The Blade Itself (2006) by British author Joe Abercrombie is the first volume in his First Law trilogy. It falls squarely into the high fantasy literary genre, and like much of the genre, its scope is appropriately epic, covering a broad swath of settings and characters. Set primarily in the capital city of Adua, the narrative also ventures into in the cold, mountainous Northern lands as well as the arid South. It includes the standard genre tropes of magic, battle, and court intrigue, and it also explores a variety of socially relevant themes, such as the Futility of War and The Vilification of the Cultural “Other.”

In 2008, Abercrombie became a finalist for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. The Blade Itself is his debut novel, and his subsequent works have earned him a respected place amongst modern-day fantasy writers.

This guide refers to the 2007 Gollancz edition.

Content Warning: The source text features references to suicide, suicidal ideation, domestic abuse, and enslavement, which this guide describes.

Plot Summary

As the novel opens, Logen Ninefingers, the Warlord of the North, battles a horde of bestial, humanoid creatures called Shanka and is separated from his clanmates when he falls into a raging river. He washes ashore, wanders in search of his friends, and eventually meets Quai, an apprentice to Bayaz. (Bayaz is the First of the Magi and the greatest wizard of his order.) Informing Logen that Bayaz has summoned him, Quai leads the injured clan leader to his master’s secluded compound.

Meanwhile, in the city of Adua, which is located at the heart of the Union (a federated collection of kingdoms), an Inquisitor named Glokta interrogates a merchant named Salem Rews, who is accused of defrauding the king. Rews is a member of the powerful Mercers Guild, and securing a confession from him and other important members of the guild would render the organization powerless and help Glokta’s superior, Arch Lector Sult, to consolidate power within the Inquisitor’s Office. Rews is coerced into naming names, and Glokta and his two “Practicals” (henchmen) seek out these other corrupt Guild members. However, they discover that every person on the list is dead. This fact suggests that someone leaked the names to the Guild, which is working to silence their guilty members before the Inquisition can torture a confession out of them.

Meanwhile, Jezal dan Luthar, nobleman and Captain of the “King’s Own,” trains under Lord Marshall Varuz in preparation for the Contest, an annual fencing competition. The winner of the Contest is guaranteed fame and glory. The training regimen of Lord Marshall Varuz is punishing, and Jezal almost quits, but he is determined to impress Ardee, the sister of his friend and fellow officer, Major Collem West. While standing guard at a meeting of the Open Council, Jezal observes emissaries of Bethod, the self-proclaimed King of the North, who offers the Union a deal: cede the territory of Angland to Bethod in exchange for peace. Lord Chamberlain Hoff refuses and sends the emissaries away, promising war on the Union. Bethod, seeking to sweep as much territory under his banner as possible, also seeks an alliance with Bayaz, but the Magus sends Bethod and his sorceress away. War is coming, and the Union must gather its forces and send them north to defend Angland.

While Bayaz, Quai, and Logen ride south to Adua, Glokta and his Practicals round up the few remaining Mercers, plus the assassin hired to kill those on Rews’s list. They parade their captives before the Open Council and each prisoner admits to fraud and treason. The Mercer Guild is effectively disbanded, and Glokta’s superior, Arch Lector Sult, becomes an even more powerful player in Union political circles. Meanwhile, Logen and Bayaz are beset on the road by Bethod’s troops, but Bayaz uses his magic (his ”Art”) to incinerate them in a fiery explosion. They eventually reach the walls of Adua and are admitted to a secret meeting of the Closed Council.

In the hot, arid southlands, Ferro Maljinn, who was formerly enslaved by the Gurkish Emperor, is burying her dead comrades when she receives a visit from Yulwei, Fourth of the Magi, who escorts her unseen past battalions of enemy soldiers. His mission is to take her to Adua. With nowhere to hide from the Emperor’s troops and no other viable destination, she agrees to accompany him.

