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הביקורת נכתבה ביום ראשון, 29 בדצמבר, 2013
ע"י מרינה מ.
ע"י מרינה מ.
"The Heir from Calcutta". That would have been the ti
Then it was "Wolf Hall". 650 pages, finished overnight. The pages turned by themselves. Sleep? Ha! Who needs it!
I borrowed "The Blade Itself" from my local library, in an Hebrew translation, because I liked the cover. I started reading on Friday afternoon. I finished it on Saturday. Sleep? I'll pass. Food? A sandwich'll do just fine. Running? Jezal can do it.
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 Glotka 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.
Is this a quest story? Not really. Is there magic in it? No more than necessary. Any prophesies, reamagined histories, unlikely heroes? Not as such.
Because it's not really fantasy, is it? Sticking a semi-automatic in Bayaz' hands will bring the same results as his magic.
Imagine Shadow Moon as leader of men. Imagine Richard Sharpe with a sister. Imagine a less sexually active Val Toreth. Imagine Dumbledor with no hair.
Or, if you're not familiar with any of these characters, just imagine. Because Abercrombie does, taking seemingly familiar fantasy elements and turns them on their heads in the worst (if you're a character in the book) or the best (if you're a reader of it) possible way.
And that's why I loved it so much - a good novel, in my eyes, is about interesting people in interesting situations. For me, a book (or a TV show) stands or falls on it's characters. In every book I've recently read there were one or two characters I liked very much, they were my absolute favourites and I've found myself going back to scenes featuring them, re-reading and commiting to memory favourite ones.
I could not do it in "The Blade Itself". It would mean reading every chapter (at least) twice.
Jezal was playing cards the first time I met him. A pompous, emptyheaded, vain douche, who likes nothing more than his own image in the mirror. And then he competes in the Contest. And then he meets Ardee. And then he is "invited" on the adventure of his life. And I was charmed.
Glokta was extracting information from an old friend the first time I met him. A cruel, cynical prick, who likes nothing more than a good round of self pity. And then he treats us to a day in his life. And then he proves his competence. And then he meets some more old friends. And I understood.
Ferro was digging a grave the first time I met her. An abused runaway slave, who likes nothing more than to hate everything. And then she meet an old guy. And then she keeps trying to run away. And then she kills. And I admired.
Logen was busy not dying the first time I met him. A savage leader of a ragged band, worrying about where his next meal is going to come from. And then takes a bath. And then he comes to a big city. And then he kills. And I was impressed.
And yet, if I had to, at gunpoint, to choose my favourite character in a cast full of favourite characters, it'd be Major West. Because he's the nicest? Or because he's the most normal? Everyone else has something special that gives them an advantage in the effed up world they have to live in - Jezal has his nobility. Logen has his "superior fighting skills" (points for guessing where this quote is from). Glokta has his job. Ferro has her healing talent. Dogman has his lack of expectations. And Bayaz has his magic.
This is the first in a trilogy called The First Law and the author's first book.
I cannot rate it high enough and recommend it to anyone, whether fantasy's your thing or (especially if) it isn't.
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