King of Thorns (The Broken Empire Book 2) Kindle Edition

I immensely enjoyed this book, and now that I'm finished with it I wish I had the third book to read right now. The first book was an amazing start, but I found this book to be so much better. It's really masterfully constructed, and incredibly well written. This novel's structure is similar to the Prince of Thorns, where a half or so of the book takes place in the present, and half takes place a certain amount of years in the past. In this book however, I found it to be much more successful, and I think that the main contributor to this was the amazing use of the memory box (for lack of a better name). Four years ago, on the way to deal with a rapidly mutating/growing Gog, Jorg met Katherine (this initial scene is absolutely beautifully written) which led him to commit some sort of horrible act that broke his sanity. To fix this, his brothers took him to a Wizard (or I guess they call all of them even males witches) and stored all of the memories surrounding that event into a copper box covered in thorns. Not only is this a great plot device as the reader is kept wondering throughout the story what exactly he did, but it's also really cool how Jorg learns to store important memories/strategies inside to keep them away from Sageus the Dream Witch. I also loved how and when the time line of the story changed, Mark Lawrence knew exactly how to pace the novel, when to feature the battle going on in the present, when to go back to the semi-epic questing that happened 4 years ago, and when to reveal secrets about Jorg's past or how he has developed as a character in the 4 years. The only thing that was a little confusing though involved the narrative, which is almost always first-person present tense (even when taking place in the past), however two times during his visit with his mother's family the tense breaks and Jorg talks as a narrator writing the story in the future. This is confirmed in the Epilogue of the book, as he talks about writing this account of his life. Still, I love it either way, but I didn't really see the need to have the character actually writing the book that we're reading.As for the story, overall it was very good, though a little unlike the first book there wasn't as much of an intro (of course) and the events that occur aren't quite as big, they're still very important but at the same time they are very much setting up the third book. For the character development, it was a huge leap forward. I'd thought that we'd found out everything we needed to know about Jorg's childhood before being thrown into the thorns, but near the beginning of this book we see an almost more powerful moment. I won't give much away, but it was horribly graphic and heart wrenching without being distasteful, I admit that I cried a decent amount here, but I'm going to blame it partially on the fact my dog was curled up next to me as I read it. We also see that he had a penchant for climbing all of the walls of the Tall Castle, something that comes in handy during multiple parts later in the book. I really appreciated that part of the story jumps 4 years into the future, letting Jorg grow up and become an adult. He's definitely still the Jorg we know and love (or occasionally hate/despise) but he's not quite as crazy, and you can tell that he loves, in his own way, some of the characters surrounding him. It also gives Jorg time to become stronger, smarter, and a much better swordsman than he was when he was 14 years old. I won't talk too much about most of the story as it would have to be full of spoilers, but I will say that I enjoyed all of it, even when some of the parts were slower (meeting his relatives) or slightly goofy at times (searching for help for Gog) they were still very interesting/enjoyable and they really helped to set-up the future events.For the world building I was surprised to find that there was a lot more of it here than in the first book. Many times in Fantasy, authors have to blast through as much of the world building as they can in the beginning of the first book to get past the reader's learning curve, this then lets them get into the meat of book, the characters and the story. However in King of Thorns, Lawrence dishes out the facts of the World like heavily guarded secrets, consequentially making them all the more treasured to the reader. A good way to explain why they are revealed in this way resolves around the fact that Jorg himself doesn't know too much about the world, and as he learns its secrets so does the reader. I want to put down the facts that I ascertained while reading the book, so if you don't want to be slightly spoiled, you should skip the rest of the paragraph. So the world featured in The Broken Empire series is our world, but it is somewhere around 1,000 to 1,300 years in the future (gleaned from a comment about a glass jar being around that old). The people known only as the Builders, are human beings probably 100 to 300 years in our future. The Builders were more advanced than we are today, as seen by the existence of virtual intelligences bordering on true AI's, water filtration systems that take in seawater & put out fresh drinkable water, satellite imaging that can be controlled and viewed through a ring, some kind of super metal (which is what Jorg's sword is made of), and among other things the invention of real magic. If the AI was telling the reader/Jorg the truth, the Builders somehow slightly decreased the separation between mind and matter, which over the stretch of time along with a nuclear apocalypse resulted in giving human beings with enough willpower the ability to control the elements, including death. Another important thing we learn about the world in this book, is that the oceans have risen by around the height of the Tall Castle (which was once a parking garage), or over a hundred feet. I also was very interested to learn a little more about the main religion in their broken empire, and why technological development has completely stagnated and reversed to that of the dark ages. Basically, The Roma church is the only version of Christianity around, as one of the Popes confiscated every copy of the bible in existence, letting them change the religion to whatever they wanted, as Jorg says that no one knows how much the Roma church resembles the old Roman Catholic Church. Related to this, Jorg talks about how while you might be hung or burned at the stake for supposedly being a witch, if anyone is found to have made a better type of glass/metal or some other development, they will tortured for days. I just really enjoyed the world building of this universe, and I can't wait to see what else will be revealed in the next book.So in closing, I would definitely recommend this book, in fact I would even recommend this book to people that were turned off by the grittiness/darkness in the first book as this one maintains the excellent writing and story development (probably even improving it) while being slightly less dark. Jorg still does horrible things, but he is much more likeable and relatable, in fact I think you could actually call him an anti-hero this time around. I wouldn't necessarily advise readers to skip Prince of Thorns, but I think that you could potentially read King of Thorns as a stand-alone novel and still get a lot out of it. I really liked the first book of the series, but I absolutely loved this book and hate the fact that I have to wait for awhile to read the conclusion to Jorg's story.

