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The Blade Itself Audiobook

The Blade Itself Audiobook, by Joe Abercrombie Play Audiobook Sample
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Read By: Steven Pacey Publisher: Orbit Listen Time: at 1.0x Speed 14.83 hours at 1.5x Speed 11.13 hours at 2.0x Speed Series: The First Law Series Release Date: September 2015 Format: Unabridged Audiobook ISBN: 9781478907817

Quick Stats About this Audiobook

Total Audiobook Chapters:

46

Longest Chapter Length:

66:06 minutes

Shortest Chapter Length:

07:21 minutes

Average Chapter Length:

29:02 minutes

Audiobooks by this Author:

15

Other Audiobooks Written by Joe Abercrombie: > View All...

Publisher Description

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.

Download and start listening now!

"I enjoyed this book a lot. It was a fun read, and it was exciting. The author does not dwell too much in the depth of a character, and that is fine. We know their purpose, we know their motives, and we know they are all pretty much bad-asses in their own rights. This whole book wonderfully shows the strong points of these characters, and as I kept reading I didn't know who my favorite character was. Now that I'm done with the book, I have already started with the second one. This book is a pretty awesome read."

— Jomin (5 out of 5 stars)

Quotes

  • “There is a gritty edge to his world and an awareness of the human cost of violence that is very contemporary.”

    — Times (London)
  • “[A] sword-and-sorcery series…with black humor and reluctant heroes.”

    — Publishers Weekly
  • “The finest epic fantasy trilogy in recent memory.”

    — Junot Díaz, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
  • “Magnificent, richly entertaining”

    — Time on The Heroes
  • “Bloody and relentless.”

    — George R. R. Martin, praise for the series
  • “Delightfully twisted and evil.”

    — Guardian (London), praise for the series
  • “Abercrombie kicks off his series masterfully with a heroic fantasy without conventional heroes. It’s clearly the characters that take center stage here. Their dialogue is full of cynicism and wit, their lives full of intrigue, battles, and magic.”

    — RT Book Reviews (4½ stars)
  • “Bold and authentically original.”

    — Jeff VanderMeer, praise for the series
  • “There is a gritty edge to his world and an awareness of the human cost of violence that is very contemporary.”

    — Times (London)
  • Pointed, driven, and sharp.

    — Locus on Red Country
  • Magnificent, richly entertaining

    — Time on The Heroes
  • Imagine The Lord of the Rings as directed by Kurosawa.

    — Lev Grossman, Wall Street Journal on The Heroes
  • [Abercrombie has] begun breaking his own rules. And succeeding wildly at it. ... [R]arely has Abercrombie had so much fun while rollicking through his colorful cast's foibles and witty dialogue - and rarely has he dished out so much straight-for-the-heart poignancy.

    — The A.V. Club
  • New, fresh, and exciting.

    — The Independent (UK)
  • Exhilarating... Abercrombie's knack for wit and grit holds your attention throughout, and his eye for character means that there's heart as well as muscle.

    — SFX (UK)
  • Abercrombie writes fantasy like no one else.

    — Guardian (UK)

Awards

  • A Paste Magazine Pick of the 50 Best Fantasy Novels of the 21st Century

The Blade Itself Listener Reviews

Overall Performance: 4.485714285714286 out of 54.485714285714286 out of 54.485714285714286 out of 54.485714285714286 out of 54.485714285714286 out of 5 (4.49)
5 Stars: 21
4 Stars: 10
3 Stars: 4
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Narration: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 (5.00)
5 Stars: 8
4 Stars: 0
3 Stars: 0
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Story: 4.875 out of 54.875 out of 54.875 out of 54.875 out of 54.875 out of 5 (4.88)
5 Stars: 7
4 Stars: 1
3 Stars: 0
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Write a Review
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Story Rating: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " This is so popular it hardly needs a review. start it - you will be hooked. "

    — JayEh, 7/21/2024
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Story Rating: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " I have some dyslexia, and even audiobooks usually can't help. A friend bought this for me, and the story and reading were so good I was, with great pleasure, able to get through the whole thing. The writing is excellent, and the narrating is even better. My hat's off to the author and narrator, two fabulous artists. "

    — Benny, 1/7/2024
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Story Rating: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    — 11/18/2023
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Story Rating: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    — DocTuck, 7/8/2022
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Story Rating: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " I've listened to a few audio books and have been, mostly, underwhelmed. The male narrator giving voice to female characters just sounded like men trying to sound like snippy women. The male voices all sounded the same but this narrator was, simply, incredible. He gave each character, male and female distinctly different voices, all done well. His telling made the story. "

    — Pamela, 6/7/2022
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Story Rating: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    — Amanda Carr, 8/3/2021
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    — Toni Greci, 9/12/2020
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Story Rating: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " the audio books is just as great as the book...i caught things that i had missed in the book...great listen "

    — Dylon, 6/3/2017
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " a good start for an epic type of fantasy with all the required parts/characters. Entertaining enough to keep you reading and going out for the next book. Does leave enough room (almost demands it) that a series of prequels be written. "

    — Tom, 1/19/2014
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Excelentes personajes. Aunque no termine de entender por donde van los tiros de la historia. "

    — Maciel, 1/16/2014
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Brilliant. Rock & roll! "

    — Scassonio, 1/5/2014

About Joe Abercrombie

Joe Abercrombie is a British fantasy writer and film editor. He is the author of The First Law trilogy, as well as other fantasy books in the same setting, and a trilogy of young adult novels. His novel Half a King won the 2015 Locus Award for best young adult book. He was born in Lancaster in 1974, spent much of his youth in imaginary worlds, and left school with a good idea of how to make stuff up. After graduating from Manchester University he worked as a television editor, but he never stopped making stuff up.

About Steven Pacey

Steven Pacey is an actor and Earphones Award-winning narrator. He is a highly decorated stage actor, performing often at the West End Theatre. He has appeared in numerous television roles, including Tarrant in Blake’s 7, and has made over three hundred radio broadcasts.