Prince of Thorns

Mark Lawrence

Aug 2011 · The Broken Empire Book 1 · Sold by Penguin

About this eBook

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?

Ratings and reviews

No character development as the main character never redeems himself in the slightest from his abominable existence, not to mention in no way would any of his "friends" remain by his side after his continuous screwjob of them. The horrendous pacing becomes hard to follow at times, and a 14-year-old would never actually command the respect the minor characters afford Jorg. Too much unexplained, and really just not good. Stick to Rothfuss or Scott Lynch.

A very good tale, and a great new taste of main character. After reading 3 different series of a heroic character, being weak to do what was necessary and doing good completely, it was a nice change of pace to read about a dark boy who would do whatever it takes to win. 4/5 only because i reserve 5's for my favorite books. This was a great read. Now I am starting on King of Thorns.

Sometimes the writing is hilarious, but never unclear. The main character is written to be unlikable, but I kept hanging on. While at first this series might seem to suffer from the Artemis Fowl Disease (seemingly infallible young genius), the story progresses to explain. unique. captivating. 2nd and 3rd book will reward any slogging you feel you have to do.

About the author

Mark Lawrence is a research scientist working on artificial intelligence. He is a dual national with both British and American citizenship, and has held secret-level clearance with both governments. At one point, he was qualified to say, “This isn’t rocket science—oh wait, it actually is.” He is the author of the Broken Empire trilogy (Prince of Thorns, King of Thorns, and Emperor of Thorns), the Red Queen’s War trilogy (Prince of Fools, The Liar’s Key, and The Wheel of Osheim) and the Book of the Ancestor series (Red Sister).