Winter has locked Prince Jalan Kendeth far from the luxury of his southern palace. The North may be home to Viking Snorri ver Snagason but he is just as eager to leave. However, even men who hold a key that can open any door must wait for the thaw. As the ice unlocks its jaws the Dead King moves to claim what was so nearly his. Jalan wants only to return to the wine and women of the south, but Snorri has a different and terrifying goal.
The warrior aims to find the very door into death and throw it wide. He has found the key — now all he needs is to find the door. But pawns are played to sacrifice and the Red Queen set both these men upon her board. How many moves ahead has the Silent Sister seen? How far will they get before their part in the game is over? Her grandson Jalan Kendeth is a coward, a cheat and a womaniser; and tenth in line to the throne.
While his grandmother shapes the destiny of millions, Prince Jalan pursues his debauched pleasures. Until he gets entangled with Snorri ver Snagason, a huge Norse axe man, and dragged against his will to the icy north. The world is cracked and time has run through, leaving us clutching at the end days. These are the days that have waited for us all our lives. These are my days. I will stand before the Hundred and they will listen. I will take the throne no matter who stands against me, living or dead, and if I must be the last emperor then I will make of it such an ending.
This is where the wise man turns away. This is where the holy kneel and call on God. These are the last miles, my brothers. Run if you have the wit. Pray if you have the soul. Stand your ground if courage is yours. The second book in the Broken Empire series, Lawrence takes his young anti-hero one step closer to his grand ambition. To reach greatness you must step on bodies, and many brothers lie trodden in my wake. The land burns with the fires of a hundred battles as lords and petty kings fight for the Broken Empire.
The long road to avenge the slaughter of his mother and brother has shown Prince Honorous Jorg Ancrath the hidden hands behind this endless war. He saw the game and vowed to sweep the board. First though he must gather his own pieces, learn the rules of play, and discover how to break them. I had heard so many good things about this book and although I'm not a fan of the gritty dark fantasy I think this was done exceeding well. Mark's prose is very well written and I found myself noting a number of particularly well done sentences, which is unusual for me to notice.
From time to time, fans of my series ask me to do a prequel on my character Royce and how he was when in the Black Diamond Thieves Guild and before the calming influences of Gwen and Hadrian started to shape him. From no I had heard so many good things about this book and although I'm not a fan of the gritty dark fantasy I think this was done exceeding well. From now on I will tell them if you want to see "that kind of book" they should look to Prince of Thorns. Mark does an exceptional job writing the anti-hero. He is in fact what I would imagine Royce would be like so there in reason to write such a book as it would pale in comparision.
I do have just a few little complaints authors never can read anything without analyzing a work. I had a bit of a problem with a fourteen-year-old boy accomplishing some of the things he does. Most women I know would be able to hold their own against someone this age so I had to suspend my belief with regard to his ability to rape.
Also I don't think a band of surly men would really follow someone of Jorg's age. As the book progressed and it was determined to be a post-apocalyptic earth I found that a bit hard to wrap my head around. All in all a quality book by a bold new author. I think this is an exceptional book which I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys dark and gritty fantasy.
I wish Mark well in his future endeavors and expect to see great things from him. View all 14 comments. Sep 25, Petros Triantafyllou rated it it was amazing. For more than a year I had only written 1 review for The Broken Empire trilogy. A terrible mistake, and one I regret deeply, considering it's my favorite story, and Lawrence my favorite author respectively. Each installment deserves a separate review, so i'm here to deliver. Lawrence's debut is a milestone in modern fantasy.
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Solid writing and well-crafted characters, witty humor and sentimental elements, controversial circumstances and teeth-grinding situations, all skilfully combined in creating For more than a year I had only written 1 review for The Broken Empire trilogy. Solid writing and well-crafted characters, witty humor and sentimental elements, controversial circumstances and teeth-grinding situations, all skilfully combined in creating a novel that will redefine the term grimdark. The world building is well structured and ever-expanding, with elements closely resembling that of an alternate universe in medieval times.
