The First Law by Joe Abercrombie Vx (spoilers through LAOK for now)

[Michael Seswatha Jordan]

Just about halfway through A Blade Itself and this is exactly what I need after spending 9 months on MBotF. I love the characters, pacing, and so far the right amount of magic. It has a realistic feel to it and keeps me interested on every page. I will stay away from the thread until finished, but can't wait to join in the discussion.

[Pilusmagnus]

We'll try to put spoiler alerts for you if you want to join in.

You can also make casting suggestions for a potential adaptation if you want!

[Michael Seswatha Jordan]

Well I don't want to hinder the discussion, I appreciate it though. So are the adapting first law into a TV series or a movie trilogy?

[Andrew Gilfellon]

Neither

[Pilusmagnus]

They're not adapting it, we're just speculating about what it could be.

I think that actually, if we wanted to adapt it, it would be better in a TV series, with standalone books as movies rather than the contrary. The First Law would more likely fit in a TV format.

Here's a list of the episodes !

Season 1 :

1 - The Blade Itself

2 - Being realistic

3 - Questions

4 - High Art

5 - A woman of the South

6 - The House of the Maker

7 - Bloody-Nine

That should be enough for book one.

Season 2 :

1 - A man lost in the desert

2 - The Old Empire

3 - Knowing one's ennemies

4 - The Second Law

5 - Surprise attack

6 - Allies

7 - Cold Royal Blood (this episode's ending cliffhanger will never bear his name better)

8 - Furious

9 - The Ruins of the Past

10 - Mercy

11 - Encounters

12 - Before they are Hanged

13 - The Edge

Season 3 :

1 - Going Home

2 - The Tanner

3 - Old Acquaintances

4 - Crummock-i-Phail

5 - More questions

6 - Your Highness

7 - Invaders

8 - Stopping the Whiteflow

9 - Always one more

10 - Last Argument of Kings (longest episode, with the big battle)

11 - Answers

12 - A drop of water

13 - Does the devil know?

[Andrew Gilfellon]

I have a question for the author.

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS.

We learn in LAOK that Marovia has been impersonated by Yoru, and the whole different eye thing was mentioned in The Blade Itself, but come LAOK Marovia is still alive. So what was he doing until that final scene where Glokta visits Marovia's office while he was being impersonated?

[The BlackBear]

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS.

There is a spoiler function:

[spoiler ]

Close up the spaces and you get

[/spoiler ]

This!

[Andrew Gilfellon]

Thanks.

[Larry of the Lawn]

If they adapt it they should.let Abercrombie play some random redshirt gets to work in a really good "aaaaaaaarrrggh!". Would be a nice tribute to the fandom.

[Michael Seswatha Jordan]

Just finished The Blade Itself, excellent book that has me begging for more. Mr. Abercrombie has a way of keeping you on the edge of your seat. This book seemingly felt like a introduction and set up for the next book. In most series I've read there was always at least one character that I had to slog through. Haven't met one yet in this series. Each and every one of them has me intrigued. Only thing that slightly disappointed me was lack of action. But, it seems as if I'm going to get plenty in the rest of the series. Cracking open Before They are Hanged as soon as kids are bathed and put to bed.

Eta: Oh, and the scene where they go into the House of the Maker was just awesome and has me wanting to know everything at once about this "Maker". And what the hell is in that box. I love mystery's like this.

[The BlackBear]

We learn in LAOK that Marovia has been impersonated by Yoru, and the whole different eye thing was mentioned in The Blade Itself, but come LAOK Marovia is still alive. So what was he doing until that final scene where Glokta visits Marovia's office while he was being impersonated?

On this it's been a little while so I may be wrong, but we only learn Yoru is impersonating Marovia during the very last moments of the siege. Before this I recal no mention of the eye colour. So you would assume up until Yoru starts impersonating him he was carrying on as is usual. Bayaz used him to get the election of Jezal, promising the reforms Marovia wanted, but as he said to Jezal, once you win you need to distance yourself from those allies as helped you win. Marovias plans went counter to Bayaz' and he had to go. Between the last time we see the true Marovia and when Glokta finds him dead, he is not important.