I just finished Mark Lawrence's, "King of Thorns" last night, and I must say that while I enjoyed "Prince of Thorns," it's predecessor, the sequel solidified my admiration of Lawrence as an up and coming fantasy author.Lawrence is gutsy, to say the least. In the first book, he chose to tell a conflicted coming of age story, but in reverse order, starting with Jorg and his band of brutal, unmerciful bandits raping and pillaging the land, only giving the backstory of the troubled Prince of Ancrath later. Lawrence must have known that he would lose readers - especially those who found Jorg's morality, or lack there of, a little too much to handle. We eventually got our explanations and the origin story for his sociopathic nature. Still, as a reader, Jorg was difficult to identify with because of the shock of the first half of the book.Enter the second book. Here, Lawrence gives us much more backstory and situates Jorg with character-types we weren't privy to in the first - characters that remind Jorg that human lives might indeed be worth something. In this context, Lawrence gives us several emotionally gut-wrenching scenes, offering us glimpses into the complexity of Jorg's character. Readers who did not enjoy the first book should definitely try the second. Very rarely do authors make readers bleed the injuries suffered by their characters, and Lawrence does that successfully in several scenes.The book is told in two primary time frames, the present, while Jorg is 18, and 4 years prior, directly following the events of the first book. Interspersed between these time-jumps were diary entries told from Katherine's perspective. As several other reviewers have noted, the initial 100 pages were a bit difficult to navigate, primarily because in addition to time-jumping, the reader had to figure out where the story actually was in each of those time points. This was not a problem with the latter half of the book.Supporting characters were well-flushed out. Katherine, in particular, has developed tremendously, and we also get introduced to an additional strong female lead.As with the first book, the mythology of a post-apocalyptic world was rich, and the juxtaposition of ghosts, trolls, and machines certainly makes the story less predictable.In sum, "King of Thorns" outdoes its predecessor. I certainly recommend picking up a copy. Lawrence is unpredictable and one of the most interesting fantasy authors to read.

I've just discovered this author and he has made my week. Love the first book and this is even better. Recommend to everyone.