In comes the easy to understand yet complex to define magic system, that combined with the aforementioned world building gives you the impression of a random, and usually seen in fantasy, fantastical world. Pleasantly shocking revelations prove you otherwise. Maybe we're born new each dawn, a little changed, a little further on our own road. When enough days stand between you and the person you were, you're strangers. Maybe that's what growing up is. Maybe I have grown up. He begins his journey as a crystal-clear villain, and proceeds into carving his path as a beloved Anti-Hero, creating a lot of debates in fantasy fiction cycles, for whether he should be despised or praised, loved or hated.
The answer is none of them. He should simply be enjoyed. You don't have to like a character in order to enjoy his story. And, considering the realism and humanism that characterizes Mark's world as seen with the moral and theological issues raised, as well as the inner struggles of the characters , that's a story one doesn't usually find in fantasy or in fiction in general , and surely doesn't simply dismiss.
All in all, i find The Broken Empire to be the greatest fantasy fiction story of the decade, belonging to the top of your TBR list, unless you are one of those little sisses who can't stand the realism on Mark's books. You can find more of my reviews over at http: View all 19 comments. Jun 06, C. This is a very stabby book of darkness. It's about 14yo Jorg who is A a bookworm, B a psychopath, and C a terrifyingly stabby kid with the emotional empathy of a plastic plate and who genuinely likes to kill things and is on a mission of revenge.
I mean, who even let me loose to read books about villains??? You know they're my weakness omg. Hello, I've read A Game of Thrones. This didn't feel as violent somehow? But the thing is: Like I hate what he does in the sense that he is an evil psychopathic mushroom. But he's a good villain. Also the writing was freakishly fantastic. NO I do not handle that style. But Prince of Thorns mixed in sass and short punchy sentences and kept my little heart alive. It was morbidly funny at times.
And Jorg's sass was on point. Like literally one point. It has like dead people But they spend a whole heap of time in a chasm with necromancers and I just I feel like I'm missing something. But hello, have you met Jorg??? Why does he even care? And also the world building was a bit wut wut. It was GOOD world building.
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But it was confusing in that A I think it was set in our world??? They had priests and Christ and referenced Shakespeare and the map has Normandy on it. I kind of wish it had just been it's own fantasy world. Despite confusion of what the flippity flop was happening in the middle there I quite enjoyed this! And by "enjoy" I mean it was a good book, not that I am also a psychopathic dark hearted monster who wants to see everyone stabbed. With a small love of stabby villainous books. Jorg is a terrifying child and a proper psychopath and I wish to see what he does next.
When cutting out a heart, and I speak from experience here, expect to be crimson head to toe. The necromancer's blood looked purple in the torchlight and barely reached past my elbows. A stranger to reason, a little in love with death perhaps? I'd mashed his lips up pretty good. I hadn't the slightest idea. In the end it's about staying power. They should put that on headstones, "Got tired". Pushed the last Watch Master over the falls. Now take me to Coddin before I lose my famously good temper. View all 26 comments. Feb 27, Bookdragon Sean rated it liked it Shelves: For now though, the Prince of Thorns was exciting and dark.
However, it did have some major problems that limited it severely. A dark protagonist Initially, the first few chapters almost put me off the book entirely. The writing seemed substandard and disjointed. At points it was like it had been written by a violent child, though as the nature of the protagonist was revealed, I began to see the desired effect behind the prose. It is short, snappy and sadistic. Is that even possible? The writing almost reflects him in a weird sort of way.
You got a responsibility not to kill too many of your men. His responses to the situations he finds himself in are imaginative and often hilarious. After surviving a horrific ordeal during his childhood, the Prince is forever changed. Something dark seeped into his soul and changed him forever. He now leads a crew of thugs, and one random knight. Together they savage the landscape. Though first, to get to him, Jorg must return home to confront his farther who wishes him dead.
This is no easy task. I like the origin story and how it unfolded. Structurally speaking, this book is well put together; it was intense and exciting. The problem this book has is with Jorg himself. There are much bigger problems in the entire series, but, as I said, I will lay them down later. The problem with Jorg is that he is too much of an anti-hero. He may be funny; he may be violent and entertaining, but he cannot be invested in.