[Shryke]

Just finished The Blade Itself, excellent book that has me begging for more. Mr. Abercrombie has a way of keeping you on the edge of your seat. This book seemingly felt like a introduction and set up for the next book. In most series I've read there was always at least one character that I had to slog through. Haven't met one yet in this series. Each and every one of them has me intrigued. Only thing that slightly disappointed me was lack of action. But, it seems as if I'm going to get plenty in the rest of the series. Cracking open Before They are Hanged as soon as kids are bathed and put to bed.

Eta: Oh, and the scene where they go into the House of the Maker was just awesome and has me wanting to know everything at once about this "Maker". And what the hell is in that box. I love mystery's like this.

The first book is a bit week but yes, that whole House of the Maker sequence is where, on first read, I started thinking that this series was showing some real promise. Just a great sense of tone throughout.

[Pilusmagnus]

The first book is less catchy and less action-filled than the other two, but I would be nowhere near to call it weak!

On the contrary, I find it is the most hilarious of the three. I exploded laughing several times, like when Severard punches the table shouting "Answer the fucking question" or when Jezal tells his opponent "It's not my fault you're shit!"

[Night's_King]

Well, I certainly didn't thought it a strong book. I have to admit, that I was nearly quiting the series, because I didn't really like the first book. The second is the strongest of the trilogy, imho. The third is also great, but there still is something in me, that wants to burn Abercrombies house for that ending. :D

That said: I think the strongest of his first blade books is The Heroes.

[Anatúrinbor]

I also enjoyed book two the most. The humor (the best thing about the series) and the small group battles peaked* in that one. I have to say though that I actually dropped the series after TBI, it's only when I accidentally read a spoiler for book three that I decided to go on. Book III was a bit of letdown, but perhaps only because I knew what was coming.

*Not sure if that's the correct usage of the word.

[Pilusmagnus]

You never explained why you hated that ending because of spoilers. Can you do it now, under a warning?

[Night's_King]

Don't get me wrong I didn't expect an happy ending or something like that. But I thought that at the end of the book, nothing was achieved. They characters are either worse of than they were at the beginning or they were back at the start. Take Ferros or Logens arcs, for example. I felt their whole character developement was for nothing, because at the end, they are there where they were at the beginning. Jezal's character developement was great, but also for nothing. Because he can't to a thing with his new 'goodness'.

And there are still so many loose threads and unanswered questions.

I may be way off with my opinion (and with my expectation), but there are so many lingering questions and so little was achieved, that I thought the series (and the reader) deserved a better ending.

[Shryke]

Don't get me wrong I didn't expect an happy ending or something like that. But I thought that at the end of the book, nothing was achieved. They characters are either worse of than they were at the beginning or they were back at the start. Take Ferros or Logens arcs, for example. I felt their whole character developement was for nothing, because at the end, they are there where they were at the beginning. Jezal's character developement was great, but also for nothing. Because he can't to a thing with his new 'goodness'.

And there are still so many loose threads and unanswered questions.

I may be way off with my opinion (and with my expectation), but there are so many lingering questions and so little was achieved, that I thought the series (and the reader) deserved a better ending.

All that stuff you mention?

That's the point of the ending.

[Night's_King]

You don't say?!

Of course it's the point of the ending. And that's why I didn't like it.

[Andrew Gilfellon]

Currently on Best Served Cold audio book. The guy who does the voices is brilliant, though his Friendly sounds too much like Crummac and Shivers like Dogman. He's also not good with the women voices. Also, there was a jamacian Yulewai in one of the chapters with Monza.....which was weird. I actually liked Ferro's character arc. There were points in book one where it was obvious she wasn't the hardass bitch that she was acting like. Same in Book two where she cooled considerably, but other than that she stayed static in motivation.

Whereas Logen started off as trying to be a better man and in the end thought fuck it.

My opinions of Book One: Slow reading but rewarding.

Book Two: Fast paced, and I read it quickly in 2007.

Book Three: Was a bit of a slog in places even on audio, but it was made worse with 50 missing pages.