King of Thorns is the second instalment in Mark Lawrence’s post-apocalyptic dark fantasy trilogy The Broken Empire. It’s commonly held that the middle part in any trilogy is usually the weakest, functioning mostly as mere filler between books one and three, a tiresome interlude between the start and the big finish. Not so with King of Thorns: it’s fast-paced, tense, action-packed, and has several thrilling plotlines that make for a more exhilarating read than the trilogy’s first instalment. No wonder it’s been nominated for the 2013 David Gemmell Legend Award.King of Thorns once again follows the story of Jorg Ancrath, taking place four years after the main events of Prince. Jorg is now King of Renar, but must defend his position against popular leader Prince Orrin of Arrow. However, due to earlier events Jorg has had certain memories removed from his mind. These memories are revealed gradually - to both Jorg and the reader - through a series of flashbacks in a style similar to that of the novel’s predecessor, but much more cleverly and intricately crafted. The ‘present day’ plot of the novel is centred on Jorg’s plan for defeating the Prince of Arrow, a plan which is progressively revealed throughout the story and leads us with ever-increasing momentum towards the adrenaline-filled finish.I’ll be honest: the first time I read this book I had two major issues with it, the first being the flashbacks. There are four (I think) different time frames/points of view, and I initially felt these to be chaotic, distracting and occasionally repetitive. I felt that they detracted from my enjoyment of the main story by disrupting my sense of time and place. I got that they were being strategically placed to build towards the big reveal, but felt that there was too much back and forth within the narrative. Having read this book a second time, I find it difficult to reconcile my initial response with what I’ve just read. For a start, I realise that the sense of dislocation is deliberately evoked in order to create an empathic link with Jorg: we feel but a tiny fraction of what it must be like to be suddenly hit by a memory you have no recollection of having lived through. Secondly, the ordering of the flashbacks is anything but chaotic. The narrative is artfully constructed so as to reveal crucial plot points at strategic moments, as well as to both shock and tease the reader; and what I had at first thought to be random revealed itself instead to be a complex web of memories cunningly fashioned by the author in a way to make one gape with admiration.My other initial problem with the book was that I didn’t enjoy the ‘Katherine’ chapters. I found the saga of her diary entries to be an unnecessarily dull counterpoint to Jorg’s narrative, and found myself wishing her journal pages had never been found. Of course, reading the novel again made me realise why her chapters are a vital part of the on-going Sageous plotline, and her sad words resonated far more poignantly because I was aware of how it was going to end. It's also nice to have a female voice present in the story, and I’m much more willing now to accept Katherine as a necessary part of Jorg’s tale.Prince Orrin is everything we’ve come to expect from a traditional epic hero: he is handsome and moral, gracious and brave, and above all he wishes to secure peace and prosperity for the empire . . . and we spend the entire novel rooting against him (well, I did). I really like the fact that the author has managed to deconstruct traditional fantasy archetypes to such an extent that ‘good’ and ‘evil’ become merely a matter of perspective. Orrin is the golden fairy-tale prince, and yet somehow our Little Jorgy – severely flawed and of dubious morality – manages to emerge as the closest thing to a hero the author will allow.I’ll admit: there were parts of this book that I found difficult to read, and which I know have caused outrage amongst readers elsewhere on the web. A scene which I’ll refer to only as the Justice of King Olidan actually hurt me to read, even more so the second time because I knew it was coming and was powerless to stop it; and yet, I found myself elated that Jorg was able to re-live the memory and re-evaluate the lessons he thought he’s learned from the experience. The fact that the reader is made to experience such anguish is a testament to the author’s ability to create characters and situations he can feel strongly about, and to write in a way that makes others feel this way too.On a similar note, King of Thorns feels a lot more personal than Prince, perhaps because scenes such as the one I just mentioned allow the reader to connect more with the protagonist: Jorg has stabilised a little and matured emotionally, and we live through this transformation as much as he does. There is also a lot more focus on his internal struggle with the way he has lived so far – here’s a powerful example:“I told Coddin that stubbornness led me to climb, and perhaps it did, but there’s more to it. Mountains have no memory, no judgments to offer. There’s a purity in the struggle to reach a peak. You leave your world behind and take only what you need. For a creature like me there is nothing closer to redemption.”I don’t want to mislead anyone into thinking that this is some kind of sappy coming-of-age drama, by the way. The first book came under fire by those who were outraged by the immoral actions of the central character within the first few pages; if those same people have decided to read King of Thorns I’m guessing they’re currently rolling in their graves after choking on their own moral indignation. There’s some dark stuff here, darker than the first book, with enough creepy situations and haunting images to give you nightmares for a month. There’s battle-action – lots of battle-action! – and the flashbacks are written in the present tense, which really draws you into the moment and uses the “elephant of surprise” to keep you on the edge of your seat, right up to the eventual reveal of the final heart-breaking secret.

