The Blade Itself

Logen, a famous Northern warrior tired of killing, gets separated from his crew after an attack and is summoned by Bayaz, the First of the Magi. In Adua, Glokta, a former war hero who came back crippled from Gurkish prisons, works as an inquisitor squeezing confessions for Arch Lector Sult. Jezal dan Luthar, a vain noble, trains for the fencing Contest and falls for Ardee West. Bayaz reaches the capital with Logen and proves who he is. Jezal wins the Contest with help he never notices. Ferro, a fugitive from Gurkhul, is handed over to Bayaz. In the end, the Union goes to war with Bethod in the North, Glokta is sent to Dagoska and Bayaz sets out with Logen, Jezal and Ferro for the Old Empire.

1. Behind the scenesWritten in the downtime

   Abercrombie was a freelance film editor and used his spare time to rework an idea from his university days. He wrote the book from 2002 to 2004. After about a year of rejections, Gillian Redfearn at Gollancz bought it in 2005.

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2. Behind the scenesA title from Homer

   The name comes from Homer's Odyssey: the blade itself incites to deeds of violence. The saga's titles come from quotes by people like Homer, Heinrich Heine and Louis XIV.

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3. Behind the scenesNo map

   Abercrombie prefers not to use maps, and the trilogy has none. The standalones got local maps, and a full world map only showed up on the cover of Sharp Ends.

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4. SetupWhere the name comes from

   The First Law is the first of Euz's laws: it is forbidden to touch the Other Side directly. Keep track of every conversation about those laws and about who broke them.

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