Prince of Thorns
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4.3 • 1.1K Ratings
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- $3.99
Publisher Description
BOOK ONE IN THE BROKEN EMPIRE TRILOGY
“Prince of Thorns deserves attention as the work of an iconoclast who seems determined to turn that familiar thing, Medievalesque Fantasy Trilogy, entirely on its head.”—Locus
When he was nine, he watched as his mother and brother were killed before him. By the time he was thirteen, he was the leader of a band of bloodthirsty thugs. By fifteen, he intends to be king...
It’s time for Prince Honorous Jorg Ancrath to return to the castle he turned his back on, to take what’s rightfully his. Since the day he hung pinned on the thorns of a briar patch and watched Count Renar’s men slaughter his mother and young brother, Jorg has been driven to vent his rage. Life and death are no more than a game to him—and he has nothing left to lose.
But treachery awaits him in his father’s castle. Treachery and dark magic. No matter how fierce his will, can one young man conquer enemies with power beyond his imagining?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This morbidly gripping, gritty fantasy tale is not for the squeamish. Prince Jorg was 10 years old when Count Renar's soldiers hung him on a hook-briar while his mother and brother were murdered. Vicious and desperate for revenge, he joined a bandit gang. Four years later, he's their leader and determined to end a multigenerational war by resurrecting the old empire and becoming emperor. Jorg is the epitome of the antihero, killing not just in battle but whenever he feels the need to set an example. Only toward the end of the book does a startling revelation focus his violence on clearly deserving targets. But Jorg is a product of his world, no worse than any other power there, and Lawrence increasingly makes readers believe that Jorg may indeed be able to use small savageries to end the ongoing greater ones.
Customer Reviews
Very good, but very dark
Prince of Thorns (Broken Empire #1) by Mark Lawrence is a brutal descent into the mind of a teenage sociopath bent on revenge.
The protagonist, Jorg Ancrath, is not a hero. He’s a cold, calculating little fella shaped by trauma and powered by rage. The book is violent, unflinching, and told entirely from his point of view, pulling you into a dark psyche as he rationalizes murder and mayhem.
This isn’t a sunshine and butterflies world of magic spells and talking dragons. This is a Robin from the Hood and his “merry if they’re robbing and killing you” men living in a shattered empire built on blood, where morality is optional and survival is everything story. The author blends grimdark fantasy with a little post-apocalyptic sci-fi, hinting at a deeper world beneath the carnage. It’s disturbing, compelling, and impossible to look away… kinda like a car crash.
WotW hole.
This is a very good read, albeit very dark, but with under tones that emphasize humanity, especially towards the end. Very good storyline, complex plot, interesting style, entertaining dialogue, and strong action. If you liked The Name of the Wind, The Warded Man, or the Night Angel trilogy, you will enjoy this book.
Horrific
Literally opens with the lead 13 year old boy raping two girls and then setting them on fire.