He is a lost cause. There is nothing in him but hate and bitterness. I feel like Lawrence wrote himself into a corner with this character. The emotion is everything. The Broken Empire Trilogy 1. Prince of Thornes - A heartless 2. King of Thorns A dreadful 1 star View all 10 comments. I was really excited to read prince of thorns it had been on my the list for ages, I can remember staring at it and thinking can't wait to read it i do not read 3. I was really excited to read prince of thorns it had been on my the list for ages, I can remember staring at it and thinking can't wait to read it i do not read blurbs often and didn't with this so I thought this book was about a bunch of 14 year olds running around killing trained soldiers, I also hated Jorge to begin with a 14 year old bashing grown men and giving orders how unrealistic..
I got to chapter 12 and found out the warband was grown men then I actually had trouble not reading it, everytime it was picked up I devoured it, I read until I couldn't read anymore. I will admit I had a little break to finish another book, but when I picked this book up and finished it I decided I liked it and enjoyed reading it. I was pleasantly surprised by how good the part in the mountain was with the necromancers and monsters, totally loved that part so much! I love magic and as soon as that component was added in I loved this book.
I liked getting to know Jorge in his flashbacks to his childhood, I liked seeing how Jorge became a monster I thought what he went through was very fitting to the title and it was good to read, I feel like I understand him now, lol. I loved seeing how Jorge meet his warband four years ago and how they traveled around terrorizing people trying to get Jorges revenge. I did however feel confused towards the end to where this series was heading?
Like really I have no idea what it's about expect a psychopath wanting revenge. I hope to see more things in the plot next book. I'm honestly looking forward to reading the rest of this series, I'm pretty much inlove with Jorge the sicko and can't wait to see what he does next. Definitely a different fantasy read for me, I haven't read much anti hero so it was definitely a different experience for me being from an evil perspective, but I really enjoyed it. But I got past those issues and just read the book. But I did keep thinking to myself when will someone kill this TURD, like seriously how does he get away with the shit he says and does No one can stop him haha his a slippery sucker.
I kept feeling the need throughout this book to compare him to Joffrey from a game of thrones like they seriously have so much in common. But Joffrey and Jorge do the unthinkable and are both cruel but that's all these two share. Jorge has a brain, whereas Joffrey doesn't.
Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
Not a Joffrey gif I no.. It was needed tho in the mountain there was that scene were Jorge ate a heart I also liked Makin - I hate his name so much tho, it confused me at the start for a word not a name. Makin was a loyal character, I have no idea why he is loyal to Jorge who is an asshole to everyone, but he is and I liked that. I would have enjoyed reading from his POV sometimes I'll like to know what he really thinks about Jorge and his decisions.
I really loved the Nuban, he was my favorite character. It was a shame to lose him so quickly in the series I would have enjoyed seeing more of this character and once again a POV.
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I liked seeing Jorge swoon over Katherine who barely took notice of him. I hope they get together in the next book hide spoiler ]. This book was mostly about Jorge and his fucked up past. That silence almost beat me. Pride took him from heaven, though he sat at God's right hand. View all 38 comments. Feb 16, seak rated it really liked it Shelves: I had a lot of fun with this one.
I'd read lots of discussion before actually jumping in and I have a couple things to say about it. The rape at the beginning, while I in no way support this type of behavior, isn't graphic and does a good job showing how depraved these guys actually are. If it didn't include rape in some way, I really don't think it would have been nearly as believable, I mean, this is medieval times. Nobles were supposedly exercising their droit du seigneur. Again, not that I I had a lot of fun with this one.
Again, not that I support the behavior or even that I enjoy reading about it. I don't and I'm glad it's never really revisited, at least not in action. Many have said that Jorg, the main protagonist, is too young. First, he definitely acts his age. If anyone says one thing, he wants to do the opposite. That's got teenager written all over it. Second, I really don't think people remember being that age and aren't giving it nearly enough credit. An intelligent teenager could easily act this way, especially given how Jorg was raised and how he spent all his time during the last 4 years.
It's hard to believe a small band could defeat a much larger group of soldiers as happens toward the beginning. We're told they're the best at what they do, no one stands a chance against them. Then, without getting into too much detail, they strategically make it happen. Told in the first person and alternating, but not every other chapter, between the present and chapters that begin with "Four years earlier," Prince of Thorns is an unruly tale of revenge. After falling in with the worst humans alive, a band that could fit in nicely with the likes of Joe Abercrombie's Black Dow and company, Jorg's every thought is centered on reeking havoc for his sworn enemy, Count Renar.
