The Blade Itself Book Review

My second book review of 2019 and the Letter A in my A-Z Reading Challenge is The Blade Itself  by Joe Abercrombie.

Joe Abercrombie was born in Lancaster, England on December 31st 1974.  While in college in Manchester, he started writing an epic trilogy based around the misadventures of a thinking man's barbarian known as Logen Ninefingers.  It wasn't until 2002 when he returned to Logen Ninefingers after abandoning it years earlier.  In 2004, the first book in the trilogy The Blade Itself was completed.  Sadly it wasn't until 2005 that it was picked up by an agent after multiple failures to be picked up previously.  The sequels in The First Law Trilogy were published in 2007 and 2008.  Joe Abercrombie has also released three standalone novels set in The First Law world.  Along with that he has another series known as the Shattered Sea Series.

The Blade Itself is a multiple Point of View grim dark fantasy.  The story follows the interweaving stories of six characters. Three of these are Main Point of View Characters and the other three are Secondary Point of View Characters.  The three main point of views are:

Logen Ninefingers who is a barbarian who believes his luck has finally run out and death's icy grip is on the horizon.

Jezal dan Luthar who is a vain, selfish nobleman who is only thinking about an upcoming fencing tournament and what winning that will mean for his stature in the world.

Sand dan Glokta who is a former champion swordsman and dashing war hero, who was captured and tortured by the enemy.  Ironically that is exactly the job he has been awarded by the King as an Inquisitor whose job it is to deal with treason cases by using torture to get confessions from prisoners.

Minor Point Of Views include The Dogman who is a member of Logen Ninefingers crew, who believes that Logen is infact dead and he believes the same for his crew. Collem West is the best friend and sparring partner of Jezal dan Luthar in preparation for the fencing tournament.  The penultimate minor character is Bayaz who is The First of the Magi and he encounters Logen when he sends his apprentice  Malacus Quai to bring Logen to meet Bayaz.  They then go on a journey so Bayaz can finally take his place on the closed council as he is First of the Magi.  The final minor Point of View is Maljinn Ferro who is an escaped slave who preys on soldiers without mercy.  She lives in the desert with the dregs of society.

This book is most definitely  a slow burner, that could be because Joe Abercrombie is introducing us to his abundance of characters. Do not get me wrong that is not a negative point towards this book because the characters are so well fleshed out.

At the finale of this book, the seams are bursting with reported conflicts and a bizarre proposed mission that the characters find out are their destinies moving forward.

In conclusion, the sequel to The Blade Itself is set up well and I look forward to meeting these characters again in Before They Are Hanged.

Star Rating: 4 Stars

The Three Musketeers Book Review

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"All for one, and one for all"

The first book review of 2019 is going to be The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas.  Alexandre Dumas was born in 1802 at Villers - Cotterets.  Dumas's most successful novel is The Count of Monte Cristo.  In addition to these two novels, he also wrote about wars of religion and the Revolution, which were mostly written for newspapers.  Along with writing The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, Dumas also wrote travel books, children's books and also his memoirs.  Alexandre Dumas died in 1870.

The novel The Three Musketeers was first published in 1844.  The Three Musketeers is a Historical Fiction, Adventure novel.  The premise of the novel is about a young boy named D'Artagnan who comes to Paris in the hope of becoming a member of the King Elite Guards known as The Musketeers.  The Musketeers consists of Athos, Porthos and Aramis.  D'Artagnan first meetings with each of the Musketeers does not go as planned as he inadvertently ends up in a duel with each Musketeer.  When the time comes for D'Artagnan to duel his first opponent, he gets himself tangled up with Cardinal Richelieu's guards.  This ends with D'Artagnan injuring the Cardinal's man.

