just don't show it. Character building, on the other hand, was great. Abercrombie paints an image of a character, then gladly smashes it without feeling forced. The grittiness didn't bother me at all, it felt refreshing after reading books with almost saint-like characters. Like George R. R. Martin, the characters have shades of grey, which I like. But, like a person above me mentioned: the plot feels a bit nonexistent. People are doing things, but it's never really explained why (referring back to the hidden agenda). In the third book, everything falls in place, but by then, I forgot a lot of things that happened in the first book. It's a recommendation if you like a long-term investment, not looking for instant gratification. It's not really my type of book, but I can appreciate it. I’ve read the books in succession after reading great reviews about it. Maybe it’s not my type of book, but while fun, wasn’t as epic as reviewers said. Some characters just seem too secretive, you know they have an agenda, they just don’t show it. Character building, on the other hand, was great. Abercrombie paints an image of a character, then gladly smashes it without feeling forced.
The grittiness didn’t bother me at all, it felt refreshing after reading books with almost saint-like characters. Like George R. R. Martin, the characters have shades of grey, which I like.
But, like a person above me mentioned: the plot feels a bit nonexistent. People are doing things, but it’s never really explained why (referring back to the hidden agenda). In the third book, everything falls in place, but by then, I forgot a lot of things that happened in the first book.
It’s a recommendation if you like a long-term investment, not looking for instant gratification. It’s not really my type of book, but I can appreciate it.

]]> By: cmi http://www.petervbrett.com/2010/02/21/book-review-the-blade-itself/comment-page-1/#comment-5814 cmi Thu, 08 Apr 2010 13:08:54 +0000 http://www.petervbrett.com/?p=2800#comment-5814 Bit late for a comment, but I finished the book today. In german, where the cover looks like crap compared to the one you show and the "translated" (not translated, they used some new and unrelated) book titles of the series sucks. My english isn't good enough to get all the phrases and different meanings of a word and stuff. Sucks. Sniff. But... about the book. Well, like you wrote, it feels like small fragment of a very, very big picture. "The Painted Man" is a novel with a open ending like "Hey it would be cool to hear more of them." "The Blade Itself" feels like a start of something *very* big (I hope Joe Abercrombie finds a way to solve all this loose ends and is not finishing somewhere inbetween) - you just have to buy the other books ;) (I hope there are not *that* many back references through all the 2400 pages - that's the only part where I would love a ebook (search function)) About the style: well, TBI feels a bit too dark, too harsh, too unfriendly to me. It says alot when the most violent characters are the ones I like the most because they are straightforward and honest in what they do. Glotka is a very interesting character but hardly getting any sympathies - as intended by the author? Jezal is a retard, at least he found his "master/mistress" - his parts were the ones where I really had to bite me through and made the reading a pain in the ass. Seriously, I hate this guy because I somewhat hate guys like him IRL. The guys I like the most are Logen and the guys up north (not to spoiler). Ferro seems very cool, too. What I really like about the book are some very humerous references (like Wests sister talking about the typical fantasy novel) and the way Abercrombie plays with the reader. Like West, the nice guy, the tournament winner, the war hero and later... Or Logen, where you think all the time you know why he got his nickname and very late in the book you realise you knew *nothing* *why* he got this name. Glotka is a outstanding character, the war hero and tournament winner with nothing left. Anyway, I bought all three parts of the trilogy and starting part two now ("Feuerklingen" in german... literally translated "Fire Blades" - WTF?). But as I said, I didn't feel very good while reading part one. It's very interesting (that's why I keep on reading) but doesn't make you feel comfortable - at least not me. Bit late for a comment, but I finished the book today. In german, where the cover looks like crap compared to the one you show and the “translated” (not translated, they used some new and unrelated) book titles of the series sucks. My english isn’t good enough to get all the phrases and different meanings of a word and stuff. Sucks. Sniff.

But… about the book. Well, like you wrote, it feels like small fragment of a very, very big picture.

“The Painted Man” is a novel with a open ending like “Hey it would be cool to hear more of them.”

“The Blade Itself” feels like a start of something *very* big (I hope Joe Abercrombie finds a way to solve all this loose ends and is not finishing somewhere inbetween) – you just have to buy the other books ;) (I hope there are not *that* many back references through all the 2400 pages – that’s the only part where I would love a ebook (search function))

About the style: well, TBI feels a bit too dark, too harsh, too unfriendly to me. It says alot when the most violent characters are the ones I like the most because they are straightforward and honest in what they do. Glotka is a very interesting character but hardly getting any sympathies – as intended by the author? Jezal is a retard, at least he found his “master/mistress” – his parts were the ones where I really had to bite me through and made the reading a pain in the ass. Seriously, I hate this guy because I somewhat hate guys like him IRL. The guys I like the most are Logen and the guys up north (not to spoiler). Ferro seems very cool, too.

What I really like about the book are some very humerous references (like Wests sister talking about the typical fantasy novel) and the way Abercrombie plays with the reader. Like West, the nice guy, the tournament winner, the war hero and later… Or Logen, where you think all the time you know why he got his nickname and very late in the book you realise you knew *nothing* *why* he got this name. Glotka is a outstanding character, the war hero and tournament winner with nothing left.

Anyway, I bought all three parts of the trilogy and starting part two now (“Feuerklingen” in german… literally translated “Fire Blades” – WTF?). But as I said, I didn’t feel very good while reading part one. It’s very interesting (that’s why I keep on reading) but doesn’t make you feel comfortable – at least not me.

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