The Blade Itself

As with any literary series, The Blade Itself is situated as part of a greater whole. As Volume 1 of Abercrombie’s First Law trilogy, it must fulfill certain requirements: establish the setting, introduce key players, and set up the conflict. While parts of his world—the southern Empire in particular—remain vague, he explores in rich detail the heart of the Union, Angland, and its capital, Adua. Located on the island nation of Midderland, the Union is a confederation of territories held together by military might and political maneuvering. Its politics and reliance on military strength are reminiscent of the waning days of the Roman Empire.

Also like the Roman Empire, Abercrombie’s world is violent and constantly at war. In the North, Bethod consolidates his power by gobbling up large swaths of undefended territory and claiming them as his own. In the South, the Gurkish Empire closes in on the last Union stronghold in its orbit, Dagoska. It’s a world in which the strong dominate the weak, and moral lines are blurry. It would be easy to read the conflict as good (the Union) versus evil (Bethod), but such tidy labels don’t work in this world.