As you can imagine, Jorg has some pretty evil thoughts and yet this book is amazingly hard to put down. For some reason, you can't help but root for him. He's had it bad, but his attitude, outside of all the really bad stuff which is a lot , is pretty compelling and I loved it.
Jorg makes things happen. It doesn't matter the odds either, he has no fear of such petty things and it's great, especially given his age, which as I mentioned above, in no way phased me and really only added to my enjoyment of the story. I love rooting for the little guy.
Seriously, go read Prince of Thorns now. It's a really quick read too, both in terms of page length and the fact that you won't be able to put it down. View all 33 comments. Sep 28, James Tivendale rated it liked it Shelves: Introduction to the Prince of Thorns - Prince Jorg. Unlike American Psycho's Patrick Bateman and other fictional psychopaths - we are presented reasons to sympathise with our pal Jorg as an event when he was 10 shocked his very soul and led to his stupidly cool nickname see the book title: This book is shown like many good debut books I have noticed in two parts.
Or his gang of 'droogs' as brother Alex would have said. Speaking of his gang. It is a tight-knit bunch. Jorg is heartless the majority of the time but certain people for whatever reason he takes under his wing. His pals include colourful characters such as dark skinned, warrior-esque Nuban, childlike monster Gog, Knight of the Realm - Makin and large beefcake of a brute Rike.
You can see he has composed a colourful and interesting gang who follow him completely - as road brothers, but also because of his wit, intelligence and I think they are slightly scared but also in awe of him Also, I am not sure if anyone has made this connection before but his gang reminded me a bit of Kaladin and Bridge 4 in Stormlight Archives. Obviously with two very different gang leaders but the camaraderie and even the makeup of the personnel in said gang is very similar.
The language in this book is not that difficult. It is a young adult fantasy in the way it is written although the tone of it is very grim and despondent. I read this first half of the book about 4 months ago and put it down. The reason is that, well - it didn't seem very fantasy. More historical in a fictional world.
The first half of the book is about road battles, court happens and just political conversations. They even follow the same God and study the same philosophers as us here on Earth. I picked this up again today - and literally, as soon as I got past the first half of the book - we are escorted into a pleasant typical fantasy whirlwind featuring necromancers, mages, monsters, dead people etc The book is full of great scenes - a nice courtly showdown of Jorg vs a Knight and fighting the dead in an underground tunnel are two of many.
This book does come to a nice conclusion but I can't wait to see what happens in King of Thorns. It makes good fiction, though. If you haven't checked it out please do. Your friend, James x www. Naturally, some of the reviews were positive and some of them were negative. After reading the novel, I can honestly say I understand both points of view, because I found myself mesmerized by Mr. But, beyond any doubt, this is a book that every fantasy fan should read at least once - and many will read over and over again.
The bloody tale spun by Mark Lawrence centers on Jorg Ancrath. This ten year old flees privilege preferring to grow up among highwaymen, stealing, raping, torturing, and killing everyone in his path, as he follows a convoluted pathway to revenge. Revenge against the man who killed his mother and brother, but also revenge against the world which has somehow failed him. No, Jorg seems to picture himself above the petty, frailties of humanity, as if the hook-briars, which gave him his moniker, drained both his blood and his morality away at the same time.
This allowed him to see life for what it really is, for as Jorg himself explains: I was stupid then, being only nine, and I fought to save them both. But the thorns held me tight. I've learned to appreciate thorns since. The thorns taught me the game. They let me understand what all those grim and serious men who've fought the Hundred War have yet to learn.
You can only win the game when you understand that it IS a game. Let a man play chess, and tell him that every pawn is his friend. Let him think both bishops holy. Let him remember happy days in the shadows of his castles. Let him love his queen. Watch him loose them all.
Those you love or care for or feel responsibility toward are merely weaknesses, holding you down. Makes you predictable, makes you weak. But he has other endearing qualities though, right? Not any that I recall. Only he truly appreciates men and the world they have built for themselves; the untruths people have plastered upon the true face of reality to make themselves feel better.
