- Book: The Blade Itself
- Author: Joe Abercrombie
- Publisher: Gollancz
- Published: 2007
It has been great seeing a resurgence of interest in Abercrombie’s books on bookstagram and Booktube recently. TBI along with The Name of the Wind and Lies of Locke Lamora all came out around the time my reading habits were becoming solidified. Getting to vicariously relive that excitement with newcomers to the series I’ve loved for almost a decade and a half now has been awesome.
Disclaimer: I’ve probably not read the Blade Itself for at least 10 years so I’m a little hazy on the plot. From what I remember though there wasn’t much plot to be hazy about anyway. That’s to say, these books are about the characters, the awesome fight scenes and the nihilistic sense that everybody is a bastard but some bastards have better motives than other bastards, maybe. Or maybe those bastards just want a quieter life
Think Game of Thrones but without the fluff, and with a supreme British wit behind it. No doubt if you’ve seen other reviews of the book you will have heard about the legendary Logen ‘Bloody Nine’ Ninefingers, the utterly devious Sand Dan Glokta, the languorously louche Jezal Dan Luthar, the ferocious Ferro or maybe the enigmatic Bayaz. Not to mention the other brilliant supporting characters.
I’m not going to go over them again here, because for me the main pull of these books is the author himself. To enjoy these books you will need to vibe with Joe Abercrombie’s voice. If you don’t you won’t like the characters, however cool they are, but if you do you’ll understand that this series and the world Joe creates are incredible.
- Beer: Constant Variables
- Brewery: Mad Squirrel
- Style: Belgian IPA
- Strength: 5.7%
- Hops: Vic Secret, Ekuanot, El Dorado
You aren’t going to believe me – and my dad disagreed – but I swear that this smelled like a pizza with gorgonzola on it. If you aren’t a fan of blue cheese that may not sound appealing, but I promise you this beer is a good’un. Its clearly experimental and you can really taste the blend of traditional trappist and IPA flavours. Say one thing for this beer say it’s an experience.
Burch's Books and Beers 