Cardinal Richelieu is one of the Antagonists of the novel, we will discuss the other one later.  Cardinal Richelieu has plans to destroy the Queen's reputation in the eyes of King Louis XIII because the Queen did not reciprocate the love the Cardinal has for her.  The Cardinal's plan is to embarrass the Queen by insisting she wears the twelve diamond studs the King gave her to a féte that is being thrown in her honour.  This causes a problem because as a gift to the Duke of Buckingham, whom she is in love with she gave him two of the diamond studs.  To help the Queen, her servant Madame Bonacieux who after being rescued by D'Artagnan whom falls in love with her, she asks D'Artagnan to help the Queen which he does along with Athos, Porthos and Aramis.  While they are making their way to London to see the Duke, the Musketeers are attacked by the Cardinals guards. Also during this time D'Artagnan is compelled to assault, and nearly kill, the Comte de Wardes, a friend of the Cardinal and Milady's lover who tries to stop him from travelling to England.  D'Artagnan wounds him in a sword fight.

 Milady de Winter is the other antagonist of the novel. After D'Artagnan assaults the Comte de Wardes he pretends to be him to get seduce Milady as he has figured out that she is an agent of the Cardinals .Due to these attacks it is only D'Artagnan that makes it to London.  D'Artagnan is thus able to return a complete set of jewels to Queen Anne just in time to save her honour. In gratitude, she gives him a beautiful ring.  Madame Bonacieux and D'Artagnan decide to meet up, but when D'Artagnan goes to the chosen spot he figures out that she has been kidnapped.  D'Artagnan meets up under the guise of Comte de Wardes and becomes infatuated with Milady de Winter.  Her maid tells D'Artagnan that she is indifferent towards him.  While getting intimate with Milady, he uncovers a branding on her that shows she is a criminal. That isn't the only surprising piece of information we get about Milady but more of that later.  When this is found out Milady is furious and tries in vain to murder D'Artagnan.  D'Artagnan is told that the Queen has rescued Constance Bonacieux and she is in hiding. Athos, Porthos and Aramis overhear a conversation between Cardinal Richelieu and Milady and their plan to have her murder the Duke of Buckingham.  The Musketeers luckily warn Lord De Winter(Milady's Brother) and the Duke of Buckingham of the plot.  When Milady arrives she is immediately arrested and imprisoned.  To escape she seduces her prison guard and persuades him in carrying out the act she was sent to do.  When Milady returns to France, Milady hides in the convent where Constance Bonacieux is also in hiding.  Milady finally has the opportunity to destroy D'Artagnan.  He and the Musketeers get to the convent too late to capture Milady.  She is eventually caught before she can reach Cardinal Richelieu and she is sentenced to death by D'Artagnan and the Three Musketeers.  When the four of them return to battle, D'Artagnan is arrested and sent to the Cardinal and tells him of Milady's execution.  D'Artagnan then uses the Pardon that was for Milady on himself.  

Due to D'Artagnan's willfulness which the Cardinal is impressed with, destroys the pardon and writes out a new note which is in fact a promotion to Lieutenant in the Musketeers. D'Artagnan offers it to each of his three friends but they all in fact turn down the promotion as they all have future plans. Could the novel have been foreshadowing the ending of the book by showing the reader D'Artagnan's willingness to lead and rally his friends after they got separated and him finally fulfilling his dream of becoming a musketeer.

The main theme I believe that is greatly highlighted in this novel is the theme of Friendship.  The friendship of the four men may not have began on the best of terms but as the novel went on their friendship grew stronger.  In order to succeed in their quests, they all must work together.  The theme of Friendship is also shown in a positive light.  The three friends never argue and they are always there to share things and support each other.  An example of this is when Athos reveals to D'Artagnan that Milady de Winter is in fact his ex- wife.  D'Artagnan did not reveal this information to Porthos and Aramis, instead he allowed Athos to tell his friends in his own time.  

I would recommend people to read this book. If you enjoy a plot driven book then this is the book for you, although the friendship of the "four" Musketeers should drive you forward to read this book.

My Rating: 4.5 Stars