Life is about surviving and obtaining what you desire. Jorg explains this view of reality to his peeping toms readers throughout the book. His thoughts laying out a framework that points to each man deciding his own fate. No god controls Jorg Ancrath. No divinity or morality defines him. He is a primal force of nature, exhibiting to all around him that man is the god of this world and can live his life however he chooses.
The evils, which he metes out against his fellow human, merely an expression of his divine right to set his own rules, master his own fate, and play the game the way it was meant to be played - unless you have the strength to stop him from doing so! That is the reality Jorg Ancrath demands that you look at and understand. Many times, it seems he is standing over his next victim yelling at the reader to take a good look, because this is what awaits you when you set yourself up as gods.
For when every person is their own god and can define their own morality, there is nothing left to stop a Jorg Ancrath except brute force. Now, it is no easy task to write a character as devious, blood-thirsty and committed to his world view as Jorg. Most times an author who tries, fails due to the believability factor. A few too many rapes or people tortured, and the character ascends into the land of fairy tales, where witches live in ginger bread houses and cook lost children in their ovens. Lawrence never crosses that imaginary line into unbelievability.
Even the constant flashbacks between present and past Mr. Normally, I cannot stand an author jerking me from place to place, and especially from present to past, but here Mr. Lawrence does it so seamlessly that it never disrupts the natural flow of the novel, but actually adds another element of enjoyment, as a reader is allowed to put the jig-saw pieces together to understand how Jorg Ancrath became this monster you are reading about.
But the cherry on top of all this is Mr. Lawrence writing slight of hand, as the standard, medieval fantasy setting is turned on its head and turns out to be so much more than a reader initially expected. Now, there are always thing about a book that do not work no matter how good it is. Prince of Thorns had it share of those like every other novel. First, Jorg routinely accomplishes physical feats at nine, ten and fourteen that seem impossible.
Perhaps I feel this way because I have an 11 year old and 9 year old son, but it is true nonetheless, because no child - no matter how mentally deranged - would have the brute strength to do many of the things Jorg supposedly does when he is so young. Hell, he himself says his mother would leave their home before criminals were executed to spare him from such atrocious events. However, our normal, nine year old becomes the poster child for sociopaths everywhere over night basically. It just was too much of a stretch for me, even though I enjoyed reading about it.
Third, Jorg constantly rolls the dice of chance, counting on his deviousness and pure luck to allow him to win every encounter he finds himself in. And throughout the book, he makes wilder and wilder decision; many with no real plan at all, yet it always works out for Jorg. At one point in the tale, Jorg ends up at his childhood home with his father the king, has a confrontation with dear old dad, and is then stabbed by his father.
Not even a guard to make sure he dies. Dear old dad just forgets all about his son, whom he wanted dead. Jorg lays in this state near unto death for days if not weeks until he amazingly recovers. The Prince of Thorns has overcome the laws of nature, recovering from a wound that nearly pierced his heart, overcame dehydration, lack of food for days or weeks, and the onset of infection in said wound, even though he obviously had no medical care.
And when he finally awakes, Jorg is seemingly in better shape than one of his companions, who has been imprisoned the whole time but presumably was given food and water occasionally. All this without magic or divine intervention. At least, if either of those had been present, it would have made sense, but as it was written, Jorg is just superhuman I suppose. No good guys at all here. While it was refreshing to read about a truly evil character like Jorg, I also had nothing to contrast his despicableness against.
The story of a sociopath killing his fellow human beings while espousing his own brand of morality was an interesting read. No matter how distasteful Jorg is - and believe me he does not have a single redeeming quality to salvage his soul in this book - you find yourself wanting to read more about him, hoping that somewhere along the line he has an epiphany that reveals his erroneous morality, or that a true hero shows up and cuts his heart out. Neither happens in this book, but there are two more books to read.
Hope springs eternal as the old saying goes. I think it's time to finish this bad boy. I am a sucker for anti-heroes, and villains. Good people, most of the time, just annoy me. I've been craving a story with a not-so-good hero, and this seems to be chillin on top of every list i hit. I had to check it out! Any of I think it's time to finish this bad boy. Any of you who know me are aware of my unhealthy love for Ravens!
