The Not a Book Club Club discussion

This is the final 100 pages or so (in my edition).

Please keep all discussion to the events and speculation from the chapter: After the Rains to the chapter: The Beginning.

No spoiler tags required.

This is probably not necessary, but please don't discuss other books set in this world here. Referring back to events from previous sections/books in the trilogy is fine.

... and i will be waiting until people get to this point...
the ending is just so good/surprising/astonishing/treacherous etc

Alex wrote: "OK so I can't remember all the sections, so I'll post some discussion points here instead. Hope that's OK.

How cool was Logen's duel with the Feared? I loved the concept of the circle, and the shi..."

The duel was great. Funny that the so called savages in the book have the solution to cause the least amount of death in their battles.

I liked the circular nature of the story on the large scale with Bayaz raising the Union upagain and on the small scale with Glokta bringing Rews/Pike in the toture game. Also Logen falling to the river again without knowing if he survived or not.

I like how the beginning of The Blade Itself is called "The End" while the last chapter of this is called "The Beginning."

I wasn't as crazy about this book as I was about BTAH. Not exactly sure why.

I'm glad Ardee sort of redeemed herself some. She and Glotka make a nice pair.

The battle scenes stretched on too long for my liking. I would have liked more from the Dogman this book but he kind of got pushed to the background because of Logen I suppose.

The Seed wasn't all that cool. It felt like of unearned but I feel like that's because I hate Bayaz. Ferro was smart to shut it back up.

I would have liked a few more answers, at least why Logen snaps in battle and the Bloody Nine comes out.

West's fate really bummed me out. I would have liked for him to have healed from his wounds but it seems he's dead.

Overall I excepted a more final ending where I feel like it kind of faded to black. I guess with the first two books not really ending just stopping, I thought this would be more conclusive but it doesn't feel like it was.

West's fate was really sad. I kind of got the feeling that Bayaz was able to make him catch the plague because Jezel defied him when he made him the lord marshall. West would of backed Jezel and probably given him some backbone and I think Bayaz wanted to make sure that didn't happen. Probably the same reason he had him marry Terez.

Bayaz reveal as the series went on was pretty good. I still don't think he's evil persay, but he's certainly not likable any more.

I think the book had a good ending place, but there is certainly a lot left unresolved.

I sort of feel bad for West, he was probably the least awful person in the series. But even he had a temper and hit his sister.

Dogman is the one I feel for. He's lost all his friends, and for what?

I missed the West hitting his sister part in the first book so I'd be liking him a lot then remember what he did and like him less.

I feel for Dogman too. Poor guy deserved better.

Oh and I forgot to mention Jezal's wife is a lesbian and he's not a bastard of the king but just a child Bayaz purchased.

I did not see Terez being a lesbian coming. Nice twist and certainly explains why she doesn't want to be with Jezal.

This book made me really dispise Bayaz.
And that was weird, because Tolkien (and others like Eddings who followed the old secluded white wizard who comes back to the city in time of need storyline) made us trust that old wizard. And then Abercrombie gives us this...

I see what you're saying, Alex. She should know her responsibility will be to have kids so there are heirs. She can't avoid it as queen.

I think someone should open the door to the Tower of the Maker and let Yulwei and Tolomei out, point them in Bayaz's direction. He took the Seed with him too - wonder how he would use it without poor Ferro.

Not a happy ending, just an ending. Kind of like real life I guess. You have to be realistic about these things.

Yay! All is well in Fairyland, the good guys won and everybody gets his happy ending!

Yeah, maybe not so much.^^

I really enjoyed how Abercrombie played with all these tropes, like the lost heir to the throne or the kind immortal wizard.

My favourite scene from this part was, when they closed the open council and most of our heroes are there, sitting on the dais, promising each other support and threatening the nobles with retaliations.
It had this huge impression of a council of villains.

I was surprised that none of the pov characters actually died.
Okay, it's not looking good for West, but at least there was no on-screen death and in my opinion Logen survived the fall, so all hands are still on deck.

I had Glokta down for someone who might end up dead, cause he always painted the picture of his bloated body in the water.
And I thought that it might have fitted Abercrombie's style to call this bluff and actually let him die in this way.
But JA gave Glokta a surprisingly happy ending. Ardee seems to actually like him (not love, but I think she is honest with him). That surprised me. I already braced myself for a scene, where Glokta walks in on her doing Cosca.

And I actually have some sympathy for Bayaz. If I sometimes look on what people half my age do or how they behave, I'm rolling my eyes.
I'm on a good way to becoming this grumpy old grandpa.^^
So, if I imagine I would be hundreds or thousands of years old, I guess I would be annoyed constantly about everyone.