The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
The notorious barbarian Logen Ninefingers has finally had enough. He’s been involved in one too many feuds and is on the edge of dying a barbarian, leaving behind lousy music, dead pals, and a lot of content foes in his wake.
Captain Jezal dan Luthar is a nobleman, a dashing officer, and the epitome of self-centeredness. He has no plans other than to cheat his pals at cards and fantasize about winning at fencing. However, war is approaching, and on the frigid North’s battlefields, the rules of engagement are much more brutal.
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
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Nothing would please torturer-turned-inquisitor Glokta more than to see Jezal return home in a box. Glokta despises everyone because eliminating disloyalty from the Union one confession at a time leaves little room for interpersonal relationships. If he can stay alive long enough to follow his most recent trail of dead bodies, it might take him directly to the corrupt centre of the government.
Bayaz, the wizard, enters. He may be the First of the Magi or a fantastic hoax, but whoever he is, he is about to make Logen, Jezal, and Glokta’s life much harder. He is an old bald man with a violent temper and a pitiful helper. Old grudges are ready to be settled, murderous machinations come to the surface, and the distinction between good and evil is razor-sharp enough to draw blood.
Overall, it’s a hard, harsh world with seasoned characters who had the potential to be heroes before they were damaged in some way and a cynical youth on the verge of irrelevance. While the great struggle is not revealed in the first book, it is strongly implied that these flawed characters will eventually have to save the world.
It concerns a kingdom that has endured battle in the past and is now facing a fresh danger. The danger is coming from the North, and this kingdom is called Angland. Logen (a barbarian soldier), Bayaz (a legendary magician with a bald head), Glokta (a promising soldier who was horribly tortured and now leads inquisitions involving torture), Jezal (a spoiled rich boy soldier who is the fantasy equivalent of a whiny frat boy), and Ferro (an escaped slave who is deadly and desperate to escape, even if it means her own death) are the main characters.
Jezal is a haughty, self-centred lord who I have always detested and continue to dislike. That is the key idea! Even though I don’t like him, I still find his scenes to be entertaining. It was interesting to experience the world through his eyes, particularly when he appeared to have opposing views on people and things, his haughtiness and self-righteousness clashing with his friendships (sort of) and the surroundings.
Glokta, a former master swordsman who is now a crippled tormentor, is resentful and in continual pain. This character, in my opinion, was the hardest to write. As an inquisitor, he finds himself involved in political plots that were both tremendously fascinating to read about and occasionally actually startling.