This has nothing to do with Chainsaw. But i want a physical copy, for some reason i have hard time concentrating when i read ebooks. View all 50 comments. Mar 13, Pang rated it really liked it Shelves: Because it is insane!! Before I read this book, I know that I will be led through the journey by very dark character that many readers might hate. So, I realize this point.. A prince who saw his family murdered brutally right before his eyes.
That bastard Count Renar he swears to revenge for what that man done! Because Jorg is only 13!!! O He not even has to think again and again about right or wrong, or about all the bad things he done! Jorg is so ambitious, and brave, and yes cunning. It was… oh ho wow ho Does you have a heart? Jorg intrigued me with what he gonna do. I think that, think this. Sometimes I saw he care, but another time he sacrifices! View all 70 comments. Aug 07, Evgeny rated it liked it Shelves: Prince Jorg ran away from his castle with a band of highway robbers.
This merry company kills, rapes, burns, and does all kinds of related activities with full Jorg's participation. Did I mention sometimes the merry band is afraid of Jorg? Did I mention Jorg is only fourteen? Anyway, the guy decides it is time to return home. This is where the real fun begins. The shocking part of the book - atrocities committed by year-old - did not work for me. There are several reasons. I suspect I became Prince Jorg ran away from his castle with a band of highway robbers. I suspect I became immune to endless violence in all kinds of media.
There was time when one rape scene was enough for me to throw the book against the wall Thomas Covenant, always a true gentleman. Now my only reaction is, "So what? I have seen it worse both in the media and real life". Jorg does not feel like year-old. None of his acts, none of his thoughts indicate he is that young; the story is told from his POV, so we are exposed to his inner thoughts. Remove the age reference from him it is irrelevant anyway , remove the violence: The book is totally based on his character, so it feels flat for me. It really is a mystery why people rate it with 5 stars.
Everything the book has to offer I saw done somewhere else before and sometimes better. The novel is still a decent read which deserves 3 stars despite all the lack of excitement, but at the moment I have no desire to read the next book of the series which is weaker according to what I heard. View all 32 comments. Feb 20, Kelly and the Book Boar rated it really liked it Shelves: Find all of my reviews at: Those as says otherwise are losing. In the first four pages the reader is exposed to raping and pillaging and beheadings.
The Prince of Thorns is Prince Jorg — a boy who watched his mother and younger brother get murdered and who was pretty much left for dead by his Find all of my reviews at: The Prince of Thorns is Prince Jorg — a boy who watched his mother and younger brother get murdered and who was pretty much left for dead by his father, the King.
Jorg had other plans, however. When they write the legend, this will be the first page. I loved this book. Talk about a change of freaking pace from the usual Mary Sue and her insta-loving self. Not only was Prince of Thorns filled with characters I should have hated but of course ended up loving , it was action-packed from the first page to the last and even included a twist that made me all. I just have to see what Jorg gets up to next. The only complaint I really have is the back-and-forth timeline.
I think this story could have been told with a prologue in the present time, then a flashback to four years prior, and continued from there until it was back in the present again. On the flipside, please note that a ton of my GR friends 1 Starred this sucker. If you are a freak like Mitchell and myself jump right in.
Not only is it not appropriate, but. That ought to earn me some friends. Jun 20, Kaora rated it did not like it. I hated the main character from the start. He is a 14 year old boy leading a gang of ex-convicts. He is the anti-hero, with the book opening detailing his rape of farmer's daughters, and frequent visualizations of just about every person he meets dying to his blade in their chest or cutting off their head. Yeah we get it.
You have to be cruel and disgusting to be the leader and you are the young boy that is so "bad" he frightens ghosts At some point I just stopped caring. At least it was short. Although it should have ended after view spoiler [he gets stabbed by his father hide spoiler ]. That would have made a much better book. Jul 10, Dana Ilie rated it did not like it Shelves: DNF at page Is not the violence and the age of the Prince Jorg, but apart from that the book is not tell me anything I will give it another try at the insistence of a friend.
View all 11 comments. Jun 23, Robin Bridge Four rated it really liked it Shelves: No he is a killer, torturer, pillager, rapist and the harbinger of fear. Jorg leads a band of men who have terrorized quite a few places. At thirteen he is the leader of an army but by fifteen he will be King. But you do have to respect the child who would be king someday. He makes the hard choices and deals the hard blows no matter what it costs him.
