Image via Wydawnictwo MAG By David Caballero Published Jul 21, 2026, 11:26 PM EDT David is a Senior Editor at Collider focused primarily on Lists. His professional journey began in the mid-2010s as a Marketing specialist before embarking on his writing career in the 2020s. At Collider, David started as a Senior Writer in late 2022 and has been a Senior Editor since mid-2023. He is in charge of ideating compelling and engaging List articles by working closely with writers, both Senior and Junior, as well as other editors. Occasionally, David also reviews movies and TV shows and writes episode recaps. Currently, David is also writing his second novel, a psychological horror satire that will, hopefully, be picked up for publication sometime next year. Sign in to your Collider account Add Us Like Like follow Follow followed Followed Listen Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap The fantasy genre is packed with masterpieces, books that have truly changed the way we experience the genre. Think of the usual suspects — The Lord of the Rings , the Stormlight Archive series, the Earthsea Cycle — the books that have shaped fantasy on the page, creating some of the most daring, wondrous, and timeless worlds and allowing us to escape our reality for a few hundred precious pages. Not all fantasy masterpieces are as recognized as the genre's titans; indeed, many become forgotten in the sands of time, which is what could be said of Joe Abercrombie 's The First Law trilogy.
This gritty, subversive fantasy saga turns all the genre's usual tropes on their head, focusing on flawed characters in a broken, politically corrupt continent. A defining entry in the grimdark subgenre , The First Law trilogy is not nearly as recognized as it should be, but all that can change if only readers picked up the first book, which will undoubtedly grab their full attention from the opening pages. The first book in the series, The Blade Itself , has some of the strongest opening pages of any fantasy book , throwing the reader directly into the action and refusing to let go. A book is only as strong as its opening pages, and The Blade Itself is a masterclass of how to open a fantasy saga .
As expected from a grimdark fantasy, The Blade Itself is set in a bleak, corrupt, deeply cynical world . The plot follows three characters as their paths collide , courtesy of a mysterious mage. There's Logen Ninefingers, a barbarian who travels south after losing his companions in the north. There's Inquisitor Sand dan Glokta, once a dashing hero who suffered mutilations as a POW, now a torturer investigating corruption in Adua, the capital city of the Union. Finally, there's Captain Jezal dan Luthar, a vain nobleman whose self-interest clashes with his sense of duty as the loom of war approaches. The three characters find themselves joining the mage Bayaz, First of the Magi, who recruits them to go on a dangerous quest . Meanwhile, the Union is threatened by King Bethod in the north and the Gurkish Empire in the South.
The Blade Itself is primarily a character-driven story . There's not much plot per se, rather the basis for what will eventually become the First Law trilogy. However, the book is exceptionally well-written , particularly regarding the protagonists' characterization. Logen, Jezal, and Glokta are three of the most fascinating characters in fantasy , ea…