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Threads like these always appreciate newbies so Hello, I am a newbie roughly 60% through The Blade Itself. (I have read the Shattered Sea YA trilogy previously, enjoyed it but wanted less YA and more "Yer completely hosed, 'Arry" type writing.) So, where I have left it is Jezal dan Luther just realised he like likes Ardee* ("poo poo"), Logen and Brother Longfoot are to the docks to secure a ship for Bayez, Ferro just encountered two Eaters and Glokta just took an ancient scroll from the science college. *Ardee is also the name of a town in County Louth in Ireland with a pronounced accent even for here so her name has unintentional giggles for me. Best character thus far is easily Glokta, I dig his backstory and his bit about hating stairs hits home as I hosed my back recently and yep, same here. The Union is top heavy with idiots (including Glokta) who do not understand the basics of leadership and just seem to think every day is white boy day and it very obviously isn't. Everyone seems to think Bayez is a good guy despite the fact he never said he was and he is pretty obviously looking to claim that favour he's owed. I have the other two books so I can rattle through them and will keep you updated. That said, I am gonna bow out of the thread because spoilers et cetera.
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Mar 24, 2024 19:37
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| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 20:22 |
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Xenix posted:Funny thing, that. Back pain is exactly what inspired Glokta. See Joe's answer to question 5 Huh, small world sometimes. So that's me done with the first book and I have now met Bloody Nine. Oddly not a big fan despite being that angry once or twice, you really do not notice damage except as a force that hits you broad or slim and you are supercharged strength-wise for a bit. Still digging the poo poo out of Glokta and I expect the Union to get cockstomped by Bethod's lot up to Bethod doing some dumb poo poo that gets him cockstomped back. Stupidity is universal. I actually was not expecting a Fellowship of the Ring type quest and the House of the Over-arching Plot was kinda fun except I am utterly unconvinced Bayez is Bayez necessarily, just hid him self long ago under that name or took it over or something. I enjoyed it mightily and will get stuck into the next one tomorrow after some shopping and what not.
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Mar 27, 2024 03:21
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*252 pages later* Ladisla just had a run-in with reality from which I rather doubt he will learn, Glokta rules despite (very deliberately?) not taking his thoughts about the Union to the blatantly obvious conclusion. Still can't figure if he is deluding himself or not on that one. Are all of his practicals gonna betray him or just one/some? Bayez is still up to stuff and I am unconvinced on his identity and super unconvinced on his intentions. Logen's OG crew are very sensible - get the food first. Is Quai a dark horse? When are Logen and Ferro gonna gently caress and who gets the most scars from it (Logen). I don't really have any questions right now. Just about everybody with any power, actual or not, is Up To Stuff and I look forward to seeing all that poo poo crash into each other and it turns out it was kindly ole Mr Jinkeys all along!
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Mar 30, 2024 20:34
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And that's the second one down. I raise a glass to the fallen, those of you at the end anyway, died hard, died bloody. I outright laughed my rear end off at the Fellowship of the stone at the end, after all that looking for magic enriched uranium. Glokta continues to rule and has now come up hard against the division between his instincts and the Union, I expect some bizarrity to follow. I still can't figure if Sult is dumb or part of some things, he comes across, most of the time, like someone with blinkered horizons, product of his environment but he seems rather up to date on Eaters which is very suspicious, at least, to me. West is wonderfully, wonderfully angry and I like the way all the Northmen know what they are looking at when they look at him. Pike seems like a smart, double hard bastard. Shivers is gonna be something, although Abercrombie's insistence on most Northmen being very tall or double tall or psycho tall or big mchuge or Jeff Mountain is getting a bit..... old. Other than Dogman, I expect them all to ding their foreheads going through a door. The inevitable Logen/Ferro groinal mash-up was wonderfully written and real as hell. Quite possibly the best sex scene I've read. Low bar, I know but.... The Magi seem like a bunch of self-important arseholes who are utterly incapable of just leaving poo poo alone. Looking forward to the third book.
