The Blade Itself

As with any literary series, The Blade Itself is situated as part of a greater whole. As Volume 1 of Abercrombie’s First Law trilogy, it must fulfill certain requirements: establish the setting, introduce key players, and set up the conflict. While parts of his world—the southern Empire in particular—remain vague, he explores in rich detail the heart of the Union, Angland, and its capital, Adua. Located on the island nation of Midderland, the Union is a confederation of territories held together by military might and political maneuvering. Its politics and reliance on military strength are reminiscent of the waning days of the Roman Empire.

Also like the Roman Empire, Abercrombie’s world is violent and constantly at war. In the North, Bethod consolidates his power by gobbling up large swaths of undefended territory and claiming them as his own. In the South, the Gurkish Empire closes in on the last Union stronghold in its orbit, Dagoska. It’s a world in which the strong dominate the weak, and moral lines are blurry. It would be easy to read the conflict as good (the Union) versus evil (Bethod), but such tidy labels don’t work in this world. The Union is rife with political corruption, and bribery and torture are standard practices. Additionally, the Union’s war against Bethod has more to do with protecting commerce than safeguarding a vulnerable population. How the wars will affect these great empires is anybody’s guess at this point in the series, but war is certainly afoot, and subsequent installments are sure to develop both the characters and the social and political landscape of this world in unexpected ways.

The same applies to Abercrombie’s main characters, all of whom have been set on a specific path with no end in sight. Bayaz clearly has a designated purpose for every member of his company, but he keeps his true designs secret from those around him, even his closest allies. Later parts of the trilogy will no doubt have to answer the questions that arise around Bayaz’s patterns of secrecy, along with the unanswered questions that remain at the end of The Blade Itself. For example, as the novel concludes, the nature of the Seed that Bayaz needs Ferro to carry remains unclear, as do the uses he has for Logen. Similarly, it is unknown whether Jezal will ever overcome his narcissistic ways and evolve into a true warrior. Overall, Abercrombie has created a complex and finely-wrought world populated with vividly flawed characters. His gift as a writer is to create sympathy for otherwise unsympathetic people—barbarian warlords, vain and pompous rich boys, torturers—and he also deftly outlines the complex ways in which the tumultuous events of his brutal world shape the characters’ lives and destinies. These unanswered threads will certainly be resolved as the series continues.