Say one thing for Joe Abercrombie, say he’s a master of creating believable bastards…
The Blade Itself, the GRIMDARK book. If you think about the subgenre, The First Law trilogy appears in any Top list. But is it grimdark? I’m used to grimdark in Warhammer 40k. The world is bleak and hopeless, for in the grim darkness of the far future there is only war. The world in The Blade Itself though isn’t fully grimdark, it’s realistic medieval. The characters aren’t in any case role models for the reader, but they are well done. Each POV has their distinctive and unique voice, they are interesting to follow. The plot is simple yet engaging. Wars, betrayals, fencing contests, inquisition wants to rule everyone… and far away a threat to the established order emerges. The final touch is how magic is woven into world-building and plot. It’s rare, but influential. Mysterious, but powerful. And prose? In her book “Steering the Craft” Ursula K. Le Guin talks about prose musicality. Not about rhymes, but about sentence composition. Abercrombie’s prose musicality is on a high level. It’s noticeable from the first chapter. Simple though effective word choice adds to symphony.
The Blade Itself isn’t hopeful fantasy, of course. But I wouldn’t call it “quintessence of grimdark” as well. I’d recommend reading it anyway, character work and worldbuilding are outstanding.
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