The article makes the case for Joe Abercrombie's "The Blade Itself" (2006), the first novel in his First Law trilogy, arguing it is an underappreciated masterpiece of grimdark fantasy that grabs readers within its opening pages. Despite subverting genre conventions with morally flawed characters and a politically corrupt setting, the trilogy has not achieved the same widespread recognition as fantasy giants like The Lord of the Rings or the Stormlight Archive, something the piece suggests is undeserved given the quality of its writing and characterisation.

The novel follows three central characters whose fates become entangled through the machinations of a mysterious mage: Logen Ninefingers, a northern barbarian; Sand dan Glokta, a once-heroic soldier turned crippled torturer investigating corruption in the capital city of Adua; and Jezal dan Luthar, a vain young nobleman. They are drawn into a quest by the wizard Bayaz, First of the Magi, against a backdrop of looming war between the Union, King Bethod's northern forces, and the Gurkish Empire to the south. The article particularly praises the book's four-page prologue, "The End," which throws readers straight into action with Logen's battle against enemies known as "Shanka," setting the tone for a character-driven, darkly humorous story.