More like The Buildup Itself, am I right??? The Blade Itself follows a cast of characters who start at various points on a fantasy world map and make their way to a central location where they all start interacting, catalyzing what will happen in the coming two books. Along the way, you learn about the politics, history, and magic of this world.
At the end of 500(!) pages, you don't learn a whole lot about the overarching conflict, but you spend a lot of time with the main characters, each of whom is deeply flawed and fascinating.
It's a grim world. Violence is visceral. Magic is unsettling and perverse. But the characters provide a heart to the book, even (especially?) Glokta the Inquisitor. My bet is the next two books will be absolutely breakneck. Everything is set up: the characters, the political conflict, the mystery.
I don't know what'll happen next, but it'll probably include a few broken bones and pained gurgles.
Related:
Cover Notes:
I was inspired by the cover for *Looking for Tank Man* by Ha Jin that I found in this article from *Print Magazine*. I tried to combine it with some grungy dungeon synth type vibes. I used this photo and this .svg illustration from Wikimedia Commons.
Castle photo -- By Mow Cop Castle by Brian Deegan, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=133963841
Sword illustration -- By Zingus - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=78916088