I think it is fair to say that the books of Mark Lawrence can be described as harsh. Not in a bad way, the world that is lived in and the characters are harsh, but there is more to it than that. There have been criticisms about some of the things that happen in the book(s), that perhaps things have been a little too brutal, but that is the world.If people believe that the middle/dark ages - the time period many fantasy worlds are based on - were all sunlight through cherry blossom and that bad things did not happen, even disturbing things then they are living in a dream world. They were mud choked, full of blood, rape and treachery, probably to an extent that The Broken Empire books only scratch the surface.But... these novels are not set in a comparable middle age blueprint, in some ways they have to be considered science fiction over fantasy as they are set in our own world, in the future.I remember when I was reading Prince of Thorns (first book in the series) and I felt that Lawrence's use of religion seemed to be based on Christianity, well it was Christianity, but it grated for me. I kept telling myself it was different but I did not think it worked. Until the story unfolded and revealed that this was our world after a nuclear war. Then everything made sense.Lawrence said it was something that was only brushed upon in the first story, but it would be looked at in greater detail in this next novel. And he was not joking, here we get some depth and world building (and a bigger map) that really lets us feel this new world, what has happened to the old as it was burned away and left behind.There is a lot of fun guessing just where they are in the new/old world and how it compares to what we know, and there is a lot of fun in guessing just what the ancient structures that have become castles once were. And there is a lot of interest too, in the seemingly odd things, like a graveyard encased in a kind of resin just to preserve it. Was it done by accident or design, and if the later, why?This in itself, the old world elements, from the recognisable to the more Science Fiction remnants, an AI in a 'computer' that is a 'real' man, literally a ghost in a machine, a recording of a person. These things and so many more were enough to keep be gripped to the page, but you cannot talk about a book like King of Thorns without looking at the central character.For me Jorg of Arcanth has to be one of the finest creations in recent times. Yes, has been stated elsewhere and time again, he is a truly nasty piece of work and the fact that he tells his own story just adds to that, but it also speaks of a kind of honesty, that he is not hiding the fact from both the reader and himself. No one can be truly irredeemable, and we see some other sides of Jorg in these pages. At times he is as ruthless and nasty as he has always been, but we see little chinks in the armour, a sign that he is growing in character as well as age.The apparent rape of another character turns out not to have been what it seems (Lawrence really keeps his literary feet shuffling as he pulls the rug from under you not once, but twice); his decision with his new very young wife shows a slightly more tender side (even if the reasons are not exactly the most noble) and the conflict he goes through when deciding whether or not to murder his baby half brother is believable and humanising. The outcome of it all is even more devastating because of it.Yes Jorg is still ruthless, but he carries a humanity that he seems to deny but is still there.Lawrence throws in some great action sequences that really give the book some set piece highlights, and proves to be as ruthless with apparent main characters as he ever was in the first novel. In some ways, for me, this was one of the weaknesses, with one real POV character we have little time to really come and know the rest of the cast, so when they die there is not the impact there might have been - although to be fair, when it really needs the impact it is there - but this all comes through Jorg's perceptions of the people around him.The climax at the end it just about spot on. If I was going to say anything negative about it, then it would be it happened to quickly. That is but a quibble though. It is a superb wrap up to an excellent second novel, that is spilt over four years, with some grim revelations, some stunning world building, and a different central character. (I also liked Jorg's new queen, a more than perfect match for him, even if he has not realised it by the end of the book). There is so much I liked about it that I could rattle on forever, but that would be pointless: go and read the book!I said at the end of my review of the first book that I felt Lawrence would grow as he continued, and I feel that my words have been justified, this takes all the promise and runs with it. Even if it turns out that this is the high point of the trilogy, the third novel will still be a special something to look forward to.

I read the first book in this series, Prince of Thorns, and absolutely loved it. The moment I finished, I downloaded Book Two and started reading.At the end of Book One, Jorg Ancrath, our utterly amoral "hero" had taken one step closer to his ultimate ambition of being Emperor of the Broken Empire by taking revenge on the uncle who'd killed his mother and brother, and becoming King of Renar in the process. Some chapters in this book pick up almost where that book left off, with Jorg newly crowned and exploring the world. Alternating chapters jump ahead four years, when Jorg is facing overwhelming odds, his country surrounded by 20 000 armed men fighting to conquer Renar for the Prince of Arrow.The Prince of Arrow - good looking, kind, intelligent, seeking to conquer the Empire purely to bring peace - is the sort of character who'd be the hero of most fantasy novels, even fairly edgy, modern ones. Every mystic Jorg meets tells him that Arrow is prophesied to be Emperor and bring piece to the world. Unlike in the first book, where Jorg was basically a bad man amongst bad man, it's therefore particularly disconcerting to find yourself rooting for him when he's clearly the worst of two evils.Many of the things that made the first book good are still present and correct. The "seemingly medieval but actually post-apocalyptic" world