The Blade Itself
- Published
- 1 May 2006
- Pages
- 531
- ISBN-13
- 9780316387316
- Type
- novel
About this book
The Blade Itself (2006) opens The First Law, introducing a crippled torturer, a vain swordsman convinced he's the hero of his own story, and a manipulative wizard with an unexplained agenda -- the trio Joe Abercrombie pulls together as a looming war approaches. It set the grimdark template of morally grey characters and cynical humor the whole series became known for, running 531 pages ahead of Before They Are Hanged.
Key facts about The Blade Itself
The Blade Itself is a novel by Joe Abercrombie. Readers have had it since May 2006. It runs to 531 pages.
Our list holds 3 editions of The Blade Itself. Since each edition has its own ISBN, search for 9780316387316 to find the main one.
The Blade Itself is book 1 of 11 in The First Law series. The series has 11 published books. As a result, this is the book to start the series with. The Wisdom of Crowds is the latest book in the series with a full release date, out on 14 September 2021.
Additionally, Joe Abercrombie writes Shattered Sea as a separate series. Those series sit on our grimdark epic fantasy and young adult fantasy shelves. Meanwhile, The Devils is the latest published Joe Abercrombie book on file, from 6 May 2025.
About Joe Abercrombie
Joe Abercrombie is a British fantasy author whose First Law series, beginning with The Blade Itself in 2006, helped establish "grimdark" as a recognizable fantasy subgenre -- morally compromised characters, unglamorous violence, and a willingness to subvert classic quest-fantasy tropes rather than play them straight. See every Joe Abercrombie book in order.
Its place in The First Law
The Blade Itself is book 1 in the The First Law series. It is followed by Before They Are Hanged. See the full The First Law reading order.
A crippled torturer, a vain swordsman convinced he's the hero of his own story, and a manipulative wizard who never seems to be quite what he claims are pulled together by a looming war and the wizard's own unexplained agenda. Joe Abercrombie's First Law world is epic fantasy stripped of most of its comforting illusions: kingdoms are run by the venal and incompetent, battles are chaotic and ugly rather than glorious, and the people readers root for are, almost without exception, deeply compromised. It's the book…
Editions
- edition · unknown publisher · — · ISBN 9780575077867
- edition · unknown publisher · — · ISBN 9780575091504
- edition · unknown publisher · — · ISBN 9781478935797