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He was ten and it irrevocably changed forever. I knew what it was to be trapped, and to watch ruination. Each day they drag you down that bit further. You wind them around you, a single thread at a time, and you weave your own shroud, you build a cocoon, and in it madness grows. You listen to their reproach and curse those that gave you life. It is messy, dirty, mean. There are times you hope that someone slits his throat and we then follow someone else. This was my first Mark Lawrence book but the writing is really fantastic. There are so many great musings and side thoughts that I giggled at or that made me ponder.
The world building was a little crazy and different and made me think of our world but perhaps thousands of years after we destroy ourselves in some way. Should you try this book? Do you enjoy Grimdark because people die…a lot of people? Can you accept a hero who is clearly not a hero….. Will you accept some crazy magics? Will you let the writing overshadow some of the harshness of the characters? Have you ever loved an antihero enough to be okay with him in the lead role? If you answered yes to as least three of these then you can probably handle Jorg. Aug 07, Jeffrey Keeten rated it it was amazing.
Like most of the reviewers I'm baffled as to who I could possibly recommend this book to or if I should recommend it. On the other hand I couldn't put it down. This book is disturbing, compelling, haunting, beautiful, disgusting and completely entertaining. The writing whispers evil thoughts into your mind. Your hand itches for steel. You start running through your mind every pett Like most of the reviewers I'm baffled as to who I could possibly recommend this book to or if I should recommend it.
You start running through your mind every petty grievance you have experienced since kindergarten. Revenge, sweet revenge burns hotly. Your thoughts moves past those bulwarks of civilizing philosophy and for a moment you touch the lizard brain. This book will shake a rattle and it is up to you whether you go into the weeds to investigate or if you take the safer path and move away as quickly as possible. I chose to go into the weeds or should I say the thorns and will again for book two.
View all 13 comments. Apr 04, Markus rated it really liked it Shelves: He himself was only saved by being thrown into a patch of hook-briars just moments before the attack. This episode is what turned him into the Prince of Thorns, and filled his existence with an insatiable lust for "War, my friends, is a thing of beauty.
This episode is what turned him into the Prince of Thorns, and filled his existence with an insatiable lust for vengeance and violence. Upon his safe return to his father's castle, Jorg discovers that the king of Ancrath intends to take no action against the Count of Renar beyond accepting his ridiculously low indemnity payments for the murder. Jorg then decides to run away from everything along with a band of dangerous outlaws, originally intending to kill the Count of Renar, but ending up plundering and pillaging for years before returning But on the Day of a Thousand Suns so many people had to push through at once, they broke the door.
The veils are thin now. It just takes a whisper and the right promise, and you can call the dead back. It consists of a feudal society with kingdoms and knights, and where the peasants are oppressed and exploited. At first sight it seems to be a world loosely based on medieval Europe, but that is only until one discovers that it actually is medieval Europe, more than a millennia into a postapocalyptic future. Apparently, the old world was destroyed by a devastating apocalypse known as the Day of a Thousand Suns, of which noone knows anything about.
But a lot of pieces of it still remain in Jorg Ancrath's bleak future, like metals and technology and, above all, philosophical literature. Watch him lose them all. It was awesome, obviously. It introduces a whole new aspect to the world of fantasy, and that aspect, while not always so pleasant to read about, is certainly interesting.
Lawrence's writing style is one of the best things about this book. It fits the story really well, and it managed to hold my attention for every single second while reading it. It's also refreshing to read a fantasy tale with a first-person narrative. In addition to that, the book is filled with a lot of fascinating details which all add to the overall experience, like that constant comparison to chess.
Life is a game for Jorg, and one he intends to win. Thus he always goes around thinking about sacrificing knights, manipulating pawns and playing his pieces in the way from which he gains the most.
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There are a lot of similarities here with George R. Martin and A Song of Ice and Fire. The setting and the characters. The power-play for gaining control of the Broken Empire which is even called "the game of thrones" by a character. Prince of Thorns is actually strangely reminiscent of a story of Westeros written exclusively from the viewpoint of Joffrey Baratheon.