is well developed, the writing is smooth, and the willingness to play with genre conventions is refreshing. Above all though, it's the main character that makes this series special - his ruthlessness, his absolute determination, and his damaged psyche make compelling, repellent, and sympathetic all at once. Though he's by no means become a good guy, he's calmed down a bit in this book compared to the first, due to a combination of the responsibilities of being a king, growing up, and getting a degree of freedom from the corrosive influence of Corion, a sort of evil magician who was partly controlling his actions in the first book. While this undoubtedly makes him a more nuanced and interesting character, I must admit that part of me missed the jaw-dropping awfulness of Book One Jorg.In some ways, I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as Book One. Firstly, I really appreciated the way the first book demonstrated that contrary to popular belief, it's possible to write a short, tightly plotted fantasy novel. This one was notably longer and felt a bit padded out in places. In particular, some of the "four years previously" sections dragged a little. Secondly, the flashback/jump forward structure, while clever, made the book feel a little disjointed and confusing. I generally enjoy non-linear narratives, but I felt that it didn't add much here.There were also a few specific plot points that didn't quite work for me. I don't want to go into too much detail here and risk spoilers, but in short - not just one but about five consecutive deus ex machinas during the pivotal battle, Jorg's obsession with Katherine that seems to have no basis in anything (they've only ever met in person very briefly and don't obviously have much in common), and a terrible, lost memory carried around in a box that was both predictable and (considering the terrible things Jorg's done) rather underwhelming.At the same time, other aspects of the plot - an interesting double twist around the Prince of Arrow, the wonderful concept of a "Mathmagician", one of the most heartwrenching stories of childhood trauma/animal abuse/terrible parenting you'll ever read, a fantastically ruthless child bride for Jorg - were up to, if not exceeding, the standard set in the first book.Overall, this is definitely worth a read if you enjoyed book one. Most of the good stuff is still in place and there are some new things to enjoy, but for me, it was definitely weaker in places than the first book. It's also worth bearing in mind that you really have to have read this middle volume before you can read Book Three, which both picks back up again and explains some of the things that didn't entirely make since in this instalment.

I wasn't 100% convinced in the quality of 'The Prince of Thorns' but it was, easily, good enough to prompt me to try the next in line; 'The King of Thorns'. I'm glad that I did because this second outing for Jorg is an improvement on what was, already, a pretty good foundation. I can't imagine that many folk would choose to start reading a trilogy with the book set in the middle so I'll assume that you're reading this because you've already read the first book, 'The Prince of Thorns'. If so, then you already know all about the slightly quirky twist to these books in that the hero, Jorg, is an utterly ruthless character who wades, hip deep, through blood to get his way. Such a character shouldn't be a hero yet it's impossible not to like Jorg and to root for him a every turn. The other factor is the delight of a hero who really is capable of doing literally anything, even completely mad and illogical actions, giving the plot line a delicious instability and a sense of jeopardy not evident in other books.'King of Thorns', then, is just the same but with more of it. If you liked 'Prince of Thorns', then you won't be disappointed by the 'King'. This time, Jorg is a bit more mature and thoughtful in his actions but is still as ruthless and carless of the life of others and himself. Mark Lawrence still has a penchant for killing off major characters but that just adds to the sense of jeopardy; something rare in the second book in a trilogy (well, you know that he survives to the final book don't you?).Like the first book, the story is told in a split timeframe with some chapters set in the 'now' and some in the 'four years earlier' timeframe. This can be very slightly confusing but I do like it as a narrative device. There are some new characters here and, as in the first book, some of them are very interesting indeed; no bland characters here!My only criticism is that the level of 'magic' is ramped up in this book, to a level that I don't like. I enjoy fantasy novels in which the magic is fairy subtle and follows some rules because, once you reach the 'anything is possible' point, the hero simply can't fail as, however dire his predicament, he'll just magic his way out of it. I try not to write spoilers in my reviews but, for an example of what I mean, read the section in which Jorg gets out of a locked cell. The level of magic in this novel is quite a bit greater than in the first book and, for me, it added little to the enjoyment of the story. Similarly, Jorg manages to procure a gun from a 'ghost of the machine' who doesn't really exist; how does that work then? (no spoiler as it's telegraphed way in advance).On the other hand, the mythical world in which this is set is fleshed out a lot more, which I liked. The fact that this world is, actually, Earth but set thousands of years in the future and after a nuclear holocaust is fascinating.Amazon is bursting at the seams with fantasy novels like this and it's difficult for any author to rise above the tide. But Mark Lawrence does that and, through good writing and some quirky character twists, delivers a fantasy novel of the first quality. If you're faced with a choice between a few such books, go with this one.The trilogy was set up with Jorg as a Prince and with a burning desire to be the Emperor at any cost. It is, therefore, no surprise to find that the Prince of Thorns of the first book has become the King of Thorns in the second book and that Jorg is set to challenge to become the Emperor of Thorns in the final act. I'm hooked now myself and I can't wait to get stuck into 'The Emperor of Thorns'.