I'm usually not one to pick up a book out of a series. My main reasons are that I've not been reading at the same pace I used to, which makes keeping up with a series tricky, and since I almost always get my books from the library, I'm at the mercy of what's available, which often means not all of the books in a given series.
But, the other day, a book caught my eye and since it was book one, vs. book five, I picked it up. The book in question was The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie. I wasn't sure I'd be into it, but once I started reading, it hooked me. The interesting parts are: that for all that it's a fantasy book, the magic element is really downplayed, which eliminates a lot of the pitfalls some fantasy yarns have; the characters are interestingly complex; and Abercrombie's voice has hints of humor that I love.
So, the first book doesn't really stand alone, which is one of the things I dislike about a series, but I'm into it enough that I've put the remaining two books on hold at the library. It's not quite what I expected, which makes me happy.
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