Prince of Thorns, by Mark Lawrence
Book Review by Joshua Palmatier
Have you read this book?
I know I'm late on this one. Part of my goals this year are to read new authors (even though I have PLENTY from the old authors to read), so I picked this one up since I know a ton of people who love it. I can see why.
The premise: Jorg Ancrath is a prince, suddenly become the heir when his mother and brother are killed by a rival nation. He survives, thought barely, when he is tossed into a briar patch and the killers assume he's dead. He's found by his father's men and taken back to the castle, but his entire world has been changed by the attack and he soon runs away, unwilling to be tormented by his father, the king, who despises him. He becomes the leader of a band of bloodthirsty bandits, raiding and killing his way across the lands, until something draws him back toward his homeland, the castle, and his father . . . and that's where this novel starts.
The book is dark and gritty and bloody and cruel. The world is dark and gritty and bloody and cruel. And Jorg is dark and gritty and bloody and cruel. The things he does--his total disregard for tradition and morality and society--is what drives this book, at least at the beginning. He isn't a character that you like, that you want to like, and yet you get caught up in the story and dragged along in its wake. The post-apocalyptic world is intriguing as well and is used effectively as the plot--the real plot, not what Jorg thought--begins to unravel.
This novel is what I believe is termed grimdark, so it won't be for everyone. My own novels have their own darkness to them, so I enjoyed this one, although Mark Lawrence did push it far enough I wasn't exactly comfortable with everything. Farther than I would go in my own books, anyway. If it weren't for the post-apocalyptic aspects, I might have set it aside. But I'm a fan of apocalypse, especially when it's used well. So I'll definitely be reading the next two in this series to see what happens, but if you don't like extremely dark, grim, gritty books, then you should probably pass this one up.
Joshua Palmatier/Benjamin Tate
www.joshuapalmatier.com
www.benjamintate.com
The premise: Jorg Ancrath is a prince, suddenly become the heir when his mother and brother are killed by a rival nation. He survives, thought barely, when he is tossed into a briar patch and the killers assume he's dead. He's found by his father's men and taken back to the castle, but his entire world has been changed by the attack and he soon runs away, unwilling to be tormented by his father, the king, who despises him. He becomes the leader of a band of bloodthirsty bandits, raiding and killing his way across the lands, until something draws him back toward his homeland, the castle, and his father . . . and that's where this novel starts.
The book is dark and gritty and bloody and cruel. The world is dark and gritty and bloody and cruel. And Jorg is dark and gritty and bloody and cruel. The things he does--his total disregard for tradition and morality and society--is what drives this book, at least at the beginning. He isn't a character that you like, that you want to like, and yet you get caught up in the story and dragged along in its wake. The post-apocalyptic world is intriguing as well and is used effectively as the plot--the real plot, not what Jorg thought--begins to unravel.
This novel is what I believe is termed grimdark, so it won't be for everyone. My own novels have their own darkness to them, so I enjoyed this one, although Mark Lawrence did push it far enough I wasn't exactly comfortable with everything. Farther than I would go in my own books, anyway. If it weren't for the post-apocalyptic aspects, I might have set it aside. But I'm a fan of apocalypse, especially when it's used well. So I'll definitely be reading the next two in this series to see what happens, but if you don't like extremely dark, grim, gritty books, then you should probably pass this one up.
Joshua Palmatier/Benjamin Tate
www.joshuapalmatier.com
www.benjamintate.com
|
Click here to buy Prince of Thorns, by Mark Lawrence on Amazon
|
Prince of Thorns, by Mark Lawrence on Amazon
| More Books You Might Like |
Comment on Prince of Thorns, by Mark Lawrence
| Comments on Prince of Thorns, by Mark Lawrence |
| There are no comments on this book. |