Back in Adua, Jezal trains hard for the Contest. His feelings for Ardee transcend friendship, but Major West’s warnings to stay away from his sister leave him conflicted (coupled with the social stigma of Ardee’s “common” blood). Still, Ardee has a power over him that he can’t resist, and they begin to meet in secret. Eventually, his commitment to his training pays dividends, and he bests even Major West in their sparring competition. In order to win the Contest, however, he must defeat the reigning champion, Bremer dan Gorst: a hulking, powerful fighter.

At this point, the narrative introduces Logen’s surviving clanmates: Dogman, Black Dow, Tul Duru, Threetrees, Grim, and Forley the Weakest. They have been searching for their lost leader but now presume him to be dead, and Threetrees is appointed the new leader of the clan. They decide to move south to escape Bethod and the rampaging Shanka, and along the way, they encounter and kill several enemy troops.

Logen strolls through Adua, unaccustomed to city life. He finds it stifling and can’t wait to leave. One night, a figure resembling his dead wife appears in his room, but as she lures him close, the room explodes and the figure—an “Eater”—explodes along with it. Glokta is informed of the incident and wonders what force could blow a hole through a thick, reinforced wall. Bayaz claims to be the true First of the Magi, but Glokta thinks him a fraud and sets out to prove it. He challenges the wizard to open the House of the Maker (a location to which only Bayaz, as First of the Magi, would have the key). The House of the Maker is a massive, tomb-like structure that has been sealed for centuries. Even Bayaz’s displays of power do not convince the Inquisitor, and Bayaz finally accepts Glokta’s challenge. Glokta visits the University to find out what could have blown a hole in Logen’s wall, and he discovers an ancient scroll containing the history of Bayaz and his battle with Kanedias. Believing that it may be of value, he presents it to Sult.

Meanwhile, the Contest is in full swing, and Jezal breezes through the first few rounds, but so does Gorst, the reigning champion, and a showdown between the two seems imminent. Tension grows between Jezal and Ardee, who sees the young captain as vain and pompous and lets him know it. Despite her smug condemnations, Jezal can’t forget her, but he soon must focus his energy on Gorst. As the final round commences, Jezal finds himself outmatched, struggling to simply ward off Gorst’s attacks and remain within the circle. However, just as Jezal is about to be swept away by the champion, Bayaz, watching from the stands, uses his magic to give the young man the strength and speed he needs to defeat his opponent.

In the wilds of the North, Threetrees and his men, realizing that Bethod is unaware of the Shanka invasion, decide to warn him. Forley volunteers since Bethod doesn’t consider him a threat. They make their way to Bethod’s stronghold, and Forley is taken inside. Later, several of Bethod’s soldiers exit the compound with Forley’s head in a sack. A battle ensues, and Logen’s comrades, who are “Named Men” and soldiers of high honor, avenge their friend’s death.

Back in Adua, Bayaz takes Glokta, Logen, and Jezal into the House of the Maker: a cavernous, dark, and terrifying place. Inside the House, time and space exist on another plane relative to the outside world, and all but Bayaz can’t wait to leave. Bayaz and Logen enter an inner chamber where they retrieve a heavy, metal box, and soon, Bayaz leads them back out. Meanwhile, Yulwei and Ferro have entered the city, and Yulwei takes Ferro to Bayaz’s chambers, where he convinces her to accompany him on a quest. He also recruits Logen, Jezal (much to Jezal’s dismay since he wishes to go to war against Bethod), Quai, and a navigator named Brother Longfoot. As they are preparing to depart, Ferro wanders off and is attacked by a host of Practicals who answer to Superior Goyle (the head of the Inquisition). A chase through the city ensues, with Logen coming to Ferro’s aid, and together, the two defeat the Practicals and make their way back to Bayaz’s chamber in time to catch a ship to “’he edge of the world” (481).

As the first novel in the series concludes, Glokta is reassigned to Dagoska, a southern city and the lone Union stronghold in the middle of the Gurkish Empire. His mission: to root out corruption and report back to Arch Lector Sult. It is a dangerous assignment but one that may give Glokta what he secretly wants: death.