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Apr 1, 2024 00:26
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This week I have been occupied with going to a friend's for a couple of days to unfuck my back (as previously mentioned), then it turned out another friend was nearby, camping with his son in a forest so we visited with swords and basically got drunk on old-fashioneds while Highlandering around the forest at night. I ended up giving his kid my training sword because that kid was loving stoked, let me tell you. (we also had dog who had a ruddy good sniff of everything). When I got back to work I appear to have a massive cold, first once since the before times. I forgot how poo poo they are. Anyway, I have been on a bit of a reading hiatus because of all of that but, I shall spoil where I'm at in book 3, WAR! AGAIN! Everything is turning to poo poo for the Union, Jezel is loving what now and even he seems baffled and, y'know, married to an enormous bigot. West and Pike continue to rule, Glokta, despite his brain finely tuned to ignoring everything in front of him is actually gonna have to choose a side and Bloody-Nine killed a mate. So, it'll be a bit of a sprint if this cold let's up in any way.
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Apr 7, 2024 12:53
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And thus I was done with the trilogy. I have done a wee bit of pondering and don't think my thoughts have any particular shape to them so I'll pretty much just splut them down here. I suppose my biggest surprise was Glokta. I really thought he'd have to make a decision but nope, he avoided doing that which is kind of impressive except for the bit where it forces him to learn nothing and, in point of fact, makes him have to be the one to kill himself. He does not survive, merely continues existing. having deliberately learned nothing. Fundamentally self-inflicted idiocy. Jezal I find liking the most at the end. He's not a coward, he is just unable to do pretty much anything he wants to do and inflicts pain and misery purely by existing. (Some of it is well deserved but most isn't) Logen stayed, fundamentally, the honest one and a survivor type with rabies. His culture, such as I think of it, seems determined to slip into barbarism, albeit slowly. Bayaz is a bag of poo poo thinks it's a man and, like all bullies, doesn't like their lies being pointed out which is why he got harsh with Jezal. There does indeed seem to be no-one to stop him and he, too, will perpetuate his cycle of killing all the things he touches, never brave enough for even basic introspection. Didn't see the second twist though, exactly. The one where he's a shithead, yeah. I liked Pike right up until the end, another idiot unwilling to do the right thing. West, poor bastard but it has also been my experience that you pretty much get nothing but poo poo for doing the right thing so, yeah, I can commiserate. I'll keep reading but I am waiting on the next bunch of books and have a few to get through anyway. Iunno, I miss anything or anyone want me to expand on something?
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Apr 16, 2024 19:11
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That makes so much sense I want to argue it. ... well, gently caress. Still the best written sex in print I have read. I have read some superb clangers, mind*. * Every sex scene by Richard (K) Morgan. The weird and baffling J K Rowling TERF weirdo.
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Apr 17, 2024 01:43
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Hmmm. I know Shivers is gonna turn up a bunch because there is no way he doesn't. I'd like to see a bit more of Pike, mostly just to see if he made that stupid loving decision for any reason. I like Dogman. dude's got a good head and is pretty straight forward about stuff. I really like Bremer dan Gorst, he seems like a super interesting guy and also I took up sword fighting recently so reading about a big ole sword fighter appeals to me. I liked Ardee and could stand to see a bit more of her, although presumably it would include Glokta and, unless that dude has an out-of-nowhere come-to-Jesus, he is done. Most, if not all, of the mage people seem like tremendously selfish cunts, the likes of which everyone would just ignore if they weren't mages. Oh, have y'all read The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman? Y'should.
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Apr 17, 2024 20:17
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| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 20:22 |
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FLIPADELPHIA posted:Definitely read the heroes. It's abercrombie's best book in my opinion. Yeah, I will. I ordered them Monday, so hopefully they arrive this week. Still around 10 books to get through first, although I've nearly finished the first 2.
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Apr 18, 2024 00:48
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